The impression I get from this report, and what I have seen and heard over the last few years, is that what matters to DCC and the former EDDC, was avoiding blame for their part in this failure. Without a shadow of doubt, some previous institutions, those councils and Devon and Cornwall Police, have failed the victims of Humphreys.

Contrary to the expectations of many who know the details, Devon and Cornwall Police have never investigated their appallingly unprofessional early handling of this case, nor have they had any other force investigate them for it. They suggest they will investigate if a complaint is made, but I’m pretty sure they will only accept a complaint from the victims, people who now want to get on with their lives and even then, it would no doubt be more heavily redacted than DCC’s report.

Owl has reviewed DCC’s report and I’ll add nothing further

In respect of EDDC, and it must be emphasised that we are talking about a past Tory controlled council and some existing officers, I find the explanations so far offered as less than satisfactory.

I want to focus on the explanation that an EDDC officer attended the DCC LADO meeting and accepted the request that those present had to treat the police information given about Humphreys in absolute confidence. It is suggested that the council officer concerned, and people do know who it was, accepted that advice and never even mentioned it to his boss the CEO – until the news became public.

Rightly or wrongly I believe that the senior officer concerned, whom I believe was male, had a primary duty to consider how the information given might affect his duty to EDDC and its public, and of course, to check that the reasons for secrecy were appropriate in all the circumstances.

Many of us know that Masonic influence has been a matter of concern in local councils and in Devon and Cornwall police. In 2017 Devon Live named 26 Devon councillors who were members of Masonic Lodges. I have previously FOI’d Devon and Cornwall police about police staff and membership of Lodges but they advised that they did not require such membership to be recorded. Make no mistake though, there will be such members – but we don’t know whom.

Humphreys was a Mason, we do not know if the police officer demanding secrecy was or was not. I have worked with Masonic police officers-most by far are decent honest folk – but I also know that is not always the case and have seen one rightly jailed for ‘helping a brother out’.

That EDDC officer would, or should have been aware of potential masonic conflict and should have enquired why the officer wanted such secrecy – I’m told it was an unusual request. He should have been aware of the need to confirm that secrecy was a legitimate request. It would appear he did not as there seems to be no such record. That EDDC officer’s primary duty is to his employer and the people the council serve. It seems totally unprofessional not to have explored the reason for the request for secrecy further. He should have anticipated that silence would potentially involve putting others at risk.

Much has been said from one quarter about the obligation on that officer to respect and abide by the police officer’s request, supported by various memos etc, to maintain absolute secrecy about Humphreys. Well frankly that is absolute nonsense.

The law and relative guidance provides for how such confidential should be treated. Firstly it acknowledges that there will be times when confidential information can properly be passed to another party . Secondly, it uses the phrase ‘need to know basis’. Certain senior officers of councils may ‘need to know’ about all sorts of matters, indeed there will likely be quite a few occasions in which they have already been passed information on a ‘need to know’ basis because they may have a role to play in predicted events and need to be prepared. It needs to be noted that the ‘need to know’ exception means that those who have a valid reason to know is restricted, it isn’t to broadcast throughout the organisation or be made public. That EDDC officer should have told his boss the CEO for he has oversight of what is going on and could, if he felt appropriate, have kept Humphreys out of certain areas to protect the East Devon residents and the council’s reputation.

I am disappointed that the ‘need to know’ exception was never brought to the attention of today’s council members. It is a common practice in most areas that you can think of from say newsrooms protecting a story from rivals, to chancellors of the exchequer with pre-budget details, to Council CEOs in regard to emergency planning measures . I’m willing to bet that our CEO has quite a few ‘need to know ‘ matters that he shares with the few who have reason to know.

In my old job I dealt with classified confidential information on a daily basis in many of the roles I held. I might have been the officer requesting confidentiality or at the end of the chain the person expected to produce resources when certain things happened. I might be the only person in the know in my department, or I might deem it appropriate to share with some junior colleagues.

The point is that that the ‘need to know’ exception to confidentiality is common practice in all organisations and senior staff would, I hope, have understood this and when it should be applied. It should have been applied to Humphreys being recognised as a suspected paedophile in an influential position.

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

30 Jan 2023

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Misc

Coastal areas need help to overturn inequalities, report says

Ministers must do more to help struggling coastal communities around England with levelling-up policies at risk of failing to turnaround decades of inequality, a new report warns.

[Preview, report to be published Wednesday]

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

Nearly one in five jobs pay below the living wage, the study says, with household income almost £3,000 lower than in non-coastal areas.

Poorer health, education, transport and broadband links are also highlighted.

The government said it continued to provide support to coastal economies.

The report was commissioned by the Coastal Communities Alliance, the Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group and the Coastal Partnerships Network and the BBC has been given exclusive access to it ahead of its publication on Wednesday.

The report – called Communities on the Edge – warns levelling up’s focus on regions means “massive challenges” faced by some smaller, remote parts of the country are “hidden” and likely to be missed by the government.

It points to the East of England, which has the third-highest regional average weekly pay despite parts having some of the lowest earnings in the country.

Many areas have lower wages due to jobs being seasonal and part-time in the tourism sector, or with small firms.
A lower proportion of children achieve GCSE qualifications in maths and English, with children more likely to regularly miss school.
Fewer council houses mean people rely on private rentals where costs are higher, and cars are needed because of poor public transport.
Coastal areas have higher rates of depression, suicide, alcohol-related hospital admissions and emergency admissions for lung conditions.
Limited gigabit broadband and 4G provision causes a “digital divide”.

It described the issues facing such areas as having been “years, if not decades” in the making.

Challenges ‘entrenched’

Commenting on its findings, Sally-Ann Hart MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Coastal Communities, said: “The additional challenges faced by people living on the coast are so entrenched that help is needed from central government to stop them falling further behind.

“Our beautiful coastline is an incredible national asset. But it urgently needs sustainable long-term investment to make the most of the opportunities for growth – particularly in green jobs which can support the government’s climate goals.”

Wages are ‘pretty grim’

Six miles from Lands End and home to the last onshore lighthouse in Britain, Pendeen in Cornwall is a community surrounded by stunning scenery. But like many coastal villages, that charm masks inequalities.

Jennifer Dines recently moved to the area and is able to take advantage of hybrid working, which means her commuting costs are lower than for some other residents.

“I’m one of the lucky ones who can work from home some days,” she says.

“No-one local can afford to buy a local place. Prices aren’t reflected in wages at all.

“It’s pretty grim how much people earn here, trying to buy places that are ridiculous amounts of money.”

What can be done?

The report calls for the government to target deprived areas by changing its levelling-up criteria and funding formulas. It also recommends helping projects financially over their full lifespan rather than for a short, defined period.

The right support, it argues, “would boost growth and see coastal areas contribute far more to the wider UK economy”.

Among the key opportunities it identifies are the move to hybrid and home working which it says gives younger people the chance to remain in their local areas rather than move away to find work.

And with coastal areas already involved in industries such as offshore wind, it argues the transition to green energy could provide hundreds of thousands of highly-skilled, well-paid jobs.

Additionally, it says developing ways to extend traditional tourist seasons beyond summer months would enable areas to benefit from the current growth in UK trips and visitors.

‘We’ve been forgotten’

Once a thriving place, Newbiggin in Northumberland was heavily affected as industries such as fishing and mining wound down.

Retired teacher Sheila Harrison said she despaired at a lack of investment and opportunities for young people.

“Over time, the fishing industry shrunk, mines closed and railways closed,” she said.

“Consequently, the place just deteriorated.

“Governments haven’t really invested in the area in the last 20 or 30 years. There are few jobs now and only very low-paid ones in service industries or retail.

“Newbiggin is a bit of a forgotten area, but it’s got so much to offer. It has a beautiful south-facing bay and lots of potential, but needs money from the government.”

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said coastal communities “play a key role in levelling up and we continue to support them to improve their economies”.

“Since 2012 we have invested over £229m through the Coastal Communities Fund to run 359 projects throughout the UK’s rural and coastal communities helping to create jobs and boost businesses.”

It added Levelling Up funding of £2.1bn announced earlier this month – to be shared across more than 100 places nationally – would help “to create better-paid jobs and spread opportunity right across the country”.

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

30 Jan 2023

Posted under

Misc

Spoof blue plaques to Simon Jupp unveiled

Environmental campaigners have unveiled mock blue plaques to ‘honour’ the MPs and the Government who voted against tougher laws on dumping raw sewage in our oceans. Members of ESCAPE (End Sewage Convoys And Pollution Exmouth), Transition Exmouth, Plastic Free Exmouth, Tidelines, Women Swimmin’ and TEDS swimming group joined together as part of a national day of action with Extinction Rebellion across the UK.

Olivier Vergnault www.devonlive.com

They were joined in Cornwall by members of Extinction Rebellion, Surfers Against Sewage, local medical professionals to highlight issues of decreasing water quality around the UK from sewage discharges into the sea and rivers due to storm overflows. The gatherings were part of a national day of action, with those involved saying more needed to be done to prevent pollution incidents. There were similar protests in Teignmouth too.

In October 2021, the vast majority of Conservative MPs, including Simon Jupp, MP for Exmouth, voted against an amendment to the Environment Act 2021 that would have placed a legal duty on water companies not to pump waste into rivers.

Local councillor Joe Whibley who took part in the day of action, said: “This is an awful situation for our environment, not to mention the fact that it could devastate our growing watersports-related tourism ventures. We’re horrified every time a BBC crew turns up to report on the state of the waters.

“South West Water have so far offered nothing quick and nothing concrete. Together with the Environment Agency, we need our representatives to create tougher standards for what is, and more importantly what isn’t, acceptable.”

Mary Culhane of Women Swimmin’ added: “As year-round swimmers we’re taking risks entering the water – the situation is so bad that last year Exmouth was ranked as the second worst Blue Flag beach for sewage spills in Devon, with the beach closed to swimmers in September. Profiteering water companies rake in multi-million-pound profits and hand huge bonuses to their CEOs whilst we are left to swim in raw sewage.”

Surfers Against Sewage, Extinction Rebellions, environmental campaigners and members of the public unveil spoof Blue Plaques in Exmouth to protest at the increasing sea pollution and the MPs who voted against tough laws on raw sewage being pumped into the sea (Image: Paula Fernley Photography)

South West Water (SWW) said it had been working hard to reduce such incidents. It added that, in the last bathing season, it had “reduced spills by 50% on the previous year, with the duration of those spills down by 75%”.

However according to figures gathered by campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, the utility company’s Maer Lane works spilled sewage at Exmouth beach 62 times for a total of 857 hours during 2020, increasing to 74 times for 1,128 hours during 2021.

Environmental groups said the situation is made worse by the fact that the company also treats huge amounts of sewage from other parts of Devon which only adds to the problem. The campaigners Over 26 million litres were trucked in during 2020 from 16 locations throughout East Devon in 3,008 HGV movements. That’s enough to fill more than 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools with human faeces. Since 2021, data from South West Water shows that 80 tankers a month bring sludge into the town.

ESCAPE has been working locally with Surfers Against Sewage and Exmouth Town Council to raise awareness after examining data. An ESCAPE spokesperson said: “A revolving door of Environment Secretaries and a government in disarray has led to little action being taken to hold water companies to account, especially the poorest performers like South West Water.

“Instead, we just get empty threats from government and lethargy from industry regulators. To my mind what we’re seeing can only be described as complete abandonment of responsibility for pollution on the part of water companies and the Environment Agency.”

Anne-Marie Culhane from Tidelines added: “Storm sewage overflows can contain anything that goes down the drains – from human waste to household chemicals, pharmaceuticals and plastics. As well as potentially harming human health, frequent sewage discharges can seriously damage river and ocean ecosystems, for example by creating algal blooms.

“Chemicals in the water can harm fish, shellfish and other species and reduce oxygen levels in the water which impacts aquatic insects and other species throughout the whole ecosystem and food chain. This is a critical issue. All of us should be bending over backwards to keep our rivers and oceans clear and healthy. What is the Exe/Isca ‘river of fish’ without life?”

South West Water said it had been “working hard to reduce the impact of storm overflows”.

Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, said: “I recently met with some of the campaigners who were involved in this protest and we’ve started working together to hold South West Water to account. I would never vote to pollute our water, despite some politically motivated claims suggesting otherwise.

“I’m from Devon, I live near the sea in Sidmouth, and I love where we live. If campaigners truly want to hold South West Water’s feet to the fire over their failures, I’d encourage them to put down their placards and work with me. I will continue to work with local groups and councils to get South West Water to clean up their act.”

[Simon Jupp’s and the government’s record on “light touch” regulation including abandoning the principle of a legal target for river health, and postponing a deadline for agricultural run-off reduction by three years (from 2037 to 2040), announced in December, can be found here. What goes in our rivers ends in the sea. – Owl]

Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 16 January

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Rotten to the core

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Tim makes a considered comment on EDDC’s role in the DCC Humphreys review

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Coastal areas need help to overturn inequalities, report says

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Spoof blue plaques to Simon Jupp unveiled

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