Business as usual for the Baron, too grand to do anything parochial for his constituency or Devon, even when he had David Cameron on speed dial.

www.ukpol.co.uk  The maiden speech made by Hugo Swire, Baron Swire, in the House of Lords on 9 January 2023.

Instead of reading his speech Owl thought readers might prefer to cheer themselves up with a singalong to this little ditty (original lyrics composed in Torquay).

“Jolly voting weather,

The toffs are on their knees,

Labour forever,

Down with moats and sleaze!

Swing, swing together,

The election will be a breeze!

Swing, swing together,

The election will be a breeze!” [lyrics Ron Scuttle]

Floreat Etona!

[Correspondents are invited to produce their own version.]

Remember that in March 2022 Tory councillors circulated a nauseating newsletter which proclaimed:

“EDDC owned leisure facilities have taken a huge financial hit during the Covid pandemic with the Council subsidising the activities of LED, a standalone company. Conservative councillors are concerned about these costs and are questioning the use of tax payers money to subsidise one business over another. This money could have been spent on keeping our public toilets open and prevent car parking increases.”

Remember also that as a charitable trust LED was unable to claim 75 per cent of lost income under a central government scheme, introduced during the pandemic in 2020, whereas leisure facilities operated directly by Local Authorities can do so.  

What did Simon Jupp say about all this?

Swimmers, if you have a problem with meeting the cost of heating pools, don’t count on the Tories to come to your aid

LED, a “not for profit” company spun off  by the Tory administration to manage its leisure facilities until 2036 but now manages facilities in Somerset, presents enormous legacy problems for EDDC. – Owl

On Friday East Devon MP Simon Jupp visited Exmouth Leisure Centre to support its Big Swim Day.

Adam Manning www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

Big Swim Day on Friday, February 24 was part of a national campaign to highlight the impact of the Government’s decision to reduce support for gyms, pools and leisure centres from rising energy costs.

In November, UK Active published figures showing that 40 per cent of council areas are at risk of losing leisure centres or seeing reduced services before March 31 prior to the decision to significantly reduce the support available.

LED Community Leisure Ltd (LED) is a not-for-profit charitable trust that runs East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) leisure facilities.

Like all public sector leisure facilities, EDDC’s have been hard hit by, firstly, the COVID pandemic and, more lately, the huge rise in energy costs caused by the war in Ukraine.

This is a ‘double whammy’ for the industry as it has yet to see a return to pre-pandemic attendance and revenue levels, exacerbated by the increase in utility costs.

LED’s CEO, Peter Gilpin, explained to Mr Jupp the crisis facing public leisure facilities, particularly swimming pools, stressing that it is imperative that the Government urgently reconsider the decision to reduce support for leisure facilities in the Energy Bill Discount Scheme, as well as including swimming pools within those industries selected for additional support.

EDDC has had to provide over £2million in additional funding to LED over the last 3 years to keep their facilities open, particularly the swimming pools, vital during the pandemic for the health benefits for residents.

LED say their utility costs have increased by over £300,000 since 2020 with nearly £100,000 attributed to Exmouth Leisure Centre, EDDC’s largest facility with both a 6-lane 25m swimming pool as well as a teaching pool.

To reduce its energy costs and carbon footprint LED has installed a Pool Sentry system that includes variable speed drive pool pumps, pool covers, LED and sensor lighting, reduced volume shower heads and a new state-of-the-art heat recovery system that is due to be commissioned imminently. Air source heat pumps, solar panels and a new pool disinfectant system are also being considered.

“[The Council] is again suffering the instability of hirings and firings and a cabinet which made decisions which were not in accordance with recommendations and advice from its committees and even full council – from disproportionate parking fee increases to ignoring member concerns over particular investments.”

Is this the right time to be binding a new administration? – Owl

Mid Devon District Council set to scrap cabinet system –

Ollie Heptinstall www.devonlive.com

Mid Devon has voted to begin the process of scrapping its cabinet system, amid a claim the district council is in “disarray”. Cabinets are the most common form by which local councils are run. A leader appoints a number of cabinet members – usually from the same party – to take charge of different departments.

However, the system favours parties that have a majority of council seats. Mid Devon has been under no overall control since the last full elections in 2019. As a result, it has been run by Independent-Lib Dem and Independent-Conservative coalitions but was recently plunged into chaos when several cabinet members left their roles. Leader Bob Deed (Independent, Cadbury) then resigned.

Full council elections are due to be held in less than three months, with independent councillor Barry Warren (Lower Culm) appointed to succeed Cllr Deed until then in a ‘caretaker’ capacity. The upheaval prompted independent councillor Nikki Woollatt (Cullompton North), who has since been appointed to Cllr Warren’s cabinet, to call for a “modernised committee system to be implemented from the annual meeting of 2024.”

Presenting her motion at a full council meeting last week, she said: “I’ve brought this motion forward at this particular time because this council is in disarray.”

“It is again suffering the instability of hirings and firings and a cabinet which made decisions which were not in accordance with recommendations and advice from its committees and even full council – from disproportionate parking fee increases to ignoring member concerns over particular investments.”

She described the cabinet system as “undemocratic” despite now sitting on it, adding: “I truly believe this council would not be suffering its current turmoil and instability if we were working within a modern committee system.”

Asking members to back the motion, she concluded: “The staff of the council and the people of Mid Devon need a stable council. We cannot go on like this.”

Backing the proposal, Liberal Democrat councillor Luke Taylor (Bradninch) said: “In the last four years the cabinet system has been a mockery with 10 sackings, or six depending on which version of events you listen to,” a reference to four Tory councillors recently claiming they resigned rather than were pushed.

He added: “There are alternative opportunities and hybrid councils which have proved successful in other districts. We need to move away from the current failing system to implement something better for the residents of Mid Devon.”

However, some members were uneasy about voting to change the system weeks before full elections. Councillor Colin Slade (Conservative, Lowman) said: “I don’t think that those of us here should impose upon an incoming council their method of governance.”

Councillor Bob Evans (Independent, Lower Culm) agreed: “There are members sat round this table tonight that know they are going to stand for election, and there are members that will stand for election that may not get elected. It is not for us in the last 10 weeks to dictate to the next administration what they should or should not be doing.”

They were later told any final decision would need to come back to a future full council meeting for another vote, leading supporter Graeme Barnell (Independent, Newbrooke) to say: “I don’t think this resolution binds anybody to anything.”

He admitted old-style committee systems were “chaotic” but said: “That doesn’t mean we have to go back to the polarity of the old-style committee systems. What’s being proposed is we move away from the cabinet system to a new system that many councils have devised, which is a hybrid system.”

The motion was narrowly approved. Any new system will require a confirmatory vote of councillors and will not come into place until 2024.