Monthly Archives: February 2023

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21 Feb 2023

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Loss of nearly 15,000 UK retail jobs a ‘brutal start to 2023’, report says

Nearly 15,000 British retail jobs have already been cut since January in a “brutal start to the year” for the high street.

Joanna Partridge www.theguardian.com 

A total of 14,874 retail job losses have been announced by companies so far, according to analysis from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).

National retailers including stationery brand Paperchase, clothing chain M&Co and Tile Giant have all gone bust in recent weeks, while discount retailer Wilko, clothing retailer New Look and supermarkets Tesco and Asda have all also announced job cuts.

Large retail chains, which have 10 or more stores, are among those cutting jobs on UK high streets, as well as at main shopping destinations, the research found.

Most of the job losses – totalling 11,689 – are at large retailers including Tesco and Asda who are carrying out cost cutting programmes and restructuring operations.

Meanwhile, a further 3,185 jobs have been lost at large retailers which have collapsed and undergoing insolvency proceedings.

The embattled stationery specialist retailer Paperchase fell into administration in January, after being hit by rising costs and disappointing sales.

The brand and its intellectual property was bought by Tesco, but the deal did not include taking on Paperchase’s 106 stores across the UK and Ireland, prompting the immediate loss of 250 jobs, with an uncertain future for the remaining 500 staff.

Many of the struggling retailers have already collapsed in recent years, according to Prof Joshua Bamfield, the CRR’s director.

“The process of rationalisation will continue at pace as retailers continue to reduce their cost base,” he said. “We are unlikely to see any respite in job losses in 2023 after a brutal start to the year.”

Retail job losses have been mounting for several years, even prior to lengthy closures after repeated Covid lockdowns.

Just under 3 million people were employed in retail in the second quarter of 2022, according to a survey from industry body the British Retail Consortium, which was 63,000 lower than a year earlier.

A revaluation of business rates, which are among the largest operating costs for retailers, is taking place from 1 April, and looks likely to reduce the rateable values used to determine bills.

Business rates relief means that new bills will be discounted by 75% for the tax year from April 2023 to the end of March 2024, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, as announced by the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, in his autumn statement.

The Treasury has said that the retail sector “is set to see its overall bills paid fall by 20%” as a result.

However, the property adviser Altus Group is warning that most retailers with multiple stores will only benefit from the discount on a handful of their branches because of the cap.

“While the adjustments brought about by the revaluation are welcome, 10% overall just does not go far enough given the state of the market on the valuation date which is likely to lead to a tsunami of appeals,” said Alex Probyn, global president of property tax at Altus Group.

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20 Feb 2023

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Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 6 February

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20 Feb 2023

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More than 1,000 new homes set for approval in Devon

Plans for one of the proposed expansion areas to Cranbrook are being recommended for approval. East Devon District Council planners are set to give the go-ahead for more than 1,000 homes to be built on land to the north of Treasbeare Farm, and south of the old A30.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

As part of the Cranbrook Plan, 62 hectares of land at the Treasbeare Expansion Area is allocated for a mixed use development. Housing, community facilities, a neighbourhood centre, a school, a sports hub and employment land are all set to be built.

Those plans are now set to take a step closer to coming to fruition when councillors on Tuesday, February 28, will discuss them. And councillors are recommended by officers to approve the massive outline scheme for the growing East Devon town.

The scheme asks for outline planning permission for up to 1,035 residential dwellings – 120 more than is allocated in the development plan. There would also be a neighbourhood centre with retail units, including the possibility of takeaways, betting shops and a bar.

A two form entry primary school, of up to 420 places, with early years provision, is also planned. As is public open space, allotments, amenity open space and SANGS land.

There would be a sports hub comprising playing pitches, tennis courts, a multi-use path and a pavilion, as well as up to 10.26ha of employment land. Five serviced pitches for gypsies and travellers are also included, with principal access is to be provided from four points off London Road (B3174), with additional access points proposed for pedestrians and cyclists.

Treasbeare expansion area of Cranbrook masterplan

The report of planning officers says: “In essence the scheme which sits between Cranbrook and the old A30 to the north, and the airport to the south, proposes to locate employment land to the west, where it sits in close association within the Skypark and airport development, housing in the central and northern areas including those set to the north east of Parsons Lane, a gypsy and traveller site for 5 pitches (again to the north east), a sports hub and school towards the eastern ridge, and SANGS along the Ford Stream corridor and the eastern slopes of the site.

“The minor incursions where the proposed development steps outside of the built up area boundary are not considered to harm the character of the area or lead to any risk of settlement coalescence with the neighbouring village of Rockbeare.

“The delivery of the neighbourhood centre and key components of the sports hub including an artificial grass pitch are beneficial. While seeking some flexibility from the terms of the policy (but backed up with good evidence) the provision of these important community assets help with the sustainability credentials of the scheme

“The most balanced issue within the scheme has been the location of the proposed school – not so much as a result of the visual impacts although it is more prominent than would ideally be the case, but because it is proposed to be located towards the east of the site. This location means that walking distances from the proposed housing in the east and particularly development in Bluehayes would be in excess of the recommended walking distances advocated by Policy. Although this impact is partly offset by the provision of direct links, it is still a negative which must be weighed against specifically the delivery of a school, and more generally the other aspects of the proposal when considered as a whole.”

The report adds: “It is recognised that the layout of the scheme has resulted in minor incursions across the built up area boundary afforded to the Treasbeare expansion area, although these are not considered to cause harm. The location of the school is suboptimal and would result in greater walking distances than would be the case if it was located elsewhere within Treasbeare.

“However the delivery of the school within this expansion area nonetheless has merit, as it is a compatible use with the sports hub and spreads infrastructure either side of the London Road. As part of the proposed sports hub, the application provides a mechanism for the delivery of a full sized, flood lit AGP which was otherwise only partially funded. The scheme also proposes up to 1035 dwellings (of which 155 would affordable) which is of benefit to the Council’s 5 year housing land supply, employment land in excess of the policy requirement and a neighbourhood centre.

“Taken together it is considered that the public benefit that is derived from the scheme as a whole, outweighs the less than substantial harm to the heritage assets. Overall the proposal is considered to broadly accord with the Development Plan but where the proposal steps outside of this, other material considerations are in support, such that the proposal is acceptable.”

The Treasbeare expansion area will comprise a mix of housing, education, community, sport, employment and commercial uses (together with safeguarded land for the energy centre) that importantly will provide a key location for activity in the town and act as a hub for education and sporting facilities in this area. The sports hub in Treasbeare will be the main hub in Cranbrook and provide a wider range of facilities than at the Ingrams Sports hub further to the east.

The four expansion areas of Cranbrook

The four expansion areas of Cranbrook

The expansion area is one of four planned for Cranbrook. Bluehayes (for around 960 homes), Cobdens (around 1495 homes) and Grange (around 800 homes) are set to come forward at a later date.

Since construction on the town on the edge of Exeter began back in 2011, around 6,000 people now call Cranbrook their home. Work after ten long years has finally begun in the town centre in recent weeks.

East Devon District Council’s planning committee, when they meet on February 28, are recommended to approve the scheme. The Cranbrook Plan, which sets out policies and allocations, to provide the supporting facilities that a sustainable new town needs, which the new neighbourhood scheme aims to correspond with, has already been adopted.

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20 Feb 2023

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Taking the Tesla to Truro? Plan ahead.

Warnings over lack of electric charging points

“On the coast, we’re right at the end of the line for infrastructure – it’s like broadband all over again.

“It’s going to hurt the tourism economy because people are going to travel down on a Saturday night and they’re not going to have the ability to recharge those cars for their day trips on the Sunday. So they’re going to spend less money.”

James Tapper www.theguardian.com 

When the Nissan Leafs and Teslas flock to the seaside this summer, the arrival of their well-off drivers should be good news for British tourism.

But tourism leaders have warned that places such as Dorset, Cornwall and North Yorkshire risk being overwhelmed by the demand for charging points for electric cars, putting off tourists from returning in the future.

One in three new cars sold in December was electric, and rural and coastal areas are in danger of being left behind as operators scramble to add more public charging points.

Dorset has 133 charging devices, a rate of 35 per 100,000 people, which is slightly below the national average. But the Jurassic coastline gets 3.6 million overnight visits a year, most of them in the summer, forcing tourists to compete with locals for charging points.

Seasonal demand means holidaymakers are likely to see a repeat of the Christmas chaos when Tesla drivers had to queue for hours at service stations, according to Martin Cox, vice-president of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association.

Cox, who also runs two holiday parks in Dorset, said: “If that snowballs in July and August, then we’re going to have friction in our area because people are not going to be able to go anywhere. In Dorset, they sell 35% more petrol and diesel during peak weeks. This summer, we will probably see people queuing at EV points and people arriving late at our accommodation because they’ve had to wait to charge their car.”

Most electric car owners charge their vehicle at home on their driveway or at work and expect to do the same on holiday, said Cox, who is also an electric vehicle owner.

“We have about 500 cars a night in August,” he said. “We’ve got 11 electric vehicle charging points and we’ve now reached the limit. If we put any more on, we’re going to start tripping out sections of the park. Even if I turned off everything in the holiday park, we could only charge up 80 cars overnight.

“On the coast, we’re right at the end of the line for infrastructure – it’s like broadband all over again.

“It’s going to hurt the tourism economy because people are going to travel down on a Saturday night and they’re not going to have the ability to recharge those cars for their day trips on the Sunday. So they’re going to spend less money.”

Richard Toomer, executive director of the Tourism Alliance, said: “Unless we grip the issue of a lack of charging infrastructure, we will continue to see huge queues on tourist routes, as is already happening at key times of the year. That’s bad for tourism, bad for business, bad for Britain as an attractive place to visit and explore, and bad for the environment as people revert back to traditional cars for their getaways.”

Journeys outside peak times are usually much smoother, and electric car owners can drive from the UK across Europe without any hint of a queue. But so-called “range anxiety” remains an issue.

Lisa Johnson, the owner of LJ Natural, a handmade organic and sustainable beauty products business, often drives her Kia from south Manchester for getaways to the North Yorkshire coast. “We go to a beautiful little coastal village, and there’s no electric charging at all. There is in Whitby down the coast, but what we find regularly is that you’ll get there and there’s already someone charging, or they’re not working. I’m not going back to petrol, but you do need massive forward planning.”

Charging companies have been expanding rapidly, and so far the UK has 37,600 devices, with 8,300 added last year, and various government schemes for workplaces, landlords and local authorities to install charge points. Cornwall said it was adding 150 charge points this summer.

Ionity, a Europe-wide network, said it aimed to have rapid charging stations on major roads across the continent and the UK so that no one would be more than about 80 miles from a rapid charger.

But setting up a site can take months, according to InstaVolt chief executive Adrian Keen. The firm needs to work out if a site is commercially viable, apply for planning permission and then find the microchips to build it. The biggest bottleneck is working out how much electricity can be routed to the charging station, and that depends on how much energy is spare in the local electricity network.

Meanwhile, the distribution networks say they could add power more quickly but Ofgem regulations mean they are not allowed to build new substations or power lines until they have received a firm request, preventing them from building capacity in advance. Power companies believe that once the UK has transitioned to electric vehicles in about 2050, the country will need roughly 50% more electricity to charge them.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said people should feel confident they can charge their cars, whether going on holiday or commuting: “The government has already invested over £2bn into accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles, and there are grants available to businesses, including tourist sites, to subsidise the costs of installing charge points.”

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20 Feb 2023

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Water bosses should face criminal charges over illegal pollution levels in rivers, voters say

“Government needs to stop behaving like a marriage guidance counsellor and act, and act now.” – Feargal Sharkey

A majority of voters want water company bosses whose firms pollute rivers to be threatened with criminal prosecution, according to a new poll.

Hugo Gye, Daniel Capurro inews.co.uk 

Currently, the companies themselves can be held liable for pollution, but individual executives rarely are.

Asked whether bosses should be prosecuted if their companies have contributed to river pollution, 72 per cent of people supported the idea, with only 5 per cent opposing, according to a survey for i by Redfield & Wilton Strategies. There is little variation between different voting blocs, with supporters of all parties heavily in favour of potential criminal penalties.

The poll also found that 45 per cent of the public is dissatisfied with the current environmental condition of Britain’s waterways, while 16 per cent are satisfied.

A majority of those questioned said that water companies, local and national governments and independent regulators should all be held responsible for cleaning up rivers. Redfield & Wilton interviewed 1,500 adults in Great Britain earlier this week.

Campaigner Feargal Sharkey told i: “These polluters need to be held accountable, they need to be held responsible. The fines haven’t worked and jail is now the only answer, 72 per cent of the public get it, 72 per cent of the public want it, 72 per cent of the public demand it. Government needs to stop behaving like a marriage guidance counsellor and act, and act now.”

Charles Watson, chairman of River Action, told i that it was time for politicians to take notice of the public mood.

“Polling results like this demonstrate conclusively how the scandal of our polluted rivers rivers is now a matter of huge public interest,” he said.

“Our elected politicians need to wake up fast to the fact this is going to be a major issue when votes get cast at the next General Election.”

In many cases, the discharging of sewage into waterways is entirely legal. Water companies have environmental permits specific to each treatment works, which permit them to discharge sewage if the amount of water entering the system exceeds its ability to cope.

If a works discharges outside the parameters of any permit, this is illegal.

Permits can also be put in place for numerous other ecological parameters, such as phosphorus levels.

Criminal charges can be filed for breaches of these permits, but such cases are lengthy and expensive, meaning that the Environment Agency (EA) often relies on civil penalties. Fines in those cases are currently capped at £250,000. Defra has announced that it plans to raise this to £250m, but the Environment Secretary is reportedly wavering on the idea.

For the most severe cases, the EA does pursue criminal charges, but these have resulted in fines levied against water companies, not custodial sentences for executives.

The EA spoke out last year, urging courts to impose jail sentences on water company executives when serious cases of pollution are proved. However, the Crown Prosecution Service would have to consider the public interest when deciding whether to charge executives with criminal offences, and weigh how likely they would be to secure a conviction.

Since 2015, water companies have been hit with £138m in fines, £90m of that being against Southern Water. Since 2009, water companies have self-monitored their permits.

The Office for Environmental Protection is currently investigating Ofwat, the EA and the Environment Secretary over whether they failed to properly regulate water companies in England.

Ali Morse, water policy manager for The Wildlife Trusts, says: “It is critical that regulation designed to reduce water pollution is properly enforced. This means Government resourcing statutory bodies sufficiently to monitor river health and respond to pollution incidents. We also want to see reparations for damage caused to our waterways.

“Polluters should pay for negatively impacting nature and those fines should contribute to wider habitat restoration.”

A Water UK spokesperson said: “99 per cent of sewage works are now fully compliant with their legal permits, according to the regulator – a huge improvement on previous decades.

“That means compliance issues cause a tiny proportion of pollution in rivers, the transformation of which will require hard work, innovation and investment – with £56bn already planned for storm overflows alone.

“However, if things do go wrong, then it is right the Environment Agency has a wide range of powers to deal with it; those powers already include criminal prosecution.”

i is running a Save Britain’s Rivers campaign to raise awareness of the scale of pollution in the country’s waterways, and will draw up a manifesto for our rivers in consultation with experts and policymakers.

Save Britain’s Rivers campaign

i and its sister title New Scientist, the world’s leading science magazine, have launched a joint campaign to force ministers and water companies to address the scandal of Britain’s polluted waterways.

Over the next year we will deliver hard-hitting reporting that shines a light on the crisis, including in-depth investigations, features, podcasts and live events.

The Save Our Rivers campaign has three aims:

1. Reveal what’s going on in the UK’s rivers – and why.

2. Raise awareness and understanding of the plight of our rivers – and the terrible effects of pollution on people and nature.

3. Policy change. We will draw up a manifesto for our rivers – a robust, cross-party plan on how to fix them.

We will be speaking to experts and policymakers, business leaders and public officials. We also want to hear from you, i readers, to tell the stories of your local rivers and streams.

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Serious Blue on Blue attack in County Council debate

Level of Government funding, children’s services and roads [Cllr. Stuart Hughes’ deteriorating assets] all came under attack from a North Devon councillor.

‘Pull your finger out of your derrieres’

Only being kicked out at elections is going to put our Tory friends out of their misery. – Owl

Ollie Heptinstall, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

The government needs to “pull their fingers out of their derrieres” according to a Conservative county councillor.

Dermot McGeough, who represents Northam in North Devon, made the comment during a speech criticising his own party’s government and the county’s MPs at a full county council meeting on Thursday [16 February].

The ruling Conservative group’s budget for 2023/24 was approved at the meeting, but Cllr McGeough voted against it, saying responsibility for adult social care and children’s services should be given back to Westminster.

“Central government are failing us,” he said. “I’m a Conservative through and through. Never walked the floor, no intention to ever walk the floor. You cut me in half and I’m blue all the way through, which is a lot more than can be said for some people.

“We’re really, really struggling. It needs to be given back. Financially we cannot cope in Devon. Why should our residents suffer with such a huge burden on their taxes?

“Central government need to pull their fingers out of their derrieres and get it sorted for us,” Cllr McGeough added. “It’s not right. It’s not fair.”

He said the county’s children’s services, rated as inadequate by Ofsted but receiving an 18.4 per cent funding boost from April, is being “neglected” by central government.

“I want to see the best for the children of Devon. I’ve got a small child growing up. I want to see the best….I’m a Conservative. Is central government giving their best? No, they’re not giving their best.

“The MPs that are in Devon, I put this to you: ‘You wake up. Look at us. We need your help. Bloody help us.’”

He also criticised the county council’s highways department, one of a number of councillors at the meeting to lament the state of Devon’s roads.

“Highways needs a very good shake-up in my opinion,” Cllr McGeough said. “It’s not right that you leave roads in such disrepair … We’re being reactive. We’re not being proactive in anything.

“In the long run it’s going to cost this county tens and tens of millions of pounds to put right what we’re neglecting at the moment.”

In response, a spokesperson for Devon County Council, said: “Cllr McGeough’s comments were a part of a good and healthy debate on the budget at the full council meeting in which many members acknowledged the real challenges facing Devon and more widely across local government at this time.”

A government spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “Councils have access to more than £7 billion in the next financial year to provide social care.

“We always listen closely to what they require to deliver great services, which is why this year we have set out a two-year funding guarantee so they can plan for the long term with greater confidence and certainty.”

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Fresh despair over Devon’s shoddy pothole-ridden roads

“….due to long term under investment in both maintenance and renewals our assets have deteriorated and become very fragile. ..” Cllr Stuart Hughes.

Who is responsible for your deteriorating assets Stuart? The Tory austerity programmes 1.0 and 2.0 or the Conservative Council cutting corners? – Owl

“Don’t forget, all Devon county councillors are up for election in May 2025 . Maybe if they haven’t done something about the state of our roads by then it’s time to vote the lot of them out.” Huw Thomas, Bideford

Devon Live www.devonlive.com

The number of potholes on Devon’s roads is on the up. Devon County Council saw more potholes recorded by January 20 this year than it did in the whole of January last year.

The council blamed consecutive freezing temperatures and rain, “the worst possible combination for our roads”. They said: “We are doing all we can to maintain the network in the best possible condition to keep Devon moving.”

While in 2022, the number of potholes recorded each month was well below the five year average. “However due to long term under investment in both maintenance and renewals our assets have deteriorated and become very fragile. The winter weather this year has highlighted the fragility of the network,” an answer given by Cllr Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highways, at Thursday’s Devon County Council meeting on the state of potholes said.

But one of our readers seems to have raised real concerns about the state of Devon’s roads The letter, sent into our sister print title the North Devon Journal, questions whether highways teams are even bothering trying to maintain the roads.

Read the full letter below

Do your readers think Devon County Council has given up trying to maintain our roads?

As more and more drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are finding out the hard way, the number and size of potholes in our roads seems to be expanding exponentially.

One Barnstaple resident, Graham Payne, has even set up a Facebook group to try and hold DCC to account.

The North Devon Pothole Community was only set up a few weeks ago but already has more than 1,000 members angry about the state of our roads.

I wrote to my county councillor about the general situation and a few specific examples around Bideford. I did get the good news that the “bottom half” of Manteo Way is to be resurfaced in April, though there is no date for repairs to the lower end of Clovelly Road.

I won’t hold my breath regarding Manteo Way either. That was due to be resurfaced previously but the work was postponed following budget cuts.

I realise DCC has many costs to juggle, including social care and education. But it also has a legal duty to maintain the safety of roads and pavements under the Highways Act 1980. Many would think DCC has not only failed in this duty but isn’t even really trying.

My councillor said the bad weather before Christmas had exacerbated the situation. This may be true but many of our roads have been in a dreadful, if not to say dangerous, state for years.

DCC does have a system for paying compensation to those whose cars have been damaged after hitting potholes but I’ve heard many stories of the excuses they find to avoid paying up.

I asked my councillor how many pothole damage claims DCC is facing and what this is costing the county (and its taxpayers). She said she didn’t have the information.

I could put in a Freedom Of Information request but she warned: “while highways officers are researching replies to your queries they are not getting on with the current work load”.

So, a bit of a Catch-22 situation. We can’t challenge the council because then their highways department will be able to achieve even less?

You’d think DCC would be fighting for more funding from national government. But when I raised this with my county councillor, she trotted out the tired excuse that when the Conservatives took power: “there was a note left for them saying that there was no money left”.

You’d think that after more than 13 years in power the Tories would stop blaming the lack of funding for county councils on how Labour coped with the worldwide financial crash of 2008. I seem to remember this was mainly caused by bankers, a number of whom later became Tory MPs and senior ministers.

Don’t forget, all Devon county councillors are up for election in May 2025 . Maybe if they haven’t done something about the state of our roads by then it’s time to vote the lot of them out.

Huw Thomas

Churchill Road, Bideford

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Which way will Jupp jump?

With his home in Sidmouth and his office in Exmouth, which way will Simon Jupp jump when the new constituency boundaries come into effect ?

The new Honiton constituency provides continuity with the old Tiverton and Honiton one, comprising 66% of the voters from the old constituency and 22% of the old Devon East Jupp constituency. 

In contrast, the new East Exeter and Exmouth constituency adds 11% of Exeter voters to the residual 78% of Devon East creating a strange mixture of city and urban dormitory towns with the isolated seaside town of Budleigh Salterton.

Staying with Exmouth would seem to provide the greatest connection to his existing constituents but it is now regarded as one of 18 coastal marginal seats because of Tory failure to deal with the sewage scandal.

The waspish but astute Sasha Swire described him as: “Jumping Jupp flash”.

Whichever way he jumps and whatever the election result, it’s the beginning of a long goodbye from many of us.

Owl understands from multiple sources, the die is cast.

The 18 Tory seats where the sewage in rivers scandal could lead to Labour or Lib Dem victories

Richard Vaughan inews.co.uk

Tory MPs are in danger of losing their seats up and down the country due to a growing voter backlash against the Government’s handling of the river and seas sewage crisis.

i can reveal the target lists drawn up by the Liberal Democrats and Labour showing where the Conservatives are most vulnerable to being unseated at the next general election as a result of increasing anger over the dumping of raw sewage in the UK’s waterways.

Opposition parties have warned that the perceived failure of the Government to get a grip on the scandal is turning local businesses away from the Tories as they fear for their livelihoods, particularly in coastal towns.

The issue is being seized upon by local candidates hoping to peel off votes from Conservative MPs from Cumbria to East Sussex and the West Country.

The Lib Dems even have some major scalps in their sights, with Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Bath and North East Somerset an optimistic target, and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab’s Esher and Walton a far more achievable seat with its 2,743-vote majority.

Tory MPs in the so-called Blue Wall, which takes in much of the party’s southern heartlands, are being heavily targeted by the Liberal Democrats, which believe the growing anger over local water pollution can deliver them further votes in areas that are typically pro-Remain.

The party believes it is such a major issue on the doorstep that they have drawn up sewage dumping data by each seat on their list, with plans to hammer the message home to voters about the amount of pollution taking place in their area.

One such seat is Eastbourne on the south coast, where the incumbent MP is Conservative Caroline Ansell, who is sitting on a majority of just over 4,300.

More on Save Britain’s Rivers

Local Lib Dem candidate and local councillor, Josh Babarinde, said the issue of sewage was among the first to come up on the doorstep as it is an area that is highly reliant on the tourism trade, with one in three jobs linked to tourism and hospitality.

“People have been complaining about getting ill after swimming in our waters due to the pollution that is being poured onto our beaches. It is putting people off going into the water, and this is a major concern for local businesses who worry people will decide against visiting the area,” Mr Babarinde told i.

“When you speak to people on the doorstep, they don’t distinguish between local elections and general elections they are just appalled with what is happening. They’re saying enough is enough and want something to be done about it.”

The local council is seeking to force executives from Southern Water to appear at the town hall to give reasons for the sewage spills, while demonstrations are being planned by swimming and water sports associations to raise further awareness of the problem in the run up to the local elections.

In East Devon, where Simon Jupp sits on a less than commanding 6,708-vote majority, local campaigners erected fake blue plaques on the seafront, name-checking the local MP as failing to prevent raw sewage being dumped in the region’s rivers and seas. [Owl emphasis]

The Lib Dems are also increasingly confident of securing the seat of Hazel Grove near Stockport, where the current MP, William Wragg, is due to stand down. The party controls Stockport council and this week became the first local authority to launch an investigation into sewage discharges into the River Mersey. It comes after official figures showed United Utilities, which supplies the water in the region, pumped waste into the Mersey 977 times in 2022, amounting to more than 13,000 hours of discharges.

Tim Farron, the party’s environmental spokesman, said people were “waking up to the shocking sewage scandal this Conservative Government has aided and abetted and they are rightly furious”.

More on General Election

“Summer holidays have been ruined by beach pollution warnings, our magnificent Lake District rendered unusable as toxic algae blooms from the sewage contamination, and children have fallen sick from playing in rivers,” he added.

Labour is also viewing the sewage scandal as a potential wedge issue with the Tories, in particular highlighting the cost to businesses. The party believes the issue could deliver it votes in Conservative held areas from as far afield as Barrow and Furness in Cumbria, Hastings and Rye in East Sussex, and Camborne and Redruth in Cornwall.

A Government response to shadow Environment Secretary, Jim McMahon, revealed that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had made no assessment of the impact sewage spills were having on local businesses, despite it being raised as a major issue.

Mr McMahon said: “The Tories have turned their backs on coastal communities and businesses by allowing sewage pollution to hurt tourism. Coastal businesses regularly tell me of the damage to their livelihoods when the local beach has to close at short notice due to sewage pollution.

“You can’t claim to be on the side of business when you allow the places we care about to become open sewers.”

Tory MPs in such seats insist the opposition parties are being “disingenuous” over the issue of sewage in the country’s waterways, and believe the policies being put forward are unworkable.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “We were the first Government to have a plan to tackle this issue.

“Labour have made much noise about what they would do differently, but their alternatives so far amount to nothing more than billions in further uncosted policies or massive increases to people’s bills.

“Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have suggested little more than new taxes, a policy that at current rate would take 500 years to fix the problem.”

List of areas with corresponding water companies and MPs:

Mole Valley 

Thames

Paul Beresford 

Esher and Walton

Thames

Dominic Raab

Chelmsford

Anglian

Vicky Ford

East & Mid Devon

South West

Simon Jupp (East Devon), Mel Stride (constituency covers parts of Mid Devon included in sewage list)

Wokingham

Thames

Sir John Redwood 

Eastbourne

Southern

Caroline Ansell

Lewes

Southern

Maria Caulfield

East Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight

Cheadle and Hazel Grove (Stockport LA) 

United Utilities

Mary Robinson (Cheadle), William Wragg (Hazel Grove)

Woking

Thames

Jonathan Lord

North Norfolk

Anglian

Duncan Baker

East Cambridgeshire

Anglian

Lucy Frazer

Cheltenham

Severn Trent

Alex Chalk

Cotswold

Thames, Severn Trent and Wessex

Sir Geoffrey Clinton-Brown

Winchester

Southern

Steve Brine

Eastleigh

Southern

Paul Holmes

Bath and North East Somerset

Wessex

Jacob Rees-Mogg

North Devon

South West

Selaine Saxby

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Partygate inquiry homes in on Abba evening at Boris Johnson’s flat

The inquiry into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over rule-breaking parties in Downing Street is homing in on a gathering in his private flat, the Observer understands.

Michael Savage www.theguardian.com 

Follow-up exchanges with witnesses working with the inquiry are now taking place as the privileges committee, led by Labour grandee Harriet Harman, works its way through a huge tranche of evidence handed to it by the government at the end of last year.

One of its focuses has become the so-called “Abba party” held in Johnson’s flat above 11 Downing Street on 13 November 2020, a gathering that included food, alcohol and music allegedly so loud that it could be heard downstairs in the press office. Johnson, the then prime minister, is known to have been present for at least part of the evening.

The gathering was not investigated by Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who examined reports of rule breaking during Covid lockdowns. Crucially, however, it is now central to the privileges probe because Johnson was asked about it directly in the House of Commons. His response, which he continues to stand by, was that “whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times”.

It is one of four specific denials of rule breaking Johnson gave to MPs that the committee is examining. At the time of the flat gathering, the second national lockdown was in place requiring people to stay at home. Indoor gatherings of two or more people from other households were prohibited except for permitted exceptions, including where it was “reasonably necessary … for work purposes”.

The gathering came in the hours after the departure of Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, two of Johnson’s most senior advisers, who left after losing a power struggle with Johnson’s then fiancee and now wife, Carrie Johnson.

Gray’s report stated that “a meeting was held” in the flat to discuss “the handling of their departure” and that five special advisers attended. Johnson joined them at about 8pm. However, Gray said she had only collected limited information because she had been interrupted by the start of the Metropolitan police’s own inquiries into rule breaking. Once the police had finished, Gray concluded it was “not appropriate or proportionate” to return to the incident.

Cummings, now an arch critic of Johnson and his wife, has since said he was baffled by the fact that the gathering was not probed sooner. “Dozens of people downstairs could hear it, so all the police had to do was interview any one of them,” he said in an interview. “You don’t have a work meeting, at the top of No 10, where the music is so loud that you can hear it in the fucking press office.”

Johnson’s denial that rules were broken in the flat that evening mean it is a key to the privileges committee’s work on whether MPs were misled. It has also emerged that all witnesses working with the inquiry have continued to cooperate, despite the fact that their identity may be passed on to the former prime minister when he is asked to respond to the claims against him. Names will only be omitted in “exceptional circumstances”, but it is understood that no witnesses have yet asked for their name to be redacted.

The committee is made up of seven MPs, including four Tories. While its report was commissioned in April, its investigation was transformed by the release of information by the government in November. Whatever its findings, the report will run into a clash in the Commons as MPs will have to vote on any sanction recommended.

It comes with the Met being urged to reopen its investigation into the Partygate scandal following the release of a podcast that raised questions about the force’s initial inquiry. The deputy chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee has written to the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, asking if he was “taking new information into account when making a decision regarding the reopening of the investigation” into the Downing Street lockdown parties.

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South Hams second home owners will pay double council tax

Second home owners in the South Hams [Conservative] will have to pay double council tax, as soon as legislation allows. South Hams District Council unanimously voted to formally adopt the proposals at its full council meeting today. (Friday)

EDDC cabinet proposal to do the same goes before the full council this Tuesday 21 February .

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

The decision means that the Council will adopt a 100 per cent Council Tax Second Homes Premium as soon as legislation allows. It means second homeowners will have ‘to pay a fair share’ of Council Tax.

The Council declared a housing crisis in September 2021 and backed their declaration by a 12-point action plan. One of those actions included lobbying the Government to allow local councils to be able to charge 200 per cent Council Tax on second or holiday homes to ensure they contribute fairly towards the services they receive.

Their lobbying proved successful when in May 2022, the Government published the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which included proposals, aimed at addressing the negative impact of second homes on the supply of homes available to meet local housing needs.

The Bill proposes that councils will be allowed to introduce a Council Tax premium of up to 100 per cent in respect of second homes, meaning second homes would pay double the amount of Council Tax for an area. But the Bill is not likely to become law until April 1, 2024, at the earliest.

Cllr Judy Pearce, the Conservative Party leader of South Hams District Council, said : “I’m very pleased that we as a Council have adopted these proposals. It’s yet another objective on our Housing Crisis that we can tick off.

“The level of second home ownership in the South Hams has detrimentally affected the long-term viability of our communities. House prices are pushed upwards by the sheer quantity of second homes. Local residents can be denied a home as prices are pushed outside of what they can reasonably afford, a problem that is especially acute for the younger generation and first-time buyers.

“In November, I went to Westminster to speak to a House of Lords Select Committee to discuss the challenges around short-term lets and the impact that has in the South Hams. It’s truly concerning that with just under 4,000 second homes in the District, this means that nearly 1 in every 12 homes is a second home.

“We have taken this action to level the playing field for our local residents, making it easier for them to find somewhere to live, let alone somewhere to buy. It’s not an attack on second home owners, but us standing in solidarity with our residents, because they all have a right to have somewhere decent to live.”

Cllr Julian Brazil, Leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, said: “I’m delighted that the proposals have finally been agreed. On this issue, the entire Council speaks as one.

“This is absolutely the right way forward. It will make a massive difference to us. To people who say it is an attack on second homeowners, it is not. What it is, is asking them to pay a fair share to our communities. They’re in the lucky position to own not one, but two houses, when many of our local families here struggle to own just one.

“The fact that they pay a little bit more should be compared to the increase in value of their second homes. Before the latest hiccup in the economy, house prices in the South Hams increased by around 25 per cent in the last year. Increases of hundreds of thousands of pounds. We are asking them to pay a little bit extra to support the services that we struggle to deliver.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the Leader of the Council. She has worked incredibly hard lobbying MPs for them to understand the issues. I’ve been campaigning for this over 15 years – it’s the right decision.”

Council Tax is charged to households to help fund the services that the area’s local Town, District, County Council, Police, Fire service and Crime Commissioner provide. These services are essential for a community to function and are designed to improve the quality of life for the people who live in their communities.

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Consultation launches on street trading in East Devon

A consultation has launched that could allow more street trading in towns across East Devon.

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

East Devon District Council (EDDC) wants your thoughts on the newly proposed draft street trading policy. The consultation deadline ends Sunday, February 26.

Some ideas planned include allowing Sidmouth Esplanade to become a ‘consent street’ – allowing traders, with EDDC’s permission, to sell products between May and September. It is currently restricted to one week during Sidmouth Folk Festival.

And the introduction of fees – a new consent or renewal application, as well as a block consent application (such as a mini food festival) will be £45 and it would be £25 to make a variation.

The majority of East Devon’s streets are already ‘consent’ streets allowing trading to take place, once an application has been submitted to and granted by EDDC.

Street trader stalls can include outdoor events and markets, street stalls, festivals and food vans at the roadside and in car parks. Or, anything where someone is selling goods on the streets, or outside in pedestrian areas or open spaces.

All approved applications will need to only sell items that are not ‘offered or directly competing with permanent services and businesses in the nearby area.’

Councillor Joe Whibley, the chair of EDDC’s licensing and enforcement committee, said:“One of our key aims, as part of the new policy, is to ensure the needs of traders, residents, businesses and visitors alike are all met.

“Which is why we want to hear from you. Ultimately, the aim is for us to have a street trading policy which complements the amazing businesses we have here in East Devon, while also being sensitive to the needs of our residents.

“The idea of street trading is to offer our residents and tourists a greater choice of products, attracting people to different towns and villages in East Devon, with the aim of improving the economic benefits for everybody.”

Honiton High Street and parts of Axminster town centre have ancient charters which allow weekly markets to take place.

Visit https://eastdevon.gov.uk/licensing/street-trading/street-trading-policy-consultation-2023/ to see the draft street trading policy proposed.

To have your say either email your views to licensing@eastdevon.gov.uk or send them in writing to Licensing, East Devon District Council, Blackdown House, Border Road, Heathpark Industrial Estate, Honiton, EX14 1EJ.

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18 Feb 2023

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Barrage of housebuilding sparks urgent trains plea

Maybe Selaine Saxby MP should speak to Simon Jupp MP, PPS to Secretary of State for Transport?

Too much to ask? – Owl

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

North Devon would ‘benefit considerably’ from the restoration of rail links to the region, the MP has said. The region currently only has the rail line that trundles down to Exeter, with no trains running at all in Torridge.

The area used to have far more rail links but the area was decimated by the Beeching Axe. Routes from Okehampton to Bude, Halwill Junction to Torrington, Barnstaple to Torrington, the Ilfracombe branch line, and the Exe Valley railway all disappeared.

But speaking in a Restoring Your Railway Fund debate last month, Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon, spoke passionately about the need for better rail links. She said that with thousands of new homes being built in the region, improved and revitalised railway links would be absolutely vital for the area.

She also added that the dream is also to see the service frequency from Exeter to North Devon doubled from hourly to half-hourly, as well as an additional express service connecting Exeter Central with Barnstaple in 50 minutes rather than the present 75 minutes.

She said: “In 1964, northern Devon lost the train line between Bideford and Barnstaple. The area now boasts the fantastic Tarka trail for walkers and cyclists. While the trail is a great resource for local communities and visitors alike, the distances across rural areas and the changeable weather mean that it is not a practical commute for all but the most hardy and fit commuters.

“Over the past few years, hundreds of homes have been built between Bideford and Barnstaple, with hundreds more planned. We absolutely need that housing, but it puts pressure on our infrastructure. In rural North Devon, our transport infrastructure is limited; for the ten-mile route between Bideford and Barnstaple, it essentially consists of the B3233 through Fremington or the single-carriageway A39.

“Without traffic, the journey should take 15 to 20 minutes by car or 29 minutes on the bus, but commuter traffic often pushes those times up to well over an hour, causing much frustration and clogging the roads on a daily basis. Bringing back a train connection between Bideford and Barnstaple would do much to prevent that congestion, and it would give communities affordable and environmentally friendly ways to reach Barnstaple and further afield by connecting the route all the way to Exeter.”

The nine mile railway from Barnstaple to Bideford closed to regular scheduled passenger services in October 1965. While the tracks remained until 1985 attempts were made to reopen the line, but campaigners say that with some relatively modest Tarka Line upgrading, a 70-minute journey time between Exeter Central and Bideford could be possible.

Barnstaple Town Council has previously unanimously backed calls to reinstate the town’s rail link with Bideford. The council voted to support the Tarka Rail Association and ACE Rail project.

Furthermore, campaigners are seeking a transformational rail service linking northern Devon with the county capital. They wish to see the service frequency doubled from hourly to half-hourly and increasing the speed of journeys to compete with cars. They also wish to see an additional limited-stop express service connecting Exeter Central with Barnstaple in 50 minutes rather than the present 75 minutes.

The MP added: “The difference that the development of the line would bring cannot be understated. While it would obviously lessen congestion, it would go further by connecting the area with opportunities that are currently out of reach. We already know that limited transport options limit rural productivity. If we support rural productivity and improve connections to these areas, we could add an estimated £43 billion to our economy.

“Due to the narrow nature of a few pinch points on the route, it would not be possible to maintain the Tarka trail as it is and to develop a new rail line. I am keen that, instead of sticking to the historical, mainly coastal route, we look at a different line that more directly links Barnstaple to Bideford.

“Having previously submitted a bid for Combe Rail, which would have connected Barnstaple to Braunton—sadly, that bid did not move forward—I know that there is huge support in North Devon for expanding our rail network. That previous bid lacked a viable connection to the main Barnstaple station, but the Bideford connection would directly join the two largest towns in northern Devon and go on to Exeter. We need to find ways to ensure that rural Britain’s connectivity does not lag even further behind our more urban constituencies.

“I hope that the Department considers reopening the restoring your railway fund to new bids. My North Devon constituency would benefit considerably from the route I mentioned. I hope that the Minister takes that ask seriously—he is also very welcome in North Devon, and I would always bring wellies—so that my community can reduce its reliance on cars and take advantage of the many benefits that the train line could bring.”

Journey numbers on the Dartmoor Line have passed 250,000 a year after re-opening to regular passenger trains. The line reopened on November 20, 2021, restoring a regular, year-round service for the first time in almost 50 years following more than £40m of Government investment.

The previously mothballed rail line, which runs between Okehampton and Exeter, was restored in just nine months and was the first former line to reopen under the Government’s £500m Restoring Your Railway programme.

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Exeter ‘housing crisis’ sparked by ‘too many students’

Councillors on Monday will vote on whether to approve plans to build student flats and co-living blocks on the site of Exeter’s former Heavitree Road police station and magistrates court. Exeter City Council officers are recommending that the scheme – which was been refused once before – is this time given the go-ahead.

www.devonlive.com 

This latest student flats scheme consists of 646 units. There is also a co-living element of 381 units, both of which have been reduced from the originial iteration of the plans.

It is one of several schemes currently going through the planning process. At the end of last month, detailed plans for a huge student bed development on Streatham Campus for the University of Exeter were submitted.

The University’s plans for the development of the Clydesdale, Nash and Birks Grange Village Halls of Residence site off Stocker Road, could deliver an additional 1,250 bedrooms.

But it comes as no surprise that not everyone in Exeter is in favour of purpose built student accommodation, even if the plans are often designed to free up housing in the city centre for locals rather than students to live in. One letter writer into our sister print title the Express and Echo says that the increasing number of students in the city is leading to a housing crisis for locals.

Read the letter by Andrew Bovey below

“The current population of Exeter is approximately 133,000. Of that number, 30,000-plus are University of Exeter students, 23 per cent of the total population.

They occupy 75 per cent of the private rented sector in the city centre wards, in addition to a multitude of unfilled purpose-built student complexes we all know so well! They are exempt from council tax so in effect contribute net zero to the maintenance of local services.

The oversubscribed student occupancy in the private rented sector has pushed the demand and prices way beyond the pockets of ordinary working families and low-income households. Buying is simply not an option for so many these days and social housing placement in Exeter has been a bad joke since jurassic times.

More bizarrely, the situation is not treated as a housing crisis by either the council leaders or the university.Our MP, by his own admission, prefers ‘not to meddle in council affairs’ as it seemingly only reveals what it wants him to know on specific questions anyway.

It’s down to local people to make the leaders accountable for their actions, challenge untenable situations and make their voice heard for the greater good of others.

We are looking at a wholesale exclusion of the local renting workforce who are being forced out to an expensive and frustrating existence as commuters. Whole areas of the city have lost their sense of community and are being systematically replaced by a cohort of night revellers who fail to integrate and stand aloof (frequently knee deep in their bottles and takeaway wrappers).

Commercially students bring income to private landlords and retailers, yet socially the city’s infrastructure and local facilities – like health services and the new sports complex, funded by taxpayers – are overwhelmed and locals excluded by the sheer weight of numbers.”

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Simon Jupp “the farmers’ friend”

Could elections be coming up, does Simon have designer boots?

But wait: Minette Batters, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, accused ministers of a “dereliction of duty” in failing to ensure food and other agricultural imports were safe. She said the government had failed to learn the lessons of the horsemeat scandal of 2013. 

Looks like an uphill battle for hearts and minds on this front. – Owl

East Devon MP seeks reassurances for farmers on seasonal worker scheme

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Assurances have been sought that seasonal workers will continue to find work in Devon beyond 2024.

East Devon MP, Simon Jupp spoke in Parliament, raising the question with Robert Jenrick MP, the Minister for Education. He asked: “East Devon’s farmers rely on a skilled domestic and foreign workforce to put their fantastic produce on our tables all year round. What reassurances can my right hon. Friend give that he will work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that the seasonal agricultural worker scheme will be extended beyond 2024?”

Mr Jenrick responded saying: “We review the seasonal agricultural worker scheme every year, working closely with DEFRA. We have extended it for this year, as my hon. Friend knows, and increased the numbers permitted under that scheme. That is quite right, but it is important to balance that against the need to ensure that British workers find their way into the workplace and are trained, and the need to invest in British farming, so that we do not need to reach in the first instance for foreign labour.”

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Sewage in rivers, sewage in the sea, now sewage in hospitals

As we go down the drain, does the government care a “SHIT”? 

The environment secretary has insisted that she does “give a shit” about water pollution. But the evidence speaks against. – Owl 

Sewage leak figures prompt warning over state of England’s hospitals

Andrew Gregory www.theguardian.com

Hospitals in England have recorded more than 450 sewage leaks in the last 12 months, data shows, putting patients and staff in danger and prompting warnings that the NHS estate is “falling apart” after a decade of underinvestment.

Freedom of information requests to NHS trusts by the Liberal Democrats found alarming examples of sewage leaking on to cancer wards, maternity units and A&E departments. The investigation also uncovered multiple cases of urine and faeces flowing into hospital rooms and on to general wards.

Health officials called the revelations shocking. In some instances, sewage leaks made entire hospital departments unsafe for patients and led to staff struggling to work because they felt nauseous and had headaches.

In total, there were 456 sewage leaks reported in the last year, although only 55 trusts responded, suggesting the true scale of the problem is much higher. It comes as the cost of overdue maintenance work on the NHS estate has soared to more than £10bn.

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “This is a national scandal. Our country’s hospitals are falling apart after years of underinvestment and neglect. Patients should not be treated in these conditions and heroic nurses should not have the indignity of mopping up foul sewage.”

He said there was still no sign of the 40 new hospitals promised by the government four years ago, and said the sewage leaks pointed to a wider neglect of the health service.

“At every turn, our treasured NHS is crumbling, from hospital buildings to dangerous ambulance wait times. The government needs to find urgent funds to fix hospitals overflowing with sewage. Patient and staff safety is a risk if ministers fail to act,” he said.

Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust reported the highest number of sewage leaks in the last year, at 105, followed by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS foundation trust, which recorded 80.

At the Princess Alexandra hospital NHS trust in Harlow, Essex, where 40 sewage leaks occurred, staff detailed cases in written data logs. “Raw sewage smell is still ongoing and staff are struggling to work in these conditions,” one report said. “They are all experiencing feeling nauseous, having headaches and feeling very tired.”

Another staff member raised the alarm that one part of the hospital had become unsafe as a result of a sewage leak, adding: “It was embarrassing to run a department that has sewage leaking everywhere and offensive odour.”

The cost of repairs and maintenance to NHS buildings that should have already been carried out – which does not include planned maintenance work – has reached £10.2bn, according to NHS Digital.

It has said £1.8bn needs to be spent on the “high-risk” backlog, classified as needed “in order to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services or deficiencies in safety liable to cause serious injury and/or prosecution”.

Rory Deighton, of the NHS Confederation, said: “Health leaders are clear that many of their hospitals are in desperate need of repair, as these shocking findings demonstrate further. No one working in the NHS wants this for their patients or staff.

“It is no wonder that nine in 10 of our members recently told us a lack of capital investment is undermining their efforts to reduce their waiting lists and is putting patient safety at risk. This has been building up over the last 12 years where UK capital funding has lagged behind peer countries, and the government needs to demonstrate it is gripping on to the problem as a matter of urgency.”

A spokesperson for Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust said: “As one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country, we have a huge estate spanning from Victorian to state-of-the-art – over 520,000 square metres and across seven hospital sites.

“While we have a comprehensive capital programme in place to ensure ongoing investment in our infrastructure, much of our estate is ageing. This causes a significant maintenance backlog, which inevitably leads to incidents such as leaks that require regular upkeep.”

Many of the leaks were minor, the spokesperson added, and a large proportion were caused by misuse, with inappropriate items being flushed into the system.

A spokesperson for the North Tees and Hartlepool trust said: “Staff reported 80 minor leaks to our estates and facilities team and there are no recorded major leaks to sewage.”

Michael Meredith, the director of strategy and estates at the Princess Alexandra hospital trust, said: “Sewage leaks occur across the site on a regular basis including below the ground, above the ground and in our basement. These are managed quickly and efficiently but they are unpleasant, especially where they occur in areas accessed by patients, our people or the public.”

He said the trust employs a 24-hour rapid response team to manage estate issues, and has a plan to deal with its maintenance backlog. “However, given the age and complexity of the estate and the delay in a decision around the funding for our new hospital, our backlog will continue to grow and will inevitably have an impact on service delivery.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “While individual NHS organisations are legally responsible for maintaining their estates, we are investing record sums to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care – including £4.2bn this year and £8.4bn over the next two years.

“More widely, we have invested £3.7bn for the first four years of the new hospital programme and remain committed to all schemes that have been announced as part of it.”

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Mid Devon – Councillor calls for cabinet to be scrapped

It would make more “effective and transparent decisions”

Mid Devon should scrap its cabinet system in order to make more “effective and transparent decisions,” a councillor says.

Ollie Heptinstall, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

Cabinets are the most common form of governance on local councils. They are led by a leader who appoints a number of cabinet members – usually from the same party – to take charge of different departments.

The system favours a party that has a majority of council seats. However 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 plunged into chaos last week when its Tory cabinet members left in a dispute over the council’s controversial 3 Rivers property development company.

Independent leader Bob Deed says he “fired” them, though Tory group leader Clive Eginton claims they resigned. It leaves the cabinet with just three members, meaning it cannot legally function.

Full council elections are due to be held in less than three months.

Cllr Deed says he will look to appoint replacement members in the coming days, but Cllr Eginton has submitted a motion to next week’s full council meeting calling for his removal as council leader with “immediate effect.”

The spat has led independent councillor Nikki Woollatt (Cullompton North), who served on Cllr Deed’s cabinet for a time, to call for a “modernised committee system to be implemented from the annual meeting of 2024.”

Under this system, according to the Local Government Association, councils are “divided into politically balanced committees that make decisions.”

It adds the system “does, inherently, give a louder voice to minority parties and Independents, since each committee is made up of members from all groups.”

Cllr Woollatt’s motion, submitted to next week’s meeting, states: “This council recognises that in order for taxpayers to have faith in the ability of Mid Devon District Council to make effective and transparent decisions … there has to be a fundamental change in the decision-making process.”

It also calls on councillors to “acknowledge that in a mature democracy there is a need for inclusive government which enables all members to make a valuable contribution in the running of the council.”

The motion will be debated at a full council meeting on Wednesday [22 February].

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Damning report into Teignbridge Council sees angry comments made

Liberal Democrats on Teignbridge District Council faced a raging attack by other councillors, including claims the leader was “corrupt” and members had “no f***ing clue” about the history and principles of their own party.

Philip Churm www.devonlive.com

It followed an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday, February 14, to debate the findings of a damning report by the local government watchdog.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said an investigation by TDC into the conduct of South Devon Alliance Group leader Cllr Richard Daws was flawed and “found fault with a number of aspects of the council’s investigation.”

Cllr Daws, who represents Ambrook, had been accused of acting contrary to the council’s code of conduct following remarks he made on social media in 2020.

The Ombudsman found fault in the investigation that followed because it was not triggered by a formal written complaint, as the law demands. The Ombudsman said the council should now apologise to Cllr Daws.

At the meeting, tempers flared and angry comments were made about the leadership. South Devon Alliance councillor for Haytor, Adrian Patch, spoke in support of his colleagues.

“This council has for so long been digging a hole for itself in the gutter and has finally leapt into the sewers where it is floundering in its own excrement,” he said.

After several interruptions Cllr Patch was ordered not to make any further comments in the debate.

Council leader and Lib Dem member for Kenton & Starcross, Alan Connett, said he accepted the findings of the report and he had apologised to Cllr Daws last month.

He also recommended that, in addition to him apologising to Cllr Daws personally, the managing director of the council should also apologise within seven working days.

Cllr Connett suggested “the council’s head of legal services writes to the secretary of state and the Local Government Association seeking further clarity” about the role of the Ombudsman and the duty of councils to protect employees.

Meanwhile, Cllr Daws, sporting a Che Guevara lapel badge, asked for his colleague, Liam Mullone – referred to in the report as “Councillor X” – to receive an apology too. He said the councillor for College ward had faced the same treatment as him.

“What my case demonstrates very clearly is that there are systemic failings within the standards procedures at this council,” he said. “None more clearly outlined than those of the injustice that was dealt out to ‘Cllr X’ – Councillor Liam Malone – who was tied up with me in an investigation.”

Councillors voted against an amendment to apologise directly to Cllr Mullone. Later, Cllr Mullone also launched a furious attack on the Lib Dems, who he suggested had dismissed the significance of the Ombudsman’s report.

“And I’ve seen all of you Lib Dems at the front nodding and going, ‘Yeah, it wasn’t really anything. Yeah, let’s ringfence it. Let’s pretend it’s just some administrative problem,’” he argued.

“I wish all the Lib Dems would go away and read Locke and John Stuart Mill and try and remember what your party is meant to be about because you’ve got no f***ing clue.”

He also hit out at chair of the council and Lib Dem councillor for Kenn Valley, Charles Nuttall, arguing he should not have been at the meeting.

“You were on the standards committee,” he shouted. And pointing to the monitoring officer, Paul Woodhead, he said: “You have been corrupt since the day you started.” Referring to Cllr Nuttall he added: “You should not be here.”

The council voted in favour of a motion to accept the findings of the report, apologise to Cllr Daws and for the standards committee to review its processes.

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It’s official – discussions on local plan paused

Discussions on Local Plan sites to wait while Government clarifies flexibility of housing targets

eastdevon.gov.uk 

Changes to planning, being consulted on by the Government, could give the council greater flexibility about the amount of house building needed in East Devon.

Concerns about the impacts the new developments would have on the environment and infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals were raised in the ten-week East Devon Local Plan consultation. These issues were acknowledged in this week’s Strategic Planning Committee. The Government may give councils more choice over the number of new homes being built, allowing East Devon District Council (EDDC) to address local concerns that have been raised.

EDDC leader, Councillor Paul Arnott, put forward a motion that no further discussions or decisions on potential sites take place until the Government makes its decision. EDDC’s Strategic Planning Committee agreed the motion, which means council officers will only continue technical work needed to support production of the Local Plan, such as water, sewerage and other environmental matters.

Councillor Paul Arnott, leader of the council, said:

“Last year, our council wrote to the Government calling for an urgent re-analysis of inflated housing need numbers imposed on the communities of East Devon.

“Pending any reply, we continued with the Local Plan consultation as required by law.

“This week – at the first opportunity to do so – I proposed that we put the sites aspect of the work on hold until what we hope will be confirmation that our housing numbers will be greatly reduced.

“I was very pleased that this won cross-party support. The ball is now in the Government’s court to deliver a new National Planning Policy Framework.”

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Cranbrook district heating discussed at EDDC strategic planning committee 

Cranbrook’s district heating supplier E.ON is being criticised once more following a major heating outage in the East Devon town last year.

Rob Kershaw, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

More than 400 households were left without heating for over a week becuase of a technical fault.

Some people had to leave their homes and live elsewhere during the outage which coincided with an extreme cold spell.

The heating Cranbrook receives is currently unregulated, although a council officer said that government legislation could change that in the next 18 months.

Just before Christmas, residents met with East Devon’s MP Simon Jupp, E.ON leadership and several councillors to explain what went wrong.

Cllr Eleanor Rylance (Liberal Democrat, Broadclyst) said at a strategic planning committee meeting on Tuesday [14 February] that she was not at all convinced about E.ON’s ability to provide its customers with the necessary service.

“Nothing I saw reassured me that the residents of Cranbrook were entirely safe in the hands of E.ON at this point,” she said. “So, E.ON seem to be very good at producing heat, and they seem to be very good at taking the money from the people they know about, but everything in between appears to leave something to be desired.

“I think customer services is very much the obvious one there. It takes many, many reports to E.ON to actually get any reaction from them, and I was not reassured at all at that meeting when the engineers explained about the valves sticking.”

Cllr Dan Ledger (Independent East Devon Alliance, Seaton) added that E.ON had no response when asked about a technical detail.

“One of the questions that was asked at the meeting was, if the valves were stuck on, why did it cut off all the heating?” he pondered. “Why wasn’t it set to the opposite of heat constantly running through rather than cutting it off? They had no answer.”

The district council will now set up forums between E.ON and Cranbrook residents. Cllr Mike Howe (Conservative, Clyst Valley) said that these meetings need to have “physical teeth,” to hold the company to account and a legally binding agreement should be established so it delivers what is asked of it.

Cllr Paul Hayward (Independent East Devon Alliance, Yarty) agreed that E.ON “need to up their game,” although he is pleased that residents have now been compensated.

“I am heartened by this report which says all effective households have received their financial compensation before Christmas, and that E.ON provided director level representation,” he said. “And that’s where I think my love for E.ON will end.”

Cllr Kevin Blakey (Independent, Cranbrook) added that E.ON’s customer service was “worse than awful,” and that “we need to ask E.ON to get their act together.”

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16 Feb 2023

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More rhubarb from Simon Jupp. Who closed the police stations he now welcomes?

Exmouth’s MP calls for more police enquiry desks to reopen

Conservative MP for East Devon Simon Jupp is calling for more police front desks to open in the district.

exmouth.nub.news 

Exmouth’s forthcoming new police station will have an enquiry desk.

Police stations in Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary and Honiton, however, remain closed to the public.

Simon Jupp MP said: “After the success of securing a new police station for Exmouth which will be open to the public, I want to make sure the east of the district also has access to a police station front desk.

“I would warmly welcome a front desk opening in either Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary or Honiton.

“Extra front desks, focusing on the needs of rural communities and market towns, would give people increased awareness and confidence in their local police force, especially during the tourist season.

“I know our Police & Crime Commissioner listens to communities and I hope she will consider re-opening another front desk in East Devon.”

Devon & Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez ran a recent survey asking which police stations the local community would like to have an open front desk. The survey closed on the 2 January.