For Owl’s comment see this post.

Spring has sprung and, as happens every four years in East Devon, the month after Easter will see innocent citizens subjected to campaigning from hopeful candidates in parish, town and district elections.

Paul Arnott, leader of East Devon District Council www.midweekherald.co.uk 

Next week we enter the ‘pre-election period’. This means that any readers who rush to read this column, or to tear it out to line a litter tray, will be disappointed. In the interests of balance, I must sign out until after the elections.

Indeed, it is always possible that I am neither re-elected a councillor here in Coly Valley, nor that anyone will want me to be Leader after May. This may be less au revoir and more Goodnight Vienna. However, after about 130 articles in recent years, or 85,000 words – all unpaid I should add, the length of a novel – this is the end of Book One.

Some have moaned about the articles, but I have done my best to share East Devon matters without too much of a po face. Which leaves me about 400 words to put the argument for voting for my group of councillors in May.

To begin at the beginning, in 2019 only 19 of the 60 councillors elected were Tory. Somewhat weirdly, the new Leader in 2019 (then an ‘Independent’, now the deputy Tory Leader!) and the outgoing Leader (the Tory Leader before the election, then an ‘Independent’!) formed a business-as-usual Cabinet with the support of the 19 Tories. As tends to happen in these situations, that Cabinet collapsed less than a year later, and the rest of us who’d watched on quietly formed a new one.

So, for the last three years East Devon has been run by an incredibly friendly administration of Independents, LibDems and Greens. It’s been a down the centre, progressive council, of the type the whole country seems to want but the daft electoral system seems never to come up with. It was called the ‘Democratic Alliance’.

Straight out of the blocks we dealt with two Tory legacies – the officer-dominated Greater Exeter Strategic Plan with its huge democratic deficiencies – and the bonkers way in which a single officer was given a £20 million fighting fund to initiate questionable investments across the country to bolster EDDC finances. These schemes were notorious – and we stopped them instantly.

We then dealt with other Tory legacy issues such as their neglect of both public toilets and car parks policy. We reset the whole framework for discussions around seaside towns, work still in progress, including major sea defence projects. To drive the local economy forward we invented new Tourism and Culture strategies in which hundreds of businesses and organisations are now engaged. During and after Covid 19 we ran local funding strategies for thousands – from businesses to those in poverty – and hit sixes around the ground in Environmental policy too.

As for the bottom line, we are the ONLY district council in Devon to balance its books this year without a major dip into reserves, something no Devon Tory council has managed. That is a huge tribute to our careful and outstanding work with council officers. In 2023 we have the foundations to be the best run local democracy in the country.

The historic election of Richard Foord as MP last summer proves that Tory East Devon is sinking into the sunset. Having publicly supported Richard during that election, I must be consistent now and will stand as a Lib Dem this May too. I believe the district wants a non-Tory administration for many years to come and for me this is the best way I can help to secure that.

For Owl’s comment see this post.

The leader of East Devon District Coubcil and three other Cabinet members – all previously elected as members of the Independent East Devon Alliance – will stand as Liberal Democrat candidates in the elections on May 4.

seaton.nub.news 

Leader of the council Cllr Paul Arnott (Coly Valley); Cabinet member for Tourism, Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nick Hookway (Exmouth Littleham); Cabinet member for Coast, Country and the Environment, Cllr Geoff Jung (Woodbury & Lympstone); and Cabinet member for Climate Action, Councillor Marianne Rixson (Sidmouth Sidford), have announced they will all stand as Liberal Democrats in the upcoming idstirct council election.

They were previously elected as members of the Independent East Devon Alliance and later joined the council’s Democratic Alliance with other party members.

In a joint statement, they said they believed that a Democratic Alliance would provide a “sustainable future” and standing as Lib Dems was a way to help guarantee this.

They commented: “For the last three years, we have been proud to be part of the Democratic Alliance leading the council as Independent, Lib Dem and Green councillors.

“Under this administration, East Devon is the only district council in Devon to balance its books without major borrowing from reserves. 

“Together, we led the district through Covid-19, supporting thousands of individuals and businesses. We kept our leisure centres open. We made huge strides in environmental protection, from new projects to sea defences, and created new economic strategies around tourism and culture.

“We have invested sustainably in the economic powerhouse in the west end of the district, which will lead to more than a thousand new jobs. We dealt with toilet and car park legacy issues which were ignored by the Tories for more than a decade.

“We believe that this Democratic Alliance of the last three years is the sustainable future for East Devon. The historic election victory of Richard Foord MP last summer was a watershed moment.

“In order to grow a progressive, centrist East Devon – with Homes, the Environment and Economic Growth at its heart – we believe that by standing as Lib Dems we can help guarantee this for the future.”

Nub News will be offering all local candidates in the East Devon District Council the opportunity to make a statement before the election.

“We effectively have in East Devon an almost proportional representation situation with those who are prepared to work together doing so, and those who put politics first (Tories and pseudo-Independent Tories) refusing to do what is best for the district.”

The East Devon Alliance (EDA) emerged in 2013 from the widespread protests at the arrogant way the long standing Tory regime in EDDC were driving through a build, build, build agenda, with a disregard for accountability and scrutiny and  their lack of respect in listening to members of the public. 

Its purpose was to provide genuine Independents with a mutual support umbrella to seek election.

Under electoral law it was obliged to register as a political party in 2015 when it won 10 of the 59 seats in the 2015 and became a significant opposition political grouping.

In the 2019 election two thirds of councillors were non-Tories of various shades. Under “independent” Ben Ingham an administration was formed with the support of the remaining 19 Tories. Ingham specifically excluded the EDA. Unsurprisingly, his cabinet fell apart within a year as, one by one, independents who had given this form of “change” a go realised their error and removed their support.

At this point long standing LibDem Councillor Eileen Wragg suggested a formal arrangement between the two major groupings of the LibDems and EDA, forming the “Democratic Alliance”. This has resulted in a three year broad coalition in EDDC between an even wider grouping including other Independents, Greens and Labour. Their achievements in just these three years are listed in separate posts mentioned below.

We now learn (see separate posts) that a number of EDA councillors will join the LibDems to fight this year’s election, seeing this the best way to ensure the “Democratic Alliance” continues, others will continue as EDA candidates.

Owl’s hope is that ALL non-Tories will work together, as they have done so far, because we have to do better at a local level than those who are at a national level are currently doing – putting party before prinicples.  

We deserve better and we effectively currently have in East Devon an almost proportional representation situation with those who are prepared to work together doing so and those who put politics first (Tories and pseudo-Independent Tories) refusing to do  what is best for the district.

We have to do politics better – localism should trump tribalism.

Be under no illusion. Under the leadership of Phil Skinner, with his deputy Ben Ingham, the local Tories have not reflected on why they lost so heavily in 2019.

If the Tories are returned to power this May we will return to their rotten old ways of governance. 

What selfie app is he using?

Did he get a tip off from that well known selfie expert Alison Hernandez or was it issued by CCHQ?

Unreal! – Owl

(Source)

“It’s absolutely critical that we tell our side of the story”

Yeah right, so what have you been doing since privatisation in 1989? – Owl 

South West Water website to update on sewage spills

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk 

South West Water is launching a new interactive map to update people on water quality at beaches.

It follows criticism over how often the water company discharges sewage into the sea via storm overflow pipes.

Member of parliament for East Devon Simon Jupp said South West Water still needed to “clean up their act”.

SWW said WaterFit Live would be a “one-stop shop” for all information about its network and the company wanted to be “really open” with its customers.

Laura Flowerdew, chief customer officer for South West Water, said: “We’re really excited to be launching the website to give better information to customers and to be really open and transparent about how our waste water network operates.

“The site will give information on how our network is impacting bathing water across our designated bathing waters in the region and, importantly, it also shows what we’re doing to improve the performance of our network by investing across all out bathing waters over the coming years.”

‘Still more to do’

Ms Flowerdew added that the company’s performance was “really improving”.

She said SWW had reduced its use of storm overflows by 50% over the bathing season in 2022, adding there was “still more to do”.

She said: “We know customers really care about bathing waters across the region and we also really care about the environment so it’s absolutely critical that we tell our side of the story and we show what we’re doing to reduce the use of storm overflows.”

Daniel Green, from Bude, is a regular user of the town’s tidal sea pool.

He said: “We love spending time down here all year round and having a nice clean environment on the coastline and in the sea pool is really important.

“Discharging waste into the local area just isn’t acceptable really.”

Mr Jupp said real improvement would only come when SWW was able to share its real-time data from storm overflows, expected later this year.

He said: “What’s being launched now is a good step forward because it clarifies all the data and also looks back at historical data from the last three years as well but it’s not enough.

“I want to see South West Water launching their real-time information which will really help the public decide what they want to do, as quickly as possible.”

Mr Jupp said people in the South West paid the “highest water bills in the country”.

He added: “We have a one-star rated water company which was fined £13m as a result of the government’s new laws.

“South West Water need to clean up their act and our water.”

Izzy Ross, campaigns manager for Surfers Against Sewage, said the charity wanted to applaud water companies being more transparent about sewage discharge but she said it did not solve the problem.

Ms Ross said: “We need to actually see a reduction and eventually an end to sewage discharges from these sewage overflow pipes.”

A pioneering boat-building firm making the UK’s first fully-electric work vessel is moving to Honiton – creating 30 jobs.

East Devon Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk

Coastal Workboats Limited (CWL) will construct a state-of-the-art new HQ and ‘advanced manufacturing site’at the Heathpark Industrial Estate.

The site is due to be finished in 2024 and will use solar and ground source heating.

CWL will use the HQ to manufacture components for the country’s first fully-electric workboat and charging station.

The move has been supported by East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) Economic Development team.

Councillor Paul Hayward, EDDC portfolio holder for economy and assets, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Coastal Workboats Limited, a company which has led the way in developing new clean and sustainable ways of powering vessels.

“This is exactly the sort of investment which the district needs to help us grow our green economy and help us reach net-zero.”

An EDDC spokesperson added: “CWL’s new HQ is scheduled for completion in 2024, and will be state-of-the-art in respect of energy use and generation.

“The building will use solar and ground source heating and will have facilities to charge electric vehicles.

“The investment has been backed by £6million from the Government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition fund.

“The scheme is designed to help maritime industries eliminate carbon emissions and increase efficiency.

“Electric boats already exist, but so far they have only been used for leisure. CWL’s project will be the first to demonstrate their commercial potential.

“CWL’s successful funding application will support a £9million project which will deliver the UK’s first demonstration of a fully-electric workboat and charging station.

“The purpose-built Electric Landing Utility Vessel (E-LUV) will be demonstrated for four weeks in the Shetland Isles in a workboat capacity, running inter-island routes.

“Most workboats are operated in areas with low or low grid power to support the recharging of vessels.”