Oh, how convenient! – Owl

Firefighters are currently attending a huge fire in Sidmouth in Devon this morning (Thursday, March 30). The blaze has broken out at a derelict building on Knowle Drive, Sidmouth and residents in the area have been told to close all their windows due to a large amount of smoke.

Zhara Simpson www.devonlive.com

Crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue attended the fire at around 4:11am on Thursday, and have reported the incident is currently ongoing. A photo from the scene, shared on Twitter, shows huge flames coming from the building, along with big plumes of smoke.

The fire service also advised people to ‘avoid the area’ this morning following the fire. In a statement on the website, it added that the fire is at the former East Devon District Council offices and that when crews arrived at the scene, the building was ‘well alight.’

The force’s statement says: “Fire Control received a call to reports of smoke in the area along with a small glow in the area of the above property. Control immediately mobilised 1 Fire Appliance from Sidmouth to investigate.

“Once on scene crews confirmed a fire involving the former council offices in Knowle well alight and made up for 6 Pumping Appliances and 1 Aerial Ladder Platform. Crews are at work tackling the fire and we currently have 8 Fire Appliances 2 Aerial Ladder Platforms 1 Water Bowser Supporting Appliances and Supporting Officers.”

At 6:50am on Thursday, it added: “Currently on scene we have 8 Fire Appliances, 2 Aerial Ladder Platforms, 2 Water Bowsers, An Environmental Protection Unit, A Crew Welfare Unit, High Volume Pump Module, and supporting officers. At this time crews are at work tackling a fire within a disused building that consists of several linked buildings where approximately 1/3 of the building is involved in fire, this incident has been sectorised and crews are actively firefighting currently.

“We ask at this time for all residents to keep windows and doors closed and to avoid the local area, we expect the local water supply to be disrupted. This incident is ongoing at this time and will be updated in due course.”

South West Water are renewing the Victorian combined sewer outfall connecting the untreated sewage system to the sea off Otter Head.

From a Correspondent:

“Unfortunately Kier aren’t able to undertake the sewer connection works due in Lime Kiln car park this week due to storm tank levels and the rainy weather forecast.” 

What does this tell us about Budleigh’s sewage system’s ability to cope with a spot of rain? There have been constant sewage alerts on most East Devon beaches for days.

Source: current Surfers against Sewage map

As a result they won’t be able to reduce the “land take” in Lime Kiln car park in time for the Easter weekend. 

About half the car park is currently used as a “hard hat” work site.

The Lime Kiln car park attracts visitors to the sea in all weather conditions over the weekends, especially as we enter Spring. 

“Apologies for the inconvenience because as you know, we were hoping to be able to free up some space in the car park over Easter. Unfortunately the weather has had other ideas and we can’t risk the storm tank overflowing.”

Apologies don’t really do it, do they?

Will SWW be fully compensating EDDC and the BS Town Council for the losses suffered?

Plans to cut adult day and respite services by Devon County Council are being legally challenged by a local charity.

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

The council is consulting on proposals to close most of its disability day centres, as well as one of its respite centres in either Exeter or Honiton.

It forms part of an overall package of cuts that would save Devon more than £30 million from its adult care budget, with the council previously saying it needs to find total savings of £45 million so it can prioritise spending on what it is legally obliged to provide.

Now the Exeter & District Mencap Society is calling on the council to halt its consultations, which it believes are “seriously flawed” and could be unlawful, or it will launch a judicial review.

A 27-page ‘letter before claim’ challenges whether the council is carrying out the public consultations lawfully and if it hasn’t complied with a section of the Equality Act 2010.

Bob Gaiger, trustee of the charity said: “We are extremely concerned that the consultations appear to be designed to justify the proposals to cut in-house services.

“The consultations and proposals are seriously flawed and provide no evidence to support the decisions that Devon County Council have taken so far.

“Parents and carers are being asked to complete the consultation documents and make impossible choices without any supporting information to help them in their decisions.”

The council says it will be considering its response.

The challenge comes after other parts of the adult care savings plan were criticised at a council scrutiny committee meeting, including a planned scrapping of the council’s £1.5 million contribution towards homelessness prevention.

An Exeter councillor said it would “massively increase the number of rough sleepers,” while local charities also hit out at the plan.

The county council also proposes to close its North Devon link mental health and wellbeing service, to stop its funding contribution towards the Wellbeing Exeter programme, and to consult on its carer offer.

Devon’s cabinet member for adult social care Cllr James McInnes (Conservative, Hatherleigh & Chagford) told last week’s scrutiny meeting that “these are very difficult decisions.”

He added: “It’s really important … we make a decision to make sure we are supporting the most vulnerable people in Devon and that Devon County Council is sustainable for the future.”

New government figures show that women working for East Devon District Council (EDDC) earn 0.6 per cent less than their male colleagues. [National average for local authorities is 3.0%]

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

The figures show the median hourly salaries for women and men working at EDDC. 

The average local authority paid women three per cent less than their male colleagues – a small improvement from 3.3 per cent the year before. 

Employers with more than 250 workers must publish figures on differences in pay between their employees through the government’s gender pay gap service.

A spokesman for East Devon District Council (EDDC) said: “East Devon District’s Council’s last publicly reported Gender Pay Gap figure as at March 31 was that the median gender pay gap showed that women were paid 0.67 per cent lower than men within the council. This was because there were more males in the upper quartile (highest hourly rate) compared to females.

“However, since then the Council has implemented a revised pay and grading structure in response to recruitment and retention challenges and its aspiration to become a Real Living Wage employer. Starting salaries for the lowest paid roles are now £11.59 per hour.

“Indicative analysis, undertaken as part of the impact assessment during the consultation process, showed an improvement in the median gender pay gap, reducing it to 0% per cent. This reflected the proposed salary changes in grades that are predominantly held by females (now new grades 2-4).  

“The actual analysis showing the gender pay gap figure as at March 31 is to be undertaken and will be published on the Council’s website in due course. Alongside this, the Council is starting work to review entry levels in and progression routes through the Council, as part of its wish to further develop and grow its own staff.”

Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, urged employers to publish plans on how to tackle their pay gaps, recommending that local authorities share knowledge with those that ‘need to up their game.’

Rishi Sunak is facing questions over a possible conflict of interest after it emerged his wife is a shareholder in a childcare agency that will directly benefit from policies announced in the Budget.

As Politico’s afternoon newsletter put it: “Rishi Sunak was asked a direct question at his liaison committee hearing this week: did he have an interest to declare about childcare? The PM swerved it without declaring an interest.“ 

Conservatives do seem to have a reluctance to err on the safe side when it comes to things like full transparency and declaration of interests, knowing when to step aside from debates etc. Here is a local example from just over a year ago. – Owl

Richard Vaughan, Paul Waugh inews.co.uk

The Prime Minister and his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of a billionaire Indian businessman, are facing fresh scrutiny over Ms Murty’s financial interest in the private childcare agency, Koru Kids.

The agency is one of six private providers being consulted on a pilot scheme as part of the Government’s major overhaul of childcare announced in this month’s Budget.

According to Companies House, Ms Murty was listed as a shareholder in Koru Kids as recently as 6 March, 2023 and has been since March 2021.

The childcare reforms were announced in the Budget on 15 March.

Under the childcare reforms, Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced that the Government will pilot incentive payments of £600 for childminders joining the profession and £1,200 if they join through an agency.

Agencies such as Koru Kids can expect to see a major increase in business as a result of the pilot, as it will drive prospective childminders to sign up via agencies.

During his appearance in front of Parliament’s Liaison Committee yesterday, Mr Sunak was quizzed about the logic behind the double bonus for childminders who sign up through one of six private childcare agencies.

Labour chair of the Commons Petitions Committee, Catherine McKinnell, asked whether Mr Sunak wanted to declare an interest about the policy.

Mr Sunak replied: “No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way.”

The Prime Minister added during the exchange that he would “happily write back to you and the committee on exactly what conversations were had and the rationale” behind giving a double bonus for childminders coming through agencies.

Pressed on why private providers were being given a double bonus, he replied: “I think it’s a reflection of the fact that they are through intermediaries. So there are additional costs. And ultimately, we want to make sure the policy is effective in bringing additional people into the system.”

At no point did Mr Sunak state that his wife is a shareholder in Koru Kids. His latest register of ministerial interests dating from May 2022 does not declare that his wife owns shares in Koru Kids, despite Companies House records showing she is listed as a shareholder from March 2021.

Downing Street declined to comment on the business arrangements of Ms Murty, saying that she is a private individual.

Asked whether Mr Sunak was concerned that there might be a conflict of interest in regards to his wife’s investments, a source close to him said: “As the PM said, all interests are declared in the usual way.”

i understands the Prime Minister has declared the interests with the Cabinet Office. The source added that it was up to the Prime Minister’s independent ethics adviser and the Cabinet Office’s Proprietary and Ethics Team to “decide if there are any conflict of interests”.

The latest register of ministerial interests is due to be published in the coming weeks.

According to the Commons guide to procedure, MPs are expected to declare any interests, including of their family members, if they are deemed relevant.

On a page about the Budget on its website, Koru Kids praises the new incentives open to childminders, describing them as “great”.

The site states that trainees will be given £600 “if you apply to be a childminder directly (independently)” but later adds that the incentive is “£1,200 – yes double – if you come through an agency like Koru Kids who offer community, training and ongoing support”.

Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “There are serious questions for Rishi Sunak to answer over any potential conflict of interest, and any extra income his family could receive from his own government’s policy.

“Too often we have seen Conservative sleaze run amok. The public must be reassured that any breach of the ministerial code by the Prime Minister will be fully investigated.”

Koru Kids was contacted for comment.

i has contacted Ms Murty’s representatives.

Building work on 69 new ‘affordable’ homes at West Clyst on the East Devon and Exeter border is due to get under way.

eastdevonnews.co.uk

Housing association Sovereign bagged planning permission for the development at Taverners Field at the end of last year.

The land was formerly used for grazing livestock, writes Local Democracy Reporter Ollie Heptinstall.

In an update, the company – one of the country’s largest such associations–  says ‘contractors are expected to be on site shortly’ and work could be completed by summer 2026.

The homes include a mix of one- and two-bed maisonettes, bungalows and two-four bed houses.

They will be 100 per cent ‘affordable’ with 36 available for social rent and the remaining 33 for shared ownership.

The development also includes a mix of green infrastructure and public open space, plus a play area.

West Clyst, which comes under East Devon District Council’s jurisdiction, has had a considerable amount of housing growth recently.

Most of it is in the local plan, but this site is not part of the allocation.

Sovereign says the properties will be the first built to its ‘new house specification’ which includes each having its own air source heat pump and sustainable heating system, improved insulation and solar panels.

Isabel Keppel, Sovereign’s planning manager, said: “This new range of house types really showcases our commitment to put the customer at the heart of everything we do.

“It also shows how we strive to design high-quality homes which exceed standards and norms, wherever possible.”