Controversial planned cuts to Devon’s homelessness budget should be delayed, an influential group of councillors has recommended.

“Money we can’t afford,” – Councillor James McInnes (Conservative, Hatherleigh & Chagford),

Ollie Heptinstall www.midweekherald.co.uk 

The county council has consulted on proposals to scrap its £1.5 million contribution to projects which prevent people becoming homeless. 

However, the cabinet member responsible, Councillor James McInnes (Conservative, Hatherleigh & Chagford), recently said it was “money we can’t afford,” adding he was “very clear” it would not come out of existing budgets for the council’s statutory services.

A draft cabinet report presented to a health and adult care scrutiny committee this week revealed the funding could be cut at the end of September, but members of the committee decided this is too soon.

A majority instead urged the cabinet to delay the cuts until at least the end of the financial year in April, but another proposal to keep the funding until the end of the 2024/2025 financial year was rejected.

The £1.5 million currently pays for contracts with five providers who support around 250 people at any one time.

Their services are provided in multiple occupancy hostels in Exeter, East Devon, Torridge and North Devon, as well as through a countywide support service. None of the money pays for accommodation.

Local charities have hit out at the proposed cuts. YMCA Exeter, which receives £150,000 from the council, says “the consequences for vulnerable young adults will be huge”, while St Petrock’s, a charity in Exeter, warned it could lead to a “homelessness crisis”.

They believe it will end up costing other services such as district councils, the police, NHS and social care “significantly more” in the medium to long term, while Cllr McInnes has admitted there is a “risk that hostels may close”.

The meeting heard from one woman who said that, without receiving support from living at the Gabriel House shelter, she “most likely would not be here today”.

“I have significant traumas in my life,” she added. “This has led to me suffering the loss of my daughter and a breakdown of any relationship with my family.

“I’m now only able to share my story with you in the hope you can listen to me on why the proposal to stop the funding would have such a devastating impact on every resident at Gabriel House, who I see as my family.”

Peter Stephenson, chief executive of St Petrock’s, said the council’s claim that the funding is not part of its statutory powers is “dubious at best”.

He added: “Going ahead with this proposal will not only contravene your legal duties, but will make it abundantly clear that Devon County Council considers people experiencing homelessness as unworthy of the protection the rest of society rightly receives.”

Another charity, YMCA Exeter, has said it will take legal action if Devon goes ahead with the cuts.

In a statement, Cllr McInnes, who’s also the council deputy leader, said: “We fully understand that homelessness is a blight on people’s lives, particularly among younger people and others who need support, and that this is a real issue for all local authorities, locally and nationally.

“No decision has yet been made, and we are continuing to engage with district councils to explore all the inter-dependencies between housing and social care, particularly for our care leavers and other young people.”

The cabinet is expected to reach its decision on Wednesday, August 23.

Proposals to close North Devon’s link centres for people with complex mental health issues have been withdrawn to allow for further consultation with users.

Alison Stephenson, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

To cut costs, Devon County wants to integrate mental health services in North Devon to be “more in line with the national focus” but in Bideford, one of three link centre locations, some residents are concerned it will lead to more hospital admissions and greater costs to the health service.

Torridge District Councillor for Bideford East Cllr Jamies Craigie (Independent), along with clients of the Bideford Link Centre, challenged the initial consultation as they said it didn’t extend to people who used the services before covid or those seeking after care after coming out of hospital.

Cllr Craigie is pleased everyone will now have an opportunity to put their views. The county council will come back with revised proposals for Bideford, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe link centres and further consultation later in the year.

“It is only fair that everyone is consulted, as the numbers that attend now are half the number pre-covid as the activities at Bideford have been scaled down,” said Cllr Craigie. “We feel the figures will show the case for keeping our centres open and there will be no manipulation of figures giving the county council a fig leaf for closure.”

Torridge District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee heard earlier this week that the centre in Bideford, which has traditionally provided therapy as well as well-being and creative activities, had not reopened all services in 2021 despite pleas to Devon County Council.
Users said the centre had worked successfully for 30 years keeping people with a range of moderate-to-severe mental health problems safe, but it has been scaled back to a three times a week drop-in centre.

Cllr Craigie said: “The link centre provides a good service in a building which is ideal for its purpose as we don’t have any community centres in the town. People are more in need than ever since the pandemic where they became isolated and separated from others. And lots are struggling financially which is one of the many causes of stress.

“When you consider that it costs £800 a day to keep a mental health patient in hospital and £250 to have a mental health assessment at the RD&E, it makes no sense to get rid of the link centre which is preventing people having to go into hospital or have additional care.”

Devon County Council says it is facing “huge financial pressure” and must get the best outcome for every penny spent, hence it is reviewing all areas of its work. The centres in Bideford and Ilfracombe will cost around £306,000 to maintain over the next five years, it says.

A spokesperson said: “There is a national focus on improving and developing mental health services that are much more integrated within in local communities than they are currently in North Devon.”

They continued: “Several reviews in North Devon found that many of the services delivered by the link service to support people with their mental wellbeing, such as craft clubs, coffee mornings and choir groups, help with form filling and IT support, can be delivered by the community and voluntary sector.”

The council said Holsworthy’s link service had moved to the town’s youth centre that offers a wide range of community support, including drop-in sessions that help reduce loneliness and isolation.

A spokesman for the council said: “We are grateful for the input of all those who have contributed to the consultation so far, these responses will be considered in addition to the responses to the further consultation before decisions are made.”

At least 57 people fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea after competing in sea swimming events at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland, health officials confirmed this weekend.

Jon Ungoed-Thomas www.theguardian.com 

About 2,000 people participated in the events last weekend, which included a swim off Sunderland’s blue flag Roker beach. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it would be testing samples from those who were ill to establish the cause of the illness and any common pathogens.

An Environment Agency sampling at Roker beach on Wednesday 26 July, three days before the event, showed 3,900 E Coli colonies per 100ml, more than 39 times higher than typical readings the previous month. E coli is a bacterial infection which can cause stomach pain and bloody diarrhoea,

But British Triathlon, the governing body for triathlons in Great Britain, said the agency’s sampling results were not published until after the weekend’s events and were outside the body of the water where its competitions took place. It said its own testing results passed the required standards for the event.

The event was on a stretch of coastline that has been at the centre of a long-running battle over sewage discharges between campaigners and the government concerning regulatory failures.

Northumbrian Water insisted it was not to blame for the illnesses and that it had not recorded any discharges that might have affected the water quality at Roker beach since October 2021.

Jacob Birtwhistle, 28, an Australian triathlete, posted the Environment Agency’s results on Instagram and said he had felt unwell after the event. He wrote: “Have been feeling pretty rubbish since the race, but I guess that’s what happens when you swim in shit. The swim should have been cancelled.”

One athlete responded: “At least I know what got me and a bunch of other athletes who raced sick and ill.” Another wrote: “That now explains why I spent Monday night with my head in the toilet after racing Sunday morning!”

Ailith Eve Harley-Roberts, 51, from Leeds, who competed in the standard category with a 1,500-metre sea swim, said she had not fallen ill but fellow competitors suffered stomach upsets. She said: “I like to swim outdoors but don’t have any confidence in the cleanliness of seas, rivers, lakes etc because of the dumping of sewage or other effluents.”

Eva Perrin, science and research officer at campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, said: “The sample taken on 26 July showed unprecedented levels of E coli well over what is natural for this water body or safe for human recreational use, and urgently needs to be investigated.”

Bob Latimer, 79, a campaigner, pursued legal action for several years against the government over sewage discharges off Whitburn, which is north of Roker beach. A pre-action letter was sent on his behalf by the Environmental Law Foundation to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the regulator Ofwat in June for a proposed judicial review, alleging there were 122 discharges in 2021 alone from the Whitburn sea outfall, totalling 821,088 tonnes of sewage and storm water.

Latimer says the sewage discharges from the Whitburn outfall increased between 2017 and 2021, and there has been a failure by the government to comply with waste water regulations. He said: “There is still too much sewage being discharged into the sea.”

Data published by the charity the Rivers Trust based on returns from water firms shows a sewer storm overflow discharged into the Wear Estuary, near the triathlon event, 28 times in 2022 for a total of 370 hours. Northumbrian Water said these sewage discharges would not affect Roker beach because they were “intercepted” and discharged by a long-sea outfall.

The triathlon event at Sunderland was the British leg of the World Triathlon Championship Series, and took place within the qualification window for the Paris 2024 Olympic games. There were also participation races in a variety of distances, including a family event. It was the first time Sunderland had hosted the UK leg of the series.

British Triathlon said it was working closely with Sunderland city council and the UKHSA to establish the cause of the illnesses. Environment Agency officials say its sampling on 26 July was not published until 31 July because it required a laboratory analysis.

The UKHSA said: “UKHSA is working with British Triathlon to encourage anyone who participated and has or had symptoms after the event to contact the organisers who will then pass details onto the UKHSA North East Protection team. The team will undertake an investigation of cases.”

There are various factors that can affect water quality, including the use of sewage overflows operated by water firms, as well as run-off from roads and fields. Northumbrian Water said it did not consider any of its infrastructure was involved in any pollution incidents that could have affected the triathlon events.

A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said: “We have had no discharges from any of our assets that might negatively impact water quality at either Roker or the neighbouring Whitburn North bathing water since October 2021.

“Both bathing waters were designated as ‘Excellent’ in the latest Defra classifications, and sampling to date in the current season indicate this high quality is being maintained.”