Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow environment secretary, said: “The Conservatives’ sticking-plaster approach to flooding has left communities devastated and cost the economy billions of pounds.”

Brace, brace, brace for storm Ciarán, especially if Thérèse Coffey looking the wrong way! – Owl

Josh Halliday www.theguardian.com 

More than 4,000 of England’s vital flood defences are so damaged they are almost useless, including hundreds in areas battered by Storm Babet.

Nearly 800 critical assets – defined as those where there is a high risk to life and property – were in a “poor” or “very poor” condition in the 10 English counties worst affected by last week’s historic downpours.

The analysis will add to growing anger from flood-hit communities who have accused the authorities of being ill-equipped and complacent in the run-up to Storm Babet.

It comes as Britain braces for yet more heavy rain and flooding this week ahead of the arrival of Storm Ciarán, which is set to bring strong winds and heavy rain when it arrives on Thursday.

Parts of Britain faced further severe downpours at the weekend, hampering the recovery from the devastating floods that left at least seven people dead, hundreds homeless and scores of properties damaged.

MPs and residents across England and Scotland have demanded a review of the protections in place in the aftermath of Storm Babet, which overwhelmed defences and caught forecasters off-guard.

Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow environment secretary, said: “The Conservatives’ sticking-plaster approach to flooding has left communities devastated and cost the economy billions of pounds.”

Extreme weather events are becoming more likely and frequent due to climate breakdown, and have caused food shortages and price increases.

An analysis of Environment Agency data obtained by Unearthed, the investigative arm of Greenpeace UK, showed that 4,204 of England’s most important flood defences were in a poor or very poor condition in 2022. This accounts for about one in 15 of the total.

Across the country, 856 were judged very poor, meaning they had “severe defects resulting in complete performance failure”, essentially rendering them useless.

The remaining 3,348 were in poor condition, meaning they have defects that would “significantly reduce” their performance.

In the 10 English counties worst affected by Storm Babet, spanning from Suffolk to Northumberland, 646 were in a poor condition and 135 were judged to be very poor.

The Environment Agency, which owns and maintains more than half of the flood defences in England, said inspections from the latest financial year showed an improvement, from one in 15 being in disrepair to one in 20.

It added that contingency plans will be put in place if required when critical defences are found to be in poor condition.

Paul Morozzo, Greenpeace UK’s senior climate campaigner, said: “Our crumbling flood defences are a symbolic and literal demonstration of the government’s failure to tackle the climate crisis.

“Storm Babet was a sobering reminder that the climate crisis is on our doorstep and that the cost – both in terms of lives lost and damage caused – is huge.

“Without bold action to cut emissions as fast as possible, extreme storms and flooding will become more common and more intense. And without the necessary investment and upgrades, our flood defences will continue to fail.

“By rowing back on its climate commitments and failing to ensure we have infrastructure needed to mitigate its impacts, the government has all but given up on the communities it is supposed to protect. This is a shameful dereliction of duty and will cost votes in the coming election unless Sunak wakes up and has the guts to change direction.”

The Environment Agency, which is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, aimed last year to repair scores of its flood defences leaving only 30 in poor or very poor condition. In reality, 1,766 remained in that category.

The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, suggested last week that the Met Office and the Environment Agency had been caught off-guard by Storm Babet because the rain came in from the east.

She also said it looked as if her department “may not be hitting” its target of protecting 336,000 properties by 2027.

The Met Office has said the 18 to 20 October period was the third-wettest independent three-day period in England and Wales since 1891. The Midlands provisionally recorded its wettest three-day period on record.

Defra said it was investing £5.2bn between 2021 and 2027 to protect properties from flooding and that more than 96,000 buildings were shielded from Storm Babet.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We maintain approximately 76,000 flood assets across England, 95% of which we would expect to function as designed during a flood, which is an increase on the previous year.

“We prioritise maintenance where there is significant threat to lives and livelihoods, which was supported by a £200m investment between April 2022 and March 2023 to ensure our assets were winter ready.”

Boris Johnson asked why damage was being inflicted on the economy during the pandemic “for people who will die anyway soon” in a meeting with Rishi Sunak, the Covid inquiry was told on Monday.

Ben Quinn www.theguardian.com (Extract)

At the start of what is set to be a bruising week for the former prime minister, with former political aides and senior civil servants to give evidence on his government’s handling of the pandemic, the diary of a former private secretary revealed the damaging remarks made in March 2020.

The note was from a meeting during which Johnson was believed to have said: “We’re killing the patient to tackle the tumour. Large ppl [taken to mean large numbers of people] who will die, why are we destroying economy for people who will die anyway soon.”

Imran Shafi, the official who wrote the memo, told the inquiry he thought it was Johnson who made the comments. It came after a series of diary entries and WhatsApp messages suggested the low regard in which the former Tory leader was held by senior advisers…..

Covid inquiry live: Boris Johnson’s pandemic response was ‘Trump-level mad and dangerous’

www.independent.co.uk 

A series of scathing WhatsApp messages sent between Boris Johnson’s top team have accused the former prime minister of making it “impossible” to tackle Covid, as he created chaos and changed direction “every day”.

Archie Mitchell www.independent.co.uk

The extraordinary messages sent between the likes of Dominic Cummings, Lee Cain and Simon Case reveal the strong disquiet among Mr Johnson’s advisers, with Mr Case, the cabinet secretary and top civil servant, at one point declaring: “I am at the end of my tether.”

The ex-PM’s top officials also branded him “weak and indecisive” and referred to him as a “trolley”. Chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance, meanwhile, said Mr Johnson was “all over the place” and “so completely inconsistent”.

The WhatsApp messages and diary entries, shown to Mr Johnson’s former principal private secretary Martin Reynolds at the official Covid inquiry, laid bare the chaos behind Downing Street’s response to Covid.

In a bombshell three hours of testimony about his time as Mr Johnson’s PPS, Mr Reynolds was asked about everything from the government’s preparedness for the pandemic to his own role in the Partygate scandal of lockdown-busting events.

The ex-top civil servant, since dubbed “Party Marty”, apologised “unreservedly” for sending an email to more than 100 Downing Street staff inviting them to a “bring your own booze” garden party during lockdown.

And he admitted the government’s readiness to tackle Covid was “grossly deficient”, and that officials were operating “without a proper playbook”.

The inquiry was shown extraordinary WhatsApp exchanges and notes taken around the time of key decisions being made.

In one diary entry, Sir Patrick wrote: “Number 10 chaos as usual.

“On Friday, the two-metre rule meeting made it abundantly clear that no-one in Number 10 or the Cabinet Office had really read or taken time to understand the science advice on two metres. Quite extraordinary.”

In other entries Sir Patrick described how he felt scientists were “used as human shields” by ministers.

On 19 September 2020, when a potential “circuit-breaker” lockdown was up for discussion, he wrote: “Johnson is all over the place and so completely inconsistent. You can see why it was so difficult to get an agreement to lock down the first time.”

And in a devastating exchange of messages between Mr Case, the cabinet secretary, and Mr Cummings, who was Downing Street’s chief of staff at the time, Mr Johnson was described as “creating chaos”.

Mr Case said: “I am at the end of my tether. He changes strategic direction every day (Monday we were all about fear of virus returning as per Europe, March etc – today we’re in ‘let it rip’ mode because the UK is pathetic, needs a cold shower etc.)

“He cannot lead and we cannot support him in leading with this approach. The team captain cannot change the call on the big plays every day. The team can’t deliver anything under these circumstances.”

Piling in to the other cabinet ministers, he said: “A weak team (as we have got – Hancock, Williamson, Dido, No10/CO, Perm Secs), definitely cannot succeed in these circumstances. IT HAS TO STOP! Decide and set direction – deliver – explain. Gov’t isn’t actually that hard but this guy is really making it impossible.”

Mr Cain replied: “Totally agree. Am already getting lots of despairing messages from people in meetings with him. And he’s careering around on WhatsApp as usual creating chaos and undermining everybody. “

In another exchange shown to the inquiry, Mr Cummings accused Mr Johnson of going “full trolley mode”, referring to his tendency to veer between issues.

Pressed toward the end of the session on his now infamous BYOB email, Mr Reynolds said: “I would first like to say how deeply sorry I am for my part in those events and for the email message, which went out that day.

“And I would like to apologise unreservedly to all the families of all those who suffered during Covid for all the distress caused.”

A property developer said he would fund a prospective Conservative MP’s election campaign, a trial has heard.

By Matt Precey www.bbc.co.uk 

Howard Grossman is alleged to have made the remark at a fundraising dinner for David Mackintosh, who went on to win Northampton South in 2015.

Both men are accused of concealing the true source of political donations.

Mr Grossman, from Hertfordshire, and Mr Mackintosh, from Northampton, both deny the charges.

The court previously heard how in 2014, nine donations totalling £39,000 were paid into Mr Mackintosh’s political fighting fund by a string of donors, when the source of the money was Mr Grossman.

The former chairman of Northampton South Conservative Association (NSCA), Suresh Patel, was cross examined on the fifth day of the trial at Warwick Crown Court.

He described a fundraising dinner at the Carlton Club which he and Mr Mackintosh attended in December 2014 along with two dozen others.

‘I was used’

Mr Patel, 66, said he had never met Mr Grossman before this event and alleged the Bushey based businessman told him “I’ve said to David I’ll fund his campaign” after Mr Mackintosh introduced them.

It was “one of the worst fundraising events I’ve ever been to in my life. I felt like I was used” he recalled.

Mr Patel said he was asked at short notice to attend and collect ticket money off the guests but was subsequently told Mr Grossman would gather the money instead and transfer it to the Northampton South “fighting fund”.

Mr Grossman’s defence counsel, Neil Hawes KC, challenged Mr Patel about his attendance at the opening of Northampton’s bus station in 2013 which Mr Mackintosh was closely involved in as the then leader of Northampton Borough Council.

Mr Grossman was also there alongside the then owner of Northampton Town Football Club, David Cardoza, Mr Hawes said.

Mr Hawes continued: “At the bus station opening I suggest you were approached about a donation (by Mr Grossman).”

“No-one approached me,” Mr Patel answered.

‘Never, never ever’

The barrister also asked whether the planned redevelopment of Northampton Town’s Sixfields stadium was politically important?

He asked if he knew Mr Grossman was connected to 1st Land Ltd, the company involved in the Sixfields work, at that stage.

“No idea,” was the answer.

Mr Hawes put it to Mr Patel that it was he who suggested to Mr Grossman that he would have to use third parties to make any donations to Mr Mackintosh, because of his close involvement in the Sixfields project.

“Never, never ever. I don’t believe in doing things like that,” said Mr Patel.

Mr Mackintosh, of Station Road, Northampton, and Mr Grossman, 61, of Caldecote Gardens, Bushey, Hertfordshire, are both charged with two offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Both are accused of failing to ensure NSCA was provided with the correct information as to the source of donations, which were made between January and September 2014.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Monday.

Bankruptcy, Ernest Hemingway once wrote, comes gradually, then suddenly. For years, England’s dysfunctional housing market was a distant concern for most district councils in the relatively affluent home counties; now, unexpectedly, it is in their faces, out of control and threatening to overwhelm them.

Patrick Butler www.theguardian.com 

Hastings, a coastal district in East Sussex, has warned it could become effectively insolvent this year as the housing crisis rips through. High house prices, soaring rents, housing benefit cuts, a 120% year-on-year rise in evictions, shortages of social housing and a shrinking, volatile, local private rented sector have created a perfect storm.

It expects to spend £5.6m – almost a third of its £17m net budget this year – picking up the pieces, providing emergency housing for more than 1,000 homeless people. By contrast, in 2019, it spent just £730,000 supporting 170 people. A homelessness service that ticked over relatively uneventfully for years could now break the council.

The crisis is so acute that earlier this year Hasting borough council’s Labour leader, Paul Barnett, even appealed to local residents with spare rooms to consider letting them to homeless people. The council hopes to buy 50 homes to house homeless families and has longer-term plans to build more social housing, but this seems too little and too late.

“The financial difficulties that we are facing are a result of national housing crisis. The system is broken, and as a result is forcing many of our residents out of secure accommodation into temporary housing provided by the council,” Barnett said in a statement this week.

His point is that the housing whirlwind crashing through councils such as Hastings is structural. The town may be an outlier but the crisis is national, affecting scores of authorities all feeling the effects of a “seismic shift” in housing affordability caused by rising demand and shrinking supply.

The shift is driven by many things: demographic change, the long-term erosion of social housing and housing benefit levels, the failure to build sufficient new homes, the growing impossibility of home ownership for many, the rise in “no fault” evictions and the defunding of local authorities.

The consequence is human pain and social disruption. Stephen Robinson, the Liberal Democrat leader of Chelmsford city council, said a pensioner recently presented as homeless at the council’s housing office, facing eviction after their rent was raised by £200 a month. But in the main it deals with familieswho have been priced out of the area and placed in temporary housing, often miles away in Ipswich or Peterborough.

The imminent closure of Home Office-funded hotels for Afghan asylum seekers in the coming weeks could exacerbate the housing problem. Robinson said this was a relatively tiny part of the risk facing the council: “Most of the 465 households we have in temporary accommodation are local families in work, or who have lost a job.”

Andrew Baggott, the Tory leader of Basildon borough council in Essex, said that radical solutions were needed, including regulation of the private rented sector to keep rents affordable, long-term government investment in social housing, and an increase in local housing allowance to reflect local rent levels.

Asked whether a government long-wedded to the idea of a deregulated housing market and a smaller benefits bill would listen to such demands, he replied: “Times change. Any government that does not change with the times is not fit for purpose, by definition.”