Or is the Secretary of State for Transport playing Simon Jupp’s game of trivial point scoring? – Owl

Richard Foord Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)

I welcome sincerely the news of the Secretary of State’s support for Cullompton railway station. It is not new, given that my predecessor as MP for Tiverton and Honiton, Neil Parish, secured restoring your railway funding for Cullompton station two years ago. At that time, Neil said that

“construction could take place as early as 2024”; will the Secretary of State tell my constituents whether Cullompton station is still on track to open in this Parliament?

Mark Harper The Secretary of State for Transport

It is very important, when projects are promised, that we have the funds to pay for them, and it is by cancelling the second phase of HS2 that we are able to fund that important project, which I am glad the hon. Gentleman welcomes. I do not think that the rail Minister and I, in the time we have been in post, have had any communication from the hon. Gentleman campaigning for the station, whereas my hon. Friend Simon Jupp has campaigned for it assiduously, as has my hon. Friend Rebecca Pow.

The voters deserve better than this.

Or as the Daily Mail has it:

The number of people paying higher-rate income taxes is set to more than double from 4.4 million to 9 million by 2027 under the government’s £52 billion stealth tax raid, analysis finds. www.dailymail.co.uk

Despite this colossal rise in the tax take the IFS says the government cannot afford to cut taxes in the autumn statement.

www.theguardian.com Politics Live

The Conservatives have fought every election at least since the 1980s as the party of low taxation. But, as the IFS report suggests, that is no longer plausible. It says that Rishi Sunak’s decision to freeze the income tax personal allowance at its 2021-22 level for four years in his March 2021 budget, and Jeremy Hunt’s decision last year to make that a six-year freeze, not a four-year freeze, is now set to raise £52bn by 2027-28 – the same as a 6p rise in basic rate and higher rate income tax. The IFS says:

“If we instead calculate revenue based on the latest inflation forecasts from the Bank of England (August 2023) and assuming that beyond 2026Q3 inflation remains at 2%, it looks like the freeze to both income tax and NICs thresholds is now on course to raise £52bn in 2027–28 (or £43bn if subtracting the cost of the increase in the point at which employees and the self-employed pay NICs)

This is a huge tax rise. To give a comparison, the biggest single tax-raising measure in recent history was the June 2010 budget decision to increase the main rate of VAT from 17½% to 20%, which is estimated to raise £21bn in 2027–28. Or, to put it another way, other ways to raise roughly £52 bn of revenue include increasing both the basic and higher rate of income tax by 6p, or increasing the main rate of VAT from 20% to 26%.”

Despite this colossal rise in the tax take (a consequence of what is known as “fiscal drag”), the IFS also says the government cannot afford to cut taxes in the autumn statement.

Labour says this shows the Tories have crashed the economy. Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said:

“After 13 years of chaos and instability, the Conservatives have crashed our economy and left working people worse off.

Successive failures by Conservatives ministers have left us with low growth, high tax and national debt at the highest level in generations. Britain cannot afford another five more years of the Conservatives.”

And Sarah Olney, the Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson, said:

“This research lays bare the sheer scale of economic vandalism by the Conservative party.

Ministers have condemned the UK to sluggish growth, high inflation and soaring interest rates. It is hard-working families who are left to pick up the pieces, shouldering a huge burden of unfair tax rises and seeing our public services on their knees.”

Seatonmatters.org

www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/23859905.wing-seaton-hospital-demolished-save-nhs-money/

When the Conservatives allowed the removal of Seaton Hospital’s beds to go ahead in 2017, it looked as though the next step was the complete closure of the hospital, which the government was giving incentives for at the time. The resolute community opposition to the whole scheme derailed this plan. Now it’s back in a new form – the partial demolition of the hospital.

The League of Friends, Re:store, Richard Foord MP and Paul Arnott, Leader of EDDC, are already on the case. But the local community will need to act. The NHS managers we fought last time have obviously moved on and the new ones don’t know what the Seaton community is made of. They’re in for a big surprise. I’ve spent some of my ‘retirement’ researching the history of protest movements and I now know a lot about direct action. If the NHS has any sense they’ll drop this idea pronto.

Two Seaton charities and Honiton MP Richard Foord have raised concerns over plans to demolish a large part of Seaton Community Hospital.

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

Seaton & District Hospital League of Friends and Re:store are instead calling for the space to be repurposed as a new ‘care hub’ to support local people. 

The cottage hospital opened in 1988 to serve Seaton and the surrounding areas. In that time, fundraising by the community has raised more than £1 million pounds to build, maintain and support the facility. 

Proposals from the Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB), include demolishing the whole wing of the hospital to reduce the cost of maintaining the facilities. The space is currently rented by the Devon ICB from NHS Property Services. The wing, set across two floors, has gone largely unused since 2017, when the hospital saw the removal of several wards and beds. The level of care available at the hospital site was then reduced. However, several offices across the second floor are home to the palliative nurse team and other teams. 

Seaton & District Hospital League of Friends and Re:store has now joined with MP Richard Foord to propose the disused hospital wing is used for a new ‘care hub’, which would offer a wide range of services. 

The space used to increase support for people affected by dementia and frailty – including their families. It would be used to provide the very best care at the end of life, and it would offer bereavement support. There is also scope to develop the space for exercise and groups that promote physical and mental wellbeing. To make these plans viable, they are urging NHS Property Services to classify the space as non-clinical and review the rental arrangement for community groups and local charities. 

This would enable savings for the NHS and could potentially reduce the cost to other parts of the NHS, as local charities would use the hospital to work for our communities. The charities believe that Seaton Hospital is the ideal space to run these services, as it currently has an unoccupied wing adjacent to the NHS outpatient and therapy departments. By bringing these services under one roof, they believe there will be opportunities for individuals to access multiple relevant services, without difficult, costly travel.  

Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord said: “Seaton Community Hospital is a much-loved community asset. Local people are passionate about protecting their hospital and keeping services local, with organisations like the League of Friends and others having helped to raise huge sums of money to support the hospital. 

“We’ve seen in recent years the damage that can be caused when vital healthcare facilities like this are scaled back; it can leave people struggling to get the care they need and puts extra pressure on staff working at the RD&E or out in the community, as people have nowhere else to turn. 

“Seeking to demolish a large part of the hospital’s current premises feels like a step towards getting rid of some of our community hospitals altogether. It’s a short-sighted move that fails to take into account the huge benefit that could be delivered if the space was repurposed for the benefit of the community. 

“I fully support the plans to revive the space and turn it into a new ‘care hub’ to offer a new range of specialist services to support our ageing population and ensure the long-term future of the hospital as a whole is protected. 

“I shall be writing to NHS Property Services about this situation, to see if we can come to an arrangement that will enable these innovative plans to go ahead. I urge the local community and voluntary groups to get involved and help develop this new vision for care in Seaton.” 

Dr Mark Welland, chair of trustees for Seaton & District Hospital League of Friends, said:  “Proposals to demolish a whole wing of Seaton Hospital are deeply concerning. Seen from a distance it could be seen as financially sensible to demolish an unused hospital wing in order to reduce the cost of maintaining the space. However, seen from the local level it clearly is nonsense to destroy a local asset and weaken access to care for an ageing population.  

“The current arrangement, which sees Devon’s Integrated Care Board rent the space from the NHS, simply doesn’t work for rural areas like ours. It is the product of an NHS business model designed for the large scale, but which has become a barrier at the small scale to providing services responsive to local community needs.  

“Local charities and organisations are already demonstrating their ability to work alongside the NHS to enhance local services. Examples in Seaton are the work of Re:store in providing mental health support, balance classes, and the League of Friends commissioning nursing support at the end of life.  

“We are now asking NHS property services to change the rental arrangement and recognise the wider cost savings that our services will provide, by enabling local charities to use the full potential of Seaton Hospital to work for our community.”

The number of hospital beds in England has fallen by almost 3,000 since ministers promised 5,000 before winter, prompting warnings that patients are being “warehoused” in emergency departments.

Kat Lay www.thetimes.co.uk 

Nurses are run ragged dealing with the equivalent of a full ward of patients waiting in casualty departments due to a lack of beds , and patients are receiving “less good care, in the wrong place”, the UK’s top A&E doctor said.

Emergency medicine leaders have said they feel let down by a lack of progress since the prime minister and health secretary joined NHS chiefs in January to announce a “recovery plan” for urgent and emergency care, promising “5,000 more staffed, sustainable beds in 2023-24”.

Analysis of NHS England data by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) showed that between January and September, bed numbers in major acute hospitals fell from 100,046 to 97,332.

Announcing the target at the start of the year Rishi Sunak said: “Our plan will cut long waiting times by increasing the number of ambulances, staff and beds — stopping the bottlenecks outside A&E and making sure patients are seen and discharged quickly.”

NHS England said the baseline for its promise was the 94,500 core hospital beds it had planned to have available last winter, before pressures led to the opening of extra escalation beds across the country. It is still aiming to have 99,500 core beds by winter.

Adrian Boyle, president of the RCEM, said a lack of beds meant “patients who need to be admitted end up stuck in the emergency department”.

He said: “Most emergency departments are lodging or warehousing the equivalent of three quarters and a full medical ward inside the emergency department, while trying to look after all the new arrivals.”

He said emergency department nurses were not trained to provide the kind of inpatient and continuing care that those patients needed. He said: “People are getting less good care, in the wrong place.”

Boyle said the college was disappointed with the lack of progress, which he feared was driven by financial concerns and budget deficits in many areas.

It was unconscionable that hospitals where patients are being warehoused were closing beds, he said. “We feel we supported the urgent and emergency care recovery plan in good faith — and we feel let down.”

Officials said core beds are always lower in September than over winter and increase as pressures rise.

The number of core beds reported last month was 95,171, with a further 2,161 “escalation beds” — a total of 97,332, 93 per cent, of which were occupied. Last September there were 96,668 core beds, with 94 per cent full.

While the NHS can increase the number of beds quite quickly when needed, this often resulted in “providing not very good care in less than ideal clinical areas”, Boyle said. “The fact that people have had six months to build that capacity but appear not to have [done so] is cause for concern.”

The college had suggested 5,000 beds would not be enough to reduce capacity down to a safe, 85 per cent, operating level. It wants political parties to commit themselves to increasing the number of hospital beds in manifestos for the next election.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at the King’s Fund, said: “The UK has fewer hospital beds per person than many comparable countries and this is a key reason for why the NHS comes under serious pressure every year and waiting times for patients reach eye-watering levels.”

A lack of beds has ripple effects through the rest of the system, he said, meaning A&E departments filled up with patients who needed admission and ambulances could not transfer patients into A&E and get back on the road.

He warned: “Hospitals can only open more physical or virtual beds if they have the clinically trained staff to run them. And due to a combination of staffing shortages that are only now being slowly reversed and industrial action on an unprecedented scale, the NHS is heading into winter with bed occupancy levels that are far higher than they should be to ensure timely care for patients.” The NHS has hit a target of opening 10,000 beds on virtual wards before winter. Virtual wards allow patients to be treated at home using technology such as apps and wearables to let clinical staff monitor the patient’s recovery.

An NHS spokeswoman said: “We know that the NHS is already under considerable pressure as we head into winter with continuing high demand for services and the impact of industrial action, but thanks to the hard work of staff and the measures outlined in our urgent and emergency care recovery plan there are hundreds more hospital beds open now compared to this time last year.

“Our focus has been on ensuring the NHS is more resilient coming into winter with more beds available on a regular basis, and work continues towards delivering our recovery plan commitment of 99,500 core beds to help manage pressures, boost capacity and to provide the best quality care for patients.”

• Alterations and addition of roof to convert garage to ancillary accommodation Eastern View South Street Colyton Devon EX24 6ESRef. No: 23/2135/FUL | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of equestrian manege for private use Primrose Farm Upottery Devon EX14 9QERef. No: 23/2133/FUL | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of two air source heat pumps Myrtle Farm Fore Street Sidbury Devon EX10 0RSRef. No: 23/2130/FUL | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of two air source heat pumps. Myrtle Farm Fore Street Sidbury Devon EX10 0RSRef. No: 23/2125/LBC | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed new two-bedroom dwelling with off-road parking and garden Sundown Littlemead Lane Exmouth EX8 3BURef. No: 23/2131/FUL | Validated: Thu 05 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed demolition of existing conservatory and proposed construction of rear single storey extension, garage conversion and extension 11 Green Close Exmouth Devon EX8 3QHRef. No: 23/2115/FUL | Validated: Wed 04 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposal to infill an area to the rear north elevation with a single storey extension. 30 Avondale Road Exmouth EX8 2NQRef. No: 23/2118/FUL | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• G001, Common Ash : Fell G002, Elm : Fell G003, Common Ash : Fell T001, Oak : Remove partially attached dead branch on the northern side of the tree at approximately 3m above ground level T003, Goat Willow : Fell T005, Ash : Fell Land North East Of 1 Long Park Cranbrook Devon EX5 7JERef. No: 23/2122/TRE | Validated: Wed 04 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed barn and polytunnels Land Adjacent Shute Farm FluxtonRef. No: 23/2121/FUL | Validated: Wed 04 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed rear single storey extension. 2A Copp Hill Lane Budleigh Salterton EX9 6DTRef. No: 23/2120/FUL | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 2 no. illuminated fascia signs The Old Sorting Office 52 – 54 High Street Budleigh Salterton EX9 6NBRef. No: 23/2102/ADV | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of storage building and erection of a one bedroom bungalow. Southlands Gardens King Street Honiton EX14 1FERef. No: 23/2106/FUL | Validated: Thu 05 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing single storey side extension, proposed two storey side extension, partially cladded 17 Hazelwood Close Honiton Devon EX14 2XARef. No: 23/2112/FUL | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1: Ash – fell to ground level. 79-81 Summerleaze Salterton Road Exmouth EX8 2EWRef. No: 23/2111/TRE | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of existing building from retail and hire centre to uses falling within Use Class E ie. Commercial, Business & Service. (Partially retrospective) Axminster Tool Centre The Trafalgar Way Axminster Devon EX13 5SNRef. No: 23/2100/FUL | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolish existing single storey rear conservatory extension and replace with slightly deeper flat roofed single storey extension. Construction of new rear terrace 22 Elizabeth Road Exmouth Devon EX8 4NTRef. No: 23/2093/FUL | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• New balcony to south east elevation Wishes Broadhembury EX14 3LNRef. No: 23/2107/FUL | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1 and T2: Copper Beeches – cut the growth back from the road, leaving it 0.5 metres inside of the rail which runs along the road; and raise the clearance, above the road, to 4.5 metres. Prune braches of T2 to provide a clearance of no more than 0.75 metres around phone line.. The Temple Methodist Church Fore Street Budleigh Salterton EX9 6NHRef. No: 23/2105/TRE | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Eucalyptus : fell to ground level. The Granary Axmouth Devon EX12 4BLRef. No: 23/2110/TRE | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1 cherry : remove and stump ground out – replacement planting. 5 Roselands Cottage Dolphin Street Colyton EX24 6LURef. No: 23/2109/TCA | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of rear single storey 1970s extension, replaced with vaulted rear extension with timber louvres and slate & sedum roof; internal alterations including re-location of staircase, changes to first floor bathroom and bedroom layout, change of fenestration at first floor level; external changes include replacement of cement render with lime on some areas of the exposed walls, and construction of a new patio area with stone walls Bridge Cottage Bridge Street Sidbury Devon EX10 0RURef. No: 23/2081/LBC | Validated: Wed 04 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of rear single storey 1970s extension, replaced with vaulted rear extension with timber louvres and slate & sedum roof Bridge Cottage Bridge Street Sidbury Devon EX10 0RURef. No: 23/2080/FUL | Validated: Wed 04 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erect 1 no. non-illuminated 3000mm by 1500mm Wain Homes sign, which stands 1200mm off of the ground Wainhomes (South West) Holdings Ltd Unit 2 Exeter International Office Park Clyst Honiton Exeter EX5 2HLRef. No: 23/2068/ADV | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a single-storey extension on the south elevation Willowmead Woodbury Salterton Devon EX5 1PZRef. No: 23/2082/FUL | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed replacement access steps and removal of flower bed. Ashton Court Hotel 5-6 Louisa Terrace Exmouth Devon EX8 2AQRef. No: 23/2070/FUL | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of replacement farm building, removal of redundant slurry pit, and erection of a temporary mobile 5g telecommunications mast. Bicton Earth Centre Bicton East Budleigh EX9 7BGRef. No: 23/2069/FUL | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed replacement access steps and removal of flower bed. Ashton Court Hotel 5-6 Louisa Terrace Exmouth Devon EX8 2AQRef. No: 23/2071/LBC | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed demolition of existing storage building and construction of replacement workshop and storage building. Axe Yacht Club The Harbour Axmouth Devon EX12 4AARef. No: 23/2059/FUL | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Secondary glazing in all windows on east, north and south elevations Crossways Cottage Village Way Aylesbeare EX5 2FFRef. No: 23/2043/LBC | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Maintenance work to timber bridge parapet; replace four posts in hardwood where the softwood posts have rotten; replace all of the railings like-for-like in treated softwood; replace all of the washers with slightly larger square washers to prevent them pulling through; refix approximately nine metres of loose kerb stones; install Vergemaster RX flexible marker posts at either end of the bridge parapet (not attached to the structure). Clyst St Lawrence Bridge Clyst St Lawrence EX15 2NWRef. No: 23/2014/LBC | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace floorboards in Cromwell & Fairfax room and family sitting room with appropriate wood flooring; replace flooring in main kitchen & back kitchen with stone flooring & underfloor heating; windows in boot room on north & south elevations to be unblocked & fixed glazing installed; sauna: room reinstate window; convert Cleaners Store into WC; Billiard Room: remove flooring and support structure to reveal hardwood floor & repair/replace; remove seating plinth & create opening for waste pipe; Conservatory: create single door opening in bay window on south elevation; Shower rooms: install window in south wall; Church Rooms: addition of wood burning stove and flue on north elevation and remove kitchen wing WC and replace as storage Chanters House The College Ottery St Mary EX11 1DQRef. No: 23/1995/LBC | Validated: Thu 05 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Creation of earth banked slurry lagoon. Barnfield Farm Monkton Devon EX14 9NLRef. No: 23/1960/FUL | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolish the existing conservatory and replace with a single-story extension on the west elevation Old School House Cotleigh Devon EX14 9HJRef. No: 23/1965/FUL | Validated: Thu 05 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolish the existing conservatory and replace with a single-story extension on the west elevation Old School House Cotleigh Devon EX14 9HJRef. No: 23/1966/LBC | Validated: Thu 05 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension and enlargement of garage 4 Willow Close Stoke Canon EX5 4ABRef. No: 23/1946/FUL | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Loft conversion including construction of two front dormers and rear dormer and single storey extension on south west elevation. 36 Hill Drive Exmouth EX8 4QQRef. No: 23/1933/FUL | Validated: Fri 06 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Install secondary glazing to windows on front and rear elevations Colyton Guide Association Hq Rosemary Lane Colyton Devon EX24 6LSRef. No: 23/1911/LBC | Validated: Thu 05 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior approval for a general purpose agricultural building Underdown Farm Upottery Devon EX14 9QRRef. No: 23/1886/AGR | Validated: Mon 02 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed pitched roof construction Greenacres Bluehayes Broadclyst Devon EX5 3BARef. No: 23/1701/FUL | Validated: Tue 03 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision

Exeter City Council has found itself at the centre of huge scrutiny and facing financial losses of more than £10 million due to the significant delivery failings of its subsidiary property development company Exeter City Living (ECL). The profit-for-purpose limited company was set up in June 2018 to ‘transform the lives of others through innovative and sustainable building and development’.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com

An independent review of its operation was commissioned by the council in April following the failure of ECL to secure a contract for the development of the Clifton Mews site – formerly Clifton Hill leisure centre – and the continued uncertainty around the development said to be due to the ‘difficult current economic climate’. It was also initiated due to concerns relating to the financial position of ECL and its continued ability to repay its loans to the council.

It owes the council more than £10 million against loans intended to deliver hundreds of new homes on sites in Exeter. ECL is said to have made cumulative losses of more than £4.5 million and without intervention from the council, it would be insolvent.

The council’s finances are already under strain having had to cut another £5 million from its latest budget. At an executive meeting of the council earlier this month, it was agreed to recommend to wind down the operations of ECL. The matter will now go before the full council tomorrow, October 17.

It means the council will acquire all of ECL’s assets – with the exception of the six leasehold flats in the Guildhall Shopping Centre – and any work in progress by releasing the company from its loan obligations, leaving it to settle the company’s loan liabilities when its creditors are repaid.

A spokesperson for Exeter City Council said: “The report will now go before council tomorrow night [October 17], where councillors will have an opportunity to decide whether to back the recommendations. We would not therefore want to comment before that decision is made.”

The council has approved loans with a value of nearly £25 million to ECL and, to date, ECL has borrowed nearly £11 million from the council. It has around £10 million in debts outstanding. Based on the company’s latest accounts, it has work in progress totalling £4 million cash in the bank stands at around £1.8 million which could be subject to change.

If councillors agree to a managed reduction in the size and type of activity of ECL as recommended, then the council will be required to write off any remaining outstanding element of the loan.

Regarding the impact of this, the report, written by the council’s new chief executive, Bindu Arjoon, states: “In respect of any write off in respect of the loan, there will be no immediate impact on the council taxpayer, other than for the council to make repayments in lieu of the loan repayments from the company. However, as there is no longer an asset associated with this debt, the council will need to make arrangements to repay the debt as soon as is practicable.

“The options for this are to sell assets to generate capital receipts or to set aside revenue resources. Depending on the value of debt outstanding, it is likely that the sale of an asset (or assets) will be required.”

The council’s controversial decisions are said to have included a loan to the company of up to £44 million to finance construction and also spend £46.3 million buying the resulting housing, underwriting the company at both ends after failing to change course when new local government borrowing rules rendered the company redundant just 10 weeks after it was set up.

The report to the council’s executive, debated on October 3, states within its recommendations: “In the likely event that the value of the assets to be acquired from ECL is insufficient to repay the loan to the council, then delegated authority be granted to the chief executive, in consultation with the leader and section 151 officer, to write off any shortfall. Thereafter, ECL, in a much-reduced capacity shall continue for the purpose of holding and managing property and in particular the six Guildhall flats.”

It added it was too early to know what impact it will have on the staff at ECL, and that work will be done to identify if those staff can be redeployed elsewhere in the council.

Giving further insight into the financial impact on the council, the section 151 officer said: “The objectives and intentions of ECL were ambitious and in line with aspirations. The challenging environment caused by external factors has meant that a reduction in the capacity of the company is financially prudent at this time.

“It is important that the council has regard to the future management of the flats located within the Guildhall Shopping Centre. At this stage, it is not envisaged that the debt will require the sale of any assets that were not already earmarked for redevelopment.”

The monitoring officer added: “ECL was set up with the very best of intentions but as a commercial venture, it was susceptible to market forces which have had a significant, negative impact on its viability for the reasons set out in this report.”

The reasons stated include the global pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine, significant rises in interest rates, and prolonged uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

ECL is described as a housing delivery vehicle that was set up five years ago as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exeter City Group (ECG). Its aim was to provide much-needed housing in the city to help tackle the housing crisis.

The idea was the company would also generate an income stream for the council at the same time as unlocking sites that other developers were unable to. Since it was founded, ECL has so far completed three sites – Anthony Road, Thornpark Rise (Hockings Green) and Bovemoors Lane – providing 22 homes.

It has two developments under construction. A scheme of 21 new Passivhaus apartments at Hamlin Gardens is due for completion in March 2024. The second is 35 new Passivhaus affordable apartments at The Gardens Whipton, Vaughan Road, which is the first phase of 91 new homes due for completion in December 2024.

A further site to provide 41 homes at Clifton Hill is cleared and ready to start construction when ‘economic conditions improve’.

ECL has been approached for a comment.

Projects taken on by ECL as reported in the independent review issued in August 2023:

Vaughan Road

Former tower block site (now cleared) held within the HRA located within a wider estate regeneration area. Being delivered in three phases to enable mid-sized contractors to tender for the phase scheme. Considering densification of site via later phase development which would replace older bungalows. Looking to bid into BRLF. Will deliver 80-120 houses on vacant site.

Contractor secured for first phase and development is progressing. ECL plans to include phases 2 and 3 within the current work package, which is subject to full council approval. All phases are due to complete by December 2024.

Clifton Hill

Site of former leisure centre with planning permission for 42 units. It has been described as a ‘challenging site’ with level changes impacting on development costs. Following a failed procurement and contractor supply chain issues, the site has been put to a separate contractor to examine alternative design/ engineering solutions and identify associated cost savings, including simplified unit types.

The council’s report says it is a ‘stalled site’ and delivering a viable scheme may remain a challenge in the absence of gap funding.

Mary Arches Car Park

This site is allocated in LocalPlan. BLRF bid is submitted and proposals are currently at RIBA Stage 1/feasibility stage. Development would contribute to Liveable Exeter ambitions. There are two halves to the scheme proposals. Phase 1 relates the MSCP site with a concept plan for 100 build to rent homes to be held by either ECL or PropCo.

The scheme requires the securing of vacant possession of two ground floor units, however, in relation to one unit, there is the potential need to affect powers which, if required, will impact on the timing of delivery and will incur additional costs. BLRF has been secured for the demolition works and in line with funding conditions the development will need to start/or land transferred by March 31, 2024.

Archaeological digs will be required which is a potential risk to this subsequent phase of development in terms of delays and costs. ECL propose they negotiate disposal with the city surveyor and then pay Best Consideration when the option is exercised. (determined via an independent valuation). This is to preserve BLRF funding.

Exeter Canal Basin

Exeter Canal Basin is held within the General Fund. ECL is in the process of assembling scheme proposals with a view to submit for planning in June 2023. Capacity for 37 units including four duplexes and apartments (3 and 4 storey). ECL is to provide the results of their options analysis to inform ECC decision-making. Aspirations are for the scheme to retain the Exeter Watersports centre and contribute towards net-zero targets.

Viability is a potential risk and is to be determined in conjunction with the options analysis and a land value/ land receipt confirmed. There are issues related to securing vacant possession of existing buildings.

Bonhay Meadow

Bonhay Meadow is held in the General Fund. This is an area of open space which is owned. Set in Liveable Exeter Strategy this area is seen as a significant regeneration area.

Proposals are paused. We are advised that this is a sensitive site, due to some resistance development from planning and political sensitivities regarding building on open space.

There are also some concerns which have been flagged from the Environment Agency .BLRF has been secured but is at risk with transfer of land or start on site by March 31, 2024 a funding requirement. ECL proposing land be transferred to ECL and leased back to ECC to protect the BLRF. However, this is a risky strategy as it is possible that the site remains undeliverable in view of the issues highlighted.

Cathedral & Quay Car Park

The site is held in the General Fund. Council car park with structural issues. Need to look at the options for delivering this site. Workstage 2 end of this month. Capacity for 31 units. Potential for off-site affordable housing and 100% market sale onsite.

Project has been paused. Key risks associated with development include: £2m BRLF which is at risk. Need to transfer land or start on site by March 31.

Belle Isle Depot

Site in council ownership (still operational depot). Site has capacity for 32 units, and is intended to deliver family homes/apartments for sale, to a Passivhaus or Net Zero standard, and improve the national cycle route experience.

Alternative premises for the depot, and vacant possession of the existing depot which remains operational, and development viability. Significant contamination is likely.

Glasshouse Lane

This site is in third-party ownership. Open space/park situated within a council estate area. Restrictive covenant associated with use as Church. Review of open space – planners indicate this is not needed. Capacity for 24 affordable units.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

The number of Covid cases in England and Wales has started to fall after an initial rise at the start of Autumn – but numbers are still rising in Devon.

[The Zoe study that continues to track symptoms, and which has proved reliable throughout the pandemic, is not yet showing a downturn – Owl]

There were a total of 15,797 new cases of the disease in England in the week leading up to October 7, according to the latest government figures. It’s the equivalent of 27.9 new cases for every 100,000 people in the country. That’s down from 16,186 cases, or 28.6 for every 100,000 at the same point a week earlier, on September 30.

In Devon the latest Covid rates are at 32.3 per 100,000, which is up four per cent week on week. In Torbay they are at 40.4 per 100,000, which is just outside the top 10 nationwide for upper tier authority areas, but that is down 16 per cent week on week.

Babbacombe & Plainmoor is the area of Devon with the highest Covid rates of 107.4 per 100,000. That equates to six positive cases in the seven day period ending October 7. Tavistock, with ten, was the only area of Devon to record double figure number of cases.

Below is the list of latest Covid rates and cases for East Devon and Exeter (full list in devonlive article). If the area is not mentioned, it recorded fewer than three cases.

(Covid rates shown in last two columns are: rolling rate of cases per 100,000 and cases in the last seven days)

Tory MP Peter Bone ‘exposed himself to staff member and trapped him in hotel bathroom’

Tory MP Peter Bone could be banned from parliament for six weeks after he was found to have indecently exposed himself to a staff member and trapped him in the bathroom of a hotel room.

Archie Mitchell www.independent.co.uk 

The parliamentary commissioner for standards upheld five allegations of bullying and one of sexual misconduct against the Wellingborough and Rushden MP. The recommended six-week suspension for Mr Bone would trigger a recall petition if approved by parliament, creating a fresh by-election headache for Rishi Sunak.

Mr Bone was found by parliament’s Independent Expert Panel (IEP), which rules on complaints against MPs, to have “committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct” against a member of his staff in 2012 and 2013.

The MP, elected in 2005, was found to have engaged in “violence, shouting and swearing, mocking, belittling and humiliating behaviour, and ostracism”.

In its report, the standards commissioner found Mr Bone had:

• Indecently exposed himself to the complainant on an overseas trip, initially in the bathroom of the hotel room they were sharing and then in the bedroom
• “Verbally belittled, ridiculed, abused and humiliated” the complainant
• “Repeatedly physically struck and threw things at” the complainant
• “Imposed an unwanted and humiliating ritual on” the complainant, including instructing, or physically forcing, the complainant to put his hands in his lap when Mr Bone was unhappy with him or his work
• “Repeatedly pressurised [the complainant] to give him a massage in the office” 

The “willful pattern of bullying also included an unwanted incident of sexual misconduct”, in which Mr Bone indecently exposed himself to a staff member in a hotel in Madrid.

The report detailed how Mr Bone booked a single hotel room for himself and the complainant during a work trip in Spain, which one staffer told The Independent is extremely unusual.

Mr Bone then became angry when the complainant separated the two single beds in the room before engineering a situation in which the complainant was “confronted by his penis at very close quarters”, the report said.

In a statement posted on Twitter/X, Mr Bone said the allegations were “false” and “without foundation”, adding: “None of the misconduct allegations against me ever took place.”

Mr Bone indicated he would fight the suspension, saying it has been “an honour” to represent his constituents and “I will continue to represent them to the best of my ability.”

He accused the parliamentary watchdog’s investigation of being “flawed and procedurally unfair”. “I am currently in discussion with lawyers what action could and should be taken,” he added.

Mr Bone’s complainant first complained about the MP’s behaviour to the Conservative Party in 2017, but it was unresolved and parliament’s watchdog began investigating five years later.

The complainant felt that he had to leave his job as “a broken shell” and give up a career in politics entirely. The report said there had been a “long-lasting negative impact on his life”, adding that he has suffered continuing anxiety and required treatment for his health.

The Liberal Democrats called for Mr Sunak to withdraw the Conservative whip from Mr Bone.

Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said Britain deserves better than “endless Conservative Party sleaze and scandal”.

She added: “Rishi Sunak needs to remove the whip from Peter Bone and call on him to resign. There is no place anywhere in our society for this kind of sexual harassment and bullying.”

The recommended six-week suspension for Mr Bone would trigger a recall petition if approved by parliament.

It would set up the latest in a series of testing by-elections for Mr Sunak in safe Conservative seats, with the party lagging Labour in the polls.

Mr Bone has an 18,540 majority in the seat, smaller than that overturned by Labour MP Keir Mather in Selby and Ainsty in July.

His recommended suspension comes days before Mr Sunak faces key by-elections in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth – with voters able to give their verdict on the government’s performance.

Mid-Bedfordshire is Nadine Dorries’s former seat, which she quit in protest at being left off of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.

Tamworth’s by-election was forced by the suspension of Chris Pincher, who was found to have drunkenly groped two men at a private members’ club last year.

Labour is the second biggest party in Mr Bone’s Wellingborough seat and, with an 18-point lead in the polls, could threaten to turn the constituency red for the first time since Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide.

In July, Labour celebrated its largest-ever by-election win in Selby and Ainsty, with a 23-point swing away from the Tories. On the same day, the Liberal Democrats won a huge victory in Somerset, toppling the Tory safe seat of Somerton and Frome.

The latest local authority to discover it has a ‘Millstone of debt’ from risky investments is Camberley in the backyard of Michael Gove’s Surrey Heath patch.

The Lib Dems took over this poisoned chalice from the Tories last May.

The empty House of Fraser building and the shopping centre were bought by the council for a combined total of £113m in 2016. Funding was tight and the purchase, paid for by borrowing, seemed a way of regenerating the town centre and producing an income stream.

Seven years on, with high streets across the UK struggling, compounded by the Covid pandemic, the two sites are thought to be worth £33m – 70% less than the purchase price – while rising interest rates mean the cost of servicing the council’s debts has increased.

The quirks of local authority financing mean properties remain on the council’s balance sheet at their original value – but if they were sold at a loss, the authority would have to set aside enough reserves to cover the gap.

As Britain’s town hall services crumble, the case for reform is overwhelming

Richard Partington www.theguardian.com 

In most of Britain’s towns there are buildings hinting at a more prosperous past. Vast stone public libraries, swimming baths and theatres; all encircling the grand town halls that once controlled them. Many are long shut, converted or owned by someone else. But the symbolism remains – local government used to do stuff.

Today, England’s councils are in the worst crisis since the foundation stones of these municipal palaces were laid.

Birmingham, the largest local authority in Europe, is the tip of the iceberg in its effective bankruptcy. Croydon, Northamptonshire, Slough, Thurrock and Woking have all gone bust. Dozens more are perilously close – from “red wall” Stoke-on-Trent to the blue-blooded Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

As the Conservatives hold their annual conference in Manchester this week, the collapse of the English system of local government ought to worry Tory MPs far more than HS2, taxes or the rights of motorists to drive faster than 20mph.

In the backyards of current and former cabinet ministers, in important target seats, and across the country at large, a wave of local austerity is coming.

“I often quote it, and misquote it – but the phrase here is Denis Healey’s ‘the sky is darkening with the wings of chickens coming home to roost’,” says Tony Travers, a professor of local government at the London School of Economics.

“Had the government wanted to go out of its way, back in 2010, to ensure nearly 15 years later that people were absolutely aware of how austerity was being delivered, they couldn’t have gone about it in a better way than this.”

England’s councils are facing a collective multibillion-pound black hole in their finances, up to £3.5bn on one estimate, as the impact from an almost 60% cut in central government funding since 2010 collides with stubbornly high inflation and pressure on services from an ageing population.

The result will be yet deeper cuts to public services, council tax rises and ever higher fees for parking and other council charges. Already since 2010 there have been £15bn worth of public assets flogged to help plug holes in council budgets.

But, where there is anything left to cut, close, privatise or pass into charity hands, get ready for that too. Just ask people in Woking and Kirklees, where plans announced in recent weeks include the closure of swimming pools, care homes, sports facilities, public toilets and community schemes.

For Birmingham the tragedy is most pronounced, as the cradle of modern local government – where Joseph Chamberlain put into action the “Civic Gospel” of improvement that helped define the Victorian age.

As the city’s Liberal mayor, he pioneered the building of municipal swimming pools and schools, and used corporation funds to buy the town’s gas and waterworks.

After Birmingham’s financial implosion, Rishi Sunak sought to pin blame on the council’s Labour leadership. The local party isn’t without fault, to say the least. But context also matters: for every Labour-run authority in dire straits, there is at least another Tory or Liberal Democrat one in a similar predicament.

Michael Gove, who as levelling up secretary is in charge of local government, should know better than most. Surrey Heath borough council, in his constituency, is close to effective bankruptcy, while six of its near-neighbours were on a Moody’s watchlist published earlier this month.

The mess in this leafy London commuter belt should have more Tories worried. The party dominates here in parliamentary elections, but several councils have fallen from its control after racking up vast debts – including Spelthorne, in former chancellor’s Kwasi Kwarteng’s seat, and Windsor and Maidenhead, in Theresa May’s.

The wider economic context matters, too. To offset austerity-era cuts, many councils took on their debts while borrowing was cheap in the period of low interest rates after the 2008 financial crisis. The money went into schemes to generate financial returns to plug gaping budget shortfalls, or into town centre regeneration. Projects meeting both criteria were prized most.

However, they were often on to a losing bet. Town centres have been drained of life in recent years by the rise of online shopping, as well as benefit cuts and sluggish wage growth sapping consumer spending power. The Covid pandemic then turbocharged these trends, leaving any council that had been acting as a buyer of last resort in a deeper mess.

Even for authorities that steered clear of the property market, the cost of providing services has ballooned as Britain grapples with the highest inflation in the G7, while the cost of living crisis leads more households to need their help. Deep divisions in economic prosperity between Britain’s richest and poorest areas also make it a tougher crisis to fix.

Urgent solutions are clearly required. Aiming to plot a way forward, a forthcoming report from the Fabian Society thinktank recommends greater devolution of tax and spending powers to local communities. It’s a tough sell when so many councils are going bust. But it is not without merit.

England is one of the most centralised nations of its size in the developed world, with central government involved in almost every aspect of how councils operate. As much as 95p in every £1 of tax raised goes to the Treasury, which then decides on how best to reallocate money to local areas – often grudgingly.

Greater devolution could help sidestep the postcode lotteries and council bidding wars witnessed with Boris Johnson’s centralised pots of levelling up money, which were often spent on pork barrel schemes in Tory target seats anyway.

However, any increase in local power will require serious efforts to bolster local governance structures to prevent future town hall financial scandals.

The case for reform is overwhelming. Voters will not thank any party, locally or in national government, for the steady demise of the most visible aspects of the public realm: town centres, public buildings, parks, streets and services. It’s about time local government did stuff once again.

The government’s delays in implementing low-carbon building regulations have benefited housebuilders and property developers by billions of pounds over the last eight years, while UK households shoulder the cost of soaring energy bills amid the energy crisis.

Clea Skopeliti www.theguardian.com 

The sector, which is a significant Conservative donor overall, has saved at least £15bn since 2015 by building homes to old standards, without solar panels and batteries, heat pumps and effective insulation, a Guardian investigation recently found.

As a result, many Britons live in new-build homes that, despite having been constructed in the past few years, are far from futureproof. Renters and homeowners tell the Guardian about moving into brand-new properties that run on gas boilers and lack top grade insulation – leaving householders vulnerable to climbing bills and increased retrofitting costs.

‘It’s almost impossible to heat the house to a comfortable temperature’

When Natasha Cox and her family moved into their four-bed detached home in Rossendale, Lancashire, she was disappointed to find that its energy performance certificate (EPC) was B grade – a band below that for her previous home, and far from “low carbon”, despite only having been completed in March 2022. Although the home is well insulated, its B-grade windows mean you can “feel the wind on the back of your neck”, she said.

“When the temperature drops to about 10 degrees or less, the windows are soaking wet, which has ruined blinds, window ledges and walls around the windows,” said Cox, who used to work as a building surveyor. “It’s almost impossible to heat the house to a comfortable temperature.”

Cox said the only nod toward building to “low carbon” specs was an electric vehicle (EV) charging point outside the property. She would love to move away from a reliance on gas and install solar panels and a heat pump to replace their inefficient boiler, but upfront costs have so far kept them out of reach for the family of five.

She said she hoped the government would introduce legislation to ensure new homes are built to green standards: “Someone’s got to do it – housebuilders just want the cheapest thing possible.”

‘The rudimentary heating elements surprised me’

Douglas Jackson, a 45-year-old project manager, recently returned to Preston from Sweden, and moved into a new-build rental apartment block that only opened to tenants last month. So he was puzzled to find that the energy rating was “very poor” for the room heaters and electric heating, and EPC B overall. “It’s billing itself as a high-end apartment block … then to have such rudimentary heating elements surprised me,” he said.

Jackson said that in Sweden, where he had a heat pump, the awareness of building sustainably was “very different” from in the UK.

After Keir Starmer pledged that Labour would build 1.5m homes in five years, Jackson said he hoped that the party’s housebuilding plan would herald a move towards greater sustainability. “If there’s a push to do volume-built housing, it should absolutely be an opportunity to put the right systems in place. “Some costs should go down due to the volume [of building] as well.”

‘Solar panels are a no-brainer’

Yet some other properties are doing things better. When Sam Shaw, 31, and his partner moved into a brand-new three-bed semi-detached in 2021, they got a pleasant surprise: the south side of the property’s roof was kitted out with 3.5kW of solar panels, which had not been in the original plan for the EPC A-grade home.

The panels mean that despite the rise in energy prices since his move-in date, Shaw’s combined electricity and gas payment has remained at £30 monthly, as the household exports and is paid for any excess energy generated to the grid. “Solar panels are a no-brainer – costs have come down so much,” he said. The property is wired to host an EV charger, though one has not yet been installed, and Shaw said he “sees an EV in [their] future”.

But with the home connected to the gas grid, more could be done to make it low-carbon, said Shaw, a sustainable forestry auditor. “If the house had an induction hob and a heat pump we’d be able to generate almost all the power we need with solar, and our bills would be even lower.” The property can get quite warm in the summer, and an air heat pump would mean they could sustainably cool it when needed.

Shaw also said the lack of amenities near their estate encouraged car use. Despite having good bus links into central Bristol, “there are no services within the immediate area – if you need to do a big shop, you end up driving”.

‘It could have been better’

Amid the energy crisis, Luke, a 38-year-old lab technician based in Wolverhampton, was among those feeling frustrated to have to rely on the gas grid. While the insulation is good in his 2020 home, which he shares with his wife and six-month-old child, it has a gas combination boiler, no solar panels and an EPC rating of B.

The house not being low-carbon “is quite frustrating”, he said. “The energy bills compared with the average are quite low – but you just think, it could have been better.”

When Luke bought the house during construction he was surprised it “wasn’t even an option” to get solar panels. More recently, nine months ago, Luke was quoted £5,100 as the cost of installing a heat pump, including government discount, but costs can be much higher. “I don’t think many people will do that,” he said.

For Luke, it was irksome to weigh up lost savings amid the cost of living squeeze. “With the energy crisis as it was, if we had solar panels, we quite frankly would have been laughing,” he said.

“It’s really vital that [new] houses are built to much more modern standards, not just insulation, but heat pumps, not connected to the gas grid at all. It would be crazy to not put those things in.”

“They won’t need to enforce it. Local people are already doing the job for them by dobbing in owners of second-home holiday lets who don’t follow the rules.”

Owners of holiday homes in a Devon town have been warned that they face a £350 fine if paying visitors dispose of domestic rubbish in public litter bins or take it to the dump.

Tom Saunders www.thetimes.co.uk

Property owners in Salcombe, which is the most expensive place in Britain to buy a seaside home, have expressed dismay at a “bin tax” they must pay if they operate a second home as a commercial enterprise.

South Hams council has used a bin-sticker campaign and sent letters to remind owners that they must declare if they are letting their property to holidaymakers.

One second-home owner questioned how the council would know if holidaymakers were breaking the rules.

“It’s absurd. How on earth will they enforce it?” the owner told The Mail on Sunday. “Are council staff going to lurk around litter bins to check the rubbish registration status of someone chucking in a Mars Bar wrapper?

“I’ve owned a place in Salcombe for 20 years and this is the first I’ve heard of it. They just want to wring more money out of people already facing big increases in council tax or business rates.”

Under the Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 holiday lets are classified as businesses and therefore disallowed from using local council household bin collections.

South Hams’s letter warns owners that they must pay a commercial rate of £350 a year or arrange private collection. It states: “These properties are not permitted to use the domestic service funded by the taxpayer. This includes . . . recycling banks, litter bins and household recycling centres.”

It has placed stickers on bins marked: “No holiday home waste.”

Permanent residents in Salcombe said that the laws were enforceable.

Pete Ford, 32, a shop manager, said: “They won’t need to enforce it. Local people are already doing the job for them by dobbing in owners of second-home holiday lets who don’t follow the rules.

“I know a couple of places where this has happened. Residents spot renters slipping out with bags of rubbish and report it to the council. Next thing, you see a commercial waste bin appears outside the property.

“Of course, Salcombe needs second homes and visitors who rent them. But these places are being run for profit. Owners should pay to have commercial waste collected, like all businesses.”

Mike Wrigley, 61, a boatbuilder, said: “If you run a business you pay into the system. I see some holiday-home visitors heading on to the street with armfuls of rubbish to dump in litter bins. They don’t want it in their car as they head back up the motorway.”

Richard Toomer, the executive director of Tourism Alliance, said that councils should be careful to avoid penalising second-home owners.

“Holidaymakers are hugely important in many local destinations, including South Hams, and they contribute significantly to the local economy and support jobs.

“Additional costs will undoubtedly be passed on to holidaymakers who are already really feeling the pinch of this cost of living crisis.”

South Hams council said: “Commercial waste produced by a short-term holiday let business should not be disposed of via these methods. Each business must have an arrangement in place to remove the waste and recycling from the property.”

Young people leaving the care system in East Devon are to be granted a council tax exemption after councillors voted in favour of the move.

Bradley Gerrard, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

The policy, which has been retrospectively implemented from the start of October, will mean youngsters leaving care at 18 will get a discount of up to 100 per cent until their 25th birthday.

East Devon District Council’s cabinet waved through the proposal, which will support those individuals who have been under the care of Devon County Council but live in East Devon.

Other Devon districts operate similar schemes, and efforts have been made in recent months by the Devon District Forum, which comprises council leaders, to develop a consistent approach across the county.

East Devon’s cabinet meeting this week heard the policy would impact just 15 people right now, with the cost for the remainder of this financial year being £7,000 to £8,000. This would rise to £15,000 for a full year, provided the policy continued to apply to just 15 individuals.

Councillor Marianne Rixson (Lib Dem, Sidmouth Sidford) called the policy a “no brainer”

She said: “Fortunately, very few people are affected [by this policy] but it is a huge undertaking for those adjusting to life outside the care system, so I fully support this move,” she said.

Offering his vote of support, Councillor Olly Davey (Green Party, Exmouth Town) said the policy is “a simple thing we can do to help these young people.”

A report for councillors suggested the cost could be reduced in future if it was implemented through the Local Council Tax Reduction (CTR) Scheme.

Such a move would mean the support is funded through a scheme that receives all of Devon’s districts’ collected council tax, not solely through East Devon coffers as is the case now.

However, the report acknowledged that unlike care-leavers’ support,  CTR is a means-based scheme and any changes to its it would need to be put to public consultation, which would take time.
 

Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty has now earned more than the combined parliamentary salaries of all Labour MPs in 2023 as she is poised to collect another £6.8 million dividend.

Simon Hunt www.standard.co.uk 

Murty, who has a stake in family-owned tech firm Infosys worth just over half a billion pounds, is set to receive the cash after the firm today announced a 18 rupee (17p) dividend to shareholders following a year of strong growth.

The fresh payout takes her total dividend income for the year to £13.5 million after she collected a seven-figure dividend in April. MPs are paid a parliamentary salary of £86,584, amounting to a combined wage bill of £12.8 million for Labour’s 197 MPs at this point in the calendar year.

The top rate of dividend tax, at 39.35%, is lower than that for income tax. In October last year Chancellor Jeremy Hunt cancelled a proposed 1.25% reduction on dividend tax rates.

Murty’s wealth has come under the spotlight since her husband Rishi Sunak first ran to be leader of the Conservative Party in July last year, and was earlier this year the subject of an attack ad run by the Labour party.

The advert, which concentrates on her non-dom tax status, asks: “Do you think it’s right to raise taxes for working people when your family benefited from a tax loophole? Rishi Sunak does.”

Murty last year renounced her non-dom status, which gave her preferential tax treatment on income earned outside the UK, after it appeared to jeopardise Sunak’s chances at becoming party leader. The abolition of non-dom tax breaks would raise more than £3 billion in additional government revenues per year, according to a study by the London School of Economics.

Akshata’s father Narayana Murty founded Infosys, which provides IT outsourcing services, in 1981. It has since grown to have a market cap of £59 billion, giving him a wealth of $4.4 billion (£3.6 billion) according to Forbes.

Infosys today said it delivered £3.8 billion in revenues in the quarter to the end of September, up 6.7% on the previous year, while profits rose 3.2% to top £600 million. But the firm cut its sales forecast for the rest of the year in signs its customers were paring back spending on software and IT.

Murty and Sunak, who married in 2009, own a string of luxury properties worth an estimated £15 million, from a Pacific Ocean facing penthouse apartment in celebrity enclave Santa Monica, to a rambling Georgian manor house in North Yorkshire.

In London, they own two properties including a five-bedroom mews house in Kensington and pied-à-terre apartment in South Kensington’s Old Brompton Road.

Not car park charges, Simon, that are a significant factor, along with online /out of town shopping, in killing off the high street.

Strange timing to return to this old canard just as EDDC reduces car parking for the winter.

Surely there is something more positive you could be doing such as lobbying for a reversal of the Tory funding cuts imposed on councils? That might be a better way of achieving your aim than continually whinging. – Owl

From Simon Jupp’s facebook page

Councillors at East Devon District Council (EDDC) will be asked to ratify a decision by its Cabinet to progress a way forward for the Seaton Jurassic site.

eastdevon.gov.uk

Following a recent decision by EDDC’s cabinet to agree to the freehold disposal of the Jurassic Centre to Seaton Tramway. At its Full Council meeting on Wednesday 18 October 2023, councillors will be asked to ensure the capital receipt received by the council is reinvested in Seaton in projects relating to the natural environment and links between Jurassic Discovery and those other sites ensuring that the town benefits.

Jenny Nunn, CEO of Seaton Tramway said:

“We welcome the decision made by the EDDC cabinet which if agreed by councillors at the council will give visitors and local people the attraction the area deserves bringing in much needed revenue and job creation to the local economy. The Jurassic Discovery will also accommodate a Dino themed soft play area as well as a visitor experience that will give visitors a snapshot of life 100 million years ago picking up the global story of the dinosaurs and why they became extinct with a mix of modern technology and animatronic exhibits from the Natural History Museum. It will also offer the chance to reflect on earth’s timeline and the issues we face today whilst highlighting the Jurassic Coast with a free to view area pointing to fun things to explore at our local Jurassic coastal centres. With Seaton Tramway as the new owners, we will build on our success as a top visitor attraction expanding on our existing offer with community and educational projects alongside our new initiatives for the exciting, new, and fun vision we have for Jurassic Discovery.”

Councillor Paul Arnott, Leader of East Devon District Council added: 

“We are delighted that the long and winding road to turn around this flagship centre for Seaton, the Axe Valley, and East Devon has brought us to where we are now. I have had the great privilege of engaging personally with the Tramway organisation to secure this viable outcome. We are very fortunate to have such a brilliant organisation both able and willing to take the building on to a fresh start as the Jurassic Discovery Centre. I wish Jenny and her terrific team all the best for the future and thank them for their commitment in helping achieve this outcome.”

The centre had closed in September 2021 when the original operator Devon Wildlife Trust withdrew from the site. Since then, the original volunteers involved in the project, other stakeholders in the centre, Devon County Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund have come together and worked collaboratively to develop a way forward for the benefit of Seaton and the wider area.

Following completion of the sale in the next few months it is hoped that the new Jurassic Discovery will re-open ready for the 2024 visitor season.

If the Bibby Stockholm is reopened will it be used to hold active tuberculosis patients (see report from Oxfordshire below)? – Owl

Diane Taylor www.theguardian.com 

Dorset council is facing an urgent high court challenge by one of its local mayors about the use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to accommodate asylum seekers in Portland.

The case has reached the high court in two days and is the first time the council has been challenged directly in the high court in relation to the barge. It comes days before the Home Office is due to return people to the barge, which has been empty for more than two months after deadly legionella bacteria was discovered onboard.

The Home Office has issued notices to asylum seekers saying they will be returned to the barge on 19 October. The Guardian understands that 29 of the original 39 people who spent just under five days onboard from 7-11 August are due to return. Others have made arrangements to stay with relatives or have been granted leave to remain.

Individual legal challenges against returning to the barge are under way by some people.

The Home Office has issued fresh guidance called Failure to travel to the Bibby Stockholm vessel, saying that support will be terminated for those who “fail to take up the offer of accommodation on the vessel”.

The high court on Wednesday rejected a challenge by the mayor of Portland, Carralyn Parkes, acting in a personal capacity, against the Home Office, claiming its use of the Bibby Stockholm to accommodate asylum seekers there breaches planning rules. In that case, government lawyers argued that Dorset council, the local planning authority, had no planning jurisdiction over the barge.

The judge in the case, Mr Justice Holgate, suggested that any claim about a planning contravention needed to be directed against the council rather than the Home Office so Parkes swiftly launched a case against Dorset council and issued proceedings in the high court on Thursday.

In her latest case, Parkes is seeking a decision by the high court that the council has erred in law in determining it cannot take planning enforcement action against the use and stationing of the Bibby Stockholm barge connected to a finger pier and access road in Portland harbour. She claims this failure of the council to take enforcement action is enabling the Home Office to push through its plan to house approximately 500 asylum seekers on the barge, circumventing the proper planning process.

If a judge decides the council can take planning enforcement action against the Home Office for use of the barge this could be another roadblock in government efforts to accommodate asylum seekers there.

The siting of the barge in Portland has attracted criticism from those who support people seeking asylum and those who do not. Far-right activity in the area has increased since the arrival of the barge.

Parkes said: “I have been really reluctant to take my local authority to court. Although I am acting as a private individual, as an elected town councillor I recognise the difficult position that the home secretary has put Dorset council in. However, I also strongly disagree with Dorset council’s ongoing determination that it does not have jurisdiction over the Bibby Stockholm barge.

“I feel very strongly that the decision to accommodate people in this way in Portland has been imposed upon us, as the local community, without any consultation. I am very concerned about the risks to the vulnerable people who will shortly again be accommodated on the barge.”

In the case earlier this week, Dorset council was an interested party and made written submissions to the high court that while it does not consider the area of water where the barge sits to be within its planning jurisdiction, areas onshore “remain under active review and consideration including as to possible planning enforcement action”.

A Dorset council spokesperson said: “Dorset council is very disappointed at Ms Parkes’s decision to issue a judicial review proceedings claim against the council. She will be aware that, after much consideration and having taken advice from king’s counsel, Dorset council decided it was not appropriate to use public funds to actively pursue legal action against the home secretary regarding the siting of the Bibby Stockholm at Portland Port.

“The council continues to stand by the decision it made in July this year that the Bibby Stockholm is outside of its planning jurisdiction and so does not have planning enforcement powers.”

Oxfordshire asylum seeker ‘being moving to Bibby Stockholm’ www.oxfordmail.co.uk 11 August

An asylum seeker with tuberculosis in Oxfordshire has been told by the Home Office they are going to be moved onto the Bibby Stockholm barge, according to national reports. 

Dr Dominik Metz, a GP for more than 250 asylum seekers in Oxfordshire, says he is trying to prevent the move and has warned of a “public health catastrophe in the making”.

He told the i newspaper that one in 10 of his patients have received letters from the Home Office saying they would be moved to the barge including one who is under “active treatment” for latent tuberculosis (TB), which could pose a public health risk if it became active and spread.

It’s all going pear shaped: headlines and the gist of the stories over just two days. – Owl

Rishi Sunak left thousands of Afghans eligible for UK stranded in Pakistan ‘to save money’

Rishi Sunak left thousands of Afghans eligible to come to the UK stranded in Pakistan hotels in a bid to save money, the High Court has heard.

Around 2,300 Afghans who worked alongside British armed forces have been stuck in hotels in Islamabad for months after the UK stopped chartering flights last November and insisted families must find their own place to live in Britain before relocation. www.independent.co.uk 12 October

Growing number of people face 18-month waits for NHS care in England

The number of people waiting longer than 18 months for NHS treatment in England is growing, figures show, despite ministers vowing to have eliminated such long waits six months ago.

The government promised to end all waits of a year and a half by April this year. Figures published on Thursday show 8,998 people were waiting more than 18 months for treatment at the end of August, up from 7,289 at the end of July.

Overall NHS waiting lists have hit a record high. NHS England figures show 7.75 million people were waiting at the end of August, up from 7.68 million in July. It is the highest number since records began in August 2007. www.theguardian.com  12 October

Just 557 prison spaces left as jailed population hits new all-time high

[The National Audit Office raised the alarm in a report published in February 2020 – while Rishi Sunak was chancellor – saying that without intervention demand for prison places was on course to exceed supply sometime between October 2022 and June 2023.]

The average length of prison sentences increased by a third in the decade to 2019 as governments sought to appear tough on crime, while recent efforts to bolster police numbers and chaos in the court system have seen the backlog of trials hit an all-time peak of more than 65,000.

Consequently, there are more suspects than ever awaiting trial behind bars, some trapped for more than five years, while the backlog of rape cases involving bailed defendants has also hit a new high to reach more than double the average between 2014 and 2019, The Independent revealed last week.

Overcrowding has led to prisoners being kept in harrowing conditions, with some doubled up in cells and kept locked inside for 23 hours a day, forced to choose between exercising, showering or calling loved ones, with little access to rehabilitation programmes. www.independent.co.uk 13 October

“I’m not even sure what he [Boris Johnson] means – bollocks to the science or does he mean bollocks to the patients?” Prof Chris Brightling.

The UK’s most senior civil servant, Simon Case, described the government as looking like a “terrible, tragic joke” in its handling of the Covid pandemic in expletive-laden WhatsApp messages handed to the Covid inquiry.

Diane Taylor www.theguardian.com 

The messages – which are likely to prompt questions over Case’s professionalism – also lamented that Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, appeared to be “the real person in charge” at Downing Street.

Case, who had been permanent secretary at 10 Downing Street and was appointed as head of the civil service in September 2020, expressed frustration at the government’s handling of the pandemic, writing in one message: “not sure I can cope”.

In messages read to the inquiry on Friday, Case said: “The government doesn’t have the credibility needed to be imposing stuff within only days of deciding not too [sic]. We look like a terrible, tragic joke. If we were going hard, that decision was needed weeks ago. I cannot cope with this I cannot cope with this.”

Lee Cain, who was Johnson’s director of communications until November 2020, said Carrie “doesn’t know wtf she is talking about”.

The messages appeared on the screen during today’s session of the inquiry which is focusing on core UK decision-making and political governance. They are thought to have been from 14 October 2020.

A letter from Dominic Cummings contained an email dated 13 July 2020 about “the problems of the No 10/CabOff (Cabinet Office) set up that is relevant to the inquiry”.

He said it was copied to the PM “but he never engaged seriously”.

Case wrote: “Am not sure I can cope with today. Might just go home. Matt just called, having spoken to PM. According to Matt (so aim off, obvs), PM has asked Matt to work up regional circuit breakers for the North (as per Northern Ireland) today – and to bring recommendations. I am going to scream …”

Cain asked: “Wtf are we talking about.”

To which Case replied: “Whatever Carrie cares about, I guess.

“I was always told that Dom [Dominic Cummings] was the secret PM. How wrong they are. I look forward to telling select cttee tomorrow – ‘oh, fuck no, don’t worry about Dom, the real person in charge is Carrie’”, Case added.

A witness to the inquiry Alex Thomas, formerly at the Cabinet Office and now at the Institute for Government, described some of the language in the messages as “unfortunate”.

“It’s clear to me that the consistency of decision-making was something that could be criticised and be a cause for concern,” he said. “They are not comfortable to read. If you are a victim or related to someone who suffered or died from Covid this is appalling to read. It should be called out as regrettable.”

Prof Chris Brightling and Dr Rachael Evans, both experts in long Covid, also gave evidence to the inquiry, which was attended by members of various long Covid support groups.

In notes that appeared on the inquiry screen Johnson scribbled “bollocks” on one and on another said: “Do we really believe in long Covid. Why can’t we hedge it more. I bet it is complete Gulf War Syndrome.”

Brightling said: “I’m deeply saddened and extremely angry at the same time. I’m not even sure what he means – bollocks to the science or does he mean bollocks to the patients?”

Evans said of Johnson’s comments: “It’s just another unbelievable thing. It’s shocking and beyond disappointing. We have people here living through this absolutely dreadful illness and to see your own prime minister has written something like this …”

The inquiry continues.