Daily Archives: 12 Feb 2024

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Paul Arnott a candidate who can rise above party politics and has delivered for East Devon – Owl

Paul Arnott is a candidate whose record over the last ten years shows he can set aside, and rise above, party politics to improve accountability and transparency in local government, and the quality of life for everyone in East devon.

He first appeared on Owl’s radar as one of the founders of the “East Devon Alliance” (EDA). A group of like-minded individuals fed up with decades of opaque and dubious decisions made by a cabal of highly influential councillors (Conservative) and officers (under the savvy leadership of one Mark Williams) in EDDC.

Owl recalls the Graham Brown scandal of 2014 when Brown was caught in a Telegraph sting offering to obtain planning permission for cash. A police inquiry folded due to “lack of evidence”. A similar lack of “inquisitiveness” was subsequently to surround the “who knew what and when” of the John Humpreys case.

Dedicated to following the Nolan principles, especially those of Integrity, transparency and accountability the EDA with Chair Paul Arnott sought to provide mutual support for like minded individuals to gain election as councillors, in particular supporting younger candidates.

In 2015 EDA won 10 seats, with Paul Arnott in the next batch in 2019.

In 2020, Paul Arnott as Leader of the East Devon Alliance, after a chat with veteran Cllr Eileen Wragg, negotiated and formed a formal coalition with the Lib Dems under the banner of the “Democratic Alliance”, and signed a “memorandum of understanding” with the “progressive alliance” group of independents. Paul Arnott was then elected Leader of EDDC.

In the 2023 elections he stood as a Lib Dem, recognising that EDA had more than fulfilled its original purpose and the Lib Dems could provide more support. In this election the Lib Dems just pipped the Conservatives to the post to become the largest party, ousting, along the way, Tory Leader, Phil Skinner.

This left the council split three ways between Independents, Lib Dems and Tory. [Independents of various hues 19, Lib Dem 18 plus 1 (old style) Liberal, Conservatives 17, Labour 3, Greens 2]

Once again Paul Arnott negotiated a wider coalition, “The Democratic Alliance Group”, made up of councillors from the Liberal Democrat Party, the Green Party and independents.

Call it serendipity if you like but East Devon now has a council that is about as representative of the electorate as would be achieved by proportional voting. Paul Arnott is the chief architect.

The election of Richard Foord, after Neil Parish was forced to resign the Tiverton and Honiton seat last year has been illuminating. Most of us have never experienced anything other than a Conservative MP and sycophantic ones at that.

Richard Foord has, in a very short time, shown how an MP dedicated to serving his constituents can raise the profile of local issues in the House of Commons. With Paul Arnott’s record we can be sure he would do the same.

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Breaking: Paul Arnott to stand for election as MP for Exmouth & Exeter East

The Liberal Democrat leader of East Devon District Council, Paul Arnott, has been announced as the party’s candidate for the Exmouth & Exeter East seat in the general election.

Philippa Davies www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

The new constituency was created by last year’s boundary changes and includes Exmouth, Lympstone, Topsham, Budleigh Salterton and eastern parts of Exeter. 

The Conservative candidate for the seat is David Reed; so far no other party candidates have yet been announced.

Paul Arnott has been leader of East Devon District Council since May 2020, although he was elected as an Independent. He joined the Liberal Democrats in 2022 and played a key role in the Tiverton & Honiton by-election of that year, which was won by Richard Foord.

He currently leads the Democratic Alliance of Liberal Democrat and other councillors who control the district council. 

He said: “It’s a great privilege to be selected to stand to represent this incredible part of Devon.

“This Conservative government has shown repeatedly that it is incapable of delivering for the South West, and for the wider country. The NHS is crumbling; waiting times in A&E and for major procedures are spiralling out of control, while for many even day-to-day dental treatment is no longer available.

“Our coasts and rivers are polluted with sewage while the government lets the water companies off-the-hook and foreign shareholders pocket billpayers’ cash. The cost-of-living crisis makes even daily essentials increasingly unaffordable for many.

“I’m proud of our record at East Devon District Council, where our efforts in poverty reduction have been nationally recognised, the Enterprise Zone project continues to bring new jobs and innovation, and where we are holding South West Water to account for their failures – and all in less than four years since we took control of the administration. For my whole political career, I have worked to make sure our public services – and our public servants – deliver for local people.

“Exmouth & Exeter East needs a genuine local champion. After fifteen years in local politics standing up for residents, I’ve shown I will always put residents first. I look forward to getting out on the doorsteps once again and using my in-depth local experience to campaign for a fairer deal for our area in Parliament.”

The Liberal Democrats’ local party president Dr Stuart Mole said: “Paul is an outstanding candidate. As Leader of East Devon District Council, he has championed many important causes across our area and knows the new constituency well.

“More widely, he has a deserved reputation as a campaigner for justice and human rights. In the local elections last May, under his leadership, the Liberal Democrats outpolled the Conservatives and emerged as the clear alternative to the Tories in the parliamentary seat. Paul would make an excellent Member of Parliament and we look forward to introducing him to as many voters as possible in the coming months.”

Paul Arnott is a former correspondent for The Independent and Time Out, and has been a director and producer for the BBC and Channel 4. His published works include ‘Windrush: A Ship Through Time’, exploring the history and struggle of the Windrush migrants.

Having previously lived in Topsham and Exeter, he has been a resident of Colyton for 23 years, and represents the town as a Parish and District Councillor while continuing his production and publishing career.

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Battle continues to save under-threat Devon hospital

Campaigners aiming to save a Devon community hospital have been given a boost. Seaton Community Hospital has been granted the status of an ‘Asset of Community Value’.

Devon Live www.devonlive.com

Being listed as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ means the facility provides a positive benefit for the local community and should be protected. Once listed, the local community will be informed if they are listed for sale or removal – and the community can then enact the Community Right to Bid, which gives a six month pause in the selling process.

This decision represents a big win for campaigners, who are opposed to plans to turn a whole wing of the facility – that was built using money raised by the local community – over to NHS Property Services, for onward disposal. Seaton’s MP Richard Foord and the Seaton Hospital League of Friends charity are calling on NHS Property Services not to appeal this decision.

Now, in a leader column in our sister print title the Express and Echo, the editor writes that some 9,000 people backed a campaign to save it and there were packed houses at meetings about its future, so there is certainly the will to see it survive. How that happens is the question.

Read the full leader column below:

Local residents have won an important battle in the fight to save a wing at Seaton Community Hospital.

Although the war with the NHS is far from over, having the hospital now registered as an asset of community value, (ACV) now gives campaigners more breathing space in their campaign to retain the wing – built with money raised by the local community, let’s not forget – as some sort of health hub that will benefit the local community. This could include services to support dementia patients, for example.

Leaseholder Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB) is trying to hand it back to its landlord, NHS Property Services to save money. Devon ICB is currently in special measures because of its financial deficit, but pays more than £300,000 a year in rent and other costs.

The ICB is attempting to plug a £42 million budget deficit by offloading the wing at Seaton Hospital and vacant space at Okehampton Hospital and also by shutting Teignmouth Hospital.

But by gaining ACV status here, there is now a reprieve, of sorts, for the two-storey building, for the time being.

If NHS Property Services goes ahead with its plans, either to sell the wing or demolish it, having ACV status means that something called the community right to bid clause can be enacted, which offers a six-month stay of execution on those plans.

In that time campaigners, the local council – and even the NHS – can try to agree a way forward to find a future purpose for the building.

In response to the ACV decision, Seaton’s MP Richard Foord and the Seaton Hospital League of Friends charity are calling on NHS Property Services not to appeal and instead to work constructively with the community to bring the space back into use as a new care hub.

Some 9,000 people backed a campaign to save it and there were packed houses at meetings about its future, so there is certainly the will to see it survive. How that happens is the question.

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We’re more determined than ever to finish the job

Feargal Sharkey mentions Jo Batemen in his latest comment in The Times today

Feargal Sharkey 

All I wanted to do was go fishing and yet here I was standing on the steps of a courthouse in Cardiff. It had actually come to this.

Britain, I’m afraid, must face the humiliating reality that not only is every river in England polluted but also the UK’s entire population of Atlantic salmon has been placed on the endangered species list.

Our magnificent salmon has joined the black rhino, mountain gorilla and tiger — animals whose futures are threatened by the very existence of man. It’s no longer some fuzzy issue of indifference perpetrated in a distant, misty foreign land. It is happening right here, today, in our own backyard. As a nation we are committing ecocide.

Whether it be agriculture or the water industry, chicken farms or sewage, the political oversight and regulation of the environment, especially of our rivers, has failed. Those responsible must be held accountable, must be made to atone, must be made to put things right. It is all of those reasons that make the Clean It Up campaign so important.

As we celebrate the first anniversary of the campaign, we can look back with enormous pride at what has been achieved, what has been delivered. Yet there is still so much more to do. We must continue to drive forward towards success. And that is what brought me to the courthouse in Cardiff this past week.

River Action, a charity of which I am vice-chairman, has decided that enough is enough. We are not prepared to allow the mediocrity and incompetence of bureaucracy to dictate this country’s future. To create a world in which the retired NHS worker Jo Bateman feels that she personally has to take legal action against a water company to get it to stop dumping sewage on to the beach where she swims; to force the regulator to act, to do its job, to uphold the law. That is why River Action is taking the government and the Environment Agency to court.

To be clear, this is not just about trying to protect today’s environment. It’s bigger than that, more powerful than that. As a nation we should be compelled to safeguard the future of our children’s children, the world they will inherit, and I for one am utterly determined to ensure that we provide them with a legacy that is befitting of our own existence.

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Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 29 January

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Tide turning in ‘God’s waiting room’  – are the Dinosaurs in retreat in Budleigh?

Perhaps they are following Simon Jupp to Sidmouth? – Owl

It’s certainly no secret that East Devon has got a bit of a reputation for being a magnet for retirees. But locals say things are changing in one seaside town that was once dubbed ‘God’s waiting room’.

Mary Stenson www.devonlive.com

Like many places along the Jurassic Coast, Budleigh Salterton is perhaps best loved for its beautiful long beach. Many people dream of living in such a place but many don’t live out that reality until they reach retirement and can finally afford to buy what are some of the most desirable properties on the market.

The 2021 census would back this up as it revealed that the Budleigh and Raleigh area has a higher percentage of residents over 60 than the average for all of East Devon. Meanwhile, the town’s age demographics are below the regional average for almost every age group, with the exception of those aged 15 to 19.

However, the town has also been named as the area of Devon where house prices are falling the fastest, having dropped by 4.33 per cent from the year to August 2023, according data from the Land Registry. That being said, homes in the area were still selling for over £500k on average.

While the number of older people in the area remains high, some locals say they have definitely noticed a change in recent years, with a variety of factors drawing in younger families.

“We’ve been here 20 years and in that time, we’ve seen a massive change in the town,” said Jen Mills, owner of The Treasury gift shop. “The school is bursting at the seams and I think that demonstrates that the demographic of the town is changing.

“It’s classically known as ‘God’s waiting room’ and Sidmouth is the same but there has been some new housing built so we see a lot of younger people. I think a lot of people discovered Budleigh during lockdown as well, a lot of people come here for the beach and you see a lot of paddleboarders now which you never used to see.”

She described Budleigh Salterton as a “vibrant” place as the High Street is lined with an array of independent shops and cafes. If there’s one thing she would change, Jen says she wants to see more people making use of their local businesses.

She said: “There’s a really good community here, there’s a buzzing school, we’ve got the seafront, it’s a fantastic High Street with loads of really nice independent shops and cafes. I think the High Street, like any other town, would benefit from being used more.

“We started a campaign called Shop Budleigh in September last year to try and encourage the Budleigh massive to use their High Street and to try and elevate the reputation of the town as a place to visit.

“It is seasonal and we’ve got the new estuary opening which has brought some people to the area. We tend to see a lot of visitors on the beach. Whether that translates to business on the High Street, I don’t know.”

Clelia Gwynne-Evans, who co-owns Orchard Wholefoods, shares this view and says there is real drive among traders to keep the town thriving. When she and her business partner Ian Hepburn took over the shop three years ago, she says locals breathed a sigh of relief that they wouldn’t be losing a High Street business.

She said: “I told my business partner it would mean relocating and he said ‘relocating? Where to?’ and I said Devon and he said ‘oh I love Devon. Is it by the sea?’

“It was really lovely because all the regular customers were coming by and greeting us and thanking us because a lot of people were really worried that the shop was going to close. It’s a great community. I think a lot of people on the High Street want to keep the High Street alive.”

When we visited the town this week, we couldn’t have picked a worse day for a trip to the seaside. Rain and blustery winds had left the pebble beach completely empty and the town centre did feel a little quiet too.

Amanda Bigwood, who owns Budleigh Unwrapped, painted a much brighter picture, saying that on a clearer day, local tourists fill their High Street. She said: “It’s a nice, safe place, you’ve got the nice beach. On a sunnier day you’d have lots of local tourists.

“It’s lovely, it’s got a very nice friendly, local vibe. We’re looking forward to the summer because I think a lot of the shops are struggling through January and February. There’s a year-round base layer of shoppers but when the summer comes, it’s much more exciting.”

She believes that Budleigh’s reputation for attracting over 60s is very much in its past now. Once again, she mentioned a thriving local primary school being one of the main selling points for its changing demographic.

She said: “A lot of my customers are older but equally I have loads of younger ones. I think it’s more people with money might be attracted here because homes can be expensive.

“It used to be ‘God’s waiting room’. There is an element of the older generation but I think the school is very good and a lot of young families have been attracted in.”

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Water bosses in England and Wales face bonus bans for illegal sewage discharges

The government is to ban bonuses for water company bosses in England and Wales who fail to prevent illegal sewage spills that pollute rivers, lakes and seas.

When? – Owl

Donna Ferguson www.theguardian.com 

The policy, which many campaigners – including Labour and the Liberal Democrats – have been lobbying the government to implement, follows public outrage over the impact and scale of recent illegal raw sewage discharges.

The environment secretary, Steve Barclay, is proposing to block payouts to executives of firms that commit criminal acts of water pollution, starting with bonuses in the 2024-25 financial year from April.

Bosses took home more than £26m in bonuses, benefits and incentives over the last four years, despite illegally dumping vast amounts of sewage in waterways.

Senior executives from five of the 11 water companies that deal with sewage pocketed bonuses last year. Executives at the other six firms declined bonuses after public anger.

At the same time, companies have announced plans to increase consumers’ bills by about £156 a year to pay for investment that is aimed at preventing 140,000 annual sewage overflow spills.

Regulator Ofwat will consult on details of the proposed ban later this year but Barclay said the sanction should apply to any company that had committed “serious criminal breaches”.

A bonus could be banned when there has been a successful prosecution for the two most serious categories of pollution, such as causing significant pollution at a bathing site or conservation area, or where a company has been found guilty of serious management failings, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It could apply to chief executives and all executive board members.

If taken forward, Ofwat would implement the measures by changing the conditions of water company licences.

Barclay said: “No one should profit from illegal behaviour and it’s time that water company bosses took responsibility for that.

“Tougher action is needed to address poor performance by water companies, which is why I am pleased Ofwat is going further today on bonus payments.

“In cases where companies have committed criminal breaches there is no justification whatsoever for paying out bonuses. It needs to stop now.

“I will shortly be setting out more detail on further steps to clean up our waters, including reducing the reliance on water company self-monitoring in order to hold them to account and drive the improvements we all need to see.”

The shadow environment secretary, Steve Reed, said: “Once again Labour leads, the Conservatives follow.

“Labour called for the water regulator to be given new powers to block bonuses for polluting water bosses last year. After doing nothing for 14 years, the Conservatives have now been shamed into adopting Labour’s plan.

“But they must go further and back Labour’s whole plan to clean up our rivers, and ensure that executives who are responsible for repeated illegal sewage dumping face criminal charges.”

Labour has said that under its plans Ofwat could have blocked six out of nine water bosses’ bonuses last year.

An Ofwat spokesperson said: “We introduced new measures last year to ensure that executive bonuses are linked to delivering better outcomes for customers and the environment.

“Today’s announcement builds on that approach but takes it even further. We will consult on the detail of the proposals later in the year.”

The Lib Dem environment spokesperson, Tim Farron, said: “Finally, ministers have buckled to a campaign led by the Liberal Democrats over two years ago but, even now, this attempt to ban bonuses sounds too weak and feeble.

“The public has looked on in fury as Conservative MPs defended these disgraced water firms and refused to crack down on insulting bonuses.

“Every day, these polluting and profiteering firms get away with environmental vandalism. The bonuses should be banned today, regardless of criminal conviction.”