Holding South West Water to account – Good Law Project

Jo Bateman couldn’t go swimming after a water company sent tankers to release a flood of sewage. We’re supporting her legal action.

Jo Bateman tries to swim in the sea off Exmouth every day, because of the huge benefits to her physical and mental health. But in December 2023 this retired physiotherapist couldn’t get into the water for 10 days straight, after a pipe burst and South West Water started driving a fleet of lorries full of untreated sewage to a pumping station that was already overflowing.

Ten tankers transported up to three million litres of untreated sewage a day for the next three days. But they didn’t take it to a nearby sewage treatment works, where it could have been processed. They didn’t take it to sewage treatment works outside Exmouth. They didn’t even take it to a pumping station 2km up the road – a pumping station which wasn’t already overflowing. All of these options could have prevented the spillage, but they likely would have been more expensive. Instead, South West Water drove this untreated sewage straight to a pumping station that was already spilling sewage into the sea, making it unsafe to swim off the beach at Exmouth for 10 days.

We’re supporting Jo in her legal action against South West Water.

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“I’m bringing this case because I’ve simply had enough,” Jo said, “and I feel there is no other option available to me for holding South West Water properly to account.”

But “it’s not just about me,” she continued, “the sea belongs to all of us, and there are many, many other people who are also prevented from using the sea as they would like”.

The water companies’ behaviour is “simply unacceptable” Jo added. “In the 21st century we can land a spacecraft on Mars. Why can’t we have a sewage system that disposes of our waste without polluting the rivers and oceans?”

Environment Agency data paints a picture of a country swimming in sewage. Latest figures show that South West Water discharged sewage into local rivers and waterways for a staggering 530,737 hours in 2023, an 83% increase on 2022.

Storm overflows should only be used in an emergency, such as during exceptionally heavy rainfall, but when water companies put profit above people our seas and rivers are closed off.

For Good Law Project’s executive director, Jo Maugham, this scandal can’t go on.

“It’s shocking how little water companies have to care about the destruction they wreak on our stunning natural heritage and the lives of people who wish to enjoy it,” Maugham said. “We want this case to change that.”

According to water experts, the flood of sewage sweeping the country is the result of a decade of failures by Tory ministers to tackle the problem. Government inaction and underfunded regulation have allowed water companies to get away with environmental vandalism.

We can’t allow our rivers, waterways and seas to continue being poisoned by pollution. We can’t stand by as swimmers get sick and lose their right to swim. And we can’t sit back as the dirty money made by water companies destroys the natural environment for us and for future generations.

It’s time for the government to take action, so that water companies are forced to clean up their act and we can all enjoy our right to swim. 

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Cancer patients are resorting to self-dentistry due to the lack of access to NHS dentistry. The situation has been brought to light by Richard Foord MP, the Liberal Democrat representative for Tiverton and Honiton at a House of Commons debate on Wednesday, April 17.

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com 

Foord, who has been in office for nearly two years, says he has frequently received complaints about the difficulty of accessing NHS dentistry.

He said, “It is common across the country for someone to have difficulty accessing new NHS dentists if they are not already registered, but that is particularly difficult in some parts of the country, including in Devon, which is often regarded by many as a so-called ‘dental desert’.”

The government has proposed one-off incentives to attract qualified dentists to these dental deserts. However, Foord argues that this is insufficient as there is no long-term incentive for dentists to move into these areas. This issue is particularly concerning for cancer patients, for whom regular dental check-ups are crucial due to the weakening of their bones and teeth from treatment and medication.

Foord shared the story of his constituent, Robin Whatling, a 55-year-old advanced cancer patient from Tiverton. Robin’s wife, Sharon, contacted Foord last December, recounting their distressing experience.

“After booking a check-up, he received an abrupt phone call just a few days before it was due to happen. He was informed that the practice was no longer treating NHS patients and that if he wanted to go ahead with his appointment, he would need to go private. That is clearly a massive issue for a couple like Robin and Sharon.

“Due to Robin’s vulnerable state, Sharon has had to go part-time to become his carer. That means that she is not able to work the hours that she used to, which would have possibly afforded her more money to pay for private healthcare treatment.

“Instead, the couple pursued the idea of finding an NHS dentist. They were held on the phone for three hours before being cut off. In the end it all became too much, and Rob ended up removing one of the teeth that was causing him pain by himself at home. I do not need to tell the House that that is a shocking, appalling situation to have to contend with while suffering advanced cancer.

“Despite years of working hard and paying into the system, this couple are now left adrift with no support or access to dental care. In some of the correspondence that Members receive, we have constituents who rage at us with anger, but this couple approached me with great modesty and humility. They absolutely were not seeking to score any sort of political point. They just wanted to let me know, in a very factual way, the experience of a rural couple contending with cancer and trying to find NHS dentistry on the state.

He explained that The British Dental Association has revealed that oral cancer is one of the fastest-growing types of cancer, killing more people than car accidents every day. Dentists play a key role in diagnosis and referral, and early diagnosis can significantly increase survival rates.

Foord stated, “Let us say it as it is: NHS dentistry is in crisis. It is another example of the Government continuing to let people down and stand by as our vital services crumble. The NHS dental budget has been cut in real terms by £1 billion while the Conservatives have been in power. That is a shocking legacy of neglect.”

In response, Dame Andrea Leadsom, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, acknowledged the challenges in Devon and announced the forthcoming introduction of a mobile dental van for the area. She also highlighted that only around 57% of commissioned units of dental activity are actually undertaken by dentists in the area.

Leadsom outlined the steps taken to improve access to dentistry across the country since the publication of their recovery plan on 7 February. The plan aims to create around 2.5 million additional NHS appointments and increase the minimum value of a unit of dental activity to £28. It also includes initiatives to bring dental care to isolated communities and increase the dental workforce.

Despite these measures, the struggle of cancer patients like Robin and Sharon underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of NHS dental care. Mr Foord said: “I urge the Minister, for the sake of Rob, Sharon and everyone who is trapped in a situation like this, to take on board the urgency of the issue of NHS dental care for cancer patients and those who might become cancer patients.”

Plans to expand a town with the creation of more than 1,400 homes and two schools have been given the green light.

Angela Ferguson BBC News

The development of Cranbrook near Exeter, which has been approved by East Devon District Council (EDDC), will also include the creation of a neighbourhood centre, green space and a place of worship and cemetery.

Plans for 10 permanent pitches for gypsies and travellers have also been approved.

Ed Freeman, assistant planning director, said the development would provide “much-needed homes for people in East Devon”, along with key facilities such as schools, shops and play areas.

The development will be the first expansion of the town since it was created more than 13 years ago, EDDC has said.

The town is set to get a new three-form entry primary school along with a special educational needs school.

Mr Freeman said the planning permission meant “important facilities such as new schools, shops and play areas” would be provided.

‘Population of 20,000’

“We look forward to seeing the town continue to grow, bolstering the strong sense of community that Cranbrook has fostered over the past 11 years,” he added.

The Cranbrook Plan was adopted in October 2022 and sets out how it will accommodate a population of about 20,000 people.

The plan sets out that low carbon development must be used, with financial contributions made to key Cranbrook facilities.

A council spokesperson said the development would see over £4m contributed towards projects including a new health and wellbeing centre, leisure centre, fire station and improvements to London Road to make it more suitable for people walking and cycling.

They added that Devon County Council had been successful in a bid to the Department for Education for funding to build and open the new special educational needs school on the site.

Three other planning applications for Cranbrook’s expansion look set to see a further 2,085 homes built in the town, along with another primary school, sports pitches, open space, play areas, allotments and neighbourhood centres.

These planning applications are to be issued once legal agreements are finalised, the council added.

Persimmon Homes has been given outline planning permission to build new homes at Cranbrook Cobdens.

The company’s managing director for the South West, Daniel Heathcote said: “Throughout the planning process for Cranbrook Cobdens, we have worked closely with officers and stakeholders at East Devon District Council to ensure that our homes complement and enhance the local area.”

See www.mirror.co.uk

Richard Foord MP writes on “X”

The Govt have got their priorities all wrong. Towns like Cullompton & Seaton have seen their levelling-up bids rejected repeatedly, while Ministers spent huge sums bragging about the scheme. This is galling for communities across rural Devon.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has set out plans to give everyone over 70 and those with long-term health conditions access to a named GP.

Sophie Wingate www.independent.co.uk

The policy would affect around 18.7 million people in this cohort, who have been found to benefit the most from having continuity of care.

The party pointed to British Medical Journal research showing that people who had kept the same GP for more than 15 years had a 25% lower chance of dying than those with a GP relationship lasting a year or less.

The Lib Dems are also campaigning for 8,000 more GPs to be recruited in response to a “crisis” in general practice waiting times.

Sir Ed said: “Years of neglect and broken promises under this Conservative government have left people struggling to see their local GP when they need to. It is piling pressure on to overcrowded hospitals and meaning patients with easily preventable and treatable conditions aren’t getting the rapid care they need.

“We want to see the return of the family doctor, so patients with long-term care needs see the same GP and don’t have to waste time repeating their details from scratch at every appointment.

“This would provide vital personalised care for those who need it most, helping people lead healthier lives, independently in their own homes wherever possible.”

Thames Water collapse could trigger Truss-style borrowing crisis, Whitehall officials fear

Senior Whitehall officials fear Thames Water’s financial collapse could trigger a rise in government borrowing costs not seen since the chaos of the Liz Truss mini-budget, the Guardian can reveal.

Anna Isaac www.theguardian.com (Extract)

Such is their concern about the impact on wider borrowing costs for the UK, even beyond utilities and infrastructure, that they believe Thames should be renationalised before the general election.

Officials in the Treasury and the UK’s Debt Management Office fear that, unless the UK’s biggest water company is renationalised as soon as possible, “prolonged uncertainty” about its fate could “damage confidence in UK plc at a sensitive time”, with elections in the UK and the US later this year.

Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed details of government contingency plans, known as Project Timber, to renationalise Thames via a special administration. This could lead to the bulk of its £15bn of debt being moved on to the government’s balance sheet. Thames’ investors have refused to pump more money into the struggling company amid a standoff with the water regulator Ofwat.

Some lenders to its core operating company could lose up to 40% of their money under the plans, a move that officials believe marks a careful balance between managing public outrage at the water company’s many failures and the need to sustain investor confidence in the UK.

Those contingency plans also describe a risk of “contagion” from Thames’s plight that could trigger a loss of confidence that feeds through to wider state borrowing costs.

In the aftermath of the Truss mini-budget in September 2022, UK borrowing costs shot up as government debt markets went into freefall. Her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s promise of £45bn of unfunded tax cuts, the sacking of the most senior civil servant at the Treasury and Truss’s refusal to have her sums checked by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility spooked investors and sent the value of UK debt instruments, known as gilts, plummeting.

The pound hit a low against the dollar not seen since 1985, and the whiplash effect on the bond market damaged some pension funds’ investment strategies so severely that the Bank of England had to stage an emergency market intervention to maintain market stability. That crisis added billions of pounds to the UK’s cost of borrowing, as investors demanded a higher price to lend to it. British households experienced big spikes in mortgage costs, as banks and building societies passed on higher borrowing costs. Many mortgage offers were pulled overnight…..

Dr Dan Poulter MP, Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.

“The difficulty for the Conservative Party is that the party I was elected into valued public services,” he said. “It had a compassionate view about supporting the more disadvantaged in society.

“I think the Conservative Party today is a very different place.”

Says it all – Owl

Her book is also outsold by – wait for it – “More Confessions of a Forty-something F**k Up”.

[But she still beats the memoirs of both David Cameron and Tony Blair on “a copies-sold-per-day-in-Downing-Street basis.”]

Liz Truss book enters bestseller list in 70th place with 2,228 copies sold

Jim Waterson www.theguardian.com

Liz Truss’s book about her 49-day stint as prime minister sold 2,228 copies in the UK during its first week on sale, after a wall-to-wall promotional media blitz.

Ten Years to Save the West: Lessons from the Only Conservative in the Room, combines an account of Truss’s time in office with a call to arms for the political right.

Nielsen sales data puts Truss’s effort in 70th place on last week’s bestsellers’ list, outsold by titles such as the Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook and More Confessions of a Forty-something F**k Up.

Truss, 48, has said her book is “not a traditional political memoir”. In it, she reveals how Queen Elizabeth II advised her upon becoming prime minister to “pace yourself”. The monarch died days later, which Truss writes felt “utterly unreal” and caused her to ask: “Why me? Why now?”

Biteback, the publisher that paid Truss an initial advance of £1,512 for the book, pointed out the sales still made it the sixth bestselling nonfiction book in the UK last week. The publishing company, owned by the former Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft, specialises in political books – a tough section of the market where few books sell in large numbers.

By comparison, David Cameron managed to sell about 21,000 copies of his memoir in its first week, while Tony Blair’s autobiography sold 92,000 in the same timeframe. Although Truss’s figures pale in comparison, she beat both on a copies-sold-per-day-in-Downing-Street basis.

Margaret Thatcher was estimated to have sold 500,000 copies of her memoir but other past occupants of No 10 have mixed records when it comes to book sales. John Major’s memoir sold just 5,415 copies in its first week but went on to exceed 200,000 in total. Edward Heath’s The Course of My Life struggled to surpass 20,000 copies, while Gordon Brown’s My Life, Our Times sold about 30,000.

Truss has also been promoting the book in the US, where she appeared at a number of Republican events and warned about establishment elites who she said had stopped her from implementing her plans for Britain.

The book has already been edited to remove a quote misattributed to the Jewish banker Mayer Amschel Rothschild, which has previously been used in antisemitic conspiracies.

The Guardian’s reviewer described Truss’s book as “one of the most shamelessly unrepentant, petulant, politically and economically jejune and cliche-ridden books I’ve read”.

It’s still one of lengthiest in the country

Waiting times have been slashed in A&E departments at the Royal Devon and Exeter (RD&E) and North Devon District hospitals, and are now among the best in the country.

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

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is in the top 10 of most-improved health trusts in the country for urgent emergency care and says it has “exceeded its expectations”.

The end-of-year performance showed 80 per cent of A&E patients were dealt with within four hours. The national target is 76 per cent.

The trust’s chief executive Sam Higginson told a board meeting there is “a sense of growing momentum” for the organisation which was rated as “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commisson (CQC) last August in its first inspection since the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust merged the year before.

The financial situation is more stable, with the Integrated Performance Report at the end of the 2023/24 financial year showing its deficit dropped to £27 million after savings of £77 million were made.

Over half of these savings will have an ongoing benefit.

The patient waiting list had reduced by 8,500, and waiting times for cancer diagnosis and of more than 78 weeks for non-urgent care had improved.

But at 75,000 people, the trust still has one of the largest patient waiting lists in the country.

Mr Higginson complimented the 16,000 staff in the two hospitals who had  improved performance during times of challenge and industrial action, but he said there is still a lot to do.

The trust plans to reduce the waiting list by another 10,000 people this year.

“In two-to-three years’ time, I would like to see us back to having a stable waiting list, and in a good financial position within 18 months,” he said.

He said the trust had achieved its best four-hour performance in emergency care since the merger.

A letter from Dame Cally Palmer and Professor Peter Johnson from the NHS Cancer Programme said the trust’s 40 per cent reduction in people waiting more than 62 days from getting a cancer diagnosis to starting treatment –  101 fewer patients than a year ago – was “some of the most positive progress we have seen anywhere nationally.”

There were three ‘must-do’ actions for the trust following the CQC report last year.

To ensure its systems and processes support it to oversee and respond to issues and risks more quickly and ensure learning from incidents, including never events and data issues.
To ensure the information reported from its electronic patient record system is accurate and properly analysed to support regular audits to improve the quality of care.
Achieve a stable financial position and continue to manage pressures so they do not compromise the quality of care.
The CQC reported “compassion and positive teamworking” and found the leadership to be “cohesive, patient centred and knowledgeable about the issues and priorities for the quality and sustainability of services”.

More new homes for East Devon as a developer unveils plans to build around 500 – some affordable – between Cranbrook and Rockbeare

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk

Plans to build around 500 homes – approximately 75 affordable – a community hall, allotments, play areas and a neighbourhood centre on East Devon land between Rockbeare and Cranbrook have been revealed to the public.

Developer Baker Estates, based in Newton Abbot, this week held two public consultation exhibitions, showcasing its plans for what it has described as ‘residential-led, mixed-use development’ on land to the east of Gribble Lane and south of London Road.

The housebuilder said the site has been allocated for development as part of the Grange Expansion Area within the adopted Cranbrook Plan.

The developer’s proposed plan of the site.

The proposals include around 500 homes, a community hall,  a neighbourhood centre for shops, plus  business use near London Road.

Some 15 per cent of the homes – around 75 – will be affordable and for local people.

Plans shown to the public included multi-use green spaces, plays areas for children, allotments, plus community and ‘amenity’ space.

The developer said the southern part of the site would be left as Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG), to ‘provide sustainable opportunities for recreation, with new circular accessible routes created, habitat creation, increasing access to nature, and providing connections provided to the wider landscape’.

Baker Estates said its developments were designed to be walkable, ‘served by good quality pedestrian and cycle links with roads designed to incorporate bus services’.

Graham Hutton, Baker Estates operations director, said: “We received some positive feedback from locals on our outline proposals and we’ll be looking to incorporate some of the suggestions into our proposal before we submit to East Devon District Council.

“An outline application determines the principle of development together with the means of access.

“If successful, we would then prepare more detailed plans which we would share with the community then come back to the community, prior to submitting a number of ‘reserved matters’ planning applications.”

The Conservatives have pushed through a duty on the water regulator to prioritise growth, which experts have said will incentivise water companies to value their bottom lines over reducing sewage pollution. [With Simon Jupp’s help. – owl]

Helena Horton www.theguardian.com 

Campaigners fear this move will weaken Ofwat’s ability to crack down on water companies as it may force the regulator to consider a company’s financial situation and the impact on its growth if the firm is heavily fined for polluting.

The Liberal Democrats forced a vote in parliament on Wednesday on the government’s new “growth duty” for Ofwat, which requires the regulator to “have regard to the desirability of promoting economic growth” when cracking down on water companies. They lost, as 50 MPs voted against the statutory instrument and 395 voted in favour.

The growth duty specifically mentions fines of companies as a measure that could hamper their growth. It says: “Certain enforcement actions, and other activities of the regulator, can be particularly damaging to growth.

“These include, for example, enforcement actions that limit or prevent a business from operating; financial sanctions; and publicity, in relation to a compliance failure, that harms public confidence.”

Last year water companies were ordered to cut more than £100m from customers’ bills after repeated failures to stop sewage pollution.

Campaigners fear the growth duty could cause the regulator to be less stringent with penalties because it would have to consider the commercial impact of fines on a company.

The financing of some water companies is already in a precarious state; Thames Water is currently at risk of collapse.

Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “The growth duty once again privileges business bottom lines over nature. Public demand and environmental need are totally clear – Ofwat should be promoting investment in nature and ensuring polluters pay.

“A new duty that obliges the regulator to think twice before taking environmental action is headed entirely in the wrong direction. Parliamentarians are right to oppose this backward step.

“The real economically responsible action is to protect the natural assets we depend on. Political parties should commit instead to a new green duty on regulators to ensure they take action to stop climate change and restore nature.”

Labour MPs voted with the government, and it is understood this is because they did not want to be accused of being “anti-growth”.

The Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson, Tim Farron MP, said: “Conservative MPs have just voted to help water firms get off the hook. Ofwat will now be fighting water companies with one hand tied behind their back.

“This government is all talk and no action when it comes to the sewage crisis. Time and time again Conservative MPs have voted against taking tough action on polluting firms.

“It is a scandalous vote by a government which is woefully out of touch with this environmental crisis. The public will be furious to hear the industry’s enforcer has been weakened even more. Conservative MPs should hang their heads in shame.”

A government spokesperson said: “Ofwat continues to have very clear environmental responsibilities to ensure water companies comply with existing protections, and the growth duty will not change that.

“This extension allows Ofwat to more effectively deliver economic growth alongside its regular duties and does not in any way restrict how regulators enforce the industry.”

Only 14 per cent of people are likely to swim in Britain’s seas and rivers this summer because of raw sewage, a new survey reveals.

“It’s a tragedy that something the whole country should be able to enjoy has become increasingly toxic because of ongoing failures of government who are simply letting the water companies get away with it,”

Adam Vaughan Environment Editor

Figures released last month showed that sewage spills in England doubled to 3.6 million hours last year.

In response to the question “in light of the recent news headlines regarding sewage pollution … how likely, if at all, would you be to consider swimming in UK seas and rivers this summer?”, 73 per cent of people said it was unlikely. You-Gov polled 2,000 adults in Britain.

“It’s a tragedy that something the whole country should be able to enjoy has become increasingly toxic because of ongoing failures of government who are simply letting the water companies get away with it,” said Humphrey Mil-les, founder of the Central Office of Public Interest, a non-profit group of creatives which commissioned the poll.

Maggie Alderson, a novelist and journalist who lives in Hastings in Kent, took up sea swimming during the Covid lockdowns until she got an ear infection in the summer of 2022. Her infection progressed to the point where her ear drum was punctured and she lost hearing in that ear.

“It’s no exaggeration to say it’s affected every aspect of my life,” she said. She attributes the infection to swimming in sea water contaminated with faeces. “I feel like one of the great joys of my life . has been spoilt for me forever,” she said.

The YouGov polling found that 31 per cent of people had swum in UK rivers or seas for leisure since April 2021, with another 16 per cent saying their children or partner had done so.

Water companies are expected to release real-time sewage discharge maps online within weeks. Most of the 424 designated bathing waters in England are beaches. with 27 stretches of rivers proposed as additions recently. Officials-must test these sites for harmful bacteria between May and September. But testing is no guarantee that waters are safe to swim in at any given time.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: “We share the public’s concern about our rivers and the results of this You-Gov survey are another example of why water companies must go further and faster.

“If water companies are found to breach their permits, action will be taken — up to and including criminal prosecution.”

Why not “Reach Out” to “Owl of Honiton” or “Owl of Axminster” with full disclosure?

Caroline Lucas posts on “X”

List of Tories supporting one of the key amendments to water down the Renters Reform Bill. What does the (R) by names mean? Registered interests. Looks like landlords turning out in force to scupper a bill that was meant to protect renters’ interests, not their own finances

[Second down, second column]

(Apologies for being a little later than usual – Owl)

• Construction of a single and two storey side storey extension and changes to porch Wessington Farm Cottage Awliscombe Honiton EX14 3NURef. No: 24/0793/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Discharge of condition 3 for 23/2147/FUL : Condition 3 (materials) 21 Clinton Terrace Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6RYRef. No: 24/0792/DOC | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Unknown
• T1: Oak – lowest extending western limb pruned back to stem, 180mm cut approximately. T2: Ash – fell. T3: Hornbeam – 2m crown reduction. T4: Oak – 2m crown reduction. T5: Beech – north side branch reduced back (120mm cut), remaining branches overhanging approximately 2m tip reduction to maintain shape of the crown. Cranford Beeches Harcombe Road Axminster EX13 5TBRef. No: 24/0786/TRE | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Oak: reduce crown by upto 2m height and up to 2m radial branch length to the East and Southern crown aspects; to improve shape and form and prevent any future branch failure. The Old Rectory Plymtree Devon EX15 2JPRef. No: 24/0788/TRE | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Discharge of Condition for 23/1020/FUL: Condition 3 (Cladding) 56 Livonia Road Sidmouth Devon EX10 9JBRef. No: 24/0789/DOC | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Unknown
• T1: Yew Tree – prune the crown by approximately a 1m in spread, making natural target pruning cuts of up to 25mm in diameter and retaining the dome shape of this tree. 28 Ernsborough Gardens Honiton Devon EX14 1RXRef. No: 24/0783/TCA | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Discharge of condition for 23/0896/LBC : Condition 3 (materials) Edge Barton Manor Branscombe Seaton EX12 3BNRef. No: 24/0813/DOC | Validated: Wed 10 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of condition 4 (holiday accommodation restriction) of planning permission 00/P0545 (Conversion of redundant farm buildings to holiday let units) Tritchayne Farm Cottages Colyton EX24 6SPRef. No: 24/0782/VAR | Validated: Wed 10 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development for the removal of a conservatory and construction of a single storey rear extension.20 Chestnut Way Honiton EX14 2UARef. No: 24/0790/CPL | Validated: Wed 10 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 2no proposed one-bedroom apartments over an existing public house Flat, The York Inn 21 Imperial Road Exmouth EX8 1BYRef. No: 24/0785/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Ash: fell. 20 Fore Street Otterton EX9 7HBRef. No: 24/0777/TCA | Validated: Tue 09 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed side garage extension and new front porch infill extension. Construction of new first floor with external cladding Morningside Vicarage Road East Budleigh EX9 7EFRef. No: 24/0778/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single storey side and rear extensions. Foxhills Lower Lane Ebford EX3 0QTRef. No: 24/0764/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Restorative exterior and interior modification works to the cart shed (Retrospective Application) Perriton Farm Talaton Road Whimple EX5 2QYRef. No: 24/0734/FUL | Validated: Fri 12 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Restorative exterior and interior modification works to the cart shed (Retrospective Application) Perriton Farm Talaton Road Whimple Devon EX5 2QYRef. No: 24/0735/LBC | Validated: Fri 12 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed ground floor extension, and additional first floor with dormer windows Bank End Tipton St John Devon EX10 0AWRef. No: 24/0731/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Fix cladding to both gable ends of property and utility room. Addition of insulation under cladding on main building. Brookfield Wadley Hill Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3SURef. No: 24/0724/FUL | Validated: Fri 12 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of window and replacement with door and access ramp 1 School Lane Colyton Devon EX24 6NTRef. No: 24/0726/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Building a shepherds hut type temporary structure in the front garden Turlings King Street Colyton Devon EX24 6LFRef. No: 24/0709/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a timber framed open Car Port structure in front of the existing garage 37 Granary Lane Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6EPRef. No: 24/0702/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed extension on south elevation including double garage with accommodation above, at a 15° off-set to main dwelling (Re-submission of 21/3164/FUL) Wyld Court Mill Wyld Court Hawkchurch Axminster EX13 5TZRef. No: 24/0692/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of part of the existing agricultural building and agricultural land to private equestrian use for the provision of a riding arena/sand school, stables and associated facilities Springs Sandy Lane Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3ANRef. No: 24/0660/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of side extension, window replacement to front elevation and internal alterations. 1 Albany Villas Salcombe Road Sidmouth EX10 8PWRef. No: 24/0648/LBC | Validated: Mon 08 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of side extension, window replacement to front elevation and internal alterations. 1 Albany Villas Salcombe Road Sidmouth EX10 8PWRef. No: 24/0647/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition and replacement of an existing timber lean-to. The Tithe Barn The Old Rectory Huxham EX5 4EJRef. No: 24/0650/FUL | Validated: Tue 09 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed extension of existing 1st floor apartment, and addition of 2nd floor, to create 2no apartments with existing undercroft garage Bastin Hall Elm Grove Exmouth Devon EX8 1DJRef. No: 24/0631/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a 5.0m x 3.6m garden studio / summer house with decking and a 3.6m x 2.4m greenhouse in rear garden. The Forge Shute Devon EX13 7PURef. No: 24/0597/FUL | Validated: Wed 10 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing single storey garage and store room, erection of two story side extension, and new external materials. Littlebrook Venlake End Uplyme DT7 3SFRef. No: 24/0542/FUL | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of Condition 2 (approved plans) on 23/2169/FUL – Proposed single storey building to form ancillary accommodation. Proposal for changed external openings to suit a revised layout. Windward Mare Lane Beer Seaton EX12 3NBRef. No: 24/0545/VAR | Validated: Thu 11 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of land for the siting of two shepherds huts for holiday use with ancillary decking The Meade Sanctuary Lane Woodbury Exeter EX5 1EXRef. No: 24/0538/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposal for an agricultural worker’s dwelling Land North East Of Higher Ash Farm Fenny BridgesRef. No: 24/0471/FUL | Validated: Mon 08 Apr 2024 | Status: Awaiting decision

The destruction of nature over the rest of the decade could trigger a bigger economic slump in Britain than those caused by the 2008 global financial crisis and the Covid pandemic, experts have warned.

Phillip Inman www.theguardian.com 

Sounding the alarm over the rising financial cost from pollution, damage to water systems, soil erosion, and threats from disease, the report by the Green Finance Institute warned that further breakdown in the UK’s natural environment could lead to a 12% loss of gross domestic product (GDP) by the 2030s.

In a report that received input from experts across academia and government, the authors argued that “gradual, year-to year environmental degradation is as detrimental or more so than climate change”.

The continued loss of natural habitats in urban and rural areas would compare unfavourably with the financial crisis of 2008, which took about 5% off the value of UK GDP, while the Covid pandemic cost the UK 11% of its GDP in 2020.

The academics used three scenarios to construct the report: domestic risks from continued UK environment breakdown; international risks – including destruction to nature in countries which are key UK trading partners; and a health scenario, focusing on the dangers of a fresh global pandemic.

All three took into account current trends in environmental breakdown – including water and air pollution, soil health erosion and biodiversity loss – resulting in a hit to GDP worth up to 3%, or about £70bn by the late 2020s.

The report then added “acute risks” on top of these trends – including floods, droughts and wildfires – which would result in a 6% loss to GDP in the domestic and international scenarios, and a 12% hit in a health scenario, reflecting the extreme dangers to the UK economy from a renewed pandemic.

Ministers are expected to take an interest in the report amid concern over the potential dangers to the economy from nature breakdown. Environment minister Richard Benyon said the report showed that nature “underpins the health of our economy and it is under threat from a global nature crisis”.

The former Conservative MP, whose family controls a 5,600-hectare (14,000-acre) estate in west Berkshire, southern England, said the responsibility to conserve nature “lies with all sectors and sections of society, and green finance has a crucial role to play”.

He said: “The findings in this report will help people and institutions across the corporate and finance sectors understand that it is in their own interests to go further and faster for the planet to protect it for future generations.”

Shadow environment secretary, Steve Reed, blamed the government for the UK becoming “one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world”.

Saying that the UK needed “to reverse the tide of destruction”, Reed committed Labour to cleaner air and water “and growing nature-rich habitats for wildlife to thrive”.

The Green Finance Institute describes itself as the UK and Europe’s “principal forum for innovation in green finance” bringing together banks, academics, philanthropists and government bodies to develop climate-friendly policies and financial products.

The report warned that unless action is taken, UK banks will need to reduce their exposure to the worst hit industries or find themselves increasing the risk of losses from bad loans. About 50% of the extra cost will come from the loss of nature overseas that the UK relies on to provide food, natural resources and trade.

Partly funded by the government with input from the Treasury and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the authors also relied on advice and information from the Bank of England, Oxford and Reading universities, the UN’s environment programme, and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

The report said: “The impacts of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation will not be felt alone but will compound with climate risks. Both are happening at once and there are strong feedback effects between the loss of natural capital and climate change.”

The study follows a Treasury-backed review in 2021 by the Cambridge economist Sir Partha Dasgupta, who found that the world was being put at “extreme risk” by the failure of economics to take account of the rapid depletion of the natural world.

Last year, the government agency Natural England launched its Nature Returns programme to coordinate efforts across government and the private sector to explore how the UK can best use land in England “to address climate change whilst producing food and promoting thriving nature”.

The agency said it wanted “to mobilise the billions in private investment that government estimates we need to meet our national net zero commitments”.

Claire Wright comments as well.

Jess Bailey – Otter Valley Devon County Councillor facebook post:

(For Simon Jupp’s facebook boast this refers to see below – no mention of St Peter’s Budleigh Salterton during Education Secretary’s low profile visit last Friday)

“Simon Jupp’s latest social media post shows a total disregard for the community of Tipton St John.

It’s bad enough that out of the blue in January this year he ditched his commitment to the school remaining in the village, but it’s made worse by his attempts to exploit the situation for his own photo opportunities.

However, no amount of photo opportunities can disguise the fact that the Conservative government has totally failed to deliver a new school for Tipton St John for more than a decade now.  All that has happened is Tipton school has been included on a list for a rebuilding programme.

I was not invited to attend this meeting with the Secretary of State, even though I had every right to be there as the elected representative of Tipton residents at Devon County Council. I complained about my treatment to the Leader and CEO of DCC.

It feels to me that Simon Jupp is attempting to steam roller me, and therefore Tipton residents, out of the way. I am not prepared to let that happen.

I want to draw your attention to a number of key points about the consultation process:

– There will be an informal consultation by the school from 1st May – 19th June on possible relocation. Simon Jupp states on his social media post that this consultation is for ‘parents carers and staff’. That is completely misleading – crucially it’s for residents too. This is a really important point and I would urge as many people to respond as possible.

-All the reports and consultation details will be uploaded to the school’s website. They will also be uploaded to DCC’s ‘Have your Say’ website under the Education and School category. All responses to the informal consultation will go to the school.

-The school governors will meet following the informal consultation on 24th June 2024 and decide whether to proceed to a statutory consultation.

-If the governors proceed with a statutory consultation there would be a formal four week consultation which may take place from 27th June – 25th July. At this stage all the responses will go to DCC.

– DCC officers would then prepare a report for DCC cabinet (possibly for a meeting in September). The decision whether to relocate will ultimately be taken by DCC cabinet.

I also want to clarify another point. Simon Jupp claims that it was his ‘direct intervention’ that will mean the DfE report being made public during the consultation. In fact the publication of the DfE report is actually something I insisted upon as a condition of the school going out to consultation and this was then agreed between DCC and DfE counterparts.

In addition, unlike Simon Jupp, I did not feel the DfE report alone was sufficient and I felt further work was required and insisted on DCC carry out additional work. The DCC report will also be published at my insistence. Once published I will share my views on the outputs from these reports and will be interested in the views of parents and residents.”

This provoked such comments as: (first four from a long list) 

Louise Mansfield

We all know what he’s like Jess. .a glory seeker without putting any of the hard graft in himself. Thank you for your unending work behind the scenes on lots of local important issues

Jan Daly

No surprise here. Jupp is in electioneering mode for his own benefit rather than working for the benefit of his constituents.

Ann Pangbourne

Well done again, Jess. So glad to have you as our DCC representative.

Claire Louise Wright

Well said Jess. Mr Jupp is roaming all over his and Richard Foord’s constituency taking credit for anything he thinks he can get away with while blocking anyone who asks a question he doesn’t like. He then ignores communications from them too, rendering an unknown proportion of people in East Devon without an MP. He regularly posts communications to Richard Foord’s claiming to be the ‘local MP’ and we’re all familiar with what appears to be fraud over diverting Richard Foord domain names to his own website. Who knows when the election will be upon us but we all need to ensure he is voted OUT!

Simon Jupp’s “Fantastic Visit” facebook boast

East Devon leader Paul Arnott 

They say never meet your heroes. They might also advise not to divulge in a local newspaper column who those heroes are. But I’ll go there anyway.

As a boy, my footballing hero was a Charlton Athletic player named Derek Hales. I never met him, but his nickname “Killer” suggests that if I had, this prolific goal scorer may not really have been suitable hero/role model material after all.

Last weekend, one of my sons and the fiancée he marries at the end of May were staying with us, and suggested we watch a documentary about Ed Sheeran. Inwardly I groaned. But by the end, and his quite remarkable tribute in song to his lost friend Jamal, young Ed had shown many of the classic characteristics of the hero.

So that’s not too weird, is it? A footballer and a music star. Okay, so hopefully I’ve broken the ground to give me space to describe recently meeting an actual living hero of mine without being laughed out of East Devon. And that man is Professor Sir John Curtice of Strathclyde University.

Who, you may well say? If you search his name, many of you may go, oh, him! The fellow with the huge cranium who is present at every election broadcast or debate, generally considered the finest analyst and predictor of elections this century.

A few weeks ago, I was attending a meeting of District Council leaders in glamorous St Albans, and when I was at the reception, he checked in next to me, one of the guest speakers. He was completely charming so I thought I’d try a question out, when he thought the next general election would be. He knows this kind of thing.

Without hesitation he said Thursday 14th November 2024. I blathered, but what about May, June, July etc? He said that was pure distraction politics to encourage non-government parties to spend scarce campaign funds early. He explained that Mr Sunak would want a party conference season in October to tell a narrative around lower inflation and interest rates and that by then at least a few migrants would have been flown to Rwanda. At or shortly before the Conservative conference he’d give six weeks’ notice of a general election.

The Professor’s speech in the main auditorium later was both brilliant and funny. It went down well, even with many Conservative leaders present. He was giving it to us straight, with all sorts of charts and graphs, and he had such a lovely way about him that even Conservatives have not demurred when he stated that they have less than a 1 per cent chance of winning the next election.

Many Tory grandees have seen the writing on the wall and are preparing for life after power with good grace. Therefore, it is desperately sad that the MP for East Devon, Simon Jupp, seeking now to compete in the new seat of Honiton (leaving Exmouth behind him) against Richard Foord, is not taking a leaf from their book but is punching below the belt. After some fine journalism from David Parsley in the i newspaper, Mr Jupp was forced to admit last week after much fudging that it was his office which had bought website domain names masquerading as Richard Foord’s which, on opening, went instead to his own Conservative page. Pure Trump.

Heroically Mr Jupp blamed a full-time employee, the young man running his campaign, Oliver Kerr. There are self-evidently so many more questions to be asked, but I’ll leave that to others. Sadly, I suspect Professor Sir John Curtice would not be in the least surprised.

Nicholas Pegg writes to Simon Jupp and posts his letter on “X”:

I have written today to my MP, @simonjamesjupp, to ask him some more questions about the developing story of the bogus web links which dishonestly used the name of Lib Dem MP @RichardFoordLD to direct voters to Mr Jupp’s campaign site. (Mr Jupp did not reply to my last letter.)

To Simon Jupp, MP

House of Commons

London SW1A OAA

Monday, 22nd April, 2024

Dear Mr Jupp,

Two weeks ago today, I wrote as your constituent to ask you some questions about the unedifying affair of the deceptive web links which used the name of Richard Foord MP, your rival in the forthcoming general election, to mislead web users and direct them instead to your own campaign website. I have not yet received a reply from you.

The day before I wrote, you had made a brief statement to the BBC, saying that you were ‘not responsible for the web domains in Mr Foord’s name,’ but offering no further detail. Eleven days later, on April 18th, it emerged that your campaign manager, Oliver Kerr, had registered the domain names in question. On the same day, you gave a further statement, in which you said: ‘The individual responsible has apologised for making an error of judgement, without my knowledge or approval, and no longer owns the website domains in question.’

Given that this falls short of being an adequate explanation of the incident, I am writing again to ask you five questions.

1. Could you please explain exactly when you became aware that the web domains had been purchased by Mr Kerr? Let’s work on the assumption that when the story first broke, it would probably have occurred to you to check with your campaign team before making your initial statement.

2. Could you please explain the reason for the 11-day silence between your statement that you were ‘not responsible’ and your second statement, which finally identified the culprit?

3. Were the purchases of the misleading web domains paid for by Mr Kerr out of his own pocket, or was he reimbursed from your campaign funds, constituency funds or party funds? Given that the misuse of funds is a serious issue, I would naturally find the latter hard to believe – but then again, other headlines over the last week have made for quite a read.

4. While it is reassuring to know that the website deception was carried out, in your words, ‘without my knowledge or approval’, you are doubtless also aware that Richard Foord’s constituents have been targeted on several occasions by ‘newsletter’ style campaign leaflets which misleadingly describe you as ‘local MP Simon Jupp’. Are you able to confirm that all of these misleading mailshots were also distributed without your knowledge or approval?

5. Since the start of this year, you have found time amid your urgent casework to publicise your visits and your support for local services and businesses in Cullompton, Colyton, Higher Wiscombe, Axmouth, Luppitt, Upottery, Honiton, Seaton, Beer, Branscombe, Broadhembury, Dalwood and Axminster, all of which are in Mr Foord’s constituency, not yours. Did you carry out these visits and photo opportunities without your own knowledge or approval?

Mr Jupp, I’m sure you will agree that you owe a full explanation to your constituents, as well as to Mr Foord’s constituents, and to the country. We all look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Nicholas Pegg

Slick campaigns promise to help voters boot out Conservative MPs. But will they really work?

Sceptics say British voters just aren’t clued up enough on the finer points of the country’s system to get tactical voting really firing. 

By John Johnston www.politico.eu

LONDON — Britain’s Conservatives look set for an election pasting this year. But anti-Tory campaigners want to make sure it’s a knock-out blow.

As a general election looms, a host of flashy campaigns are springing up trying to convince Brits to vote tactically. Under the U.K.’s winner-takes-all system, that means asking voters in tight seats to hold their nose and cast their ballot for a candidate with the best chance of knocking out a Conservative, even if that candidate wouldn’t be their first pick.

A flood of sophisticated online tools, backed up with data from expensive polling campaigns, are promising to help show voters where they can use their tactical edge.

There’s just one problem: sceptics say British voters just aren’t clued up enough on the finer points of the country’s system to get tactical voting really firing.

“This will be the ninth general election I’ve worked on in one capacity or another, and I think certainly for most of them, if not all of them, there has been talk of this being the tactical voting election,” says Joe Twyman, director of polling firm Deltapoll.

Indeed, polling shows British voters continue to lack an awareness of the basic information needed to make tactical voting work. A survey carried out by Deltapoll last year found just 52 percent of voters could correctly identify the winning party in their local area. That dropped to 19 percent when asked who came in second.

The proportion of voters who knew both of those facts, plus the margin of victory in their seat, and lived in a constituency where tactical voting could actually make a difference, was just one percent, Deltapoll found.

After much hype about tactical voting in previous elections, Twyman reckons it could “again be a case of the dog that failed to bark.”

That won’t stop determined campaigners from trying to give the Conservatives a kicking.

Getting clued-up

Organized tactical voting has been around in the U.K. since at least 1997, when a campaign group called GROT — an acronym for Get Rid Of Them — first sent leaflets through the post trying to build an anti-Conservative coalition. Political scientists still hotly debate how big a role tactical voting really played in the 1997 election. But the Liberal Democrats, Britain’s center-left third party, racked up an extra 28 seats that year as Tony Blair’s Labour romped home.

Advocates see parallels between 2024 and 1997, where poll after poll shows deep dissatisfaction with a Conservative government long in power — and where they believe voters could be tempted to set aside party loyalty and vote for anyone who can oust a Tory in a tight race.

Best for Britain is one of the groups hoping to make tactical voting matter at this election — and it’s got a clear aim in doing so.

As one of the loudest backers of a second Brexit referendum back in the day, the campaign group has since restyled itself. It’s hoping to build a coalition of progressive MPs keen to bolster ties and push for a better trading relationship with the European Union.

The group has run tactical voting campaigns in the last two elections and it’s now putting the final touches on a new high-tech platform. As well as a clear voting recommendation, this year’s tool will try to address some of the knowledge gaps voters face.

It’s promising information on voting deadlines, the types of photo ID that will and won’t be accepted at polling stations, and key stats on things like local crime rates and hospital waiting lists.

“It’ll tell you where to place your vote tactically to have the best chance of either voting out the incumbent Conservative or beating the Conservative challenger,” the group’s chief executive Naomi Smith explains.

Smith says much of the analysis will be driven by sophisticated multi-level regression (MRP) polling. The group, she says, is planning to conduct a major survey and provide their recommendation as close to polling day as possible, while still allowing enough time for postal voters to get the advice.

But the campaigns boss admits they’ll also be injecting some human takes too. “Where there is an incumbent who we’d define as a progressive MP, they will get the recommendation rather than what the data might say,” Smith says.

‘Deep-rooted problems’

Best for Britain is just one of several campaigns set to launch their own tactical voting tools in the run-up to this year’s vote. Expect major ad campaigns and media voices like former TV host-turned-anti-corruption-warrior Carol Vorderman deployed to try and raise the public’s awareness of the practice.

Yet some see the push for tactical voting as a depressing sign of how Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system can force voters into making choices they wouldn’t normally want to.

Jess Garland at campaign group the Electoral Reform Society says the practice exposes “deep-rooted problems” with the U.K.’s way of choosing governments. “Voting should be about choosing the candidate you most agree with rather than head-scratching over who has a realistic chance of winning,” she says.

Cllr. Joe Whibley writes in the Exmouth Journal:

In response to Mr Reed, prospective parliamentary candidate for Exmouth and Exeter East, and his missive regarding working with South West Water I have a couple of points of note.

I welcome his intention to try and work with South West Water, but suggest that he is clearer in his knowledge of the workings of local government. To suggest that East Devon’s planning department is somehow culpable is to completely misunderstand or misrepresent planning law EDDC cannot legally turn down a planning application on the grounds of sewage infrastructure. If South West Water say they can accommodate any new development, East Devon are forced by law to accept that even if we know there is some doubt.

As an example, if Mr Reed were to look at the planning officers recommendations for the redevelopment of the Devoncourt Hotel, he will see an example of this. I am saddened that they have suggested the committee may wish to grant permission for this, but any representations about this will need to be on things other than South West Water’s position_

Might I suggest that if Mr Reed wishes to be a successful local candidate and ultimately MP, he moves away from the behaviour of his predecessor Mr Jupp. His constant criticism of the district council, despite the best efforts of people to work collaboratively has proved incredibly obstructive and in the interests of nobody.

Cllr Joe Whibley

East Devon District Council