Daily Archives: 25 Apr 2024

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25 Apr 2024

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Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 8 April

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

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25 Apr 2024

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Nature destruction will cause bigger economic slump in UK than 2008 crisis, experts warn

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”.

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25 Apr 2024

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Cllr Jess Bailey unspins Simon Jupp’s claims on Tipton Primary

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