Daily Archives: 13 May 2024

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

13 May 2024

Posted under

Misc

Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 29 April

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

13 May 2024

Posted under

Misc

England gets 27 new bathing sites – but no guarantee they’ll be safe for swimming!

Twenty-seven new bathing sites will be designated in England ahead of this summer’s swimming season, the government has announced.

Helena Horton www.theguardian.com 

Giving waterways bathing status means the Environment Agency has to test them for pollution during the summer months, putting pressure on water companies to stop dumping sewage in them.

Twelve rivers are among the new sites. There are three river areas in England designated for swimming, far fewer than in many other European countries. In France, for example, there are more than 570 river bathing sites.

Bathing status is no guarantee the waters are safe to swim in, however. Last year, testing by the Environment Agency found that England’s three river swimming areas all had “poor” status due to pollution. This means people should not swim in them and risk getting sick if they do. Sewage spills and agricultural runoff mean swimming sites can carry E coli and intestinal enterococci, which could make swimmers ill.

The water campaigner and former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey told the Guardian: “Every single stretch of river in England currently tested carries a ‘do not swim’ advisory. This lot will simply join that ignoble, floundering list of failure.

“It’s clearly not a strategy to deal with the decaying state of our rivers, it’s simply panic from a decaying government, it’s making excuses all before exiting stage left in the run-up to a general election.”

Water companies were criticised for record sewage discharges into England’s waterways last year. Recent data showed raw sewage was discharged into rivers and seas for more than 3.6 million hours, more than double that in the previous 12 months.

Bathing sites are only tested in the summer months but the government has promised a consultation later this year on proposals that would include extending monitoring outside the bathing season, as some people use the rivers recreationally all year.

The water minister, Robbie Moore, said: “The value our bathing waters bring to local communities is incredibly valuable – providing social, physical and positive health and wellbeing benefits to people around the country – and I am pleased to have approved a further 27 new bathing water sites for this year.

“These popular swimming spots will now undergo regular monitoring to ensure bathers have up-to-date information on the quality of the water and enable action to be taken if minimum standards aren’t being met.”

The chair of the Environment Agency, Alan Lovell, said: “The importance of England’s bathing waters for residents and visitors alike cannot be overstated, which is why the Environment Agency provides rigorous testing to ensure that bathers can make informed decisions before swimming in one of our 451 sites.

“Overall bathing water quality has improved massively over the last decade due to targeted and robust regulation from the Environment Agency, and the good work carried out by partners and local groups. Last year, 96% of sites met minimum standards, up from just 76% in 2010 – and despite stricter standards being introduced in 2015. We know that improvements can take time and investment from the water industry, farmers and local communities, but where the investment is made, standards can improve.”

The new bathing sites

  • Church Cliff beach, Lyme Regis, Dorset
  • Coastguards beach, River Erme, Devon
  • Coniston boating centre, Coniston Water, Cumbria
  • Coniston Brown Howe, Coniston Water, Cumbria
  • Derwent Water at Crow Park, Keswick, Cumbria
  • Goring beach, Worthing, West Sussex
  • Littlehaven beach, Tyne and Wear
  • Manningtree beach, Essex
  • Monk Coniston, Coniston Water, Cumbria
  • River Avon at Fordingbridge, Hampshire
  • River Cam at Sheep’s Green, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
  • River Dart estuary at Dittisham, Devon
  • River Dart estuary at Steamer Quay, Totnes, Devon
  • River Dart estuary at Stoke Gabriel, Devon
  • River Dart estuary at Warfleet, Dartmouth, Devon
  • River Frome at Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset
  • River Nidd at the Lido leisure park in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
  • River Ribble at Edisford Bridge, Lancashire
  • River Severn at Ironbridge, Shropshire
  • River Severn at Shrewsbury, Shropshire
  • River Stour at Sudbury, Suffolk
  • River Teme at Ludlow, Shropshire
  • River Tone in French Weir Park, Taunton, Somerset
  • River Wharfe at Wetherby Riverside, High St, Wetherby, West Yorkshire
  • Rottingdean beach, Rottingdean, East Sussex
  • Wallingford beach, River Thames, Berkshire
  • Worthing Beach House, Worthing, West Sussex
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

13 May 2024

Posted under

Misc

East Devon: District Council votes in Cllr Eileen Wragg as its new vice chair

Years of serving the community across East Devon and the county has propelled a former Exmouth mayor into the position of vice chair of the district council.

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk

Long-serving public servant Eileen Wragg, from Exmouth, has been voted in as vice chair of East Devon, writes local democracy reporter Bradley Gerrard.

Councillor Wragg (Liberal Democrat, Exmouth Town) has been a Councillor in some form for 28 years, and will now sit alongside Councillor Eleanor Rylance (Liberal Democrat, Broadclyst), who has been re-elected as chair for another term.

The Exmouth-born Councillor who was educated at Exmouth Grammar School, and later studied at the University of Plymouth, graduating with a BA Combined Honours degree in 1995, replaces Councillor Sam Hawkins (Independent, Cranbrook) as vice chair.

[Cllr Sam Hawkins now holds the finance portfolio – see below]

Cllr Wragg joined Exmouth Town Council in 1996, serving until 2015, during which time she held the role as mayor for two years between 2005-2007.

She was first elected to Devon County Council in 2005, losing her seat in the 2017 election, but is in her third term at East Devon, having been elected in 2015, 2019 and last year.

Cllr Wragg was nominated for the role by Councillor Sarah Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat, Broadclyst).

“Cllr Wragg has taught me a huge amount about being a councillor since I started in 2019, and she has been a councillor for many years and so has a wealth of experience and skills within all areas, and I think she would be perfectly suited to the role,” she said.

Exmouth peer Councillor Olly Davey (Green Party, Exmouth Town) seconded the nomination, commenting on Ms Wragg’s superb knowledge of local issues.

“Some of you will be aware that Cllr Wragg has had a few health problems recently, but having given her a lift here today, her mind is as sharp as ever, and she’s as feisty as ever, and I’m sure she’ll keep us all in our place if required,” he said.

Cllr Wragg thanked her colleagues for the nomination, quipping that she would “be back and fully operational as soon as the spare parts arrive that are being made now”.

EDDC cabinet members and portfolio holders, following annual meeting

Held byPosition at the council
Councillor Eleanor RylanceChair of the Council
Councillor Eileen WraggVice Chair of the Council

Cabinet members

Each member of the Cabinet takes responsibility for a Portfolio.

Cabinet membersRole / Portfolio
Councillor Paul ArnottLeader
Councillor Paul HaywardDeputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economy and Assets
Councillor Geoff JungPortfolio Holder Coast, Country and Environment
Councillor Marianne RixsonPortfolio Holder Climate Action
Councillor Sarah JacksonPortfolio Holder Communications and Democracy
Councillor John LoudounPortfolio Holder Council and Corporate Co-ordination
Councillor Nick HookwayPortfolio Holder Culture, Leisure, Sport and Tourism
Councillor Sam HawkinsPortfolio Holder Finance
Councillor Todd OlivePortfolio Holder Strategic Planning
Councillor Dan LedgerPortfolio Holder Sustainable Homes and Communities

Assistant Portfolio Holders

Post holderPortfolio
Councillor Paula FernleyCouncillor Charlotte FitzgeraldAssistant Portfolio Holders Coast, Country and Environment
Councillor Richard JefferiesAssistant Portfolio Holder Culture, Leisure, Sport and Tourism
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

13 May 2024

Posted under

Misc

East Devon: Council leader slams ‘slag off’ critics and rejects past bullying claims inside the authority as ‘red herrings’

Preface by Owl

Last July EDDC passed a motion to initiate six actions to reset the council and reinforce best practice including asking the Local Government Association to undertake a Corporate Peer Challenge. 

(See “angry outburst mars attempt to reset council”)

This Corporate Peer Challenge has been concluded this year and commented (see article below); ‘there have been media reports about bullying at EDDC but the peer team did not find this to be the culture and staff said positively that they didn’t recognise this portrayal of EDDC’,” 

Mark Williams resigned as Chief Executive in October 2023.

BBC Spotlight presented his resignation alongside unconfirmed reports that he was facing a formal complaint about his conduct. Allegations had been made in a formal complaint that he had “intimidated and browbeaten” the conduct of an independent investigation into child sex abuse allegations.

As Paul Arnott said last week in the context of the appointment of Tracy Hendren as the new CEO: “It is very obviously the beginning of a new era, with a very new management team here, which is very talented, and I look forward, and you can all look forward, to us working together as one council moving forward.”

East Devon: Council leader slams ‘slag off’ critics and rejects past bullying claims inside the authority as ‘red herrings’

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk 

The East Devon authority leader has hit out at critics of the district council, saying he was ‘slightly tired of being slagged off’ in some towns and villages amid past bully claims, which he rejected.

Paul Arnott has hit back at critics within some East Devon parish councils in relation to historic “red herring” allegations about bullying at the authority, writes local democracy reporter Bradley Gerrard.

Councillor Arnott (Liberal Democrat, Coly Valley), who was voted in for his fifth successive year as leader of East Devon District Council this week (Wednesday, May 8), said he was getting “slightly tired of being slagged off at some parish councils”.

“In the Corporate Peer Challenge [carried out by the Local Government Association this year it said ‘there have been media reports about bullying at EDDC but the peer team did not find this to be the culture and staff said positively that they didn’t recognise this portrayal of EDDC’,” Cllr Arnott said.

“I hope and pray that all of us can move on from what was a complete set of red herrings flown in the interests of people no longer involved in the organisation.”

The Corporate Peer Challenge came after comments in a Grant Thornton audit report of East Devon surrounding governance at the council.

The audit report, released in December last year, covered the 2021/22 financial year but did include some analysis from the 2022/23 year too.

“Whilst it appears that relationships between most officers and portfolio holders were generally effective, it is clear that the relationships between some other senior officers and members were poor,” the Grant Thornton audit said.

“There were allegations of bullying by both officers and members. We saw evidence of some officers leaving the organisation, as well as suggestions that members did not stand for re-election as a result of the behaviours and culture that was reported within the council.

“Whilst different respondents had differing views and perspectives of the reasons for the behaviour and the various allegations, it is clear to us that relationships within the council had resulted in an unacceptable culture.”

It did, however, flag “many excellent examples” of officers and members working “effectively together in a cohesive manner to the benefit of the district, and responding to the challenges in very difficult and unprecedented circumstances”.

Addressing this week’s annual meeting, Cllr Arnott added that he appreciated all Councillors working together for the betterment of residents.

“I wanted to thank all councillors for their input into processes which some were opposed to in the first place but were then very creative with,” he said.

“That is, in particular, the LGA peer challenge, the involvement with the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny, the Planning Advisory Service, our own work across personnel committee and elsewhere looking at the challenges we’ve had, so I’d like to thank everyone for their involvement and it’s very much appreciated.

“It is very obviously the beginning of a new era, with a very new management team here, which is very talented, and I look forward, and you can all look forward, to us working together as one council moving forward.”

Just before the annual meeting, Councillors had approved the appointment of Tracy Hendren as its new chief executive.

Ms Hendren is currently one of the three interim co-CEOs and a director at the council. She is expected to begin her new role on June 1.