Paul Arnott calls for government action on sewage “Civil Emergency”

Link to ITV interview here.

“Developers build and build to support the immigration of wealthy retired people from other areas of the country. We have more than met our housing targets, but we are still in a desperate housing crisis….”

Maiden speech puts county’s problems in the spotlight

Guy Henderson – Local Democracy Reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

A Devon MP has used her maiden speech in the House of Commons to highlight what she claims are the county’s harsh inequalities.

Caroline Voaden, the new Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, called for change in places like Salcombe, and told fellow MPs: “I would like us to think really hard about how we can help even out our society, so that no one is raising a disabled child in a mould-filled home within sight of a millionaire’s yacht in the harbour below.”

At the general election in July, Ms Voaden overturned a 14,000 Conservative majority to oust former MP Anthony Mangnall from the seat previously known as ‘Totnes’.

In her speech, she told parliamentarians how she came to live in rural Devon, and outlined some of its attractions and successes.

But, she added: “There is so much more to South Devon that does not make it onto the postcards or the chocolate boxes.

“We have Britain’s most expensive seaside town in Salcombe, where an average house costs £970,000, but not far away we have left-behind neighbourhoods where people struggle to make ends meet on low-paid seasonal work and live in poor-quality housing.

“This disparity of wealth can be hard to get your head around.

“We have communities that have been hollowed out by second homes to the extent that schools are closing, village shops have long gone and the last pubs are closing.

“Families are being evicted so that landlords can turn their homes into short-term holiday lets, and second homes registered as businesses are causing our council to lose out on millions of pounds a year of desperately needed resources. We must close this loophole.”

She said businesses are struggling to find staff because no one can afford to live nearby and there is no social housing.

Yet, she added: “Developers build and build to support the immigration of wealthy retired people from other areas of the country. We have more than met our housing targets, but we are still in a desperate housing crisis.

“The solution is not just build, build, build. It is about land prices, what we build and where, and who buys those homes.

“What we need is social housing, more community land trust schemes, innovation and ideas for breaking out of the developer-led disaster we are in.”

Richard Foord MP has put in a written question to parliament to make sure the school building program is going ahead and that Tipton St John is still part of it. He believes Rachel Reeves’ spending assessment doesn’t extend to the DfE’s capital budget.

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

Certainty over a proposed scheme to relocate a Devon school is being sought amid the government’s spending review.

Tipton St John Primary School was in the previous administration’s priority schools’ rebuilding programme, but with Labour now seeking to cut plug a national funding gap, the future of the scheme is up in the air.

The Department for Education (DfE) had agreed to fund the construction of the new school, with Devon County Council providing the land and paying for work such as road access.

Former East Devon Conservative MP Simon Jupp, who lost his seat the election, had campaigned on the issue, and earlier this year welcomed the-then education secretary Gillian Keegan to the school to urge that work begin quickly.

The DfE’s preferred location for a new school is two miles away at Thorne Farm, Ottery St Mary.

But now, the county council says it is trying to find out whether the government will honour its predecessor’s commitment.

“With the new government still identifying its priorities, we are not yet clear what its intention is with the priority schools rebuilding programme,” a council spokesperson said.

“We are, however, seeking clarity.”

Following boundary changes at the last election, Tipton St John is now in the Honiton and Sidmouth constituency, represented by Liberal Democrat Richard Foord who says he would prefer to see the school stay in the village rather than moved to neighbouring Ottery.

This is despite the school being in a flood-risk area and being under water on several occasions.

Shortly after his election win, he went to visit the school and its headteacher and governors.

“It is a school that absolutely does need to be rebuilt, but there is a very big question over where,” Mr Foord said.

“Personally, I’m of the view that it should be kept in the village if at all possible.”

Mr Foord said that as it stands, chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spending assessment doesn’t extend to the DfE’s capital budget – the pot of money it would use for large schemes such as rebuilding schools.

“Again though, we want some certainty so I have put in a written question to parliament to make sure the school building program is going ahead and that Tipton St John is still part of it.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We remain committed to improving the condition of the school estate, and the rebuild of Tipton St John is a part of that.

“We continue to work with the school and local partners and look forward to progressing the project when a new suitable site has been secured.

“All future decisions remain subject to the spending review.”