Extracts from Cllr Ed Hill’s social media reports on “Life as a Devon County Councillor”

19th june

…I’ve just spoken directly with Reform UK Head Office and can confirm that they were unaware of the way I’ve been treated by certain individuals in the Devon branch management.

To clarify:

I remain the Chairman of the Exeter Reform UK Branch
I remain a Reform UK County Councillor for Devon…..

20th June

..I’m still banned from the chair.exeter@reform email account, so anything sent there will go to the regional coordinator, Matt Sykes. I’m also still locked out of the Reform UK Exeter Branch Facebook page—so if you know anyone over there, send them this way for updates.

On the investigation into me allegedly bringing Reform into disrepute: due process is now underway. I gave my witness statement to Reform HQ Investigations about an hour ago—so as they say, it’ll all come out in the wash...

 21th June

..I am still banned from the Reform UK Exeter Branch Facebook group.

So, until the penny drops, any updates that would normally be posted there will be shared here instead.

Transparency and accountability matter — and I’ll continue doing what I’ve always done: keeping members and residents informed...

Is this a lockout? – Owl

South West Water manages 27, or 35 per cent, of all of England’s Blue Flag beaches, it occupies 50 per cent of the top 10 list for spills and 60 per cent of the top 10 worst performers for hours of sewage discharges.

Budleigh Salterton (264 sewage discharges), Exmouth (228) and Sidmouth (158) made up the top three.

Here is what “On the same page” David Reed is doing, posted a day after David Parsley’s article below.

Revealed: Water firms dump sewage 2,380 times at iconic Blue Flag beaches

David Parsley inews.co.uk 20 June – (Extract)

Using the Government’s official data, The i Paper has found that 26 of England’s Blue Flag beaches discharged sewage into seas more than 30 times in 2024, while nine dumped waste more than 100 times.

In all there were at least 2,380 sewage spills at Blue Flag beaches over a total period of 15,291 hours last year.

Visitors to Devon, which has more Blue Flag beaches than any other region, were most likely to experience sewage spills.

The latest figures, which could threaten the Blue Flag status of the worst offending beaches, follow claims from water companies that they are investing in improvements to mitigate sewage spills.

However, last year’s spills at Blue Flag beaches were up on 2023’s figure of 2,101 discharges, while the total hours of spills were up from the figure of 14,834.

Many of the top 10 worst performing Blue Flag beaches in 2024 were covered by South West Water, which manages water and sewage services in the holiday hotpots of Devon and Cornwall.

The beachside towns of Budleigh Salterton (264 sewage discharges), Exmouth (228) and Sidmouth (158) made up the top three.

Exmouth, which pumped sewage into the sea for 2,279 hours in 2024, tops the list in this category. The town, which has been awarded Blue Flag status seven years in a row, saw 214 sewage spills over 1,983 hours in 2023…..

……While South West Water manages 27, or 35 per cent, of all of England’s Blue Flag beaches, it occupies 50 per cent of the top 10 list for spills and 60 per cent of the top 10 worst performers for hours of sewage discharges.

South West Water said: “It is important to address that there are many factors that contribute to whether or not a beach is awarded Blue Flag status and water quality is only one of them.”…..

A new bill which the government says aims to speed up housebuilding has been described as “catastrophic for wildlife” by a nature charity.

This reinforces the point already made to the labour government but tossed aside. – Owl

Janine Jansen www.bbc.co.uk

Devon Wildlife Trust’s chief executive Nick Bruce-White has said it will give developers an open door to pay “cash to trash” the environment.

Labour says it wants to build 1.5 million homes during this parliament and 150 large infrastructure projects.

The government says the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a “win-win” for the economy and nature by ensuring builders can meet their environmental obligations faster.

Devon Wildlife Trust has said it wants part three of the bill, entitled Nature Restoration Fund, scrapped.

Mr Bruce-White said it would be “catastrophic for wildlife by effectively giving developers licence to trash wildlife habitats”.

He said it “represents one of the most significant threats to nature that we’ve faced in decades”.

“We’ve worked really hard with government to try and make sure environmental protections are kept within the planning system, so we can both grow the economy and restore nature at the same time.

“All our work behind closed doors has been met with platitudes and false reassurances and we feel like we are being completely ignored,” he added.

‘Environmental improvements’

The government says the Nature Restoration Fund “will ensure there is a win-win for both the economy and nature by ensuring builders can meet their environmental obligations faster.”

“These changes will remove time intensive and costly processes, with payments into the fund allowing building to proceed while wider action is taken to secure the environmental improvements we need.”

At the bill’s third reading, the Minister for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook said: “To those who believe this government might buckle and scrap part three of the bill entirely, I simply say, “You have underestimated the resolve of this government and this minister.”

“The case for moving to a more strategic approach that will allow us to use funding from development to deliver environmental improvements at a scale that will have the greatest impact in driving the recovery of protected sites and species, is compelling.”

Devon Wildlife Trust says often great crested newts and bats are blamed for delaying planning developments, but its own research shows they represent just 3% of planning application appeals.

The charity says sensitive and protected nature sites could be at high risk of damage or destruction under the new planning framework, with species like curlews, water voles, and the High Brown Fritillary butterfly at risk.

Members of the House of Lords will now debate the bill.

Richard Foord takes up the plight of business hampered by slow broadband speeds

He has previously criticised Devon County Council for its failure to ring-fence money clawed back from a previous scheme to connect rural areas. The county earmarked the money instead for services for young and vulnerable adults.

Owl can’t help associating the history of slow broadband speed with two prominent Tory politicians, now consigned to history.

The first is Richard Foord’s predecessor, Neil Parish, whose genuine attempts to raise this in parliament over the years have since become the butt of ribald comment, such as: “The Tory MP under investigation for allegedly watching pornography in the Commons chamber, has mentioned broadband in the Commons 58 times – mainly concerning slow connection speeds.”

Then there is the long historical connection of former Honiton councillor Phil Twiss, rejected by voters in May, to schemes that have repeatedly failed to deliver over many years.

Five years ago under a post entitled “Search begins for superfast broadband provider in Devon and Somerset”. Owl laid down this challenge to readers of “East Devon Watch”:

“Searching the archive using a combination of these terms: Twiss; broadband supremo; omnishambles, how far back can you go?“ [Answer: to the beginnings of the “Watch” in 2014 when Phil was an EDDC councillor claiming to be something of an expert, advocating an EDDC “go it alone” policy.]

The spotlight has fallen on ‘disappointing’ broadband speeds holding back East Devon businesses, raised by Honiton and Sidmouth MP Richard Foord speaking in Parliament.

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk

Businesses in rural areas like East Devon are facing ‘extraordinary barriers’ to success because of poor broadband connections, writes local democracy reporter Guy Henderson.

Digital businesses are at risk as the government delays a drive to connect the countryside to high-speed networks, it’s been claimed.

In the recent spending review, a target to get 99 per cent of the country fully switched on by 2030 was put back to 2032, an announcement which Honiton and Sidmouth Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord said is ’disappointing’.

He told a Westminster debate on rural businesses that ordinary medium-sized and small businesses in Devon face extraordinary barriers, including being held back by a lack of reliable broadband.

Only 56 per cent of premises in mid Devon have access to full-fibre broadband, he said, which is well below the national average.

Mr Foord cited the example of one constituent, Daniel Lennox of Sidbury, who runs a home-based digital business showcasing regional theatre productions.

“It is exactly the kind of enterprise that we want to be encouraging,” he said. “It is creative, based in the community and part of the future digital economy.

“However, it cannot run properly, given the lack of a decent internet connection to Daniel’s property, which has been left with a part-copper line that is unreliable, slow and not sufficient for a digital business.”

He said the case was far from unique, and while he welcomed the government’s £5 billion investment in Project Gigabit, the rural roll-out of fast connections, the delivery is falling behind.

“We must ensure that rural businesses such as Daniel’s on the edge of villages succeed, and that they do not fail because of unreliable or unavailable broadband,” he said.

Mr Foord has previously criticised Devon County Council for its failure to ring-fence money clawed back from a previous scheme to connect rural areas. The county earmarked the money instead for services for young and vulnerable adults.