A letter from a correspondent:

Dear Owl,

“ I wouldn’t go in there;  a couple of weeks ago I developed a blistering rash all over my arms after going in the water; my colleague got sick after going in and had to have antibiotics.  We have all been ill as a result of going in the water.”  This was an RNLI lifeguard’s account of the harm that the polluted seas are causing him and his colleagues as told to me this week as I walked along the beach, unable to go for a swim because of yet another illegal sewage spill caused by SWW. At least two reported sewage spills caused by South West Water have taken place this week on Exmouth beach alone according  to Surfers Against Sewage. 

On Tuesday 10^th September the whole of the south coast and many other coastlines around the country had sewage alerts according to the Surfers Against Sewage website.  The rainfall was not unexpected or exceptional but as we know,  water companies abuse the sewage overflow permit system to  release millions of gallons of untreated sewage into our seas and rivers.

South Water levy the highest water rates in the country on its customers; its infrastructure project plans are little more than aspirational nonsense with targets for delivery constantly missed – it is one of the worst companies for failing to meet its infrastructure projects deadlines -unlike the huge bosses’ pay packets, business acquisitions and generous dividend payments which appear right on time.  The pension funds who invest in the water industry and the bosses have had their cake and everyone else’s so it is time for them to put and shut up and for the government to restore faith in its ability to look after the little people whose businesses are going under and  whose communities are dying on their feet because holidaymakers are literally sick of swimming in polluted water.

The Government is in crisis on many fronts. It could start to earn the trust and respect of its electorate by tackling the environmental vandalism wrought by years of water privatisation. The answer to the ongoing environmental and economic catastrophe caused by the years of underinvestment and greedy grab for profits by the privatised water industry is to put them into administration and if necessary renationalise the industry. .  It is time that Keir Starmer searches down the back of his sofa for that moral compass that he wielded to such great effect when defending two environmental activists in the MacDonalds libel case forty years ago and in later years as an outstanding  DPP. It is his decision ultimately to bring the water industry into administration and so help to save our coastal communities, our environment and marine life and to protect the health of people who want to enjoy our lovely beaches and seas and of those who keep us safe at sea. 

Twenty years ago David Attenborough on a Planet Earth programme about the oceans, stated that we have the power to choose whether to protect or destroy the oceans.  We are running out of time and we need decisive government action now to help nature recover and in the process protect our fishing industry, our marine life and our coastal communities.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Wilcox

Local authorities have had the ability to sell council houses to their tenants since the Housing Act 1936. Sales ran at modest levels until Margaret Thatcher introduced her “Right to Buy” (at a discount) scheme in 1980. Sales then took off.

What has now become abundantly clear is that, since 1980, too little of the receipts from these sales has been reinvested in renewing the depleted social housing stock.

The  “Right to buy” scheme was abolished in Scotland (2016) and Wales (2019). 

Now Labour plans to introduce major reforms to it in England. These reforms are discussed in a BBC report below.

Before that there is some welcome news from EDDC describing how the current council is trying to reverse the trend locally. – Owl

EDDC press release

An ambitious plan to deliver 500 high-quality, energy-efficient homes over the next five years has been described as “one of the most significant housing commitments ever made” by East Devon District Council.

The £100m Build and Buy Housing Investment and Delivery Plan, approved by the council’s Cabinet, is designed to tackle long-standing housing pressures across East Devon, where the average house price now exceeds £346,000 – more than 10 times the local average salary.

The plan proposes a dual approach to delivering more affordable homes:

• 250 homes built on council-owned land by regenerating existing estates and developing underused sites. Delivery methods will include traditional builds, Modern Methods of Construction and joint ventures with partner organisations.
• 250 homes acquired through Section 106 agreements, off-the-shelf purchases, collaborative deals with developers and housing providers.

Meeting diverse housing needs

The council’s housing register currently shows over 2,300 households in need of affordable housing, and demand continues to rise. This plan seeks to directly address those needs while also delivering temporary accommodation, supported housing and homes for older residents.

The programme will deliver a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes across the district, while housing tenures will focus on affordable rents, with some scope for shared ownership where it enables wider delivery.

A sustainable and community-focused programme

All homes will aim to be ‘net zero ready’, which supports the council’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2040. The homes will feature energy-efficiency measures and maximise the use of renewable energy.

Strong community engagement features in the plan, with local residents, councillors and partners involved at every stage. Each development will include tailored consultation to ensure transparency and alignment with local priorities.

Financing

The £100m investment will be funded through a mix of borrowing, government grants, developer contributions, capital receipts and Right to Buy receipts. Every scheme will be modelled to ensure it is self-financing through rental income.

Looking ahead

The first phase of acquisitions is expected to move quickly, with new homes potentially available as early as 2026, while larger-scale build projects will begin from 2027/28 onwards.

Councillor Dan Ledger, Portfolio Holder Sustainable Homes and Communities, East Devon District Council, said: “This is one of the most significant housing commitments ever made by East Devon District Council. We’re not just building houses; we’re creating communities where people can feel proud to live. The plan marks a turning point in how we work with and support residents, especially as it has shaped by extensive community feedback from our Housing Strategy consultation. Safe, secure and affordable housing underpins a thriving community, and this programme reflects our shared ambition to provide the right homes, in the right places, with the right support.”

Labour plans further Right to Buy restrictions in England

Paul Seddon www.bbc.co.uk

Newly-built social housing in England will be exempt from Right to Buy for 35 years, under government plans to further scale back the policy.

Social tenants will also have to live in their properties for much longer before qualifying for the scheme, which allows them to buy at a discount.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said it would help local authorities “protect much-needed social housing stock” and build new homes at scale.

But the Conservatives branded the latest plans an “attack on aspiration”.

Introduced in 1980, Right to Buy became a signature policy of the Thatcher government and was initially credited with increasing rates of home ownership.

But in recent years the policy has been blamed for depleting council housing stock, after successive governments failed to replace properties sold under the scheme, often at a significant discount.

It was abolished in Scotland in 2014, with Wales following in 2018.

Since coming to power last year, Labour has stopped short of doing the same in England, but has significantly pared back the policy as part of broader plans to boost affordable housing.

In November’s Budget, it slashed the maximum discounts available to tenants to between £16,000-£38,000, down from £102,400 to £136,400.

Discount rates

Now it has confirmed new social homes will be exempt from the scheme for 35 years – longer than the 10 to 30 years suggested in a policy paper ahead of a two-month consultation earlier this year.

The government said the longer period would ensure councils do not lose homes before they can recover costs from building them – noting the “payback period” on most new developments is at least 30 years.

It has also announced new discount rates to sit alongside the cash caps announced at the Budget.

Under the plans, discounts will start at 5% of a property’s value, down from 35% for houses and 50% for flats currently.

As now, social tenants will still be able to increase this discount by 1% for every year they live in their property, but only up to a new maximum of 15% of the home’s value or the new cash cap, whichever is lower.

Tenants will also have to have lived in their properties for at least ten years before qualifying, up from three years currently.

The government says the changes will require changes to legislation, to be delivered “when parliamentary time allows”.

‘Unsustainable’

The government has also confirmed it will not be extending Right to Buy to housing association tenants – an idea previously suggested by Boris Johnson shortly before he was ousted by his own MPs in 2022.

The move was welcomed by the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, which added that losses in local authority stock had been “unsustainable”.

The moves to further restrict Right to Buy are likely to be welcomed by the Local Government Association, which has previously warned that replacing sold-off homes was becoming “increasingly impossible” for councils it represents.

It had been pushing, external for a longer 15-year qualifying period, and more flexibility for councils to set their own minimum discounts, including the option of not offering any initial discount to new tenants.

However, Conservative shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake accused Labour of “turning its back on the very families who work hard and want a stake in their future”.

“For decades, Right to Buy has helped millions take their first step onto the housing ladder. Now, this government is making it harder than ever to own a home,” he added.