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29 Aug 2018

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Accountability, Asset sweating, Austerity cuts, Developers/ Development, Inequality, Local Government Finance

“The great British sell-off”

“Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Locality, takes a look at the number of publicly-owned assets being sold off to the private sector after bearing the brunt of austerity, and considers what can be done.

We have known for some time that many of our important local buildings and spaces are being lost. These are our swimming pools and libraries; our parks and play areas; our community centres and town halls. Local authorities, which have borne the brunt of austerity since 2010, have often found themselves struggling to keep them open, or have been seeking a short-term cash boost by selling them off to the private sector.

At Locality, we hear these stories every week from our member local community organisations. But with no official data available, it’s been impossible to gauge the overall scale of the sell-off.

We issued a Freedom of Information request to all local authorities in England to try and get a better picture of what’s happening in our communities. The results have been staggering: we found that more than 4,000 publicly-owned buildings and spaces are being sold off by councils every single year.

To give you a sense of just how big a number this is, it’s more than four times the number of Starbucks shops across the country being sold off by councils annually.

We believe this ‘Great British Sell-Off’ is hugely damaging to our communities. These are the places where people come together, take their kids, exercise and get to know their neighbours. When the country feels more divided than ever, when social isolation is one of our biggest challenges, this loss of social space couldn’t be happening at a worse time. We are never going to bring our country back together if we don’t have welcoming places where people can come together.

That’s why we want to see our places protected through community ownership so they are there for all of us forever. Community ownership doesn’t just mean a building is saved. It can also mean revitalising a space that the council has struggled with and putting it to productive use for local people.

Take Bramley Baths in Leeds, for example. This is a beautiful local building – a Grade 2 listed Edwardian Bath House – that provides a crucial service. For years, it’s been where local families have taken their kids to learn to swim, or where young adults have learned to be lifeguards.

In 2013, the council was looking to close it due to budget cuts, but the community rallied round and took over the baths. It’s now a shining example of community ownership. Not only are the swimming baths now profitable, but opening hours have doubled and more children are being taught to swim.

The benefits of community ownership

Community ownership has such wide benefits. We want to see councils prioritising it when they think about the future of their property portfolios.

We know through our work at Locality that the community organisations who have been most resilient to recent ill winds have been those that own an asset. This gives an organisation a sustainable income stream, which makes them less dependent on grant funding or contracts. It gives them the independence to invest in the services their community really needs.
There is also a wider economic impact to be gained from community ownership. Community organisations provide spaces for business startups and social enterprises, creating hubs of local enterprises.

We’ve been working with NEF Consulting to measure the contribution this makes to the local economy: the economic value community organisations create not just through their own activities, but by hosting tenants.
We found that 10 Locality members had collectively enabled approximately 1,400 jobs and contributed £120m of gross value added to the local economy through their tenant organisations.

This economic contribution is particularly important because our members tend to work in the most deprived neighbourhoods – places the public sector finds ‘hard to reach’ and the private sector tends to forget. So community organisations are a critical way of boosting the economy in so-called ‘left behind’ areas and creating genuinely inclusive growth.

Community ownership fund

So community ownership not only guarantees that a building or space will be available for the whole community, it also invests in the local area and helps the community take control.

But we need more support for more communities to stop the sell-off. We’re calling for government to kickstart a Community Ownership Fund of £200m a year for five years, to provide communities with the resources they need to take on ownership of local buildings and spaces.

We also want to see local authorities put in place a Community Asset Transfer policy to make sure they give the community the consideration it deserves when making decisions about the long-term future of our crucial public buildings and spaces. We have lots of resources for how to do this and the key considerations available on our website.

There is no sign of an end coming soon to the spending squeeze, and we know the pressures on the public sector will only intensify. But while it’s an understandable urge, looking for a capital receipt from a public building or space can only ever offer temporary respite.

Local authorities need to think about how to maximise long-term social value for their places – and they can do this by saving our spaces through community ownership.”

http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/The-ravens-daily-blog/the-great-british-sell-off

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

28 Aug 2018

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Accountability, Affordable and Social Housing, Developers/ Development, Inequality, Land banking, Land Supply, Planning System

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3 Comments

“Call to stop landowners making huge profits from speculation”

Owl says: well, duh! How come it took this long to figure out! And the chances of anything being done while some of the big landowners are MPs and many many are Tory party donors … nil.

“Britain should limit the windfall gains of landowners by freezing the value of plots newly designated for housing, according to a thinktank urging sweeping reforms to tackle a national shortage of affordable homes.

Calling on the government to pursue land market reforms similar to the German model, the Institute for Public Policy Research said planning authorities should be given new powers to zone land for development and freeze its price.

It said speculation by landowners awaiting planning decisions that can trigger vast increases in the value of a plot, had the effect of exacerbating wealth inequality and was a “driving force behind the broken housing market” in Britain.

Luke Murphy, associate director at IPPR, said: “Conventional wisdom suggests that the UK has a problem with house prices, but the reality is that we have a problem with land.”

The sweeping reforms would mean national and local government organisations would benefit from the extra value generated by planning decisions, which could be used for local infrastructure or affordable housing, rather than landowners accruing massive returns from the state approving changes in the use of land.

Using the example of a hectare of agricultural land in Oxfordshire that would typically be worth about £25,000, the IPPR said it could skyrocket in value by more than 200 times on approval for residential development to be worth about £5.6m. While the landowner stands to benefit from approval, the increase drives up the cost of building homes.

Two years ago on average the price of land had risen to more than 70% of the price paid for a house, which the IPPR said could rise to about 83% over the next two decades given current trends in the housing market. Options to remedy the problem could include councils buying land and selling at higher prices to developers, or entering into partnerships with landowners to share the proceeds of the sale.

About half of net wealth in Britain is tied in up in land, having risen by more than 500% in the past two decades to stand at £5tn. Although the value of property built on land across the country has also risen, it has increased at a much slower rate, of around 219%.

According to a 2010 report for Country Life, a third of Britain’s land still belongs to the aristocracy, while some of the oldest families in the country have held on to their land for several centuries. The IPPR said the top 10% own property wealth averaging £420,000 in value, compared with the bottom 30% who own no net property wealth at all.

Murphy said: “Wealth inequality, a poorly functioning housing market, an economy focused on unproductive investment and macroeconomic instability are all negative consequences of our current speculative land market. … ”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/28/call-to-stop-landowners-making-huge-profits-from-speculation?

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East Devon Watch

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27 Aug 2018

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Accountability, Air pollution, Developers/ Development, Housing (local), Sidford Business Park, Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury, West End: WestClyst BroadClyst/ Pinhoe, West Hill, Woodbury

“Air pollution causes ‘huge’ reduction in intelligence, study reveals”

Not good news for people on the route of the Sidford Fields Industrial Estate – or anyone in any of the villages close to Exeter that EDDC wants to expand.

“Air pollution causes a “huge” reduction in intelligence, according to new research, indicating that the damage to society of toxic air is far deeper than the well-known impacts on physical health.

The research was conducted in China but is relevant across the world, with 95% of the global population breathing unsafe air. It found that high pollution levels led to significant drops in test scores in language and arithmetic, with the average impact equivalent to having lost a year of the person’s education.

“Polluted air can cause everyone to reduce their level of education by one year, which is huge,” said Xi Chen at Yale School of Public Health in the US, a member of the research team. “But we know the effect is worse for the elderly, especially those over 64, and for men, and for those with low education. If we calculate [the loss] for those, it may be a few years of education.”

Previous research has found that air pollution harms cognitive performance in students, but this is the first to examine people of all ages and the difference between men and women.

The damage in intelligence was worst for those over 64 years old, with serious consequences, said Chen: “We usually make the most critical financial decisions in old age.” Rebecca Daniels, from the UK public health charity Medact, said: “This report’s findings are extremely worrying.” “

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/27/air-pollution-causes-huge-reduction-in-intelligence-study-reveals

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

27 Aug 2018

Is YOUR village on the EDDC list for expansion? And another east/west divide

East Devon District Council Strategic Planning Committee are going to discuss:

“Principles for accommodating the future growth needs of East Devon”

on 4 September 2018.

The Committee are being asked to endorse

“The proposed principles for growth” as the basis for future discussion and consultation on accommodating extra growth in the district.”

The document is described as the “start of the debate” for future East Devon growth points for both the GESP (The Greater Exeter Strategic Plan) and the East Devon Local Plan review, which is required to be updated within the next two years.

For the last few years East Devon District Council have achieved their own Local Plan agreed target of 950 dwellings per year. (EDDC Target is 17,100 dwellings between the years of 2013 to 2031).

Recently Central Government decided to calculate each District`s housing requirement targets on a set matrix. East Devon’s build out figure has been set to be 844 homes per year. However, the report suggests that rather than achieve the Government target of 844 new houses per year there is a proposal to build out much higher levels of growth.

The report explains that the objective of higher growth could be achieved by what is called a “Growth Deal” with Central Government where a group of Councils agree to build more housing in return for infrastructure investment from central funds.

This proposed “Growth Deal” is being prepared by the Councils of East Devon, Exeter, Teignbridge and Mid Devon through the “GESP” Greater Exeter Strategic Plan.

It is recognised that Exeter is unable to provide the housing land required to sustain the expected growth of the city, and the rural areas and towns in the rest of the combined area will be required to increase their housing requirements in exchange for the infrastructure improvements for access to and from the city of Exeter.

Improvements to the motorway junctions, new roads, extra park and rides, rail improvements, new stations and an integrated transport system are all identified as priority improvements to overcome the already chronic delays on Exeter`s transport network. There are also aspirations for a “sports hub and concert venue” for Greater Exeter to be included in the GESP infrastructure needs.

The report gives a brief synopsis of the towns in East Devon and concludes that other than the new town of Cranbrook there is limited scope for growth due to the various towns’ proximity to the AONB designated areas, or they are bordering on the coast or close to flood plains.

The conclusion from the report is that the existing towns will only accommodate minimal growth, and with two-thirds of East Devon being included in the AONB of the Pebblebed Heaths or the Blackdown Hills the only area that can accommodate substantial growth is within the North West part of the district.

The report describes this area as the Western most quadrant of this district to the North of Exmouth and West of Ottery St Mary. The land is described to benefit from being relatively flat with no landscape designations. It is also well served by main roads with good vehicle access via the M5, A30, A3052 and A376 and has good existing public transport links with the railway line and existing bus routes.

There are 3 possible ways described as to how development could be achieved in this area.

1. Establish a further new town. Basically, create another Cranbrook. However, the report considers that the creation of another new town in the area could harm the delivery of Cranbrook.

2. Establish a number of new villages. Create a series of modern Devon villages but the report considers that this option would be most damaging in landscape terms.

3. Centre Growth around Existing Villages.

Growth would be required to be substantial with around 400 to 500 extra homes to be added to a number of existing villages (The report does not state how many villages will be required within this area). However, this could harm the character of the village and the existing community.

The new NPPF acknowledges that:

“The supply of a large number of new homes can often be best achieved through planning for larger scale development such as new settlements or significant extensions to existing villages and towns, provided they are well located and designed, and supported by necessary infrastructure and facilities.”

A list of the Parishes within the expansion area for extra housing area

By referring to a map of the area these are the Parishes(villages) which are within the West of the district which could have development of between 400 to 500 extra dwellings, parishes identified could be:

Nether Exe
Rewe
Brampford Speke
Upton Pyne.
Stoke Canon

All these Villages are North of Exeter and access is by way of the A377 – which is not listed as one of the featured roads, so it is unlikely these will be included.

Broadclyst
Clyst Honiton
Sowton
Rockbeare
Wimple.

These Villages are close to Cranbrook and therefore unlikely to be selected to avoid the villages and town merging.

Clyst Hydon
Clyst St Lawrence
Aylesbeare
Marsh Green

These Parishes are remote from a main road or railway station which probably eliminates them because of their unsustainable location.

Lympstone

This Village is already designated in the report to provide growth for Exmouth.

This leaves the following Parishes most likely to be included for further expansion in the proposals:

Poltimore
Huxham
Clyst St Mary
Clyst St George (includes the village of Ebford)
West Hill
Woodbury (includes the village of Woodbury Salterton and Exton)
Farringdon.

The “Principles for Growth” which the committee are being asked to agree to:

• A significant proportion of growth to be in the Western part of the district by either a new town or extending a number of villages or building new villages.

• Plus, modest growth in existing towns with strategic growth around Axminster, Exmouth (including Lympstone), Honiton and Ottery St Mary.

• All other Villages to be encouraged to provide modest growth through their Neighbourhood Plans.

• Focus development on main transport corridors if possible.

Conclusion:

For the last few years, East Devon has successfully complied with the government`s Housing Strategy, with their current Local Plan and at present build out rates, this will over subscribe the Government Building Target until the year 2031.

The Government is not forcing East Devon to co-operate with Exeter to provide some of their housing needs. This decision is totally at the discretion of the District Council and their leaders.

Yes, Exeter is a thriving growth city, and it is recognised that the road and rail connections are dire, but why destroy the character of a part of East Devon for these improvements?

The very reason people choose to relocate to Exeter, its surrounding towns and villages is the beautiful Devon countryside; the building of a mass of new housing will simply make the area a mirror image of the existing areas the people are wanting to move away from!

So, to satisfy the aspirations and needs of the City of Exeter, the rural west area of East Devon will be required to build many more houses with either another new town or new villages or building an extra 500 houses to a number of existing village communities.

Will the Strategic Planning Committee endorse this proposal or not?

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

26 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Air pollution, Austerity cuts, Education (local), Health and Social Care (local), Inequality

Local Government News e-bulletin

Owl says: So much work so little money.

“More than four in five MPs want extra funding to be found for social care
A survey by the LGA has found that more than four in five MPs want extra funding to be found for adult social care. The poll of 150 MPs found that 84 per cent wanted extra funds for adult social care. The extra funding was backed by 79 per cent of Conservative MPs and 95 per cent of Labour MPs, while 76 per cent of peers called for extra funds. The LGA said extra funds were needed to rescue care services for older and disabled people from collapse. It warns there is a £3.5 billion funding gap facing adult social care by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care. Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Councils, care workers, health professionals and now even MPs and Peers agree that social care funding to councils must be increased. Work to find a long-term funding solution for adult social care and support has been kicked into the long grass by successive governments for the past two decades and has brought these services to breaking point. The Government cannot duck this issue any longer. It must make genuinely new resources available urgently to plug the short-term funding gap of £3.5 billion as well as set out its plans to secure the longer-term future.” Cllr Seccombe also called for a nationwide public debate about the future of care for all adults ahead of the Government’s green paper.
Sunday Telegraph p8

Deferred Payment Agreements
Around 4,800 homes have been entered into Deferred Payment Agreements (DPAs) to pay for their owners’ care fees, according to a Freedom of Information Act survey. It also found 14 councils have signed more than 100 DPAs in two years. An LGA spokesperson said: “We cannot duck this issue (of how to fund adult social care) any longer, which is why, following the Government’s postponement of its long-awaited green paper on adult social care, the LGA has published its own.”
Express p2

Children’s Commissioner calls for end to ‘battery-hen’ school holidays
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, says urgent action is needed to stop children leading a “battery hen existence” during the school holidays that is damaging their mental health, contributing to violence and ensuring they return to school in worse health than when they left. She called for radical measures to restore the importance of play, such as overhauling play areas and parks.
Observer p1

School cash drive saves £100m
The Department for Education’s School Resource Management Strategy will reveal £106 million was saved in 2016/17 on equipment costs in schools. In one case, savings included £40,000 worth of unused equipment in a single school, which will be sold off.
Express p2

City mayors in joint call for urgent action to tackle air pollution
A total of 17 mayors and civic leaders have signed a letter calling on Theresa May to take immediate action to fight air pollution, which scientists estimate causes at least 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK. They say the Government should pass a stringent clean air act that will give local authorities powers to regulate emissions such as those produced by taxis in cities.
Observer p11

Cuts in projects for migrants
A new study by the Institute for Public Policy Research says cuts to key programmes have undermined efforts to help migrants settle in communities. It found funding for integration efforts, aimed at local authorities with high levels of migration, had dropped by almost a third. There was also evidence that councils with the highest levels of migration had been disadvantaged the most, as their funding had not kept pace with population growth.
Observer p20

Bus companies betray our ailing high streets
Bus operators have been accused of making the high street crisis worse by reducing services into town and city centres across the UK. Councils and private contractors have blamed gridlocked roads and a reduction in passengers heading into high streets for running fewer buses on certain routes.
Express p10

Lib Dem leader prepares to quit
Sir Vince Cable is set to stand down as the Liberal Democrat leader before the next general election. He will announce he wants a change to party rules in an attempt to create a mass membership movement and allow a non-MP to take charge.
Sunday Times p1, Mail on Sunday p2, Sky News Online

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

26 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, Police (local)

“Third of neighbourhood police officers have been axed in England and Wales over the past three years as violent crime rises”

So, the article says sorting it out is up to Chief Constables and the Police and Crime Commissioner… oh heck …

“A THIRD of bobbies on the beat were axed across England and Wales as violent crime surged over the past three years, it was reported last night.

More than 7,000 neighbourhood police officers have left the force or been assigned to other duties since March 2015, according to The Sunday Times.

The number of police community support officers has also reportedly fallen by 18% to just over 10,000 during the same period.

Cardboard cutout police officers have been used to provide a “visible deterrent” by frustrated councillors in North Yorkshire.

Villagers in Somerset hired a security firm to patrol at night due to the lack of a police presence.

Violent crimes in England and Wales nearly doubled from 778,000 to 1.4million from 2015 to the year ending March 2018.

Former Scotland Yard commissioner Lord Stevens said the figures were “incredibly alarming”

He added: “If the increase in violent crime carries on escalating, you are going to get a very dangerous tipping point where there is no control.”

The Home Office said: “Decisions about frontline policing, and how resources are best deployed, are for chief constables and democratically accountable police and crime commissioners.” …

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7102941/third-of-police-axed/

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

25 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Affordable and Social Housing, Air pollution, Austerity cuts, EDDC, Housing (local)

Comments

1 Comment

No development “at the whim of others” says Diviani – but doesn’t make clear who “others” are!

Possible list of “others” who might whim:

Us (likely – those of us living in a constantly concrete East Devon with no services and no infrastructure);

Those desperate for social housing and/or truly-affordable homes (unlikely – never been a consideration for EDDC, unlikely to change now);

Developers (unlikely given EDCC’s highly developer-friendly reputation);

Other members of the “Greater Exeter” consortium (where we and others have to take Exeter overspill whether we lime it or not);

Former members of the East Devon Business Forum (unlikely, mostly developers, they all remain in EDDC’s very good books).

“The government’s latest forecast for the minimum number of new homes to be built in East Devon every year is to be considered by district council planners.

The implications of the requirement for 844 homes to be constructed annually will be discussed by the Strategic Planning Committee at its meeting on Tuesday, September 4.

Members will consider how this growth will impact on jobs, infrastructure and community facilities.

A report explains to the committee that the government’s latest housing needs calculation should be taken as a baseline figure only and is likely to increase as a further strategy for growth emerges in the future.

It says the latest forecast doesn’t take into account wider changes in East Devon over the last few years such as higher than normal economic growth which led to an increase in housing need in the current Local Plan.

The report identifies key themes to be considered by the committee to ensure future growth in the district is ‘positive and sustainable’. The themes include healthy and prosperous communities, environmental protection and enhancement, resource consumption and climate change and economic growth, education and employment.

A number of key issues are identified under each of these themes with set principles for a future growth strategy. These include delivering housing to meet the needs of all areas of the community, limiting growth within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, protecting areas at greatest risk of flooding and ensuring adequate employment space is provided to meet the needs of businesses.

The report also considers locations in the district and how they are able to accommodate growth that meets the principles. Many of East Devon’s existing towns are heavily constrained while some have clear opportunities to grow and expand. It considers opportunities around existing villages and for new communities to accommodate the levels of growth required by government.

Committee chairman Paul Diviani said: “Planning for the future of our outstanding place will ensure we put the right developments in the right place and are not subject to the whims of others. The government is setting out its requirements of all local authorities and we now need to ensure we respond in a way that works for us.”

http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/figure-set-at-844-annually-1-5665950

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

25 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, Consultation, Inequality, Local Government Finance

“Councils in crisis – consult more, not less”

“Lessons from the Northants County Libraries judicial review.

Rumour has it that there are several councils in danger of following Northamptonshire towards a similar financial plight. If so, they need to pay attention for the High Court has ruled against Northants’ decision to make cuts in its Libraries provision. A cash crisis evidently does not excuse councils of their duties under the Law of Consultation.

What happened here is that the County Council prepared options for rationalising its Libraries at the end of 2017. Its consultation was, according to the Court, perfectly acceptable, as was a decision taken by the Cabinet to support a ‘least worst’ option subject to further studies. What went wrong is that a few days afterwards there came a S. 114(3) notice under the Local Government and Finance Act 1988. It meant that the full Council meeting a week later reversed the decision and adopted a different option that might save more money.

Unfortunately, at that point the Council had no clear view of the true implications of the switch to the second option. Neither had it been able to consider the outcome of the further work that the Cabinet had identified as being necessary when it took its first decision. Part of this was because some of the Libraries were co-located with grant-aided children’s centres and closures involved potential grant claw back. Subsequently promising to hold a further consultation on those children’s centres did not correct the mistake of having been unaware of the impacts when the decision to close was actually taken.

A similar conclusion arises in respect of the challenge claimants issued in respect of Section 7 of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964. This prescribes the statutory requirements for the service, and councils everywhere should heed the words of Mrs Justice Yip, as follows: –

“The result was that the executive decision to close libraries appears to have been taken without balancing the statutory duty against the financial pressures. The Cabinet cannot be criticised for being motivated by financial concerns. However, finances could not be the sole consideration. The Cabinet still had to be satisfied that they were complying with their legal duties. On the evidence before me, I am not satisfied that they appreciated what they had to decide.” (at Paragraph 88)

Irrespective of the legal niceties, the practical issues raised by this are serious:

Under what circumstances can public bodies amend their decisions following a consultation and what are the processes they should follow when they do so?
If you agree that further study is required following consideration of consultation responses, are there consequences were you not to be able to undertake those studies?

During the consideration period, what steps need to be taken to demonstrate that, in addition to taking account of consultee responses, there is also a proper assessment of statutory requirements?

This is the second important case affecting local government budget consultations within days. The other is the judgment on 3rd August in the in the Bristol City Council case where the Special Educational Needs (SEN) budget reductions were ruled unlawful.

Is it maybe time for Councils everywhere to re-think their Budget consultation practices and ensure they will not fall into some of the traps which ensnared Northamptonshire and Bristol. The upshot will almost certainly be that Councils facing financial turbulence may have to consult more – not less.”

https://www.consultationinstitute.org/councils-in-crisis-consult-more-not-less/

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

24 Aug 2018

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Accountability, Hinkley C

“EDF Energy face prosecution following incident at Hinkley Point B”

“EDF Energy and a contractor Doosan Babcock are facing prosecution after a worker “fell from height” at Hinkley Point B Power Station in April 2017.

EDF and Doosan Babcock were both handed improvement notices from the government run Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) last April, but in a statement, the ONR said it intended to proceed with a prosecution.

It said: “The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has notified EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd and Doosan Babcock Ltd of its intention to prosecute both companies.

“The charges relate to an incident on 12 April 2017 at Hinkley Point B which resulted in injury to a Doosan Babcock Ltd employee.

“The incident was a conventional health and safety matter and there was no radiological risk to workers or the public. …”

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/edf-energy-face-prosecution-following-1932919

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

24 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, Police (local)

A Devon police officer’s resignation letter hits the headlines

She chose to publish this on Facebook:

Her resignation letter in full:

“I am Police Constable 6552 Laura BEAL on Response covering MID-DEVON and I am writing this to you to inform you that as of this date; Tuesday 28th February 2017 I am resigning my post as Police Constable.

This will be my 13th year as a Police Constable as this has been my life since I was 19 years old. I am sure that what I am about to say will not be knew information to you, but I feel I owe it to myself and my colleagues to tell you my reasons for leaving.

I joined in 2004 having followed in my father’s footsteps and was so proud to call myself a Police Officer, however as my career has progressed the total lack of support both governmental and from the Chief Officer Group has made me lose all faith in the job I loved.

I am expected to go on patrol covering MID-DEVON with one other officer most days and this is meant to be adequate staffing and safe. How this can be acceptable is beyond belief. I have always worked to the best of my ability as I had pride in what I did. This however is not possible any more.

As a result of the way I have been treated within this organisation I have to undergo Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as I now suffer with anxiety, depression and stress. I would rather take the massive pay cut and quit than spend one day longer in a job that is making me ill.

I am and was a good Police Officer and you are losing more and more every day, only to be replaced by new recruits who have little to no people skills however are able to answer exams effectively. I have seen Police Officers who are completely incompetent get promoted because it’s been too difficult for higher management to manage them so promoting them and moving them is the easy option. I have also seen incredible supervisors in their roles be moved because a space needed filling.

I am sure you have bigger and more important things to be doing than listen to what seems to be a standard resignation letter from an upset employee, but I implore you to please hear this;

Your staff are not coping, and are suffering because there is no one looking out for them. Please take it from someone who has been personally affected and has been so low she has wondered what the point of it all is, and only through her friends and family been able to see that there is more to life than Policing. Front line response is where you need to focus your time and money. This is where the buck stops. We are always called upon when things need doing and when things go wrong in every department.

I was one of the lucky ones and have had the personal support at home to get out however there are so many that are unable to do so because they are either alone or financially dependent on the organisation.

We are more like a business now in how we function in relation to finance and ‘customer’ relations, yet we are so far behind on employee rights.

I am leaving before this job kills me both physically and mentally. I am not only sad because I see what is potentially an amazing career get ruined by hypocrisy and lack of funding; but also because I know I am not the only one going through this and not everyone that needs the help and support will be as lucky as I am to be able to leave.

I have so many I people I love still in the job and I want so much for their lives to get better and you have the power to make that possible.

It is your responsibility to make this right; the front line needs more officers, leadership and managerial support.

Laura Beale”

Laura says she has now started her own business that will launch in March, a dog pampering business called Naturally Pawsome Grooming.”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/frank-damning-open-letter-police-1933368

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

24 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, DCC, EDDC, Inequality, Local Government Finance

“IFS says fair funding review ‘can’t be’ objective: councils plead their cases”

“County and urban councils have both called for the government’s Fair Funding Review to protect their interests after an Institute for Fiscal Studies report said the process cannot objectively assess funding needs.

An in-depth study released by the institute this week addresses the complex choices faced by the government through the ongoing review, which aims to devise a new system for allocating funding between councils.

The IFS welcomed the three objectives of simplicity, transparency and robustness outlined by the government when it launched the review, but warned that it will have to make subjective compromises between the principles.

The report said: “These are a reasonable set of aims.

“However, there could be trade-offs between them and it is not clear to which aims priority will be given in such circumstances.

“And while the aim of using the best methods and data possible is also welcome, it is probably not wise to consider any of the methods truly ‘objective’.”

Both county and urban councils immediately highlighted parts of the IFS report which they believe support their case that the current system fails to assess their spending needs and allocate money to them fairly.

Paul Carter, chairman of the County Councils Network, said: “Currently, some inner London councils are in the position to charge their residents half the amount of council tax compared to the average shire county.

“The County Councils Network has long argued that this situation is perverse and unfair, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies report today backs these conclusions.

“As the report suggests, is it unfair to ask residents of other areas – predominantly counties – to effectively subsidise the service provision of London boroughs who have not raised council tax due to generous funding streams. At the same time, they have been able to generate huge income from areas such as parking.

“It is crucial that the fair funding review deals with these issues.” …

Mike O’Donnell, associate director for Local Government at CIPFA, said that the government needs to focus on ensuring that every household across the country should have equal access to public services.

He said: “The Fair Funding Review should not be about creating winners and losers amongst councils, but about ensuring that there is equitable distribution of funds.”

He added that, however the pot is divided up, “it is important not to lose sight of the fact that there is just not enough money in the system for all the services local government is expected to deliver”.

The IFS report highlighted potential issues with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s stated preference of using 2016/17 expenditure as the starting point for calculating spending need in a number of service areas.

It said that although this would minimise large reallocations between councils at the time of implementation, changes in expenditure in recent years had been caused by a new method introduced by the government to distribute grant funding.

These changes mean that metropolitan districts and inner London councils have lower estimated spending needs under the 2016-17 funding formula ,compared to the national average, than they did in 2010.

This, the IFS, said, provides “a reminder to be cautious about spending-needs assessments based on council-level patterns of spending in 2009–10 or any other year: spending patterns in those other years will also be significantly affected by the level of funding provided by central government”.”

http://www.room151.co.uk/funding/ifs-says-fair-funding-review-cant-be-objective-councils-warn-of-funding-shortfalls/

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

23 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Consultation, Democracy, Scrutiny, Transparency

The bigger the decision, the less we are consulted

Guardian letter:

“George Monbiot’s article about the proposed Oxford-Cambridge expressway exposes how grand schemes are conceived and presented for “consultation” when only the trivial issues remain (These projects shape our lives. But we have no say in them, Journal, 22 August).

My work takes me to parts of the world often criticised for being undemocratic, where plans worked out behind closed doors and backed by powerful interest groups are indeed presented for “consultation”. This fait accompli approach fails to give people a real say, however, and gives a veneer of democratic accountability to projects with negative social and environmental impacts. Western governments express concern over how local rights are ignored in such places, but this is also happening here.

To expressways and HS2s, add hundreds of smaller decisions imposed on people against their wishes. In my town, in spite of 100% local opposition, a successful secondary school was closed, with serious consequences for local demographics and economic life. Local voices in the UK are powerless against a system that is essentially authoritarian, blind to community issues and needs, and light years away from asking if the relentless pursuit of growth really is the solution to all our problems. As in many countries where democracy is cosmetic, our leaders resort to “national interest” or “we know best” arguments, while pandering to corporate interests or driven blindly by political targets.

The Oxford-Cambridge expressway is an example of a much deeper malaise at the heart of our democracy, where people have little say over what really affects their lives.
Christopher Tanner
Llandovery, Carmarthenshire”

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

23 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Blackhill Quarry, Clinton Devon Estates, Development Management Committee, Environment (local), Planning System, Scrutiny, Sustainability

Blackhill Quarry: planning application at DMC 4 September 2018 10 am

Owl says: How unfortunate that people who work for a living may not be able to attend.

But how fortunate so many of the DMC members are long-retired and can be at Knowle at 10 am with no problem at all.

“TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990
PROPOSAL:
LOCATION:
Outline application seeking approval of access for construction of up to 3251 sqm (35,000 sq ft) of B2 (general industrial) floor space with access, parking and associated infrastructure (details of appearance, landscaping, scale and layout reserved for future consideration)

Blackhill Quarry Woodbury Exeter EX5 1HD

… the application has been placed on the agenda for consideration by the Council’s Development Management Committee at their meeting on 4 September 2018.

The meeting will take place at The Council Chamber, Council Offices, The Knowle, Sidmouth and is due to commence at 10am.”

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

23 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Asset sweating, Consultation, Developers/ Development, Local Government Finance, Privatisation

Another local government HQ sale horror story

District council sells town council HQ without consultation as the private developer’s offer was twice what the town council could afford:

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/sale-crediton-town-hall-an-1927970

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

22 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, Inequality

“Evidence to UN highlights extreme poverty in UK”

The sixth richest economy in the world.

“A disabled former soldier who said he is so poor that he lost 16kg (2st 7lb) due to a lack of food is among the contributors to the first United Nations investigation into extreme poverty into the UK.

Alexander Tiffin, a 30-year old from the Scottish Highlands, sent a diary of his life on universal credit to Prof Philip Alston, the UN rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, who is coming to Britain in November.

The eminent international human rights lawyer called for submissions from anyone in the UK to establish “the most significant human rights violations experienced by people living in poverty and extreme poverty in the UK”. He is interested in the impact of austerity, universal credit, the advent of computer algorithms making decisions on welfare matters, and Brexit.

Anyone taking part has been asked to set out in no more than 2,500 words what is happening, where he should go and what he should look at. He has set a deadline of 14 September for submissions and academics, thinktanks and charities are among those drafting responses.

The visit is set to be politically controversial. Alston conducted a similar exercise in the US earlier this year, which resulted in public clashes with the Trump administration. In the UK, he wants to know “to what extent austerity has been necessary” and its impact on public services including police, firefighting and libraries.

He will also consider how Brexit might affect people living in poverty. Alston defines extreme poverty as “a lack of income, a lack of access to basic services, and social exclusion”. …

Tiffin’s diary of life on universal credit is among the most striking contributions so far. The wheelchair user told Alston he is living off £95.35 a fortnight in universal credit payments and that after paying for his electricity and gas, fuel for his adapted car, broadband connection, TV licence and baby milk for his youngest son, he is left with £10.50 for two weeks.

“At one time in February, I had no food at all for two weeks,” he wrote. “I probably ate on less than a quarter of the days in that month. I just had nothing. I lost two and a half stone … my hair has started falling out and my teeth are loose due to a lack of vitamin intake.”

On 8 May, he wrote: “I wanted to be able to make myself some sandwiches, so I bought a loaf of bread for 45p and a small block of cheese for £1.72. This left me with £3.30 [with 10 days to go until the next payment]. I must admit I felt bad after buying it as I shouldn’t have wasted the money.”

Tiffin has suffered from mental health problems. He is a Muslim convert and was recently admonished by a court for threatening to kill unbelievers. Police considered he was “an idiot” rather than a terrorist and he was not punished. He said the incident occurred when he was going through a complete breakdown. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/22/un-poverty-chief-calls-for-evidence-on-effects-of-austerity-in-uk

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

22 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Consultation, Democracy, Growth Strategy, Scrutiny, Transparency

“The bigger the question, the less we are asked”

Owl says: he is behind the times – just about everything that we pay for is now decided “behind closed doors”. Examples: Local Enterprise Partnership, Greater Exeter Planning Strategy, local Clinical Commissioning Group. All our money and all decided in secret.

“… A striking example is the government’s plan for an Oxford-to-Cambridge expressway. A decision to which we have not been party, which will irrevocably change the region it affects, is imminent. The new road, says the plan, will support the construction of a million homes.

To give you some sense of the scale of this scheme, consider that Oxfordshire will have to provide 300,000 of them. It currently contains 280,000 homes. In 30 years, if this scheme goes ahead, the county must build as many new houses, and the infrastructure, public services and businesses required to support them, as have been built in the past 1,000. A million new homes amounts, in effect, to an Oxford-Cambridge conurbation.

But none of this is up for debate. By the time we are asked for our opinion, there will be little left to discuss but the colour of the road signs. The questions that count, such as whether the new infrastructure should be built, or even where it should be built, will have been made without us.

The justification for this scheme is not transport or housing as an end in itself. Its objective, according to the National Infrastructure Commission, is to enable the region “to maximise its economic potential”. Without this scheme, the commission insists, Oxford and Cambridge and the region between them “will be left behind, damaging the UK’s global competitiveness”.

This reasoning, you might hope, would prompt some major questions. Is continued growth, in one of the wealthiest regions of the world, desirable? If it is desirable, does it outweigh the acceleration of climate breakdown the scheme will cause? When air pollution already exceeds legal limits, are new roads and their associated infrastructure either appropriate or safe? And are we really engaged in a race with other nations, in which being “left behind” is something to be feared?

But these questions are not just closed to debate. They are not even recognised as questions. The megalomaniacs with their pencils, the rulers with their rulers, assume that their unexamined premises are shared by everyone. …

By imposing this decision, the government ignores its legal obligations. It has failed to conduct a strategic environmental assessment before the corridor decision is made, as the law insists. Under the Aarhus convention, public participation must begin while “all options are open”. But neither people nor law can be allowed to disrupt a grand design.

This is not democracy. This is not even a semblance of democracy. Yet the consequences of such decisions will be greater than almost any others that are made, because they are irreversible. The bigger the question, the less we are asked.”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/22/project-britain-debate-oxford-cambridge-expressway

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, Local Government Finance, Scrutiny

A BIG council [this time Labour] about to bite the dust?

“Birmingham City Council’s auditors Grant Thornton [also] revealed earlier this month the council had spent £117m of its reserves in two years.

The auditing firm has issued a rare set of recommendations under section 24 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act – understood to be an early warning of financial mismanagement. …”

https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2018/08/pressure-childrens-services-forces-torbay-make-cuts

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Police (local)

Crimes committed by police officers and civilian employees in Devon and Cornwall

“Making a child watch a sex act, perverting the course of justice and possessing indecent images of children are among the crimes committed by police officers in Devon and Cornwall in recent years.

A total of 19 members of staff – officers and civilians – employed by Devon and Cornwall Police have been convicted of criminal offences or received cautions in the last five years, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

During that time period, a total of 45 police officers, nine police community support officers (PCSOs) and 12 members of staff were suspended by the force.

Of those, 38 were either dismissed or resigned.

In total, 10 civilian members of staff were convicted of criminal offences or received cautions between 2013 and 2017.

One staff member, who was suspended in 2013, received a caution for possession of indecent photos of children.

Another, who was suspended in 2014, was given a caution for indecent exposure.

Two other staff members were given cautions for misconduct in a public place and a data protection offence.

In addition, one staff member received a conditional discharge for theft.

Another was fined and banned from getting behind the wheel after being convicted of drink-driving.

Other offences convicted by civilian staff included shoplifting, battery and assault.

66 people suspended over five years

Over the five-year period, a total of 66 police officers and civilian staff members were suspended by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Of those, 19 were dismissed and a further 19 resigned.

No action was taken against 10.

The information supplied by the force lists 12 cases as either pending or not decided at the time of publication.

The remaining cases were resolved with a final written warning, management action or management advice.

The force stated that all those that did not resign or were dismissed returned to work.

Of all those suspended, 37 were the subject of a criminal investigation.

At total of 28 police officers and staff members were charged.

The force is yet to decide if a further six, who were all suspended in 2017, will be investigated for any potential crimes.

Full pay for suspended officers

All officers and staff members suspended from the force receive full pay while the matter is investigated.

The force states: “Officers and staff are always suspended on full pay until the misconduct is concluded; this can be for an extensive period.

“This is set within national regulations and is not at force discretion.”

Of those suspended during the five years, 40 were constables earning between £19,971 and £38,382.

Five were sergeants earning between £39,693 and £43,134.

The highest earning staff member, who was suspended in 2013, was earning between £40,755 and £45,507.

Suspended for 900 days

One individual who was suspended in 2013, remained on suspension for more than 900 days.

At least 16 were suspended for more than a year.

The data shows that 10 staff members remained on suspension at the time the information was supplied.

Of those, one was suspended in 2015, three in 2016 and six in 2017.”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/local-news/shocking-crimes-committed-police-officers-1918306

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

21 Aug 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Inequality, Privatisation, Scrutiny, Sleaze

“Royal Mail boss is humiliated in another pay row as concerns grow that he is involved in too many companies”

Man with fingers in several pies, most of which are going off, gets more money as a thank-you for making the bad pies!

“Royal Mail chairman Peter Long has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn in a fresh row over fat-cat pay at a second company he runs.

Just weeks after suffering one of the biggest shareholder revolts in corporate history at Royal Mail, the 66-year-old faced investor fury at estate agency Countrywide, where he is also chairman.

The company, whose brands include Hamptons International, Bairstow Eves and John D Wood, had planned to hand top bosses including Long up to £20m in shares.

But the controversial bonus scheme has been axed following a backlash from investors who threatened to vote against the plan at a meeting next week. The climbdown comes weeks after Long was humiliated by Royal Mail shareholders when 70pc of them voted against the postal service’s pay policies.

Concerns have been raised about whether he is over-stretched. He is paid £300,000 a year as chairman of Royal Mail and £360,000 as executive chairman of Countrywide.

He is also deputy chairman of the supervisory board at travel agent Tui, where he earns £167,000, but has relinquished his role as chairman of Spanish theme park operator Parques Reunidos.

In an interview two years ago Long said: ‘You have to ensure that when you take on chairmanships you can give sufficient time to them and you don’t spread yourself too thin.’

Peter Kyle MP, a member of the parliamentary business committee, said: ‘I have met people who can do the most prodigious amount of work and do it very well. But we have to judge the performance of executives by outcomes and not on their words, and it’s very clear there have been some outcomes for Royal Mail that have affected staff and affected customers, and this for me should trigger a period of reflection.’

Countrywide is Britain’s biggest estate agent and has about 10,000 employees, but has been struggling in the face of slumping property sales and online competition. It has issued four profit warnings in less than a year. …”

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-6080113/Royal-Mail-boss-humiliated-pay-row.html

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