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Is EDDC Cabinet guilty of “groupthink”?

The theory of ‘groupthink’…

First formulated by the psychologist Irving Janis, it specifically applies to tightly knit executive teams composed of a dominating leader and ultra-loyal assistants with a drive to maximise in-group solidarity.

Suppose that in a first stage the team accomplished something extremely difficult, as May did in scheming her way to bid for the Conservative leadership. Especially important here was the intra-party arm-twisting of all the other candidates after the Brexit vote, so that she could ascend by coronation instead of having to fight an internal party election.

Janis argued that succeeding in this first stage struggle, against the odds, and with a centralising and controlling leader, then induces in the leadership team a distorted view of their own insights and capabilities.

Buoyed up by high morale, contemptuous of ‘outsiders’, and completely discounting any critical feedback received, the leadership team then goes on to make genuinely monumental second stage mistakes – as Blair did in committing to the Iraq war, and later sending troops to Afghanistan; or as Cameron did in his 2013 commitment to hold a Brexit referendum, and then his mismanagement of the doomy Remain campaign in 2016.”

http://www.democraticaudit.com/2017/06/10/how-groupthink-in-theresa-mays-no-10-led-to-another-round-of-political-chaos/

Monumental second-stage mistakes? Such EDDC and its £10 million relocation plan – that replaces one HQ with an expensive new HQ and two expensive but smaller satellites in Exmouth and Sidmouth perhaps?

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Relocation: the sums just don’t add up

So Mark Williams says that ‘We have an asset that will appreciate in value’.

First of all, it may not, but more importantly, the increasing value of the Knowle as an asset has always been excluded from EDDC’s calculations.

Finally, after seven or eight years, EDDC have recognised that the Knowle is a capital asset that is likely to increase in value.

Even when the figures were manipulated to show the move as ‘cost neutral’, that façade was only maintained because the value of the Knowle (at least £7.5 million) was equated to the value of the new HQ at Honiton (valued by JLL at £2-3 million). Since then, of course, ‘cost neutral’ has gone out of the window.

So we now have the proceeds of sale = £7.5 million – possibly, assuming in these trying times a sale is even possible.

Cost of replacement buildings = £10 million (Honiton) + Exmouth £1.7 million + Manstone £1 million = £12.7 million.

Net loss £5.2 million.

Plus new road at Honiton = £225,000.

Plus admin costs to date = £2 million.

Plus costs of moving = say £3 million. (New equipment, staff compensation, etc.

Plus loss of asset value = £7.5 million – £2.5 million = £5 million.

Total loss is now in this scenario about £15.5 million.

This is all to achieve gains in running costs. However, estimates for Manstone were never included. The cost of running three HQs rather than one will be higher because of increased travelling, and commuting between sites.

Were Option 3 to be pursued, and the modern buildings improved at a cost of £1 million to £1.5 million, then the ‘new’ Knowle would be a very cheaply run building.

The £2 million already spent on admin cannot be recovered, so that is a sunk cost.

So pursuing Option 3 would cost £12 million less, and almost certainly reduce running costs. And leave EDDC with a far nicer building than a cheap and uninspiring shed of offices on an industrial estate at Honiton.

The above assumes that EDDC’s numbers are correct, but we all know that the cost of relocating will rise as the scheme is pursued, and we no longer have the guarantee of Pegasus money coming through. Plus, of course, EDDC may feel the need to employ even more consultants!

So, we will not see any change out of £20 million. And there will be no savings as to running costs compared to Option 3.

All this at a time of local government reorganisation.

Real numbers: not EDDC’s strongest point …

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“Sale of Knowle set to be ‘uncoupled’ from EDDC’s £10million relocation”

DANGEROUS! DANGEROUS! DANGEROUS!

If/when it all goes pear-shaped, WE the council tax payers will not only foot the bill but see services cut – as interest payments on a loan will take precedence over services.

AND what happens when (as seems almost certain) “Greater Exeter” or Devon becomes a unitary authority? There will be no need for vanity project buildings which will be expensive white elephants as a glut of un-needed council properties hit the market.

Basically, EDDC is squandering OUR money. Disgraceful.

AND WHERE ARE THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AUDITORS REPORTS ON THIS HIGH-RISK STRATEGY? Is EDDC ploughing ahead yet again with incomplete legal and financial information?

“Sidmouth representatives slammed the ‘cavalier’ decision to borrow money to fund the move to Honiton and Exmouth – but East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) top officers said there is greater risk in standing still.

Cabinet members were given the options of borrowing cash to ‘go now’, waiting for the outcome of developer PegasusLife’s planning appeal after it offered £7.5million for Knowle, or staying put and modernising the former hotel or its offices, together with a refurbished Exmouth Town Hall.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, Sidmouth councillor Cathy Gardner said: “If you commit to borrowing a large amount of money at taxpayers’ expense, you aren’t in control. You are in more control when you know the outcome of the planning appeal.

“These figures aren’t certain. These are just estimates based on assumptions.”

She questioned if the officers had costed staying at Knowle, selling off part of the site and marketing its Heathpark plot in Honiton to another developer.

Councillor Marianne Rixson, who also represents Sidmouth, said EDDC was taking a ‘cavalier approach’ to spending taxpayers’ money, adding: “Any future developer will know you are desperate and will not match the price offered by PegasusLife.”

EDDC originally promised the relocation would be ‘cost neutral’, it would not borrow money and the project would not progress before Knowle was sold.

But chief executive Mark Williams disagreed, saying the ‘go now’ option ‘derisks planning’, while delaying ‘increases risk’. He added “We have an asset [Knowle] that will appreciate in value.”

Officers said pressing ahead with the relocation to Honiton’s Heathpark and Exmouth Town Hall is the most cost-effective option and could make EDDC £1.4million better off over 20 years.

If it chooses to delay the project so planning permission for Knowle can be secured, it could be £400,000 better off than it is now.

In contrast, members were told if they chose the ‘go minimum’ option – giving up on the new-build Honiton HQ, completing the refurbishment of Exmouth Town Hall and modernising a section of Knowle for £11.3million or £5.9million – they would be £4.5million worse off. There is no capital receipt to fund the modernisation.

Cllr Tom Wright said: “There has been a lot of talk about uncertainty. This building is unfit for purpose. Moving is not a vanity project. It’s to improve what we can do. If we stay here, it’s money down the drain. This building is useless for the 21st Century. This land isn’t going to lose value.”

The ‘go now’ option won the support of cabinet members but is now set to be considered by a joint meeting of the overview, scrutiny and audit and governance committees on April 18.

It will then go before the full council.”

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/sale-of-knowle-set-to-be-uncoupled-from-eddc-s-10million-relocation-1-4966674

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When is a council asset not an asset?

” … If you didn’t know your local council had become a trader in gardening services, you may be even more surprised to learn it has turned into a property trader, buying up shopping centres, business parks, office blocks, hotels and garages. In 2016, local authorities spent over £1bn on real estate. [EDDC will be doing this when it funds its new Honiton HQ].

You may think this is a peculiar state of affairs when councils are simultaneously selling assets to mitigate budget shortfalls. But the arithmetic is simple. The Public Works Loan Board, a statutory body established in 1793, will lend at 2.5% interest. Property assets will yield at least 4.5% and often far more. The result is that local councils are becoming significant players in the UK property market, causing the Financial Times columnist John Plender to warn of its “creeping nationalisation”. Canterbury’s Whitefriars shopping centre (Kent), Sutton Coldfield’s Red Rose shopping centre (Birmingham) and Sunbury’s BP Business Park (Surrey) are all owned or partly owned by a local council.

Municipal enterprise is nothing new – councils sold local gas supplies in the Victorian era, and Joseph Chamberlain, Harold Macmillan and Anthony Crosland all proposed an expansion of municipal trading. But until recently, such opportunities were strictly limited by legislation that, for example, restricted them to trading only with each other. New Labour gave them explicit permission in 2003 to trade “ordinary functions” for a “commercial purpose”. In 2011, the coalition government’s Localism Act allowed them to do whatever they liked unless specifically prohibited by law. Now councils, having been forced to relinquish their roles as landlords of inexpensive housing for local people, re-emerge as landlords of multinational stores.

The dangers are obvious. If the property market were to crash, councils would be saddled with assets of dubious value. Moreover, it seems strange that, after deeming them incapable of running schools, Tory ministers are now happy for councils to manage investment portfolios covering areas of which they have little experience. But it is all part of the neoliberal vision for the world.

Boundaries between public and private sectors are being blurred. Since 1990 companies have been allowed, in effect, to bribe councils with payments for improved roads, new schools, high-street facelifts and affordable homes in return for planning permission. It is another step along the same road for the council itself to become a company and/or a property developer. Just as the state was omnipresent in the Soviet Union, stamping out entrepreneurial instincts, so the market becomes omnipresent in our society, sweeping away the ethos of public service. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/06/councils-local-authorities-bankruptcy-public-service

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Pots call kettles dirty in Exeter – vice versa in East Devon!

Tories call for transparency from Labour over bus station vanity project gone wrong in Exeter whilst in Tories try to block transparency on Knowle relocation gone wrong in East Devon. Tories demand answers in Exeter, Tories refuse to give answers in East Devon!

“Exeter Tory leader Cllr Andrew Leadbetter has blasted the city council for “biting off more than it can chew” with their unrealistic “passion project.

In his 20 years on the council he claims he has never seen “such disarray” on a development.

He said: “The whole thing so far has been shrouded in secrecy. And we want a proper explanation about what is happening.

“For instance, is it a long-term delay? Is it a cancellation? How much has been spent so far? What is the secrecy and why can’t all members be told?

“If the Labour council is getting this so wrong, what else can they get wrong?

“We want to talk to the people about what cheaper option they would want there. We are certainly not adverse to the idea of a theatre or a hotel and conference centre.”

He added: “I also have strong concerns about the Crown Estate’s Princesshay Leisure part of the scheme. They do not need much to walk away from this, and we’ll be left with a bomb site.”

http://www.devonlive.com/exeter-bus-station-redevelopment-in-deep-water-as-tories-hit-out-at-council-passion-project/story-30182392-detail/story.html

You can see why (Tory) politics gets a bad name in Devon!

Remmber this when you vote in the May 2017 county elections and vote Independent!

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When and how will PegasusLife spring back to life?

Cynics amongst East Devon Watch’s readers (the majority one might suspect) are already considering aspects of yesterday’s refusal of planning permission for the Knowle site.

Of course, there is the prospect of an appeal. But there are also other scenarios being mentioned.

Some suggest that this refusal suits both PegasusLife and East Devon District Council – the former so that it can tweak its application in the light of the current economic climate and resubmit and the latter because a delay in building the new Honiton HQ might be in the council’s own interests, given the same current economic climate and the need to almost certainly raise more money due to increased costs. Also there have been some misgivings expressed by Tory councillors on the design of the new building (which does look rather like a people warehouse) and considered hardly befitting the status and importance of the people warehoused within it:

Others suggest that, as “Greater Exeter” moves ever more quickly (and secretly) forward it might be better for EDDC to cut its losses on a new Honiton HQ which would only be a satellite amongst satellites and therefore not needed to be so large (or maybe not needed at all if the Exmouth premises are large enough). Not to mention the messy complications of devolution and its effect on all district councils in Devon.

Others have even suggested that EDDC has had a better offer from a hotel chain which shall be nameless!

Whatever the reason, we can be absolutely sure that, like the Terminator, it will be back!

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Knowle relocation: EDDC defies Information Commissioner AGAIN and heads for court AGAIN

“EDDC TO DEFY INFORMATION COMMISSIONER – AND TO TAKE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS ON KNOWLE TO TRIBUNAL

East Devon District Council have formally announced that they will only be complying with one of three Decision Notices issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office on 25th October.

They have formally released the already widely-known information that the price for the Knowle site to developers PegasusLife is £7.5 million – on condition that they receive planning permission. (Decision Notice on Case: FER0608237).

However, the Council do not wish to divulge the “minutes of meetings and correspondence on the subject the decision to award the contract to PegasusLife” (Decision Notice on Case: FER0623403) or give “a copy of an agreement between East Devon District Council and a developer, Pegasus Life, in relation to a site at Knowle” (Decision Notice on Case: FER0626901)

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/knowle-relocation-project-breaking-news.html
http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/knowle-relocation-project-information.html

It is clear that the Council do not want any information to be revealed about the contractual arrangements it has with the developer. And in particular, they do not want this to happen before a crucial vote by their planning committee on 6th December – when the Development Management Committee will consider the controversial planning application 16/0872/MFUL from PegasusLife.

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/knowle-relocation-project-planning_24.html

This timing seriously puts into question the extent to which the DMC’s decision-making is thereby being compromised, in that any information touching on the planning application should be made available to DMC Members – and the developer’s contract clearly refers to the planning application.

It is now obvious, therefore, that the Council would rather incur further embarrassment and potential damage to their reputation by appearing at the Information Tribunal – as this is the second time it will be appealing against the Information Commissioner.

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/knowle-relocation-project-foi-request_27.html

The obvious question which has to be asked is: What are they so desperate to hide?

Moreover, the Council is clearly prepared to spend yet further on defending itself, no doubt with the use of expensive legal representation – and yet it complains regularly about the expense of having to deal with FOI requests.
Why, then, is the Council so determined to avoid being held properly accountable, let alone transparent to its rate-paying electorate?

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/knowle-relocation-project-continuing.html

It will be interesting to see how the Council deals with the legal process which will now ensue. Will it drag matters out as it did two years ago, during the first time it appeared at the Tribunal?

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/knowle-relocation-project-we-believe.html

And how will the Council’s representatives conduct themselves on this occasion?

http://futuresforumvgs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/knowle-relocation-project-information.html

END

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One planning law for EDDC, another for the rest of us …

If an ordinary citizen started building work before receiving planning permission, they would be stopped. Not our council. As it decides for itself about Knowle, it is safe to say that they are confident they will grant themselves permission whatever:

“East Devon District Council (EDDC) is carrying out the work, expected to take around 38 weeks to complete, as it prepares to relocate some of its offices to the town hall from Knowle, Sidmouth. [Do these works would need planning permission?]

The town council will be moving to 44 Rolle Street, from where it will continue to provide its usual services. [Does this building work need change of use?]

The council’s telephone and email contact details will remain unchanged.

The council of voluntary service will be moving to Ground Floor, Unit 15, Dinan Way, with its telephone and email contact details also remaining unchanged.

The Devon Registration Service will then leave the town hall on November 26, moving to Larkbeare House, Topsham Road, Exeter, with its telephone number also unchanged.

The town hall will remain open while the work takes place to allow EDDC to offer its housing needs, council tax and housing benefits services, which will be available between 9am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Citizens Advice will also continue to operate a drop-in service from the town hall, between 10am and 12.30pm and between 1.30pm and 3.30pm, Monday to Friday.”

http://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/council_and_services_to_move_as_town_hall_work_set_to_begin_1_4692835

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(Re)location, (Re)location, (Re)location

Dorset has announced a decision to work towards mergers of its councils:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-37196316

It does rather beg the question: what is to happen to West Dorset Council’s brand new HQ, built at a cost of more than £10 million?

It was always going to be a risky venture, when mergers and reorganisation were even at the time of the planned move being spoken of as a possibility.

To be fair to WDDC, their existing premises were very poor, very old and haphazardly arranged on three sites. They expected to sell the sites for £2.5 million, but in the end only achieved £1 million.

We do hope that our district council – in its desire to move to a spanking new set of offices in Honiton – has taken note of Dorset’s (un)intended consequences.

If such talks are abroad in Devon (which is already pretty much merging with Somerset if our Local Enterprise Partnership has its way) then it surely would be a dereliction of duty or even a misfeasance in office to consider such a move when it could be almost immediately redundant.

But, as in all important decisions in East Devon, we the residents will be the last to know what is being decided behind those closed doors in our names.

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A conundrum – EDDC: less money, less services, more (expensive) staff

Is there any reason why the publishing of EDDC’s employee statistics is two months late?

The last year has seen a substantial rise in employee numbers, particularly senior officers, with growth of between twenty and thirty new staff, depending upon which measure you prefer.

With average wages for senior staff at EDDC at £30,000+, plus all additional costs such as pensions, expenses, etc., this brings the cost per employee to around £50,000 per annum, this mean that the wage bill may have climbed by between £1 and £1.5 million. This was presumably not budgeted for, so where is the money coming from? More debt, perhaps?

And, of course, the extra staff will have to be housed in the new HQ … so maybe that will have to expand, too.

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Quart into pint pot at new EDDC offices?

Owl see that the designs for the new offices at Honiton have been published in an EDDC agenda and wonders why there is no scale with the drawings.

Maybe the building may have been increased in size for two reasons: staff were apparently shocked at the lack of space and complained, plus the numbers of staff have increased a lot recently.

And Owl further sees they are taking money from the transformation fund, so the cost is rising further still …

Click to access 060416-combined-cabinet-agendasm.pdf

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Knowle relocation: cost now approaching £10 million

Page 32 onwards.

Click to access 060416-combined-cabinet-agendasm.pdf

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Austerity – not at East Devon District Council!

The employee statistics for EDDC make very interesting reading. It can be hard to work out what is going on, as structural changes such as the creation of Strata, or the transfer of traffic wardens to DCC, can distort the numbers.

However, between May 2015 and March 2016, the number of staff measured by full-time equivalent has increased by 23. And the number of new starters exceeds staff leavers by a whopping 34.

The cost of 23 full-time staff, when all the extras are taken into account could be of the order of £1 million per annum. Has this been budgeted for?

And, of course, the new HQ at Honiton is going to have to be substantially bigger, and therefore more expensive, to accommodate all those extra people.

Since relocation was first proposed, and the HQ space needs assessed, the number of full-time equivalent staff appears to have risen by about 50.

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Property deals: fewer and fewer places to hide

“Olympic bosses ordered to reveal West Ham stadium deal

Olympic Stadium bosses have been ordered to reveal details of their deal with West Ham United over the club’s use of the east London stadium.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) fought a London Assembly ruling that the contract should be made public. The appeal has been rejected by a separate tribunal.

West Ham are due to move to the Olympic Stadium at the end of the season.
The LLDC has the right to appeal against the latest decision.
It has not yet made a comment on the tribunal outcome.

West Ham’s vice-chairman Karren Brady has previously said she fought for the best deal, but has denied this was at the expense of taxpayers.
A fans’ group which called for the publication of the contract said it was “naturally delighted with the outcome”. …

… Football supporters first submitted a Freedom of Information request to obtain the tenancy agreement [West Ham and the Olympic stadium] amid claims the LLDC would subsidise the rent.

However, bosses appealed saying it would place them at a commercial disadvantage, undermine negotiations and reduce returns to the taxpayer.

In January, the London Assembly heard about £17,000 had been spent by the corporation to stop details of the deal being revealed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36017396

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Tonight’ Cabinet 5.30 pm – a humdinger?

Relocation … devolution … Cranbrook …

Fireworks? Red faces? Mumbling? Bumbling? Anything could happen …

Agenda here:

Click to access 060416-combined-cabinet-agendasm.pdf

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Councils could become spies – and redundant council offices could become community spaces (right!)

“Councils could place sensors in household rubbish bins which would alert GPs if pensioners fail to take their rubbish out for a fortnight, a Government backed report has found.

Within a decade every bin could have a sensor, the forecast suggests as it sets out how everything from reporting missed rubbish collections to ordering parking permits could be digitised to save money for cash-strapped local councils.

It predicts savings of £14.7 million if authorities make use of new technologies, automating backroom functions thus saving money through job cuts.

The vision for councils is set out by innovation charity Nesta in conjunction with the Public Service Transformation Network, established by the Coalition Government in 2013 and funded by Whitehall as a way to help public services provide value for money.

Town halls would “no longer directly provide most local services”, but would become “digital by default” and act as an online broker, with redundant offices and civic buildings instead becoming community spaces.

The rubbish bin proposal would protect frail elderly residents, the report suggests, because if a pensioner did not put their bins out for two weeks in a row, an alert would be triggered to the local GP surgery so a doctor could check they were healthy.

The fictional example is given of a septuagenarian retired bus driver, Martin, who in 2025 is “far from being a ‘digital native’”.

If Martin doesn’t put his rubbish out for two weeks in a row, this is automatically registered on the council’s system through the sensors in his bins,” it suggests.

“The integrated system knows Martin is in his 70s and has mobility issues so automatically generates a notification for his GP that Martin might need support. From this, a GP can make a quick phone call to check everything is okay.”

The report foresees “instant data sharing across services unless people explicitly opt out”, while noting that such advances would tread a “fine line” between efficiency and the public’s fears over privacy.

Technology could also enable social workers to step in sooner, with algorithms that could automatically alert authorities to children and others at risk of neglect or abuse, or families likely to become homeless.
Local authorities in Bath and North East Somerset already use sensors in public bins to capture data so that they are only collected when they are full.

Islington Council came under fire in 2008 for going through households’ rubbish without seeking permission to investigate whether people were recycling enough.

Campaigners have raised concerns about increased surveillance of residents by councils, especially of vulnerable elderrly people.

Daniel Nesbitt research director of Big Brother Watch said “With big data comes big responsibility, these proposals may sound great on paper but as more of our devices start to analyse information about us the opportunities for monitoring and profiling are clear to see.

“Any potential scheme involving the collection of data can lead to assumptions being made about individuals, these assumptions may not be correct.

“As more devices become connected and as more data is created, it’s vital that people are told exactly what using these devices will mean for them.
“It is critical that people understand what they are signing up to and how much they will be giving away before giving their consent, this is even more important when it involves the elderly or vulnerable.”

Modelling commissioned by Nesta from Social Finance suggested councils could save up to 13% of total spending by 2025 – £14.7 billion based on 2015/16 totals.

A Government spokesman said: “This is research was done in conjunction with the Public Service Transformation Network and gives examples on how councils can use technology to make efficiencies and deliver better services for local people.

“This is one of many examples of what a number of councils are doing across the country and is not central Government policy.”

Sensible use of technology can deliver cost savings, the spokesman said, adding: “We will continue to work with local government to help provide better digital services for local taxpayers.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/council-spending/12194023/Councils-could-snoop-on-elderly-residents-with-sensors-in-their-bins-to-see-if-they-put-out-the-rubbish.html

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Clyst St Mary, EDDC HQ, Environment (local), Flooding, Local Plan, Neighbourhood Plans

SAVE CLYST ST MARY – FEBRUARY UPDATE

“Apologies for the length of this update. There have recently been a number of significant developments with regard to planning applications of which we feel you should be aware. You are therefore strongly urged to read the whole document.

As always, thank you for your continued support; we remain committed to protecting Clyst St Mary from inappropriate developments.

1. Local Plan

The most significant event since the last update has been the formal adoption of the Local Plan by EDDC. In theory this should protect the village from further large scale development other than the 150 houses on the brown field areas of the former Friends Provident site.

At the meeting of the Parish Council on 8th February, which was attended by members of our Campaign Group, Councillor Howe gave a very warm and upbeat welcome to the Plan and emphasised that it would give EDDC the clout it needed to prevent inappropriate development of green field sites. He also said that the Planning Committee had already refused several planning applications in East Devon on the basis they were not in accordance with the Plan.

We hope that this robust approach will be sustained when the planning applications for the Friends Provident site are eventually scrutinised by the Planning Committee. We are very fortunate that our District Councillor lives in the village and has been such a strong supporter of our Campaign against inappropriate development over the past 12 months. We are particularly grateful for his input to the draft of the Local Plan last March which resulted in the house numbers for the Friends Provident site being reduced from some around 300 to 150.

Within the Plan we have our own map! This clearly shows the playing fields of the Friends Provident site and the Plymouth Brethren field as remaining green and where building will not be permitted.

Interestingly it also shows the areas that become flooded when Grindle Brook bursts the banks, as it has several times this winter. You can view the map in the online version of this update on our website http://www.saveclyststmary.org.uk

2. Future of the Friends Provident Playing Fields

The Save Clyst St Mary Campaign Group has consistently taken a robust line that the green areas in and around Clyst House should remain green and, as already mentioned, we have been successful by having this included in the Local Plan.

We do not see it as being in our remit to get involved in deciding what these green spaces would be used for in future or how they should be administered. We feel this is a matter for the Parish Council. Our assumption and hope has always been that the existing sports pitches would remain and continue to be used by local sports teams to the benefit of the village and wider community.

At the Public Meeting held at the Village Hall on 16th November we listened with interest as Mr Peter Cain, who has a role in the administration of Clyst Valley Football Club, outlined his vision for the future of the sports fields. Our understanding that he has consulted with various sports related bodies and the agents for the Friends Provident Site.

We are also aware that the Parish Council has formed a Sport and Recreation Committee which will eventually be responsible for the administration of the sports fields and hold the land in some form of trusteeship.

Mr Cain also made some suggestions regards agreeing the release of some parts of the green field for house building in order to give something back to Friends Provident for allowing the sports pitches to remain as such. This is something we would strongly oppose because it would be against the Local Plan.

At the Parish Council Meeting on 8th February further details of these plans came to light and these are now causing us concern.

The Parish Council have been briefed by a representative of the agents, JLL, about a plan to build around 100-150 extra houses on the Plymouth Brethren field and in a line running from the Brethren field eastwards towards Clyst House.

The Parish Council has been sounded out by JLL about the possibility of a three way land swap. This would involve swapping the current Clyst Valley Football field for a new pitch on the Friends Site. The Plymouth Brethren land would swopped be for the Clyst Valley Football Pitch. An application would then be made to build a Plymouth Brethren meeting hall and large car park on the pitch.

These are proposals in principle and until a formal application is submitted the Parish Council cannot comment.

At this time we do not know the exact status of the football field land beyond that it is held in some sort of trust and from hearsay that it may have been given to the football club and/or village many years ago. If you can help us in any way with more information please get in touch.

It was confirmed at the Parish Council meeting by Councillor Howe that the trustees of the Football Club had agreed in principle with JLL to a land swap.

Obviously this is very disturbing news because it runs contrary to the aims of our Campaign Group, the Local Plan and the soon to adopted Neighbourhood Plan. We must now await the submission of fresh planning applications by JLL and the Plymouth Brethren. In the meantime we will keep you updated on further developments by email and on the website at http://www.saveclyststmary.org.uk.

When and if appropriate we will ask the Parish Council to call another Public Meeting in the Village Hall.

Over the past 12 months we have, with your invaluable support, achieved a great deal. Providing we stick together as residents and remain strong we will succeed in blocking further appropriate development from whatever quarter. As a village we are now in a far stronger position with the full backing of a Local Plan and very soon the Neighbourhood Plan.

3. Neighbourhood Plan

This is currently in the final consultation phase and is expected to be published in May. Once in place this will provide a further level of protection against the onslaught of the property developers. It can be seen at http://www.planning.bishopsclyst.co.uk/

For those that would prefer to look at a printed copy, it can be seen, until 1st March, at the following locations:

Cat & Fiddle Inn
Clyst St Mary Church
Clyst St Mary Post Office (Mills)
Clyst St Mary School
Clyst St Mary Village Hall
Half Moon Inn
Sowton Church
Sowton Village.

4. Foul smell coming from the Digester (pink ‘bubble’ situated in Oil Mill Lane)

Should you smell a strong odour which you believe is coming from the digester, remember that this needs to be reported to the Environmental Agency on an individual basis (they will not accept a group complaint). It is simple to do this: telephone (free) 0800 80 70 60.

5. Traffic Action Group
(distributed on behalf of the Parish Council)
As a member of our Parish Council, I am aware that there are any number of concerns relating to traffic, speeding, and general pedestrian and driver safety within the village and around the Parish.

One thing has become very apparent when pursuing any traffic related issue. Because Devon Highways are so cash strapped, and from experience difficult to communicate with, it has been suggested that a Traffic Action Group be formed.

If you have an issue you wish to raise, then so far as Devon Highways go, they require documented evidence of any problems. Therefore we are looking to local residents to write in to the Parish Council together with any photographic evidence highlighting their concerns.

It is no good grumbling to neighbours, or in the pub or shop, or even to your PC. Written documentation is what is needed, sent to your PC, so it can be collated and prioritised before approaching Devon Highways. As with so many local government departments, the more letters and pieces of evidence presented to them, the more likely they will take notice.
This is especially so if a safety issue plays an important role in any given concern. But it must be supported by as many individual missives as can be got together.

Therefore your Parish Council is encouraging you all to put pen to paper, or fingers to E-mail: bishopsclyst@gmail.com .If any of you wish to participate in helping to run an Action group you would be most welcome. You would not have to be a Parish Councillor as the group would gather information to present to the PC.

It seems that in the present climate of local and central government austerity, local lobbying as I have described is becoming an essential way of getting things done within a community like ours.

6. Flood insurance survey
(letter distributed on behalf of the Parish Council)
Dear Supporter

Please help Flood Re with research about the cost of flood insurance

The cost of flood insurance is high on the news agenda again following the flood damage caused by Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank. It is only two years since the previous significant flood event in the UK and experts predict that the risk of flooding is set to increase even further.

A new scheme called Flood Re has been set up by the insurance industry with the support of the Government to help those struggling to find affordable home insurance and will launch in April 2016.

In order to better understand what impact the new scheme will have, it is important for Flood Re to measure the availability and cost of home insurance now and then compare this with data collected after the launch in April.

National Flood Forum would like you to contribute to this research by taking part in an online survey. This study is being carried out by Consumer Intelligence http://www.consumerintelligence.com on behalf of Flood Re http://www.floodre.co.uk . It should take less than 10 minutes of your time to complete and as a thank you for helping Flood Re with this vital work, Consumer Intelligence will send you £5 via email to a registered PayPal account or if you prefer, they will donate £5 on your behalf to the National Flood Forum.

What do you need to do?

Simply complete the online response via the link below. Flood Re will use this information to obtain home insurance quotations at four points during 2016 and 2017. Your details will not be used for any other purpose without prior consent. https://consumerintelligence.fluidsurveys.com/s/flood_research/

National Flood Forum hopes that enough people will participate in the research to demonstrate how effective Flood Re is at making household insurance available to households in flood risk areas and that this can be used to shape and develop the scheme in the future.

N.B. There are still a few places left on the FloodRe roundtable discussions notably Reading (18th Feb), Wrexham (22nd Feb), York (25th Feb) and Gloucester (3rd March) for further details please contact Laura Furman on laura.furman@floodre.co.uk.

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EDDC, EDDC HQ, Skypark

Revised EU tendering thresholds

For those who understand these things (the figures at which tendering must follow strict rules on open access for contracts and contractors). This is the rule that EDDC fell foul of when attempting to relocate to Skypark.

“The European Commission has announced revised procurement thresholds that will apply from 1 January 2016.
The new thresholds, which will be in place for two years, are:

Supplies and services (central government and Schedule 1): €135,000 (£106,047);

Supplies and services (sub-central government): €209,000 (£164,176);

Works contracts: €5,225,000 (£4,104,394).

The threshold for social and other specific services (the light touch regime) will stay at €750,000 but currency changes mean this is worth £589,148.

The threshold for public concessions contracts is €5,225,000 (£4,104,394). In this respect Mills & Reeve’s Procurement Portal noted how the new Concessions Directive has not yet been implemented in the UK, although the draft Concessions Contracts Regulations 2016 have been published and are due to come into force on 18 April 2016.”

http://localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25276:brussels-revises-procurement-thresholds-applicable-from-january-2016&catid=53&Itemid=21

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EDDC HQ, Hugo Swire, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation

Black is white and white is black: Hugo Swire changes his tune on Knowle

MP Hugo Swire seems to have forgotten his own pre-election advice that there were “more intelligent ways of using Knowle”, and that it was “prudent” to “put Knowle relocation on hold”. At yesterday’s poorly-attended tea and talk meeting in Sidmouth, he apparently told some attendees that the Knowle protest was just “a parochial matter”.

Some former Sidmouth District and Town councillors, who recently lost their seats, were amongst the few people present at All Saints’ Hall. They must be glad of his change of mind.

Some history: https://eastdevonwatch.org/2015/01/03/another-split-amongst-east-devon-tories/

http://saveoursidmouth.com/2014/12/30/leader-paul-diviani-rejects-mps-call-to-put-knowle-relocation-project-on-hold-save-our-sidmouth-responds/

http://saveoursidmouth.com/2012/11/05/hugo-swire-has-asked-secretary-of-state-for-knowle-call-in/