The Secret Consultant – The writer is an NHS respiratory consultant who works across a number of hospitals. www.theguardian.com 

This week, the chair of the General Medical Council offered an extraordinary message of support to doctors. What was striking about this was not its tone, but its content. Nowhere was anything said about how to do our jobs, or how to be better doctors; the message was simple. It asked us to be compassionate and to be kind, to ourselves and to one another.

We will need that compassion. This Christmas period promises to be awful, just as tough in some ways as the worst of Covid, and this is what has moved me to write this.

Winter pressures are a feature of life in the NHS. Circulating winter viruses – flu, RSV etc – cause disease spikes each year and result in large numbers of admissions and often deaths. Hospitals fill up.

It has been obvious for months that this would be the case – the “twindemic” of flu and Covid was always going to hit hard – but I’ve been shocked by how unwell patients are, including the young and otherwise healthy, and how our wider immunity has dropped during the pandemic.

There are so many factors combining this year that cumulatively the system is pushed harder than I’ve ever seen it before. There are massively more emergency attendances than usual, with a recurring theme of how unsupported patients feel by their own GPs, even when this is often not the case.

Social care and community mental health provision is wholly inadequate and we are unable to discharge well patients for many days or weeks, leaving patients who do need to come on to a ward waiting in A&E for hours or days at a time.

Ambulances are then unable to unload or respond to new calls, and the patients they do bring in are often sicker after their long wait outside.

In the last few weeks we have been on the highest alert level 4 at least every few days. This usually signifies more than 40 sick patients stuck in A&E, usually for more than 24 hours, all needing urgent treatment but with no ward beds to put them into.

To my knowledge we have not been below alert level 3 since early summer. What used to be a relative rarity even in winter is now depressingly normal. And to add to this situation, we are now facing unprecedented strike action.

Nurses are already striking. In A&E they soak up stress, abuse, staff shortages 24 hours a day; on the wards they are told to take an extra patient here or open up another bay there with no extra staff and no way of closing those beds once they open.

And all of that without anywhere near adequate respect or recompense for what they do.

And our junior doctors will also soon go to a ballot. Their pay on qualification is woeful, given the degree of training and responsibility they carry. Covid disruption and the current pressures mean they are often denied the mentorship, teaching and camaraderie that cemented my love of medicine, and as a result their job satisfaction has plummeted.

I have seen a marked deterioration in their mental health and I hear about their financial worries much more than I ever used to. More and more of them are taking career breaks. I would be amazed if they did not vote for further industrial action.

And how does NHS England suggest we respond to these strikes?

They suggest that hospitals move patients out of emergency departments in preparation, or open extra beds. Oh, and try not to cancel any planned care while you’re at it.

To say I find this insulting is an understatement. It shows a total lack of understanding of what things are like in the average hospital and how hard we work, every day, to move patients onwards and protect planned care.

Do you not think we’ve already thought of that? It deflects responsibility for the problems back to individual teams and implies we’ve not already been doing everything we can. If only we would stop being so sluggish then it would all be fine. I found that statement as notable for its lack of compassion towards the workforce as the GMC’s one was for its warmth.

We are told that the NHS is at “breaking point” and has been for years, underfunded and poorly planned by successive Conservative governments.

But this is different. What is breaking now is not the system, but its people, and in a rapid, tangible way.

I regularly see colleagues in tears. Every few weeks I hear of someone else I know who is leaving, retiring early, going part-time, moving to a less stressful area.

All the time I hear how things have changed, that the pressure is too much now, that we wouldn’t recommend our children to do the jobs we do.

The pandemic has accelerated this and we need compassion more than ever. While I regularly see this from our patients and the public, it is notably absent from our leaders.

Most of all, though, we feel taken for granted. The expectation seems to be that we should just continue doing what we do – without proper appreciation or support – because we are the NHS heroes and that our work is some noble vocation that should sustain us regardless of how hard it may be.

And so these strikes are not just about pay. They are also a cry for help, a critical symptom of a stressed and failing workforce. Perhaps, if we were shown a little more kindness by those in charge, there would be a way forward.

Spire snapped up a private GP services provider for £12million as it expands its business amid growing demand in the UK.

The FTSE 250 healthcare group bought The Doctors Clinic Group, which operates 22 clinics and has more than 700 corporate clients.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The business, which employs 279 people – two-thirds of which are clinicians – is expected to deliver £11million in revenues this year and start turning a profit in 2024.

Spire said the purchase would broaden its healthcare offering amid ‘increased demand’ for its UK services as the NHS struggles to cope with staff shortages and growing waiting lists.

It added the acquisition would complement the work done by its 39 private hospitals and eight clinics across England, Wales and Scotland and allow it to capitalise on the growing need for face-to-face GP visits among Britons.

Spire also noted that demand for occupational health, another service provided by The Doctors Clinic, had been growing in the UK by 7 per cent annually over the last five years as companies sought out better ways to support their employees.

‘The Doctors Clinic Group will provide Spire with a strong platform to enter and expand in the fast-growing occupational health sector, and to increase our capacity to meet the burgeoning need for private GP services,’ said Spire boss Justin Ash.

Spire highlighted that The Doctors Clinic had a ‘particularly strong’ footprint in central London, which would allow it to gain a foothold in the capital’s primary care market.

The firm’s shares rose 0.5 per cent, or 1p, to 221p.

Spire’s move to expand its presence into occupational health comes as businesses across the UK struggle with a tight labour pool as many workers left the job market due to long-term sickness during the pandemic.

The government says it is “extremely concerned” about Devon County Council’s failing children’s services.

“Now considered to be the “third or fourth worst in the country.”

Ollie Heptinstall www.radioexe.co.uk 

The comment by the Department for Education comes after Devon’s MPs were last week told the county’s children’s services are now considered to be the “third or fourth worst in the country.”

Unless there are signs of improvement, they are likely to be taken into special measures next year. This would involve Devon being stripped of its responsibilities and having children’s services placed into an independently run trust.

The council’s children’s services department was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in January 2020, while Devon was also recently hit with a government improvement notice for its services for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) which it runs in partnership with NHS Devon.

The Conservative-run council and NHS Devon both apologised after a revisit by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in May found that progress had not been made in fixing four areas of “significant concern” identified in December 2018.

To help try to turn the service around, the council has adopted an improvement plan while changes have been made to the department’s leadership. Melissa Caslake recently left as director of children’s services, with Somerset’s former children’s lead Julian Wooster put in interim charge.

On Mr Wooster’s watch, the Ofsted rating for Somerset’s children’s services rose from ‘inadequate’ in 2015 to ‘good’ in its most recent inspection this July.

Council leader John Hart (Conservative, Bickleigh & Wembury) told last week’s cabinet meeting the council is “taking this very seriously,” while a spokesperson added it is their “main priority.”

But time could be running out at County Hall, with a Department for Education spokesperson warning in a statement: “We are extremely concerned about the current performance of Devon County Council’s children’s social care and local SEND services.

“The children’s commissioner is working closely with the council to ensure that appropriate actions are carried out to improve children’s services in Devon and is closely supporting the recruitment of a new director of children’s services.”

They added the children’s commissioner will be providing a progress update to the department in the new year, which will consider whether a full commissioner review will be required.

Last week, Exeter’s Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said he is “really concerned the political leadership of Devon County Council does not understand the gravity of the situation they are in.”

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service seven or eight other councils’ children’s services have been placed into a trust and warned: “This would incur significant extra costs which would fall on Devon’s council tax payers.”

A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: “We are working closely with government on our improvement plans for children’s social care and SEND services and recognise that there is more to do.

“Improving our support for children in Devon is our main priority.  We have a new structure and processes in place and believe that in collaboration with the DfE and other partners, and families of children and young people in Devon with SEND, we are on the right path.”

Services are being reduced and medics focusing on patients “with the most needs”, says the chief medical officer at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

www.bbc.co.uk

Steep rises in Covid-19, flu, Strep A and other winter illnesses are causing long waits at the hospital said chief medical officer Adrian Harris.

He urged people to “think very carefully” before going to hospital.

“Sadly how we will cope is by having to reduce the suite of services that we offer,” he said.

“We will have to focus as we do in any period of crisis on our patients with the most needs,” he said.

He added that longer waits were “regrettable”, but “the number of patients turning up and the complexity or severity of the illnesses or injuries” made it unavoidable.

“I’d ask the public to think very carefully when they attend whether it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

Mark Hamilton, chief medical officer at the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, advised people to use pharmacies, GPs or the NHS advice line, unless it was for a life-threatening condition.

“Every person that uses those services helps us to treat somebody else in the Emergency Department,” he said.

“It’s particularly difficult at the moment.

“Everything that we can do to try and treat the right patients by using other services means that it’s much easier for people to do their jobs.”

Second home owners in some of Devon’s most desirable hotspots are to be clobbered with a double Council Tax bill. The move has been passed unanimously by councillors in the South Hams, a district which includes Dartmouth, Salcombe, Hope Cove and other sought-after seaside destinations.

Guy Henderson www.devonlive.com 

They say it means owners will now have to pay their “fair share”. The council will now adopt the 100% Council Tax Second Homes Premium as soon as legislation allows. Nearly one in 12 homes across the district is a second home, and that figure is much higher in the coastal towns.

South Hams Council declared a housing crisis in September 2021 and backed its declaration with a 12-point action plan which included lobbying Government to allow local councils to charge double Council Tax on second or holiday homes to ensure they contribute fairly towards the services they receive.

Their lobbying proved successful when in May this year the Government published the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill which included proposals aimed at addressing the negative impact of second homes on the supply of homes for local people. The Bill is likely to become law from April 2024 at the earliest.

Leader of South Hams District Council, Cllr Judy Pearce said: “The long-term viability of communities within the South Hams has been detrimentally affected by the level of second home ownership. The sheer quantity of second homes means that house prices are pushed upwards.

“This can deny a home to a local resident as prices are pushed outside of what they can reasonably afford. This is especially acute for the younger generation.

“I went to Westminster in November to speak to a House of Lords Select Committee to discuss the challenges around short-term lets and the impact that has in the South Hams. It’s truly concerning that with just under 4,000 second homes in the district, this means that nearly one in every 12 homes is a second home.

“We’re not declaring war on second homes. We’re simply levelling the field to make it easier for our local residents to find somewhere to live, let alone somewhere to buy.

“We know that the majority of people can’t afford the prices of houses around the area at the moment. We do stand in solidarity with our local residents because they all have a right to have somewhere decent to live.”

Cllr Julian Brazil, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, added: “This is absolutely the right way forward. It will make a massive difference to us. To people who say it is an attack on second homeowners, it is not. What it is, is asking them to pay a fair share to our communities. They’re in the lucky position to own not one, but two houses, when many of our local families here struggle to own just one.

“The fact that they pay a little bit more should be compared to the increase in value of their second homes. Before the latest hiccup in the economy, house prices in the South Hams increased by around 25% in the last year. Increases of hundreds of thousands of pounds. We are asking them to pay a little bit extra to support the services that we struggle to deliver.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the Leader of the Council. She has worked incredibly hard lobbying MPs for them to understand the issues. I tabled a similar motion about 15 years ago without support but, we have got there in the end.”

Ministers’ refusal to negotiate with striking union leaders on pay goes against the Government’s own official advice on resolving industrial disputes, i can reveal.

Jane Merrick inews.co.uk

The Government’s Risk Register, which assesses the likelihood and impact of different threats to the UK, says “negotiation and mediation” is encouraged “as a means of resolving industrial action both before and during a strike”.

Union leaders have said they will pause the wave of strikes if ministers agree to discuss workers’ pay, which is the number one issue at the heart of the disputes hitting the NHS, airports, railways and other key public services this month.

But while Health Secretary Steve Barclay has held meetings with Pat Cullen, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, he has refused to negotiate on the issue of pay. He has also declined a suggestion from Ms Cullen to use the Acas mediation service.

Ministers have also declined negotiations with the three unions representing striking ambulance workers, and the PCS union on behalf of Border Force staff.

Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said the revelation showed ministers were being “cavalier with their own rules” and that ministers are “holding the country to ransom”.

The 2020 Risk Register says the threat of industrial action can be tackled through prevention, including “wherever possible, government encourages negotiation and mediation, such as via the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, as a means of resolving industrial action both before and during a strike”.

It also says the impact of strikes can be lessened through monitoring, including “UK Government and the devolved administrations work together closely to monitor impending strike action and resolve it where possible”.

The Risk Register warns that consequences of industrial action may include “disruption to essential services, particularly transport, health and education; disruption to business (via lost working hours); possible public order challenges; economic damage (particularly for transport sector industrial action)”.

Union leaders have warned that ministers’ failure to get round the negotiating table is prolonging the disputes. But the Government has insisted it cannot meet the demands for above-inflation pay rises because it would hit frontline public services.

Rishi Sunak said on Monday he was prepared to hold out for “months” before giving into “unreasonable” pay demands of unions.

But Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The Government could have stopped these strikes taking place. It is clear from the deal done in Scotland a solution can be found and that unions are more than willing to negotiate.

“Instead, it looks like the Government is being cavalier with its own rules, breaking its own Risk Register rules by refusing to negotiate on pay. What a state to be in.

“It’s Steven Barclay who is holding the country to ransom, not the unions. He will have to carry the can if patients suffer. This Government is guilty of criminal negligence in its deliberate hollowing out of the NHS long before now. If the staff exodus is to be sorted there needs to be decent pay. In fighting for that, those taking strike action are actually trying to save the service.”

A PCS spokesperson said: “The Government should practice what it preaches. PCS stands ready to negotiate whenever the Government wants to come to the table. Only then will we be able to resolve this dispute.”

Unison head of health, Sara Gorton, said: “The Government’s let everyone down. Ministers have known this was coming for months and should have made some effort to resolve the dispute. Instead they’ve dug in their heels and done nothing.”

In an interview with the Daily Mail, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The Government is acting fairly and reasonably and will always continue to do so. I’m going to do what I think is right for the long-term interests of the country – combating inflation.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We regret the decision taken by unions to strike and we greatly value the work of all their members across the country. We will do all we can to mitigate the impact of this action, but the only way to stop the disruption completely is for union bosses to get back round the table and call off these damaging strikes.

“We want to ensure people are paid fairly, and we have been reasonable in our approach to agreeing to the independent pay review bodies’ recommendations for public sector pay rises.

“An inflation-matching pay increase of 11 per cent for all public sector workers would cost £28 billion, worsening debt and embedding inflation, which makes everyone poorer. That would be a cost to each household of just under £1,000.”

Army reservists could in future be asked to play a larger role in certain crises, according to a government report on the future of resilience, to end reliance on under-pressure Armed Forces.

The report from the Cabinet Office warns that with the Armed Forces “facing pressure as risks multiply” at home and abroad, personnel “cannot be the first port of call whenever an emergency hits”.

Any changes would see the reserves play a “greater role” in military aid to the civil authorities (Maca) protocol operations and in other areas, and use of the Armed Forces for more routine tasks will be “an indication of policy failure”.

A stark illustration of the potential value of gaining planning permission. – Owl

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

The site of a hugely controversial new business park on the edge of a Devon village has been placed on the market. Former farmland in Sidford, earmarked for the Sidford Business Park, has been put on for sale for £4m.

The plans divided the village and had been refused by East Devon District Council because of concerns over dangers from increased HGV traffic through Sidbury and Sidford as a result of the development. There are also worries about the visual impact, as it is in an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.’

But a planning inspector overturned that decision on appeal – one that was described as “basically a two fingers up to the Sid Valley”. A reserved matters application for the details and design of the business park scheme was approved earlier this year.

The scheme was set to see 8,445sqm of employment space built on the outskirts of the village and create 250 new jobs. But now, it seems that it may not go ahead after all, as owners Tim and Mike Ford are selling off the land at Two Bridges Road.

It is understood the pair have decided instead to focus on improvements to the existing Alexandria Industrial Estate in Sidmouth, instead which they own. A planning application for a new access road to make getting in and out of the site easier has been submitted.

The 8,445-square-metre site in Sidford, where some flood improvement work has already been completed, is being marketed as an ‘oven ready’ brownfield site. While it has planning permission for employment use, the sale brochure says that the access is most likely to be suitable for Residential use.

It states: “The owner of the site is a fourth-generation employment land owner of another employment site in Sidmouth. This other site, known as the Alexandria Industrial Estate, is now determined by the owner to be the best location for further employment investment. The proceeds from the sale of land at Sidford will assist employment investment in this alternative location.

“Consequently, the land at Sidford is now offered as an exciting opportunity to an investor who can quickly engage with the Local Plan Review by making appropriate representations. The site is to be sold via an informal tender and offers are invited to be placed on an Option or Subject to Planning basis by February 10, 2023.”

Construction businesses are going bust at their fastest rate in a decade, driving the number of company insolvencies to its highest level since the financial crisis.

Gurpreet Narwan, business correspondent news.sky.com

Rising material costs, staff shortages and plummeting consumer demand are weighing on businesses, forcing them to squeeze their margins to unsustainable levels.

Official figures show that in the second quarter of this year, company insolvencies in England and Wales reached their highest quarterly level since the third quarter of 2009.

In the first half of the year, the Insolvency Service recorded 10,717 company insolvencies.

The construction sector accounted for a fifth of these with 2,094 businesses going bust.

The industry had 1,048 insolvencies in the first quarter of the year, which marked its highest level since the same quarter in 2012.

The industry, which accounts for around 7% of the economy, is especially vulnerable to rising inflation because businesses often operate with slim profit margins.

Construction materials typically account for between 20-25% of the cost of most building projects and the price of core materials, including timber and steel, have rocketed over the past year.

According to figures compiled by the business department, the cost of steel bars rose by 17% in the year to October.

The cost of blocks and bricks has risen by 18% and timber is up 19%.

A recent report by the Federation of Master Builders found that the vast majority – 90% – of its members have been hit with higher costs over the past year.

They are also battling with shortages of key staff, including labourers, carpenters, joiners and bricklayers.

In a sign of the economic malaise plaguing Britain, builders said they were struggling to pass these costs on as clients were pulling projects and refraining from commissioning new ones.

Local builders most vulnerable

Smaller, local builders are especially vulnerable as they are less able to benefit from economies of scale so are more exposed to sharply rising costs.

Mark Wigley, managing director of Osprey Homes, a small-to-medium sized housebuilder in Hertfordshire, said: “It makes the viability of certain projects very difficult, in as much as we have to assemble our financial appraisals well in advance of bidding for new land and that generally takes a minimum of 12 months.

“House prices are not increasingly in line with the costs of our material increases.

“So as a result, the developers are really carrying a lot of additional costs that we’re finding it very difficult to absorb within our day to day business.”

He warned that smaller businesses were at the sharp end of the crisis because they are less able to benefit from economies of scale.

“If we’re not careful, then houses will just be built by the big PLCs who are only really interested in these massive development sites,” he said.

“So these little infill plots, where we are able to demonstrate high quality, will just cease to exist.

“We employ a lot of people within the construction industry and the wider economy.

“So the ripple effect of anything that happens to our industry is quite significant.”

Another twist in the district heating saga – Owl

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Heat network customers need action now to protect them from the potentially devastating consequences of unregulated price rises and reliability issues, an expert has warned. It is likely that district and communal heat networks won’t be regulated by Ofgem until at least 2024, leaving householders facing another two years of catastrophically high bills whilst the cost-of-living crisis continues. In addition, householders who face issues of intermittent supply of their heating and hot water will remain at the mercy of their provider to find a solution, with no option to seek redress from a regulator.

This news comes after recent supply problems have arisen in Exeter with the E.ON district heat network that supplies the new build town of Cranbrook and surrounding areas. A recent problem has arisen with the valves situated in the heat interface unit within many of the properties served by the network resulting in numerous customers in Exeter being left with no, or very limited, heating and hot water for close to a week.

Dr Catherine Caine, from the University of Exeter Law School, has called on the Government to take action now to help those affected.

Heat networks have the potential to deliver up to 20 per cent of heat to homes in the UK by 2050 and could deliver significant reductions in carbon emissions. However, the sector is currently unregulated which means that the consumers of heat networks can be paying much higher prices for heating systems, which may have also been poorly constructed and which they do not understand. Some bills have risen as high as 700 per cent since April 2022.

There are more than 14,000 heat networks in Great Britain, approximately 2,000 of which are district heat networks and 12,000 are communal heat networks. Combined, these serve around 500,000 households.

Heat networks provide hot water to residential and commercial buildings and remove the need for gas boilers to be installed in individual buildings. Consumers do not receive protection regarding the price that they pay and are often poorly informed about what their heat network is and how it differs from a traditional gas boiler.

Under the Premiership of Boris Johnson, the Energy Bill was introduced in Parliament which, if enacted in law, would appoint Ofgem as the regulator of the sector. Under the Bill, heat network suppliers would be held to a nationally recognised standard when they install and commission their heat network. The Bill also included proposals for consumers to receive clearer information. However, since the recent changes in Government progress on the Energy Bill appears to have been put on hold.

Dr Caine said: “Over summer, progress on the Energy Bill looked very promising, but the half-a-million residents living in homes supplied by heat networks are still supplied by a monopoly that is unregulated – without the ability to switch suppliers. It is very unfortunate that the Energy Bill has been put on hold. The plans for the regulatory framework going through Parliament need to be implemented as soon as possible, and certainly before future systems are constructed so as to ensure these problems do not hinder the positive impact that heat networks can have in the UK.

Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton & Honiton, Richard Foord has called for the Government to publish the findings of their review into the usage of Airbnbs and short-term holiday lets. There are over 8,000 properties across Devon listed on Airbnb and the number of UK listings grew 33% between 2017 and 2018.

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com 

There are concerns about the growing size of this market at a time when many local people are struggling to find an affordable place to live. The Government held a review into the growth of short-term tourist accommodation in June – but has yet to publish the findings.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, Mr Foord criticised the ‘unrestricted growth’ of this market. He called for the Government to both publish the review’s findings and act upon them to support local people.

Speaking after the debate, Richard Foord MP said: “Here in the West Country our communities are being put under pressure by the growth of short-term holiday lets. There are more than 11,000 short-term lets, such as Airbnb, in Devon alone – and this is affecting local communities.

“I have many constituents contacting me about their difficulty finding local homes to buy or rent, and they find it galling just how many properties are being snapped up as holiday homes or investment opportunities. Earlier this year there were just three homes available in all of Honiton for private rent. It’s clear to me that we need more affordable homes for local people, not more Airbnbs and short-term lets.

“The Government said it would carry out a review into short-term lets months ago, but disappointingly has not yet published the findings. I simply don’t see what they are waiting for. They should publish the review in full as soon as possible, and act upon its findings to ensure our towns and villages can continue to thrive – without local people being priced out of their own community.”

South West Water (SWW) have confirmed that water has since been restored to areas of East Devon after locals reported more than 24-hours without water. Residents in Axminster and Tiverton faced hours without water over the weekend after a number of pipes burst, and some locals in Seaton say they still do not have water access.

The taps might be running dry, but given the rain we have had, you can bet that the Combined Sewer Outfalls (CSOs) will have been pouring freely into our rivers and into the sea. Strange smells in Exmouth? – Owl

www.devonlive.com

Some locals reported they had no access to water for 36 hours after the pipes burst. A statement from SWW said the company had been working “through the night” to restore water, and had delivered bottled water to residents without water.

Jane, from Seaton, told Devon Live: “I don’t know how many are affected. There is a care home in Seaton without water. “

She continued: “They’ve given different reasons at the moment; one was a burst pipe, another was a pumping issue. We don’t know what is going on but it’s a bit much.”

Jane says she has been unable to shower due to the water issues. She said: “I’ve tried to ring SWW but it was a two-hour wait. When is it going to be fixed? There are elderly and vulnerable people involved. “

A resident in Honiton said they were unable to “drink water, flush the toilet, or shower” from around 10pm on Sunday, December 18. According to the SWW Twitter account, a burst pipe on Saturday (December 17) meant residents in Seaton lost water – this was followed by a second burst pipe which extended the loss.

A statement from SWW, released today (Monday), said water has since been restored to Axminster, though customers may experience a drop in water pressure while “water recharged the system”. The company said “extreme weather conditions, with temperatures moving quickly from -6 to 11 degrees” put pressure on pipes, leading to bursts.

A South West Water spokesperson said: “We know that some customers in Tiverton and Seaton are experiencing disruption to their water supply. We have worked hard all weekend and through the night to restore supplies to customers in Axminster and water is now restored, but customers may experience low pressure while water recharges into the system.

“The extreme weather conditions, with temperatures moving quickly from -6 to 11 degrees, did put our network under pressure and our team are responding very quickly to find and fix bursts. We thank customers for their patience while we work hard to restore all customer supplies.”

From a correspondent:

People with annual tickets won’t get a refund.

Stagecoach says it will happen on MOST routes but does not specify which ones.

Cuts to routes mean that people who used to take one bus now take 2-3 so unlikely to be a saving for them.

(A comment has already pointed out that you first have to find your bus.)

Another correspondent becomes inspired to write a “Carol” for our times.

(Owl enjoys these contributions immensely. Thank you.)

Below is ‘A Christmas Jingle’ to be sung to the tune of ‘Santa Claus is coming to town!’

LAND DEVELOPERS ARE COMING TO TOWN!

You better watch out
you better not cry;
you better not pout,
I’m telling you why –
Land Developers are coming to town!

They’re making a list
they’re checking it twice –
It matters not whether you’re naughty or nice –
Land Developers are coming to town!

They pinpoint those found sleeping –
they avoid those wide awake;
without a five-year housing plan
‘You’re toast – for goodness sake!’

They’re raising a glass
To profits galore –
They really don’t care
If you’re needy or poor –
Land Developers are coming to town!

They’ll build on your green spaces;
High rise is in their scope –
Alas, there’s no protection –
because ‘The Council’ just can’t cope!

You better watch out –
it’s really quite scary –
A Farringdon new town (?) –
Build, build, build in Clyst St Mary –
Land Developers are coming to town!

• The proposed upgrade of an existing base station consisting of the replacement of a 15m monopole with a 20m monopole supporting 3 no antennas and 2 no 300mm dishes together with the removal of 1 no cabinet, installation of 1 no cabinet and ancillary development thereto Fenny Bridge The Mill Honiton EX14 3BGRef. No: 22/2715/AGR | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of single storey rear extension and extension to raised patio. Alteration to access to form new stepped, pedestrian access and widen driveway to create additional parking space. 17 Newbery Close Colyton EX24 6TJRef. No: 22/2713/FUL | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of outbuilding, construction of rear dormer window and construction of rear and side single storey extensions. Colestocks Farm Cottage Colestocks Honiton Devon EX14 3JRRef. No: 22/2709/FUL | Validated: Thu 08 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single-storey rear extension. 30 Trinfield Avenue Exmouth EX8 3JURef. No: 22/2711/FUL | Validated: Thu 08 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rebuilding of the east boundary stone wall to match existing Bruvs Bar 102 High Street Honiton Devon EX14 1JWRef. No: 22/2701/LBC | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rebuilding of the east boundary stone wall to match existing. Bruvs Bar 102 High Street Honiton Devon EX14 1JWRef. No: 22/2700/FUL | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed touring caravan site Carnbrae Woodhouse Hill Uplyme Devon DT7 3SLRef. No: 22/2703/FUL | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition no.2 (approved plans) of planning permission 22/0179/FUL (construction of two storey rear extension with alteration to fenestration) to allow for amendments to the drawing numbers 38 Greenpark Road Exmouth EX8 4JTRef. No: 22/2702/VAR | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed double garage with storage above Woodbury Cottage Woodbury Lane Axminster Devon EX13 5TLRef. No: 22/2698/FUL | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed conversion of a redundant water tank to form 1 no. dwellinghouse, provision of associated parking and associated works Pitney Water Storage Tank Broadhembury EX14 3LERef. No: 22/2697/FUL | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed first floor balcony 36 Jackson Meadow Lympstone Exmouth Devon EX8 5GZRef. No: 22/2705/FUL | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of pergola with retractable roof on rear elevation. 1 Charles Court Lympstone Exmouth Devon EX8 5ELRef. No: 22/2706/FUL | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Copper Beech : approximately 20 metres high, reduce height by 2 metres as concerned about proximity to our boundary wall with neighbours, possible damage. T2, Ash: Fell showing signs of ash dieback also situated on our boundary wall with neighbours, concerned about possible damage. T3, Copper Beech: Approximately 20 metres high, reduce by 2 metres; reduction due to proximitiy to our dwelling and takes full south westerly prevailing winds. T4, Ash: Fell, showing signs of ash dieback and in striking distance of dwelling. 6 Kingsholme Colyford Colyton EX24 6RJRef. No: 22/2688/TRE | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Storage shed for straw/hay Broadhayes Farm Stockland Devon EX14 9ELRef. No: 22/2696/AGR | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of photovoltaic array on west facing roof. 11 Charles Court Church Road Lympstone EX8 5ELRef. No: 22/2695/FUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Raising of roof to allow for the conversion of roofspace to habitable use. Brooklands Lodge Woodbury Salterton Exeter EX5 1ELRef. No: 22/2694/FUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed general purpose farm building Little Cobden Cobden Lane Whimple Devon EX5 2PZRef. No: 22/2691/FUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Permanent agricultural workers dwelling Moonhayes Farm Upottery EX14 9RARef. No: 22/2689/FUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed two storey side extension and single storey rear extension 14 Lea Combe Axminster Devon EX13 5LJRef. No: 22/2681/FUL | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of condition No. 4 (external lighting) of planning permission 21/1508/PDQ as the external lighting has been completed Maglea Barn Kerswell Devon EX15 2ESRef. No: 22/2686/VAR | Validated: Thu 08 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing rear extensions. Erection of new single and two storey extension with raised decking. Replacement of roof 1-3 Eveleigh Cottages Venlake Lane Uplyme DT7 3SBRef. No: 22/2687/FUL | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of timber car port with attached log store Rhododendron House Woodhouse Lyme Road Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3XARef. No: 22/2682/FUL | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Permanent agricultural workers dwelling and the construction of a detached garage. Caravan Littledown Farm Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9LZRef. No: 22/2680/FUL | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Ground floor extension to west side to form bedroom suite; convert existing garage to utility and study; construct new garage to east side 3 Woolbrook Rise Sidmouth EX10 9UBRef. No: 22/2677/FUL | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Engineering operations for playing pitch improvement works including raising and levelling of surface Warren View Sports Ground Halsdon Avenue Exmouth EX8 3DHRef. No: 22/2669/MFUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Copper Beech (T2) : Sectionally dismantle down to 3 metres in height. Raleigh Manor Care Home 13 Drakes Avenue Exmouth Devon EX8 4ABRef. No: 22/2675/TRE | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Norway Maple (T2) : fit with cobra bracing to reduce risk of future limb failure. Quercus robur (T7): crown raise to give a 3 metre clearance over the path outside 22 Sturges Road. Alder (T8): crown raise up to 4 metres over the pavement. 22 Sturges Road Exmouth EX8 4BHRef. No: 22/2668/TRE | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed covered silage building Broadhembury Barton Broadhembury EX14 3LPRef. No: 22/2670/FUL | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Open sided storage shed for machinery and fodder Higher Bruckland Farm Cottage Musbury Devon EX13 8SURef. No: 22/2674/AGR | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion and extension of detached single storey garage to annexe accommodation, repair and partial rebuild of existing linhay outbuilding including installation of PC array to new garage and workshop. Millwater Farm Lower Lane Dalwood Devon EX13 7EERef. No: 22/2654/FUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of conditions 2 and 5 of application 21/3001/FUL to change of elevational finish by the removal of bi-folding doors and high level dummy window, and the introduction of brickwork to certain elements of the proposal. Ilex Clyst St Mary Devon EX5 1BBRef. No: 22/2655/VAR | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace existing double-sided internally illuminated 6-sheet bus shelter advertising displays with Double-sided digital displays; replacement digital displays will portray static advertising images that change every 10 seconds. Bus Shelter Exeter Road ExmouthRef. No: 22/2652/ADV | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of 2 no. two storey dwellings and one bungalow with garages Land Off Critchards Broadway WoodburyRef. No: 22/2644/FUL | Validated: Thu 08 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Raising of roof including levelling of wall-plate, erection of replacement single storey rear extension incorporating self-contained bat haven, and change of use of agricultural land to domestic garden Rockerhayne House Northleigh EX24 6DARef. No: 22/2635/FUL | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alteration, extension & refurbishment of dwellinghouse including: a. raising of roof including elevation and levelling of wall-plate; b. demolition of single storey rear extension, comprising toilet, store & veranda; c. erection of single storey rear extension, incorporating self-contained bat haven; d. replacement of timber and Crittal windows with new timber windows, and e. creation of new doorway to and conversion of ground floor store to living space. Rockerhayne House Northleigh EX24 6DARef. No: 22/2636/LBC | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of artist studio/workshop for use as 2 no. units of holiday accommodation and associated operational development (alternative proposal to that approved under Ref: 21/2522/FUL). Quantock Stockland Honiton EX14 9DXRef. No: 22/2607/FUL | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear infill extension Underhill House Underhill Lympstone EX8 5HHRef. No: 22/2548/LBC | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear infill extension Underhill House Underhill Lympstone EX8 5HHRef. No: 22/2547/FUL | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Group of 7 Sycamores : reduce the stand by up to 8 metres Talbot Arms Hotel Lyme Road Uplyme Devon DT7 3TFRef. No: 22/2523/TRE | Validated: Fri 09 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Planning permission to drop the kerb outside my house to give vehicle crossing access to my existing driveway as the road is a C class road. 54 Marpool Hill Exmouth Devon EX8 2LHRef. No: 22/2520/FUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Willow (T1) : Fell. Sweet Chestnut (T2) : Fell. Crab Apple (T3) : Fell. Hawthorn (T4): 50% reduction. 4 Seafield Road Seaton EX12 2QSRef. No: 22/2278/TCA | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side extension, single storey rear extension, basement level rear extension. Normanlea 29 Albion Hill Exmouth EX8 1JSRef. No: 22/2237/FUL | Validated: Thu 08 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of land for siting of mobile home Pynes Lodge Poltimore EX4 0AARef. No: 22/2203/FUL | Validated: Tue 06 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Install double doors leading into sitting room and the insertion of a supporting lintel Flat 1 Sidbury House Buckley Road Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0SLRef. No: 22/2129/LBC | Validated: Wed 07 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed installation of solar panels to roofs. Bernaville Nurseries Three Horse Shoes Cowley Exeter EX5 5EURef. No: 22/1608/PVJ | Validated: Mon 05 Dec 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

More than 130 bus operators outside London will begin capping single adult fares at £2 next month as part of a government-funded scheme to help people save money.

www.bbc.co.uk

National Express and Stagecoach will be among those to introduce the cap in England from 1 January to 31 March.

Single local bus fares in England cost £2.80 on average but can exceed £5 in rural areas, the government says.

Labour has said it was a “half measure” after “years of soaring fares”.

The cities of Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire – all of which have Labour mayors – have already introduced £2 caps as part of longer-term schemes.

The Department for Transport, which originally announced the scheme in September, said buses were the most popular form of public transport in England, making up half of all journeys.

It said the government was spending £60m on the cap to “help families, students and commuters” while taking “two million car journeys off the road”.

According to latest official figures, the number of people travelling by bus has been rising but remains well below pre-Covid levels.

At the same time local bus fares in England were up 4.2% in the three months to 30 June when compared with the same period last year.

The government says the scheme will help the bus industry’s recovery, while also enabling passengers to save.

It also said the cap was “an important step” in ensuring passengers got a fair deal.

The Campaign for Better Transport, a charity, welcomed the cap but said it should be extended.

Spokesman Norman Baker said: “Capping bus fares will help struggling households, cut traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and inject new life into dwindling bus services.

“It’s such a win-win that it shouldn’t be restricted to three months, but should be extended indefinitely, for the sake of our pockets, our economy and our environment.”

The New Economics Foundation says this decision is at odds with the 2021 Environment Act which commits the government to the principle that ‘the polluter pays’

Saphora Smith www.independent.co.uk 

The government is spending a billion pounds less on cutting domestic emissions than it is expected to raise through carbon taxes over the next 12 months, contradicting its own principle that “the polluter pays”, according to analysis.

The UK emissions trading scheme – which charges certain businesses for emitting greenhouse gases – is expected to raise £6.5bn this year, more than six times the £1bn it raised in 2021-2022, according to a study of carbon credit auction prices by the New Economics Foundation and Oxfam.

But despite the significant projected windfall, the government has only allocated £5.5bn to cutting carbon emissions domestically this year.

Alex Chapman, a senior researcher from NEF who conducted the analysis, says the gap is at odds with the 2021 Environment Act which commits the government to the notion that “the polluter pays”.

“We’re set to raise over £20bn over the next four years from our most polluting businesses but we’re not putting it to good use,” he said.

“This government has the opportunity to reinvest this money to cut our dangerous carbon emissions and repair some of the damage caused by the climate crisis,” he added.

Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, said the analysis showed that the government “isn’t even capable of following its own legislation”.

“Instead of polluters paying for their climate-wrecking emissions, the public is being forced to pay up instead,” she told The Independent.

“Ministers must urgently plug the gap in climate spending if their own Environment Act is worth the paper it’s written on.”

The UK government is spending the £5.5bn on a range of policies to cut emissions ranging from transport to energy efficiency, hydrogen, and offshore wind.

But the emissions trading scheme is not designed to pay for all of our climate action, and the Climate Change Committee has said that next year over £12bn of capital investment is needed to help decarbonise the buildings and surface transport sectors alone.

The scheme applies to energy-intensive industries, such as the power generation sector and aviation.

The industries are allocated a certain number of credits for free, but have to buy the majority through the scheme, in which the number of credits is capped.

The aim is to control the volume of emissions that can be emitted by the regulated sectors to ensure the UK meets its target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The reduction in the number of credits available – as well as a drop in free credits – has pushed up the price of the credit in recent years.

Over the past two years the average price of a tonne of carbon in the scheme has trebled from around £28 to around £80, according to NEF.

And yet this dramatic increase is not being reflected in this year’s core net zero budget to cut emissions from transport, buildings and the energy sector among others.

“Once again the Conservative government has shown they are not committed to climate action,” said Liberal Democrats climate change spokesperson, Wera Hobhouse.

Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said the analysis underscored “just how significantly the government is still underinvesting in the vital measures that will cut the UK’s carbon emissions.”

“With the energy crisis biting and millions of people shivering in their homes, there couldn’t be a more pressing need for the government to prioritise investment in a street-by-street insulation programme, starting with the most in-need neighbourhoods,” he said.

Other European countries are better at reinvesting revenue from their emissions trading schemes into climate action, according to the analysis. Germany, France, Portugal and Greece all invest between 90 and 100 per cent of emissions trading scheme revenues into reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

The analysis comes as a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) published on Friday found that increased investment to reach net zero is an “economic, environmental and political necessity” that could boost GDP by 2 per cent by 2030 and 3 per cent by 2050.

The government has repeatedly said it remains committed to reaching net zero by 2050, and that between 1990 and 2019 the economy grew by 76 per cent while the UK cut emissions by some 44 per cent, decarbonising faster than any other G7 nation.

Last month, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an extra £6bn to improve energy efficiency from 2025 to cut demand for expensive energy.

But the foundation recommends that the government invests an additional £8.75bn this parliament to insulate draughty homes, plus an extra £3.6bn to kick-start an emergency basic insulation programme this winter.

It also calls on the government to contribute to loss and damage funding to compensate vulnerable countries for damage caused by climate-fuelled extreme weather and slow onsets like rising sea levels.

The Independent approached the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for comment.

Avanti West Coast handed millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses

Avanti West Coast was handed millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses for a period in which it was Britain’s worst train operator for delays, Labour Party analysis shows.

Joseph Connor www.thelondoneconomic.com 

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh called the payments a “scandalous waste of taxpayers’ money” and a “symptom of a broken rail system”.

Labour analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) figures published on Thursday found Avanti West Coast was awarded the highest possible rating for “operational performance” and “customer satisfaction” between April 1 and September 18 last year.

That contributed to a bonus payout of £4.1 million.

This is despite Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures showing just 60.1% of stops at stations by Avanti West Coast trains were within a minute of the schedule between April and June 2021 – the worst figure for all operators.

Separate ORR data also revealed that the company had a higher rate of complaints per passenger than every operator except Caledonian Sleeper during that period.

Ms Haigh said: “Ministers have rewarded abject failure, handing over millions of pounds in performance bonuses and fees to this failing operator.

“Rather than hold operators to account for shambolic performance, ministers are doling out taxpayer-funded bonuses.

“This is a symptom of a broken rail system where passengers come last.

“The next Labour Government will bring our railways back into public ownership as contracts expire, ending the Tories’ failing system, and putting passengers back at the heart of our rail network.”

Ministers came under fire last month for renewing Avanti West Coast’s contract despite it slashing services in August to reduce short-notice cancellations.

A new timetable introduced earlier this month featured a 40% uplift in services, according to the company, which is a joint venture between FirstGroup (70%) and Italian state operator Trenitalia (30%).

A DfT spokesperson said: “This performance fee is based on data from before the current period of disruption. Avanti need to improve services on their network to ensure passengers can get the reliable, timely service that they deserve.

“We have put Avanti on a short term, six-month contract, as they roll out vital improvements and service upgrades and continue to monitor the situation closely.”

David Cameron first took aim at public sector workers in 2010. Continued Conservative policies have brought them to their knees.

“Contemporary Tory governments are singularly bad and unsympathetic employers”

Will Hutton www.theguardian.com 

The anger, despair, hardship and sense of being trapped that drove last week’s nurses’ strike, the first in the history of the Royal College of Nursing, with ambulance workers and other large parts of the NHS joining them this Wednesday, did not come out of a clear blue sky. They have been years in the making, as has the industrial action blighting rail, the tube and the post office and those planned in schools and the civil service early in the new year.

For contemporary Tory governments are singularly bad and unsympathetic employers. Although Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng have been dispatched, their libertarian hostility to the state, to taxes and to the very concept of public endeavour is shared, if less moronically, by Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt.

In their terms, the public sector workforce is an unfortunate evil, whose claim on the public purse is a residual one once prior ambitions to lower taxes and debt have been met – a far nobler and more moral aim for them than strong public services operated by motivated and reasonably paid staff. So it was in 2010, when David Cameron assumed office. It is the case today, too, but the capacity to run an undeclared pay policy that keeps public sector wages under continuous downward pressure has come apart with inflation running above 10%. The nurses are castigated for striking for an inflation increase plus 5%, which is seen as ”unreasonable”. But were it offered, their starting salaries in real terms would still be lower than they were in 2010. It is a similar story across the public sector.

It is a pay policy not openly acknowledged by ministers. Future public spending plans are set out in successive comprehensive spending reviews: public sector wages are budgeted to rise in cash terms for the next three years by never more than the assumed inflation rate. Varying parts of the public sector – there are eight pay review bodies, ranging from the NHS to education – may choose to offer more than the cash cap reflecting circumstances but, if so, the resources will have to be earned by “efficiency savings”. In the case of the NHS, those are assumed to be 2.2% a year.

In the immediate wake of the financial crisis, with economic activity depressed and inflation virtually nonexistent, public and private sector pay in real terms fell broadly in sync, but since 2015 the system has delivered an increasingly unfair and unbridgeable gap. In 2021, private sector pay finally climbed above its 2010 levels in real terms. Meanwhile, since 2015 public sector pay has risen a little, but not at the same pace – and from 2021 that widening has accelerated. In September, private sector pay in real terms (including bonuses) had grown cumulatively 5.5% since 2010, while in the public sector it had declined by 5.9%, with nearly half of that formidable 11.4% gulf opening up since January 2021. The government’s projected cash increases for wages have been eaten away by far higher than expected inflation. It’s been a hard time for everyone, but especially for those in the public sector. The core problem has been the productivity calamity, made worse in the public sector by even lower investment than in the resource-starved business sector. The figures are a disgrace. Since 2010, British capital spending on healthcare has consistently been the lowest of nine comparable European countries, plus the US and Canada; our stock of MRI and CT scanners per million people is the lowest, as are beds per 1,000 people. Worse, since Covid, one in seven of those hospital beds is occupied by a patient who could be discharged, but lack of care home capacity and social and community care has meant they are blocked in hospital. So despite more doctors, nurses and ambulance staff since 2019, the NHS is treating 12% fewer people from waiting lists and 14% fewer emergency admissions. These are not just barren statistics: accounts of patients needing emergency treatment but not receiving it because of system blockages are commonplace.

These are not acts of God. They are the results of policy choices. The coalition government took over an NHS in pretty good shape. But as the Institute of Government’s Giles Wilkes, sometime economic adviser to both Vince Cable and then Theresa May, candidly observed last week, its great error was not only to squeeze NHS spending too hard; it was obsessed with tax cuts – increasing personal allowances, cutting corporation tax, freezing fuel duties and capping council tax. As a result, he says, crucial “fiscal firepower for public services in future” was squandered. Then add Brexit, without which GDP would now be £120bn higher and tax revenues up some £50bn. Far from the £350m a week more for the NHS, we have £1bn a week less.

There is no honesty about any of this. Instead, the government twists and turns, making outlandish claims about the unaffordability of the pay claims and their contestable impact on inflation. It is one of the baleful results of post-Brexit Tory politics that Johnsonian half-truths and misrepresentation are now increasingly the currency of public life. The reality is that the government faces the consequences of the sins of its predecessors. Had successive generations of Tory ministers avoided stupid policies, there would have been the fiscal firepower to maintain public sector wages at levels that did not provoke strikes and by raising investment levels allow workers to do better jobs. Unions may need to accept that jobs and systems have to change to reflect technological change, but to work in public service should be properly rewarded.

In a sense, it is a civilisational battle. An NHS that cannot do its job properly means that more than half-a-million workers can’t enrol for work because they can’t get medical treatment. Worse gaps, delays, endemic shortages and bottlenecks are literally killing people. The vast majority of the electorate do not share the mania for state shrinking and tax cuts that animates the government. It wants properly resourced public services. The nurses are fighting to protect minimal living standards – but also for a stronger NHS, for better policy and, to an extent, for our civilisation itself. It is a cause we must support.

This post “A modern day Christmas Carol” has inspired Mike Temple to pen this poem

(may be sung to the tune of “Once in Royal David’s city…”)

Once in Little-Britain City
Lived a Tory known as Scrooge,
Stranger he to Truth and Pity
But his assets were quite huge.
His cash was tax-free, stashed offshore.
He didn’t care about the Poor.

He cut their benefits and “credit”,
Ignored the homeless at his door;
“Want” was “humbug” (yes, he said it).
His friends grew richer than before.
Bob Cratchit was this Tory’s stooge,
Kept on low pay by the said Scrooge.

Bob Cratchit on his low wage went
To nearby Food Banks every week.
He spent so much on heat and rent.
His prospects did look very bleak,
While for his son called Tiny Tim The future really did look grim.
At Xmas-time Scrooge went to bed
But didn’t sleep a wink at all;
He’d drunk a lot and was well fed
But saw a Ghost upon the wall
Who oped his cloak, and what Scrooge saw
Were kids called “Ignorant” and “Poor”.

This Ghost was from the Tory Past,
From just about three years ago;
The kids were mean, also low-classed
And marked with misery and woe.
They looked at Scrooge as if to say:
“Your policies turned out this way.”

Next night our Scrooge was sleeping when
The Ghost of the Time-Present came
Who showed the children once again –
It was indeed a crying shame:
The kids were hollow-eyed and thin
With little flesh, just bone and skin.

The third night’s Ghost from Future Time
Brought on the double-act once more,
Both skeletons – it was a crime
And done by those who’d made them poor.
The “Poor” kid was now Tiny Tim
And millions more were just like him.

Mike Temple

“The government and unions are engaged in a long, ideological brawl for which the traveller and taxpayer are mere bystanders.”

Simon Calder www.independent.co.uk

Imagine a business that, in the course of three years, has lost one in five of its customers. Revenue has shrunk even further, to just 71 per cent of where it was in 2019. That translates to taking £10m less per day than in 2019.

It gets worse. Three different bosses in seven weeks. A pricing policy so irrational and riddled with anomalies that an increasing number of customers make two or more purchases to obtain a single product, typically saving 40 per cent in the process. And bewildering working arrangements for staff.

In one unit of this business, the terms of employment depends on which side of a range of hills your job happens to be based. It is a seven-day-a-week operation, and the staff in the east could be rostered on any day. Yet those on the western side can work Sundays only when they feel like earning some overtime.

This is an organisation that clearly needs to be reconstructed from the ground up, with far lower costs, greater flexibility, sane pricing and fresh ideas. Yet to the contrary, the service is sliding downhill with toxic industrial relations and an apparent death wish: the company is recommending prospective customers to avoid it for much of the time in the next three weeks.

As you realise, I am describing the railways of Britain in the dying days of a chaotic year.

Those passenger and revenue figures (released this week for July to September 2022) spell out the scale of the slump since the coronavirus pandemic.

Mark Harper took over as transport secretary from Anne-Marie Trevelyan who replaced Grant Shapps, himself sacked by Liz Truss for supporting Rishi Sunak’s campaign for leadership. And all this during a long and bitter rail strike that has dragged on for six months and blights travel planning in the UK.

While you can point to a fragmented industry involving dozens of individual enterprises, many privately owned, the reality is that His Majesty’s secretary of state for transport calls the shots.

Some train operators are in the private sector and effectively pick up fees for running services as stipulated by the Department for Transport (DfT). Others are publicly run, such as Northern Trains – whose employment agreements are decided according to the worker’s position relative to the Pennines.

There are good arguments for a fully state-owned railway, and conversely for the present largely outsourced arrangements. But the notion that billions of pounds are exiting the industry to “foreign shareholders” and could simply be redirected to provide inflation-matching pay rises is preposterous. As things stand, the railway is haemorrhaging cash and the taxpayer is picking up the bill.

“Split ticketing,” whereby you legally exploit anomalies in the fare structure to cut the cost of rail travel, has moved into the mainstream. With ticket apps presenting you will ways to save, revenue is further depleted. Surely nobody ever buys a full-fare ticket from Bristol to London with the “Didcot Dodge” (buying one ticket to the Oxfordshire junction and another from there) cutting the cost by 40 per cent.

Everyone in the business realises the unappealing truth that much needs to change. Yet from most of those involved there is no sign of meaningful advances to improve services, cut costs and boost business. On the contrary, the government and unions are engaged in a long, ideological brawl for which the traveller and taxpayer are mere bystanders.

The RMT union, which is ending the year and starting 2023 with 12 days of strikes, believes that the government has a bottomless pit of cash and will eventually hand more of it over. Ministers, in contrast, believe that they can face down the strikers and set an example to other public-sector workers. A plague on both your platforms, say passengers as we book flights, hire cars or simply stay at home as the train firms urge. Every day that the disputes drag on and the fundamental problems of the railway remain unaddressed will dull the appetite for train travel and hasten the spiral of decline that both sides have chosen to back.