“Candidates were questioned by various stakeholders with a final interview panel made up of senior leaders from across Devon and Cornwall.”

Anyone able to shed any light on this process of selection in “smoke filled rooms”? – Owl

Philip Churm, www.midweekherald.co.uk 

The preferred candidate to become chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police has been named as Will Kerr OBE, a deputy chief constable in Scotland. 

In selecting DCC Kerr, police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez described him as “an exceptional strategic leader” and said his “passion for the job and the high standards he holds himself and others to shone through” in the recruitment process. 

The post of chief constable became vacant following the retirement of Shaun Sawyer last month. 

Mr Sawyer had been in the role for more than a decade. 

DCC Kerr spent over 27 years in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and joined the National Crime Agency (NCA) on secondment in 2017. He was awarded an OBE in 2015 and joined Police Scotland in 2018.

As the NCA’s director of vulnerabilities, he was national lead for co-ordinating the UK’s domestic and international response to child sexual abuse and exploitation, modern slavery, human trafficking and organised immigration crime.

But there has been controversy in Scotland over the closure of 140 police stations and office since 2013, although most occurred before DCC Kerr was appointed. 

Commissioner Hernandez said: “In Will we were presented with someone who was not only an exceptional strategic leader, but someone who was able to clearly articulate how he would use this leadership to develop a police force that worked hand in glove with our residents and partners to tackle crime and protect the most vulnerable in society.”

The recruitment process was supported by the College of Policing, and candidates were questioned by various stakeholders with a final interview panel made up of senior leaders from across Devon and Cornwall.

The commissioner’s decision will now be scrutinised at a hearing of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel held in Plymouth on Friday 16 September.

 

The result of the Conservative contest for PM won’t be known for sure until September 5, but with Foreign Secretary Truss the runaway favorite, POLITICO compiled every policy commitment Liz Truss has made during over 40 hours of hustings, as well as countless interviews and articles on the campaign trail. It is in effect the 149 separate policy pledges that make up the Truss manifesto.

To give you a flavour of what to expect from a Truss PM, Owl is posting “at a glance” summaries of some of these, about a third, in two parts:

Part One – The Economy

Part Two – Health and Social Care; Leveling up, housing and communities; Work and pensions 

For other policy areas such as the Environment, Energy, Home Office and Transport please see www.politico.eu

Every pledge or promise made by the UK’s likely next prime minister during the leadership campaign.

Compiled by Noah Keate www.politico.eu

Health and social care 

POLICY: Reduce layers of NHS management

DATE & PLATFORM: July 26, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

What I want to see is fewer layers of management in the National Health Service and less central direction. TalkTV

POLICY: Commit to 40 new hospitals

DATE & PLATFORM: July 26, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

I’m committed to the 40 new hospitals that we have agreed to build. TalkTV

POLICY: Support extra social care funding

DATE & PLATFORM: July 29, interview

SHE SAID WHAT?

I support the extra money that we’re putting into social care. ConservativeHome

POLICY: Oppose under-18s making medical gender transition

DATE & PLATFORM: July 28, leadership hustings in Leeds

SHE SAID WHAT?

I do not believe that under-18s should be able to make irreversible decisions about their own bodies that they might come to regret later. Leadership hustings, Leeds

POLICY: Review pensions of doctors

DATE & PLATFORM: August 4, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

I’ve met a lot of doctors who’ve gone into retirement because of their pensions, I need to sort that out. Sky News

POLICY: Bring doctors out of retirement

DATE & PLATFORM: August 4, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

There are many doctors who very kindly came out of retirement to help during COVID … what I’d like to do is see what we can do to encourage those people to come back into the profession. Sky News

POLICY: Rule out another pandemic lockdown

DATE & PLATFORM: August 5, leadership hustings in Eastbourne

POLICY: Ensure NHS budget rises in real terms

DATE & PLATFORM: August 9, leadership hustings in Darlington

POLICY: Deliver extra NHS funding through general taxation

DATE & PLATFORM: August 10, people’s forum

SHE SAID WHAT?

I’m committed to the extra funding, but I wouldn’t get that out of a National Insurance rise, I would get that out of general taxation.GB News

POLICY: Maintain abortion access across the United Kingdom

DATE & PLATFORM: August 17, leadership hustings in Belfast

POLICY: No tax relief for patients who opt for private health care

DATE & PLATFORM: August 19, leadership hustings

SHE SAID WHAT?

I wouldn’t introduce tax relief, I don’t believe that is the answer. GB News

POLICY: Ensure there is a mental health nurse in GP surgeries

DATE & PLATFORM: August 19, leadership hustings

SHE SAID WHAT?

I support having a mental nurse in GP surgeries to make sure people are supported. GB News

POLICY: Ensure relevant hospital wards are single sex

DATE & PLATFORM: August 23, leadership hustings in Birmingham

POLICY: No new mask mandates

DATE & PLATFORM: August 25, leadership hustings in Norwich

Leveling up, housing and communities 

POLICY: Change how mortgages are assessed

DATE & PLATFORM: July 29, press release

SHE SAID WHAT?

Truss would support more first-time buyers into homeownership by allowing rent payments to be used as part of the affordability assessment for a mortgage.

This would be done through the upcoming mortgage review.Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Abolish top-down housing targets

DATE & PLATFORM: August 1, press release (letter to Conservative members)

SHE SAID WHAT?

I will abolish Soviet top-down housing targets. Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Create a “leveling up” funding formula to support struggling areas

DATE & PLATFORM: August 18, press release

SHE SAID WHAT?

Truss will “equalise and level up government spending across the UK, to ensure areas which have been left behind get the funding they need.” Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Deliver West Midlands RailHub and Battery Gigafactory in Coventry

DATE & PLATFORM:  August 22, press release

SHE SAID WHAT?

Truss’ “government will deliver the Midlands Rail Hub and put its weight behind the battery gigafactory in Coventry.” Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Expand urban density by building higher-rise accommodation

DATE & PLATFORM: July 15, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

In our cities, I think we should be building up more … we should make more of the space we have. ConservativeHome

POLICY: Ensure incremental housing development in the countryside

DATE & PLATFORM: July 15, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

In our countryside and rural areas, I’m a supporter of allowing incremental expansion of villages rather than these massive targets that land on the back of local councils. ConservativeHome

POLICY: Devolve more power to metro mayors (such as Andy Street of the West Midlands)

DATE & PLATFORM: August 22, article

SHE SAID WHAT?

I want to empower Andy further, giving him and the West Midlands Combined Authority the powers they need to drive growth across the West Midlands. Express and Star

Work and pensions 

POLICY:  Reform welfare

DATE & PLATFORM: July 16, interview

SHE SAID WHAT?

We’ve got 5 million people economically inactive — we need to get those people into work. We need to reform welfare. The Spectator

POLICY: Examine incentives in benefits system

DATE & PLATFORM: August 5, leadership hustings in Eastbourne

SHE SAID WHAT?

It’s a combination of incentives within the benefit system as well as actively providing people with the skills and training they need to do those jobs. Leadership hustings, Eastbourne

POLICY: No further help for WASPI women

DATE & PLATFORM: August 10, people’s forum

SHE SAID WHAT?

On the specific case of the WASPI women, I don’t think it was handled very well at the time … but I think where we are now, it will be very difficult to go back. GB News

POLICY: Review war widow inequality

DATE & PLATFORM: August 10, people’s forum

SHE SAID WHAT?

It is very, very unfair that war widows, who then remarry, are essentially penalized. GB News

POLICY: Fully committed to triple lock pensions

DATE & PLATFORM: August 16, leadership hustings in Perth

The result of the Conservative contest for PM won’t be known for sure until September 5, but with Foreign Secretary Truss the runaway favorite, POLITICO compiled every policy commitment Liz Truss has made during over 40 hours of hustings, as well as countless interviews and articles on the campaign trail. It is in effect the 149 separate policy pledges that make up the Truss manifesto.

To give you a flavour of what to expect from a Truss PM, Owl is posting “at a glance” summaries of some of these, about a third, in two parts:

Part One – The Economy

Part Two – Health and Social Care; Leveling up, housing and communities; Work and pensions 

For other policy areas such as the Environment, Energy, Home Office and Transport please see www.politico.eu

Every pledge or promise made by the UK’s likely next prime minister during the leadership campaign.

Compiled by Noah Keate www.politico.eu

The Economy 

POLICY: Deliver an emergency budget

DATE & PLATFORM:August 6, article

SHE SAID WHAT?

I would hit the ground running by bringing in an emergency budget, charting a firm course to get our economy growing in order to help fund our public services and NHS.The Daily Telegraph

POLICY: Scrap April’s National Insurance rise

DATE & PLATFORM:July 10, press release

SHE SAID WHAT?

Liz will reverse the 1.25 percent rise in National Insurance, which was introduced by leadership rival Rishi Sunak in April to help pay for health and social care. Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Scrap corporation tax rise

DATE & PLATFORM: July 15, online Q&A

SHE SAID WHAT?

I would not do the corporation tax hikes because I think it’s vitally important that we’re attracting investment into our country.ConservativeHome

POLICY: Commits to introducing no new taxes

DATE & PLATFORM: August 31, leadership hustings in London

POLICY: Remove green energy levies from energy bills

DATE & PLATFORM: July 14, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

We do need to remove the green energy levy and find a better way of delivering our net zero targets because we’re hammering consumers but we’re also hammering businesses.Channel 4

POLICY: Provide support for cost of energy bills

DATE & PLATFORM: August 25, article

SHE SAID WHAT?

To those of you feeling the squeeze, my message is clear: I will ensure support is on its way and we get through these tough times.Daily Mail

POLICY: Oppose freeze in energy price cap 

DATE & PLATFORM: August 20, interview

SHE SAID WHAT?

But she dismissed Sir Keir Starmer’s call for a freeze on the energy price cap — dubbing it a “sticking plaster that will cost money, but isn’t actually addressing the root cause” of the problem.The Sun

POLICY: Oppose any further windfall tax on energy firms

DATE & PLATFORM: July 28, leadership hustings in Leeds

POLICY: Distances herself from spending cuts

DATE & PLATFORM: July 22, press briefing, Peterborough

SHE SAID WHAT?

I’m certainly not talking about public spending cuts.Press briefing

POLICY: A 10-year plan for the economy

DATE & PLATFORM: July 29, interview

SHE SAID WHAT?

What I will do is lay out a 10-year plan for public service reform, and a 10-year plan to change Britain’s economic growth rate. We should be growing on average at 2.5 percent.ConservativeHome

POLICY: Pay off COVID debt over longer period

DATE & PLATFORM: July 14, leadership campaign launch

SHE SAID WHAT?

The way I see the COVID debt is it’s a one-off event … We should pay that debt off over a longer period of time.Campaign launch

POLICY: Only start paying off debt in 2025 

DATE & PLATFORM: July 25, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

Under my plans, we would start paying down the debt in three years’ time.BBC

POLICY: Maintain Bank of England’s independence, but reassess its mandate

DATE & PLATFORM: July 17, leadership debate

SHE SAID WHAT?

I completely support the Bank of England’s independence … the last time the mandate was set was in 1997, in completely different times.ITV

POLICY: Review taxation of families and carers

DATE & PLATFORM: July 14, leadership campaign launch

SHE SAID WHAT?

We will review the taxation of families to ensure that people aren’t penalized for taking time out to care for children or elderly relatives.Campaign launch

POLICY: Review business rates

DATE & PLATFORM: August 23, leadership hustings in Birmingham

POLICY: Review inheritance tax

DATE & PLATFORM: July 28, leadership hustings in Leeds

POLICY: Review taxes for the self-employed

DATE & PLATFORM: August 20, interview

SHE SAID WHAT?

If you’re self-employed, you don’t get the same benefits as being in a big company. You don’t get paid holidays, you didn’t get those benefits. So the tax system should reflect that more.The Sun

POLICY: Invest in struggling areas

DATE & PLATFORM: August 23, leadership hustings in Birmingham

SHE SAID WHAT?

What I would also do is change the Treasury rules about investment, so we’re putting more investment into the areas that don’t have it already, not the areas that do have it already.Leadership hustings, Birmingham

POLICY: Scrap all EU-derived regulation by the end of 2023

DATE & PLATFORM: July 22, press release

SHE SAID WHAT?

Liz Truss sets out her credentials as the “Brexit delivery” Prime Minister with a pledge to set a “sunset” deadline for every piece of EU-derived regulation, making sure all EU law is off the statute books by the end of 2023.Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Deregulate insurance industry

DATE & PLATFORM: July 22, press release

SHE SAID WHAT?

New regulation will be introduced to preserve the original goal of Solvency II – the protection of people’s investments – while unleashing billions of investment capital.Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Deregulate the City

DATE & PLATFORM: August 5, interview

SHE SAID WHAT?

But Truss does have the zeal of the convert when it comes to Brexit, talking about seizing the “opportunities” of Britain’s departure from the EU, including in deregulating the City.Financial Times

POLICY: Create new “Investment Zones” and liberalize freeports for growth

DATE & PLATFORM: July 24, press release

SHE SAID WHAT?

Truss’ government will work with local communities to identify sites ripe for redevelopment, with a preference for brownfield sites, and transform them into Investment Zones – or what have been coined “full fat freeports.”Liz 4 Leader

POLICY: Encourage workers back into offices

DATE & PLATFORM: August 5, leadership hustings in Eastbourne

SHE SAID WHAT?

I do think it is important that we get more people back into offices, because we need to make sure our town centers and city centers thrive.Leadership hustings, Eastbourne

POLICY: Resist a cashless society

DATE & PLATFORM: August 17, leadership hustings in Belfast

Alarm bells are ringing loud and clear in the NHS – what will the new PM do to fix it?

On Monday we will find out who will be the new prime minister. But as summer makes way for autumn, the alarm bells are ringing loud and clear in the NHS.

Nick Triggle Health correspondent www.bbc.co.uk

And while the cost of living crisis has dominated the attention during the leadership contest, talk to anyone in the NHS and they will tell you they are worried what the coming months will bring.

Put simply, this summer has been worse than any winter this century. Dr Adrian Boyle, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, says the demise has been so sharp that the service is “struggling to perform even its central function – to deliver care safely and effectively”.

It is easy to see why he and others are worried. Wherever you look, the system is on its knees. The waiting list for non-urgent treatment has ballooned, with nearly one in eight people in England currently waiting for care.

And those who are seriously ill are facing dangerously long waits. It is taking three times as long as it should for ambulance crews to reach heart attack and stroke victims.

Meanwhile, those who have suffered a cardiac arrest are waiting more than two minutes longer than they should – every minute’s delay reduces the chances of survival by 10%.

But it is not only the ambulance service which is struggling. When patients come to A&E, long waits for a bed are becoming increasingly common, with those of 12 hours at a record level.

Put this all together, experts warn, and patients are at risk. The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives warned that in July alone, nearly 40,000 patients may have come to harm.

Problems years in the making

So what can be done about it? There is no simple solution. The problems being seen have been years in the making – they are not just pandemic-related.

Firstly, the NHS is drastically short of staff – one in 10 posts is currently vacant, the highest it has been since records began five years ago – and this limits the ability of the health service to expand services.

Many countries face shortages, but per head of population the UK has fewer doctors and nurses than many other Western European nations.

It takes time to train more and while the numbers entering training are now increasing, the NHS has certainly been hampered by decisions made in the mid-2010s when bursaries were taken away from nurses and there was limited action by ministers to boost the workforce.

Jeremy Hunt, who was health secretary during that period, is on record as saying it was probably his biggest single mistake of his stewardship of the NHS.

Does the NHS need more money? Many argue it does.

A decade of austerity saw the health service awarded much smaller rises than it has historically received, although the government has gone some way to rectifying that now.

But in thinking about the budget, it is also worth considering just how much of day-to-day public spending is now diverted to the NHS.

At the turn of the century, the health service took just over a quarter. Now it is fast approaching a half.

‘It is time to rethink approach to NHS’

There is clearly a limit to how much the budget can keep going up – resources are not infinite. It is a point made in a new book by former British Medical Association president Prof Sir David Haslam, chairman of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, the body which decides what treatments should be made available on the NHS.

In the book, Side Effects, in which he recounts his experience of being treated for cancer as well as his thoughts on the health service, he makes the case for continuing with a universal system that means no matter how rich or poor you are, you are entitled to the same treatment.

But he also says the time has come to rethink the NHS’s purpose.

He points out that if the budget had been rising as quickly as it did in the 2000s, it would have been consuming close to 100% of gross domestic product by the mid-2070s.

The book goes on to lament the medicalisation of everyday life and our increasing anxiety about our health despite, in general, being healthier than ever.

And Sir David rebukes his fellow doctors for overtreating patients because of a risk-averse culture, which means it is easier to do something for patients than not, even if that means using ineffective medicines.

And, in particular, he is critical of the trend in medical science to pour more and more money into aggressively treating seriously ill patients who are close to death with ever more expensive treatments.

It is time, he says, to work out what the boundaries of the health system should be.

Social care more in need than NHS?

Indeed, some argue that instead of focusing on the NHS, the service may be most helped by increasing the funding given to another service.

One of the main reasons the emergency system is struggling is that hospitals are struggling to discharge patients who are medically fit to leave, but cannot because there is no support available in the community. Much of that is provided by the social care system which is run by councils.

Data from the early summer shows that more than half of patients ready to leave could not.

Unlike the NHS, social care has not been getting more money over the past decade. Once inflation is taken into account, spending has dropped.

The government is planning to introduce a cap on care costs, but that is about protecting people assets rather than getting more money into the system.

The challenge facing the new PM is huge. And it is not just about the winter, it’s about the entire future of the NHS.

 

Action has support of Celebrities Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Simon Pegg, Stephen Fry, and Daniel Lismore are supporting the action, alongside Conservative politicians Henry Smith MP, Sir Peter Bottomley MP and Theresa May’s former Downing Street environment advisor Lord Randall, as well as the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas MP. Their names were stencilled onto the boulders before being dropped into the ocean.

From today’s Western Morning News

Greenpeace UK has placed 18 limestone boulders on the seabed in the South West Deeps (East) Marine Protected Area to block what it claims is “destructive industrial fishing.”

On Thursday, campaigners and crew on board Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise sailed to the western English Channel to make a portion of the South West Deeps off-limits to bottom-trawling.

But the move has been criticised by the fishing industry and the Marine Management Organisation, (MMO) who say they are already accelerating plans to extend protection for the UK’s Marine Protected Areas.

And, they warn, dumping boulders into the sea in this way potentially puts fishermen’s lives at risk.

The Fishing Daily reports that after an earlier boulder drop at Dogger Bank, the MMO took Greenpeace to court for environmental breaches, but the case was dropped in February this year after a judge at Newcastle Crown Court invited the MMO to reconsider, saying prosecution was not in the public interest.

The MMO told the fishing publication that Greenpeace was aware it was delivering accelerated protection measures within Marine Protected Areas. “As such, we are surprised and disappointed by the announcement made by Greenpeace of their intention to undertake further unlawful activity within this specific MPA at South West Deeps (East),” the MMO said.

Greenpeace say the latest boulder action off the South West coast took place days after UK leaders failed to help secure a Global Ocean Treaty at IGC5 in New York. That failure threatens the Government’s aim to achieve at least 30% ocean protection by 2030 the environmental organisation claims.

Greenpeace alleges: “Across the entirety of the South West Deeps (East) – more than 4,600 km2 – there is not one metre of protection from destructive industrial fishing. It is one of the most heavily fished so-called Marine Protected Areas in the UK. In the last 18 months, the South West Deeps experienced almost 19,000 hours of industrial fishing, 3,370 hours of which was bottom-trawling. The majority of industrial fishing vessels in the area were from France (53%) followed by Spain (30%) and Great Britain (9%).

Celebrities Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Simon Pegg, Stephen Fry, and Daniel Lismore are supporting the action, alongside Conservative politicians Henry Smith MP, Sir Peter Bottomley MP and Theresa May’s former Downing Street environment advisor Lord Randall, as well as the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas MP. Their names were stencilled onto the boulders before being dropped into the ocean.

The 18 boulders are Portland limestone, and each weighs between 500kg and 1,400kg. They make it impossible for bottom-towed fishing gear to be dragged along the seabed.One boulder has giant ammonite sculpture carved into it. 

Neither of the candidates for leadership of the Conservative party has made a convincing pitch to rural voters, despite that demographic being one of the biggest sources of Tory power, the head of the UK’s biggest rural business organisation said.

Fiona Harvey www.theguardian.com 

Mark Tufnell, president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents about 30,000 landowners and rural businesses, said Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak had done too little to show how they would boost the countryside economy and deal with pressing concerns such as planning, rural broadband, and farm support.

“I don’t think either candidate really understands what is happening in the countryside, and what the real issues are,” Tufnell said. “Both of them have said nice things about farms. But there is no understanding of what is actually happening in the countryside. They have not said much about it.”

He warned that the failure could cost the party at the next general election. “They assume that we [in the countryside] vote Conservative, and that they don’t really need to worry about us. But they should,” he said.

At the 2019 election 46% of voters in rural counties voted Conservative and only 29% voted for Labour. But polling conducted by the CLA before Boris Johnson’s resignation found a sizeable swing of about 7.5% from the Tories to Labour, putting the two main parties neck and neck in some rural areas.

The Liberal Democrats are also making inroads, with strong local election showings and the capture of the formerly safe blue seat of Tiverton and Honiton in the June by-election.

“[The Tories] have taken countryside voters for granted,” said Tufnell. “They’ve shown a lack of interest.”

While Truss and Sunak have sought to reassure farmers during their campaigns, Tufnell pointed out that the bulk of countryside voters and businesses were not farmers.

Farming accounts for only about 4% of the rural economy, and 7% of rural jobs are farming related. About 85% of rural businesses are not related to farming or forestry, and while 12 million people of voting age live in rural areas of the UK there are only about 100,000 farmers.

For rural businesses outside farming key issues include connectivity, since rural broadband and mobile phone access lags far behind that available in urban areas, and planning regulations, as many businesses chafe against some planning rules. The CLA has also said that a lack of affordable rural housing is stifling growth.

Both Truss and Sunak have promised to retain or tighten planning laws. Sunak promised no building on green belt land and Truss vowed to drop house-building targets. Each would restrict the building of solar farms and onshore wind farms.

Tufnell is also concerned that the new Tory leader could bow to pressure from some on the right wing of the party and dismantle reforms to farm support payments, which are being gradually introduced.

Unlike the EU system of payment for the amount of land farmed, under environmental land management contracts (ELMs) farmers will be paid “public money for providing public goods”. In return for the subsidies they will be asked to nurture soils, plant trees, improve water management, protect wildlife, and take other measures that help to clean the air and water, and safeguard nature.

The National Farmers’ Union has spoken out against the reforms, arguing that at a time of rising food prices the focus should switch to supporting farmers to grow more food. Tufnell, whose 28,000 members own about half the land in England and Wales, urged Sunak and Truss to stay with existing policy and give farmers stability.

Tufnell, who owns and manages a mostly arable farm in the Cotswolds, and is a Conservative party member, said: “It’s a false argument, that you need to stop ELMs to grow more food, you can do both. Without clean air and water and nurtured soils you can’t produce food anyway. And if you’re taking money from the public purse you should show a benefit to the public.

“ELMs are world beating, they are very forward thinking. They are the way the rest of the world will go eventually, but at a slower pace.”

Both candidates represented rural constituencies, Tufnell noted, Truss in east Anglia and Sunak in Yorkshire, but he said their policy ideas had focused on towns and cities. “The main focus still remains on the metropolitan and urban areas. There is a lack of focus on the countryside.”

Even the drought, which has scorched pasture and left crops dying in the fields to the despair of farmers across the Midlands, and south and east of England in particular, had failed to elicit much response, he added. “I’m not sure how much notice either of them has taken of the drought – they have just been running round the country.”

Tufnell called for the winner of the leadership election to install a “proper rural champion” in Downing Street who would advocate for policies reflecting the needs of rural Britain.

The CLA has estimated that investing in the countryside to bring the key infrastructure in rural areas – such as housing, transport, communications and technology – into line with that in towns and cities would improve the UK’s economic productivity by £43bn.

“There is a lack of infrastructure that is holding the countryside back,” said Tufnell. “There is enormous potential, but it needs political focus.”

The council has faced persistent allegations in the past two years that it had kept councillors and the public in the dark about its investments, with opposition members claiming they have been “fobbed off and misled” over the deals.

Patrick Butler www.theguardian.com 

The government has launched an urgent investigation into the finances of a Tory-run council amid “grave concerns” that local services are at risk from the authority’s exposure to more than a billion pounds in loans it took out to fund a series of commercial investments.

The communities secretary, Greg Clark, said government-appointed commissioners would take full control of Thurrock’s finances because of fears over “the exceptional level of financial risk and debt incurred by the council”.

Thurrock, in the ceremonial county of Essex, has become one of the most indebted and highly leveraged of all English local authorities after borrowing £1.5bn in recent years, including more than £900m in short-terms loans from other councils, to enable investments in a string of solar farm businesses.

Clark bypassed normal protocols on Friday when he rushed to appoint external commissioners to run the council’s finances, citing the “pressing case for urgent government action to protect the interests of residents and taxpayers of Thurrock”.

“Given the serious financial situation at Thurrock council and its potential impact on local services, I believe it is necessary for government to intervene,” he said.

An explanatory memorandum published by the Department for Levelling Up said: “The scale and nature of the issues is emerging very quickly, and the secretary of state is concerned that further evidence of failure could come to light very quickly and require prompt action.”

Although the government revealed little precise detail about its concerns, there are understood to be fears over the ability of Thurrock to repay its borrowing should the investments turn sour, as well as doubts over the ability of the council to cope with potential losses estimated by some at £200m.

A recent investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that hundreds of millions borrowed by Thurrock had been effectively lent to companies owned by the multimillionaire businessman Liam Kavanagh to invest in 53 solar farms.

The council has faced persistent allegations in the past two years that it had kept councillors and the public in the dark about its investments, with opposition members claiming they have been “fobbed off and misled” over the deals.

Thurrock council’s leader, Rob Gledhill, resigned on Friday after the government announcement, saying: “It has become clear over the past few months that the situation regarding council investments, and subsequently its finances, has not been as reported. As leader of the council the political buck stops with me.”

John Kent, the leader of Thurrock council’s Labour group, said the group had been repeatedly “stonewalled, ignored, falsely reassured, lied to, fobbed off and misled” by officials and cabinet members when it tried to get information about the council’s borrowing and investments strategy.

“For a long time now, we have had no confidence in the honesty or integrity of Cllr Gledhill’s leadership or that of his cabinet colleagues. It’s right for Gledhill to have finally done the right thing and resign. But there are others, who have been in Gledhill’s cabinet throughout his disastrous leadership, who share collective responsibility and are equally responsible – they must also consider their positions”.

He added: “It’s now time for openness and honesty, the people of Thurrock have a right to know what has been going on and where their missing millions are.”

Thurrock is the latest council to have run into financial difficulties after borrowing huge amounts in the hope of generating income to offset huge budget gaps created by government cuts. Croydon and Slough councils have both declared effective bankruptcy, in part due to problems caused by extravagant borrowing.

The National Audit Office warned two years ago that many English councils were financially badly exposed after embarking on a £6.6m borrowing spree to invest mainly in commercial property. Ministers have become increasingly nervous about the massive scale of loans taken out by a number of councils.

Neighbouring Essex county council has been appointed by Clark to take full control of Thurrock’s finances. It will also carry out a review of Thurrock’s governance, audit and scrutiny functions, and prepare an improvement plan.

In a statement Thurrock council said: “[We are] treating this situation extremely seriously and has been working with the government in recent weeks, as well as independent financial and legal experts to fully understand how the situation has arisen and establish a comprehensive resolution plan to safeguard the council’s financial position.”

Boris Johnson has been accused of trying to “intimidate and bully” an inquiry into claims he misled MPs over Downing Street parties, after No 10 took the highly unusual step of commissioning a senior QC to scrutinise the legal basis for the process at a public cost of almost £130,000.

Peter Walker www.theguardian.com 

The crossbench peer David Pannick had argued that the Commons committee on privileges and standards was “proposing to adopt an unfair procedure” in examining allegations that Johnson falsely told the Commons he knew nothing about lockdown-breaking gatherings.

Pannick said Johnson should be permitted a lawyer and any sanction on him for inadvertently misleading MPs “would be likely to have a chilling effect on ministerial comments in the house”.

But the 22-page document prompted puzzlement from legal and constitutional experts, who said Pannick was assessing a parliamentary process as if it was a judicial one. Downing Street has declined to release the “instructions to counsel”, which set out the basis for a barrister’s opinion.

While ministers routinely seek legal advice, Johnson will face any consequences from the inquiry as a backbench MP. His successor as prime minister, expected to be Liz Truss, will take over on Tuesday, with voting in the Tory leadership campaign having ended on Friday afternoon.

However, Downing Street argues that the inquiry relates to his conduct as prime minister and thus has wider consequences for government.

Government sources confirmed the contract to Pannick, via a firm of solicitors, is one totalling £129,700 for four months of “legal services” beginning in August, published on Friday.

In a highly choreographed process seemingly intended to discredit the inquiry before it begins in the coming weeks, Pannick’s findings were briefed to a handful of friendly newspapers on Thursday night, which ran stories describing the opinion as “devastating”.

Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who stepped back from leading the investigation over previous criticism of Johnson, said it appeared to be “an attempt to intimidate and bully the committee”.

Pannick, Bryant added, “does not acknowledge that the motion from the House of Commons setting up the inquiry does not refer to ‘knowingly misleading the house’ at all. It simply says, ‘misleading the house’. Second, he doesn’t seem to understand that lots of standards processes have changed over the last 20 years.

“We now have a process for ministers to formally correct the record when they have made an inadvertent error. Boris Johnson has not done that in relation to this. But ministers used this process 200 times this year.

“So the question of how culpable Boris Johnson is depends on several things, one of which might be whether he knowingly lied. One might be whether he was really careless about the truth. One might be whether he ever bothered to correct the record properly. All of those are in the mix.”

Pannick declined to comment.

Mark Elliott, a professor of public law at the University of Cambridge, described Pannick’s opinion as “very odd”, adding: “Much of it is concerned with the fact that the committee’s process may not adhere to legal standards that are wholly inapplicable to a political, parliamentary process.”

Thangam Debbonaire, Labour’s shadow Commons leader, condemned what she called “yet another example of the Tories playing fast and loose with rules and standards in public life”.

She said: “This investigation does not undermine democracy; it does the exact opposite. It is vital that these well-respected committee members, a majority of whom are Tory MPs, are allowed to properly investigate whether the prime minister is in contempt of parliament.”

Christine Jardine, the Liberal Democrats’ Cabinet Office spokesperson, had called on Downing Street to reveal the cost of the advice, adding: “People are tired of these expensive attempts by this government to manufacture ways for Boris Johnson to wriggle out of any consequences of his actions.”

The committee, now chaired by Harriet Harman, is set to look into whether the prime minister misled the Commons when he claimed “all guidance was followed in No 10” and there was “no party” breaking lockdown rules.

Johnson, who in recent days has refused to rule out a political comeback, could be suspended or even kicked out of the Commons after a recall petition if he is found to be in contempt of parliament.

The number of posts lying vacant across the NHS in England has reached a “staggering” record high of 132,139 – almost 10% of its planned workforce.

Denis Campbell www.theguardian.com 

The number at the end of June was up sharply from three months earlier when there were 105,855 vacancies, quarterly personnel figures show.

NHS leaders said the huge number of empty posts showed why the health service is in a state of deepening crisis, with patients facing long waits for almost every type of care.

The previous highest number of vacancies for full-time-equivalent staff was 111,864, recorded at the end of June 2019.

The new number represents 9.7% of the NHS’s planned staffing levels – a new high. As recently as March 2021 there were 76,082 vacancies.

“Today’s vacancy figures are staggering and further proof that the NHS simply doesn’t have enough staff to deliver everything being asked of it”, said Saffron Cordery, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents all health service trusts in England. “With nearly one in 10 posts in trusts in England now vacant, and tens of thousands more right across the health and care system, many staff face unsustainable workloads and burnout.”

Danny Mortimer, the chief executive of NHS Employers, said: “These figures paint a bleak picture. A jump in nearly 30,000 staff vacancies – equivalent to the entire staffing of a large NHS hospital – show an alarming trend across the NHS of rising levels of vacancies.”

The headline total of 132,139 included vacancies for 46,828 nurses – the highest number on record, and a big increase on the 38,972 empty posts at the end of March. It represents a vacancy rate of 11.8%, the highest since the 12.1% seen in September 2019.

Pat Cullen, the acting general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Two weeks before we open our strike ballot, these stark figures reveal what is happening in England’s NHS – record numbers of unfilled nurse jobs, and rising fast too. Ten of thousands of experienced nurses left last year at the very moment we cannot afford to lose a single professional, and patients pay a heavy price.”

There were also 10,582 vacancies for doctors at the end of June – a 7.3% vacancy rate.

London had 30,506 vacancies across the acute, ambulance, community, mental health and specialist care sectors – another record. That equates to 12.5% of the capital’s planned NHS workforce.

The capital had more vacancies in acute hospitals than any other region – more than 20,000. There were 7,745 vacancies in mental health services in the city, meaning almost one in six posts (16%) were unfilled.

Cordery and Cullen identified pay levels as a key reason the NHS was being confronted with such a rapidly escalating number of vacant positions.

“The government’s failure to fully fund this year’s below-inflation pay awards, alongside ongoing concerns over punitive pension taxation for senior staff, will make it even harder to recruit and keep the health workers we so desperately need, which in turn will hugely impact on patients,” Cordery said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are boosting NHS recruitment with almost 4,100 more doctors and over 9,600 more nurses working across the NHS compared to last year. However, the overall number of posts is increasing as we expand services to bust the Covid backlogs and provide the best possible care to patients.

“Since September 2019 we have recruited an additional 29,000 nurses and are on track to meet our target of recruiting 50,000 more nurses by 2024. We have also commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan to recruit and retain more NHS staff and have launched a taskforce to drive up the recruitment of international staff into critical roles across the system this winter.”

A landmark Exmouth timeshare resort could be demolished to make way for new residential apartments and a new hotel, if planning approval is granted. 

Dan Wilkins www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

Plans have been lodged with East Devon District Council for the demolition of the Devoncourt Resort and the construction of 77 new residential apartments – of which 25 per cent would be affordable – and a 62-bed hotel. 

Devoncourt, in Douglas Avenue, has been a family-owned building and for 30 years has functioned as a timeshare, offering large apartments on a timeshare basis. 

In the planning documents, the architects ARA Architecture said the proposals are in response to the decline in the timeshare business and follows a process of trying to offer its timeshare and holiday apartments on the open market without success. 

The design and access statement said: “The timeshare business within the UK, which was booming in the late 80’s and 90’s, has now ceased to exist.  

“The Devoncourt was set up as a profitable timeshare complex, with leases of 25 years on each of the apartments.  

“The existing leaseholders have been offered new contracts for the continuation of the timeshare; however, not one of the current residents has taken this up.  

“The units have been actively advertised…again over a long period of time, not one enquiry has led to the resigning of agreements to renew the timeshare facilities.” 

At the end of 2014, the existing timeshare leases had expired and leaseholders were informed in March 2011 but no expressions of interest were received about renewing the leases. 

The design and access statement said: “Since the end of 2014, all timeshare contracts ceased and since then the clients have let the apartments as nightly accommodation. The above factors combined mean that the Devoncourt cannot survive as a viable business in the current form.” 

The existing resort is a four-storey structure which has been added to in a ‘piecemeal fashion’ over the years.  

According to the architects the existing building is not suited to be renovated economically. 

The deadline for comments on the application is September 30. East Devon District Council will make the final decision. 

To view the proposals, go to https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=dates&keyVal=RH8CKNGHHWY00

 

Proposals to build nearly 250 new homes in Ottery St Mary are being opposed by the town council. 

Philippa Davies www.sidmouthherald.co.uk

Councillors argue that Ottery cannot possibly absorb such a large population increase without the necessary infrastructure – schools, doctors’ surgeries and public amenities. 

East Devon District Council (EDDC) has identified five sites in Ottery as suitable for a total of 248 homes, as part of its proposals to meet Government housing provision targets across the district. They are Barrack Farm, Thorne Farm, land north and south of Salston Barton, land at Bylands, Slade Road and land at Strawberry Lane. Potential development sites in Exmouth, Honiton, Axminster, Seaton and Sidmouth have also been identified. 

But at an extraordinary meeting of the town council on Tuesday, August 30, councillors rejected all five, and questioned why Ottery was being earmarked for a disproportionately large number of new homes, compared to the other towns. 

Cllr Roger Giles said: “Honiton, which is two and a half times larger than Ottery, and has a railway station from which it is possible to reach the heart of Exeter in less than half an hour, is scheduled to receive a smaller number of dwellings – 182 compared to 248.” 

He pointed out that the plans would see Exmouth, almost 10 times the size of Ottery, having only 302 homes built. 

He said it is also ‘distinctly odd’ that greenfield sites in Ottery have been chosen, when brownfield sites in Honiton are available. 

Speaking to the Herald after the meeting, he described the proposals as ‘absurd’ and ‘of very great concern’.

Ottery Town Council has already written to the leader of EDDC, Cllr Paul Arnott, pointing out that both the local primary school and The King’s School are already at capacity and the Coleridge Medical Centre is struggling. The council says Ottery is not against new housing, but wants a modest amount of it, and time for the necessary infrastructure to be put in place. 

The letter was read out at Monday’s meeting, which was attended by several members of the public who said they supported the council’s position. 

The housing proposals are part of EDDC’s Local Plan for the period 2020 to 2040. Ottery councillors want EDDC to amend the housing proposals for their town before the plan goes out for public consultation in mid-October. 

 

At last the Conservatives have a concrete energy policy without having to wait until next Tuesday.

The PM, who read Classics at Oxford, demonstrates his grasp of the scale of the economic crisis facing hard-working Britons with this simple solution. – Owl

Boris Johnson tells public to buy £20 kettle to save £10 a year on energy bills.

estonianfreepress.com

Boris Johnson has been mocked for suggesting that Britons could ease their energy bill woes by buying a new £20 kettle to save £10 a year on their electricity.

The prime minister suggested the efficiency measure amid growing pressure for more cash support for families facing energy bills of more than £3,500 when the price cap rises in October.

Speaking in Suffolk, Mr Johnson said: “If you have an old kettle which takes ages to boil, it may cost you £20 to replace it – but if you get a new one, you’ll save £10 a year every year on your electricity bill.”

Among those ridiculing the PM’s suggestion in face of an overwhelming crisis, Labour’s shadow business minister Bill Esterson said: “Is he seriously out of touch, or is it that he just doesn’t care, or both?”

Mr Johnson said further help was up to his successor. But he said he was confident the next PM – whether Tory leadership favourite Liz Truss or underdog Rishi Sunak – would offer more “cash” support.

“Of course there will be more cash to come, whoever takes over from me, in the months ahead – substantial sums, that’s absolutely clear,” he said.

Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss – strong favourite to be take power at No 10 on Tuesday – has yet to commit to any further direct payments on the cost of living crisis.

Asked whether he had spoken to either Ms Truss or Mr Sunak about plans, the caretaker PM avoided a direct answer – but said it was “clear that come the new administration, there is going to be a further package”.

Mr Sunak has repeatedly promised to extend his earlier support package with an additional £5bn in support for pensioners and the poorest households through the benefits system.

While Ms Truss has spoken out against “handouts”, she today told The Sun she would be “robust” in offering immediate help with unaffordable bills, and is believed at looking at further direct payments for the most vulnerable.

Earlier on Thursday, chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said he is “deeply concerned” some Britons could freeze this winter if they are cannot afford to pay their bills. He said he hoped “nobody should be cut off this winter”.

Mr Zahawi admitted the current support package to help people cope was “not enough” – but claimed “more help is coming” when the PM’s successor is in place at No 10.

‘No one should be cut off’ if they can’t afford energy bills, says chancellor

It comes former minister Michael Gove – a Sunak backer – has urged Ms Truss to consider rationing of energy for businesses this winter.

Ms Truss ruled out any form of rationing at last night’s final Tory hustings event. But Mr Gove said the UK may have follow some European countries in limiting use by major users.

“It may be the case that in certain non-domestic settings, that there needs to be some form of restraint in the way that energy is used,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme – though he said he did not think household rationing would be necessary.

Mr Sunak told Tory members “we shouldn’t rule anything out” when asked about energy rationing this winter. “Many European countries are looking at how we can all optimise our energy usage, that is a sensible thing for us to be doing as a country.”

Asked by host Nick Ferrari whether she could rule out energy rationing, Ms Truss replied: “I do rule that out. Yes.”

Dozens of charities on the front line dealing with a “tsunami of need” caused by the cost-of-living crisis have called on the government to provide more urgent financial support to vulnerable households.

An open letter signed by 48 bosses across the voluntary sector said an “economic crisis of a magnitude not experienced for decades” will push many who have managed to make ends meet into poverty.

Mr Johnson, meanwhile, said he is ready to “get on with life” after stepping down at No 10. He insisted he will give his “full and unqualified” support to his successor after handing over the keys, but did not give any more details about his future plans.

So apparently is “Tractorn Porn” Neil Parish, the Claas candidate.

Split votes very welcome! – Owl

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

The Conservative candidate who saw a majority of 24,239 swing 30 per cent to a Lib Dem win has said she would stand again to become an MP. Helen Hurford was chosen as the Conservative candidate for the Tiverton & Honiton by election to replace porn watching Neil Parish. The election on June 23 saw a historic victory for the Lib Dem’s Richard Foord, where there was a swing of 38.1 per cent to his party, with the Tories seeing a swing of 21.7 per cent in the opposite direction.

This result was the sixth-largest swing against the governing party since 1945; in addition, the Conservative Party’s 24,239-vote majority from the 2019 general election is the largest ever overturned in a by-election.

Before the announcement of the result, it was reported that Helen and her team had locked herself in a dance studio where the vote was taking place at Lord’s Meadow Leisure Centre in Crediton. LBC journalist Theo Usherwood announced on Twitter: “The Tory candidate Helen Hurford in the Tiverton by election has just locked herself in the dance studio at Crediton sports centre.” After the announcement she did not make a speech, and exited the building swiftly.

In one of her first public appearances since the election, she spoke to Ewan Murrie at BBC Radio Devon, where she was asked whether she would stand again. She said: “Absolutely. Of course, I will. I’m not a one-trick pony. Politics is a dirty game and if you truly believe in your community and you want to represent your community, you’re going to rough ride. I truly believe in my community, and I would stand again.”

She added that while she would support whoever was Prime Minister come September 5, she would prefer Liz Truss: “Whoever is voted, I will support 100 per cent, that’s what we all need to do in the Conservative Party. Moving forward, having been defeated in the by election here in Tiverton and Honiton, the message that I receive repeatedly is trust and somebody that we can trust and get behind and I think Liz represents that.

“The repeated message that I received on the doorsteps was that people were really unhappy about partygate and that that was the main protest that happened during that byelection. Liz is squeaky clean when it comes to partygate, so I think that she will go well with constituents here. They will know we’ve listened to them during the by election and acted upon it.”

On why Liz stuck by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his cabinet, Mrs Hurford added: “Liz is loyal. She’s a loyal person to the Conservative Party and stayed loyal to Boris Johnson when he was the leader. She did her job, and she did it really well. She had a very tricky job. What she also represents is somebody who is determined to do what’s right for the people of this country.”

She said it was ‘tricky’ to explain what went wrong during the by-election: “Boris has a huge amount of support here. You knock on one door and are told ‘if you’re not supporting Boris, I’m not going to support you’. You knock on another door where they say, ‘if you’re supporting Boris, I’m not going to support you’. It really is that diverse.

“I’ve listened to the people of Tiverton and Honiton and heard them loud and clear when they repeatedly said they did not want a Prime Minister who has broken the Covid regulations. We would be ignoring what they’ve warned us in the by election. They spoke loud and clear with that protest vote. We cannot afford to keep ignoring the electorate.”

Guess which area is one of the most expensive three for both!

Levelling up looks to be a forgotten dream. – Owl 

Matt Mathers www.independent.co.uk 

Millions of people across the UK were hit with the news last week that the average household energy bill will rise to a staggering £3,549 from 1 October.

The increasing cost of gas and electricity is being driven by the rise in wholesale gas prices, worsened by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Households were already reeling from an increase in their bills after the price cap rose in August.

And the worst is yet to come: the price cap will rise again in January and some analysts predict it could peak at more than £6,000 by April.

The government has already announced financial assistance for the cost of living crisis and the two candidates to replace Boris Johnson have pledged to provide more help.

While energy regulator Ofgem sets the price cap, gas and electricity customers across the UK pay varying amounts for their bills depending on where they live.

In England, those living in London pay the most for their gas, shelling out £0.0427 per kWh, resulting in an average bill of £581 per year, according to analysis by price comparison website money.co.uk.

Southern England is the second-most expensive area for gas and the South West is third, with customers there paying £575 and £574 per year respectively.

The North East, Yorkshire and East Midlands were the least expensive.

The amount people pay for their electricity also varies across the UK.

Top 10 most expensive areas for gas and electricity

(The Independent, source: money.co.uk)

People in Merseyside and North Wales are charged the most for keeping the lights on, according to the analysis by money.co.uk, whose findings were based on data from 2021.

Residents living in those two areas pay, on average, £0.2241 per kWh – an average yearly bill of £807.

The South West and North Scotland were the second most expensive areas for electricity on £796 and £793 respectively.

The least expensive areas were Northern Ireland, the East Midlands and the North West, according to the data.

Experts say that the amount people pay for their gas and electricity depends on a variety of factors – the main one being geography.

According to United Gas & Power, which supplies business, “this is usually because costs to providers also vary according to the area they are operating in.”

“Things like the charges your supplier has to pay to use local electricity wires and gas pipes have a knock on influence on your bill,” the supplier adds.

Serious vandalism at Sidmouth’s public loos at the Arches has left the town council with a £2,000 bill and concerns over the toilets’ future. 

Philippa Davies www.sidmouthherald.co.uk

Last week, in the run-up to the Sidmouth Airshow and Regatta weekend, the toilets on the seafront were deliberately wrecked. 

Waste pipes were kicked off, toilet seats smashed and hand driers broken. Toilet rolls and cardboard coffee cups were pushed into the pans, completely blocking the pipes. 

The toilets are the only ones in Sidmouth that are operated by the town council, which faced a race against time to get them repaired and working again before the weekend’s events. 

A council spokesman said: “You can imagine, ahead of the Airshow and the Regatta weekend, we did not want to have to close those toilets. 

“Our contractors worked industriously on Thursday and managed to fix all these problems and we got them up and working for the Regatta weekend. 

“But the bill was nearly two thousand pounds for just one spate of vandalism. It took the jetting company two hours to clear the pipes.” 

He said councillors will now be reviewing the way the toilets are managed and looking into ways of preventing vandalism – possibly by charging for their use. The town council takes pride in providing the facilities in such a prime position near the beach, but has limited funds for maintaining them. 

“We spend a lot on those toilets – and that bill is getting ever bigger. 

“Throughout this summer, there have not been many weeks that go by without something being broken in those toilets, be it a loo seat or a waste pipe, but this was the worst vandalism we’d seen for a long, long time. 

“We know the vast majority of people use the toilets correctly, we know the toilets are needed there. But they are all affected by this kind of vandalism, as soon as the waste pipes are broken or in this case completely blocked, we have to shut the whole lot while we get them cleaned. 

“It’s very disappointing that when you provide such a much-needed facility, a few people can ruin it for everyone else.” 

 

The UK government’s plan to cut millions of hours of raw sewage discharges by water companies each year is facing a judicial review on the grounds that it is unlawful.

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com

The conservationist charity WildFish is calling for the storm overflow reduction strategy, published on Friday, to be withdrawn immediately.

It argues the plan will allow storm overflows to continue dumping raw sewage for the next 28 years. In high-priority areas, the strategy will allow discharges to cause adverse ecological impacts for the next 13 years.

“WildFish lawyers have concluded that Defra’s [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] much-vaunted storm overflow discharge reduction plan is unlawful on many counts,” said Nick Measham, the chief executive of the charity.

“The plan allows or otherwise encourages the continuation of breaches of existing environmental laws by the water companies, by Ofwat and by the secretary of state himself, for many years to come, in some cases until 2050.”

Measham said the plan showed the government had no real appetite to deal robustly with the appalling sewage pollution of English rivers caused by water companies.

The government strategy was criticised by a number of organisations and members of the public, when it went out to consultation for being too weak with targets too far in the future.

The Rivers Trust said it was appalled that the government had not taken into account the thousands of responses to the draft consultation which were calling for much more ambitious targets.

Christine Colvin, an advocacy and engagement director of the Rivers Trust, said: “The requirement for this plan in the Environment Act gave government a great opportunity to right the wrongs on weak regulation and get on the front foot. It should have presented an open goal for a fresh start to stop sewage pollution in my lifetime. Instead they have scored an own goal.”

She said the government had stopped engaging with the storm overflow reduction taskforce, which was not given the results of the consultation nor invited to advise further on how the plan could have been strengthened.

Under government plans, by 2035 water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water, and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high-priority nature sites. By 2050, this will apply to all waterways.

WildFish has begun proceedings against the plan by issuing a letter before action asking for the strategy to be withdrawn.

The storm reduction plan was published after a summer in which raw sewage discharges by water companies have resulted in beaches being closed and warnings issued about the quality of bathing water across the country. Last week a sewage leak by Thames Water killed fish stocks along a three-mile stretch of the River Ray. Thames Water said a sewage pipe had burst near Swindon.

Beaches in Sussex were shut after untreated sewage was pumped into the sea with the overflow captured on video.

The new prime minister will be announced on September 5 and they will immediately inherit a crisis over the cost of living, with energy bills set to skyrocket.

Jen Mills metro.co.uk 

Many are awaiting a response from the government, but have been told to wait until either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss is named as the winner of the Tory leadership race.

Now, Martin Lewis is seeking to move the process along of finding out how they intend to help households weather the storm of a huge increase in their electricity and gas bills.

He has challenged whoever wins the contest to an hour-long interview on ITV about the cost of living.

The journalist, who became famous through his Money Saving Expert website offering explanations and tips on finance, has become one of the loudest voices on the crisis.

He has warned that ‘people will die’ this winter if help is not provided, from struggling to heat their homes in the cold and having to cut their income so much many will have to decided whether to heat or eat.

He wrote on Twitter this morning: ‘Dear @trussliz / @RishiSunak, The cost of living crisis has left millions worried how they’ll make ends meet.

‘I’d like to formally invite you, as the new PM, to join me asap once you take office for a special hour’s @itvMLshow discussion/Q&A to answer/ease people’s concerns.

‘ITV is happy to support this, so together will also extend the invite through official channels to both of you now for speed.

‘The preference is live in the evening, but we understand the time pressures and are happy to work on scheduling with you to make this work.’

He urged people to share the tweet inviting the winning politician to appear on the Martin Lewis Money Show Live, to get traction for the challenge.

When someone responded to say that he would only get ‘waffle, piffle and half promises’, he said: ‘I politely disagree. If this happens I will get straight answers.

‘There’s no point agreeing to do it unless you’ve something to say for an hour. And they know I’m focused on just cost of living so it’s details needed :)’

He also stressed that this would not be a ‘debate’ on the cost of living, as he is a consumer finance journalist and not an opposition politician.

Instead, ‘this is about an interview and Q&A for them to explain and answer questions on their plans.’

‘I’d happily give broad subject area notice but not vetted questions,’ he added.

Mr Lewis has previously called for more clarity on what government action will be taken on the cost of living.

Ofgem’s price cap for average household fuel and electricity bills – currently set to the equivalent of £1,971 a year – is already set to jump by more than 80% to £3,549 in October.

But this figure is likely to double to £7,263 when the cap is reviewed again in April, according to consultants Auxilione.

Liz Truss has said she will announce an emergency budget if she becomes prime minister, thought to include tax cuts and a reversal of the planned 1.25% increase in National Insurance.

However, how much this would help the very poorest has been questioned, with the FT stating that it would ‘offer only £59 to someone on the national minimum wage.’

Rishi Sunak said he would be prepared to find £10bn to soften the impact of this October’s price rise, with support going to the most vulnerable.

Writing in The Times at the start of August, he said that this would be paid for by limiting or pausing some programmes within the government, with some temporary borrowing as a last resort.

Expecting the new PM to show up and defend their policies to Mr Lewis may be a long shot, however.

Liz Truss pulled out of a planned face-to-face interview with BBC journalist Nick Robinson two days ago, saying she could ‘no longer spare the time’.

 

“So as is so often the case in the last 12 years, it is left to us, the people, to try and help ourselves. At East Devon District Council we are doing all we can to help the extraordinary volunteers who work to share food through food banks or other sharing means. A beneficial side effect is that this also helps stop good food going to waste.”

“We are also trying to find more funds to help the Citizens Advice Bureau and – and I can’t believe I am writing this – our officers have been working all summer seeing how we can collaborate with other agencies to provide “Warm Spaces” for those who simply cannot afford to turn on the heating.“

What is Simon Jupp doing? – Owl

Paul Arnott, Leader EDDC www.midweekherald.co.uk 

September remains my favourite month, full of promise and fresh starts. The summer breeze still blows, blackberries are ready, and the TV schedules pop with new programmes as the days grow shorter.

This September, however, many of us are fearful of what is to come, especially with soaring energy costs. In our home we usually make it to mid-October before I catch my wife trying to reset the heating control panel in the boiler cupboard to “ON”. Perhaps that may buy us all some time, but not much.

In this universally predicated situation, what is most needed is clarity, which is now about three months overdue. Instead we have a disgraced prime minister, who should have long ago left the role, and a Hobson’s Choice between a pair of nakedly ambitious competitors to succeed him.

Our next national leader – a role with inordinate power exerted through the little understood Cabinet Office – will be chosen by at most two hundred thousand members of the Conservative party. That is to say, about one three-hundredth of the country.

To bring the point home, in our lovely East Devon, where roughly 180,000 people live, only 600 of us would have a vote on that fraction. I got more votes than that in 2019 for Colyton Parish Council.

This shames our country, with the increasingly empty boasts from the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg that ours is the Mother of Parliaments. Any honourable new Prime Minister elected with this feeble mandate would immediately seek validation in a general election. For some reason, Liz Truss doesn’t seem to fancy her chances.

So as is so often the case in the last 12 years, it is left to us, the people, to try and help ourselves. At East Devon District Council we are doing all we can to help the extraordinary volunteers who work to share food through food banks or other sharing means. A beneficial side effect is that this also helps stop good food going to waste.

We are also trying to find more funds to help the Citizens Advice Bureau and – and I can’t believe I am writing this – our officers have been working all summer seeing how we can collaborate with other agencies to provide “Warm Spaces” for those who simply cannot afford to turn on the heating. In 2022! There is a whole generation now who do not remember the news stories about death by hyperthermia. That’s on its way back if we do not act.

This is why – and sorry if I sound unusually cross – the site of the pink and shirtless Boris Johnson holidaying around the Med, using his contact books to set up book deals and public speaking engagements likely to gross him at least £5 million in the next year is so sickening. Just look at him; he hasn’t a care in the world. I do hope the penny has dropped. That’s because he never has cared for anything but his own progress.

During Covid we are proud that as a district council we were a key agency. While making democratic choices we distributed everything from business rate relief to emergency business funding, energy rebate payments through our council tax system, to discretionary payments for those in extreme hardship.

All we have ever asked of Simon Jupp and Neil Parish (until he resigned) was to signal to government that we needed more than a week’s notice before putting these massive operations into action. We are a mere district council and only about 7% of your council tax bill comes to us. It’s tough.

But yet again it’s all going to be kick, b****ck and scramble. We’ll cope, at the price of stressed council employees switching roles and putting in extra hours. But for heaven’s sake – please – can we not inflict these slapdash Tories on us again? They are neither the natural party of government or of the economy.

 

• Single storey extension with raised patio 46 Ely Close Feniton Devon EX14 3EYRef. No: 22/1842/FUL | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of existing lawfulness to demonstrate that the property has been used as a residential dwelling 8 Seafield Road Seaton Devon EX12 2QSRef. No: 22/1841/CPE | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Beech : shorten side growth by 1m to 2m to a suitable side branch to leave a spread of approximately N5m, S6m, E5m, W5m; reduce height by approximately 2m to 16m. 13 Woodlands Budleigh Salterton EX9 6ATRef. No: 22/1852/TRE | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawfulness for the installation of 3 x rooflights.8 Mansfield Terrace Budleigh Salterton EX9 6ENRef. No: 22/1849/CPL | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Approved
• Combine dwelling and holiday cottage into a single dwelling. Godford Land Farm Awliscombe EX14 3PPRef. No: 22/1844/FUL | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 3 (materials) of planning permission 22/0757/FUL (Proposed staff accommodation) to permit the windows and doors to be constructed from uPVC instead of wood Elmwood Residential Home Swan Hill Road Colyford Devon EX24 6QJRef. No: 22/1843/VAR | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T13 : crown lift the lower branches on the field side to the same height as the house side, to even up the balance of the tree; remove all epicormic growth from the tree; thin the crown out out by 20% cuts no grater that 75mm T12 : Remove all epicormic growth from the tree; thin the crown out by 20% cuts no greater that 75mm Marley Oak Marley Hayes Exmouth EX8 5DHRef. No: 22/1834/TRE | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side extension Holme Lea House Honiton EX14 9TWRef. No: 22/1831/FUL | Validated: Thu 18 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Side and rear two storey extension and loft conversion with addition of two new dormers (Revision of 21/2984/FUL) 4 Park View Wotton Lane Lympstone EX8 5LYRef. No: 22/1828/FUL | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of roof space to habitable use to include 3x front dormer and 5x rear roof windows 4 Powells Way Dunkeswell Devon EX14 4XLRef. No: 22/1822/FUL | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Planning permission for a single storey front extension. 28 York Close Exmouth EX8 4EQRef. No: 22/1826/FUL | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Sub-division of existing property to form two separate dwellings and creation of a new vehicle entrance point. Sunholme Woodbeare Plymtree EX15 2LNRef. No: 22/1819/FUL | Validated: Thu 18 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of redundant auction room to storage Potburys Yard Temple Street Sidmouth EX10 9BNRef. No: 22/1817/FUL | Validated: Thu 18 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Concrete lay of hardcore/hoggin base and surface. Donkey Sanctuary Paccombe Farm Trow Salcombe RegisRef. No: 22/1806/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over open livestock feeding and loading yard phase 2 2 Drakes Farm Musbury EX13 8AJRef. No: 22/1807/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over open livestock feeding and loading yard phase 1 2 Drakes Farm Musbury Axminster EX13 8AJRef. No: 22/1808/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Sectionally fell and remove Oak (T1) due to failing structural integrity, threatening public safety. Beechwood Harcombe Road Axminster EX13 5TBRef. No: 22/1816/TRE | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a single detached garage. Unit 10A Flightway Dunkeswell Business Park Dunkeswell Honiton EX14 4RDRef. No: 22/1818/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over open weeping wall farm manure store 2 Drakes Farm Seaton Road Musbury Devon EX13 8AJRef. No: 22/1809/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey extension to front of the building 3 Socks Hill Smallridge Axminster EX13 7JNRef. No: 22/1796/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• T1, Ash : To re-pollard to historic pruning points approximately 2.5 m. above ground level. T2, Sycamore : To re-pollard to historic pruning points approximately 2.5 m. above ground level. T3, Ash : To coppice this tree approximately 1 m. above ground level. T4, Sycamore : To re-pollard to historic pruning points approximately 2.5 m. above ground level. T5, Ash : To crown reduce by approximately 10% crown lifting to approximately 1.5 metres above the neighbouring properties and outbuildings and removing all significant deadwood from within the crown of this tree making maximum diameter pruning cuts of 25 mm. and removing branch lengths of up to 0.5 m. 20 Temple Street Sidmouth Devon EX10 9AYRef. No: 22/1804/TCA | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of bases for the siting of static caravans and decking with access, car parking, hard and soft landscaping and associated works Devon Cliffs Holiday Centre Sandy Bay Exmouth EX8 5BTRef. No: 22/1801/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension and demolition of existing garage. 43 Millers Way Honiton EX14 1JBRef. No: 22/1800/FUL | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension 28 Whitmore Way Honiton Devon EX14 2GRRef. No: 22/1790/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alterations to parking area and drop off area Sidmouth Hospice At Home Church Street Sidford Devon EX10 9RLRef. No: 22/1786/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension and alterations to parking area off private road 4 St Martins Close Sidmouth Devon EX10 9JQRef. No: 22/1791/FUL | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of search & rescue CCTV camera to sea facing wall of the Budleigh Salterton Club Budleigh Salterton Club 46 Fore Street Budleigh Salterton EX9 6NJRef. No: 22/1784/FUL | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Temporary agricultural workers dwelling (mobile home) Bickwell Farm Muttersmoor Road Sidmouth EX10 8RHRef. No: 22/1768/FUL | Validated: Thu 18 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 1 (approved plans) of planning permission 21/1600/VAR (Variation of condition 2 of planning consent 20/2898/FUL (Conversion of former care home into 6 new detached and terraced dwellings with off street parking)) to facilitate change to ridge tiles, timber barge boards and render to front façade of No. 36 Bindon Residential Home 36-40 Winslade Road Sidmouth EX10 9EXRef. No: 22/1771/VAR | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• External alterations including replacement windows, doors and garage doors, removal of canopy, new porch roof and repainting. 4 Coburg Road Sidmouth Devon EX10 8NGRef. No: 22/1767/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Replace windows and doors: W1 front south elevation; W2 front ground floor south elevation; W3 side first floor west elevation; W4 rear ground floor north elevation; W5 rear first floor north elevation; D1 front south elevation and D2 French double doors side west elevation 4 Counters Court Mill Street Sidmouth EX10 8DWRef. No: 22/1750/LBC | Validated: Thu 18 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Log cabin to front garden. Oaklands Barrow Road Payhembury Devon EX14 3HXRef. No: 22/1724/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of self-build two bed bungalow Waldrons Farm Sidmouth Road Farringdon Devon EX5 2JXRef. No: 22/1723/FUL | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawful development for existing garage to be converted into a bedroom and ensuite with a store19 Richmond Road Exmouth EX8 2NARef. No: 22/1735/CPL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Approved
• Alterations to fenestration 22A Exeter Road Exmouth Devon EX8 1PPRef. No: 22/1711/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of existing garage to provide a gym/home office and extension to existing garage including change of roof from flat to pitched. 1A Pine Park Road Honiton Devon EX14 2HZRef. No: 22/1708/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing dwelling house, construction of replacement dwelling house and installation of ground-mounted solar PV panel array Southfields Farm Higher Metcombe EX11 1SWRef. No: 22/1706/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of a 2,500L bunded oil tank and external oil boiler Thorn Cottage Stockland Devon EX14 9ENRef. No: 22/1663/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing cottage and erection of a single storey 2-bed cottage dwelling Ascerton Cottage 77 Temple Street Sidmouth EX10 9BHRef. No: 22/1646/FUL | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey and first floor extensions, front porch and provision of cladding. Providence Cottage Bear Lane Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 7AQRef. No: 22/1650/FUL | Validated: Wed 17 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Replace 20no. windows: 1no. at ground floor & 3no. at first floor (W9 to W13) North elevation; 3no. at ground floor & 5no. at first floor (W1 to W8) South elevation; 3no. at ground floor & 1no. at first floor (W14 to W17) West elevation and 2no. at ground floor & 2no. at first floor (W18 to W21) East elevation; replace window with double on West elevation and reduce height of chimney by 3 metres on East elevation Crammer Barton Broadhembury EX14 3LNRef. No: 22/1626/LBC | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of ground mounted solar array Newlands Dalwood EX13 7HQRef. No: 22/1592/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace 4no. windows on ground floor south elevation and 1no. on first floor west elevation Rosemary Cottage Membury Axminster EX13 7TFRef. No: 22/1577/LBC | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of a 1.5m advance sign indicating business premises located off the A3052 Base Of Core Hill Road/A3052 SidmouthRef. No: 22/1565/ADV | Validated: Fri 19 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• A new substation within the car park area of Killerton House, Exeter. Laurel Cottage Killerton Exeter EX5 3LERef. No: 22/1550/FUL | Validated: Thu 18 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of two storey side extension Westwater Barn Westwater Axminster EX13 7JDRef. No: 22/1538/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of detached garage, formation of new driveway and vehicle access onto highway. Westwater Barn Westwater Axminster EX13 7JDRef. No: 22/1539/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rebuild of destroyed double garage. Ballamount Broadclyst EX5 3BJRef. No: 22/1359/FUL | Validated: Mon 15 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Test case for DC app – any queries contact Ann-Marie Drummond – Strata 01626 215766 SF Test Case For DC AppRef. No: 19/0670/FUL | Validated: Tue 16 Aug 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

The Liberal Democrats are rushing through plans to confirm a candidate for Michael Gove’s Surrey seat amid speculation that the former levelling up secretary is considering quitting parliament, which would spark a byelection.

Peter Walker www.theguardian.com 

The party’s application window for selection for the seat, held by Gove since 2005, closes on Wednesday evening and the selection process is expected to take two weeks. Lib Dem officials are planning for a possibly imminent campaign in which the party would fight on issues including the state of local hospitals and plans to drill for gas locally.

A Conservative source said, however, it was not true Gove planned to quit as an MP. Speculation that he might has intensified since Gove publicly backed Rishi Sunak to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, and said he did not expect to be in government again.

Before becoming an MP, Gove was a prominent journalist for the Times, and there have been reports he is considering a return to the profession.

Surrey Heath has been held by the Tories since the constituency was created in 1997, and Gove had a majority of more 18,000 at the 2019 general election, albeit reduced from almost 25,000 in 2017.

A Lib Dem source said the party had heard from several local sources that Gove could be about to depart, and that it would hope to emulate a trio of recent byelection successes over the Conservatives, in two of which it overturned bigger majorities.

“We are selecting a candidate and we are on high alert, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the byelection will happen.” the source said. “We are also preparing in other seats, for example in Mid Bedfordshire, if Nadine Dorries is given a peerage.”

The Conservative source said: “Sadly this is yet another example of Lib Dem dirty tricks. They are more interested in playing politics than delivering for voters. Michael remains absolutely committed to his Surrey Heath constituents and has no plans to stand down.”

Lib Dem hopes in the seat would be boosted by the party’s recent good performances in so-called blue wall commuter belt constituencies, notably the first of the recent byelection wins, in which the party overturned a Conservative majority of more than 16,000 to take Chesham and Amersham, just north-west of London, in June 2021.

Since then the party took two previously safe Tory seats: North Shropshire in December 2021, overturning a near-23,000 majority; and Tiverton and Honiton in Devon this June, where the Conservative margin had been more than 24,000.

The party can also point to good local election results in May in nearby Woking – there were no polls for councils inside the constituency – in which it took control from the Tories.

“We never take anything for granted,” a Lib Dem source said. “It would be a very hard fight and always we come in as the underdog. We don’t underestimate how hard we have to graft at every byelection”.

A Lib Dem campaign would focus in part on cost of living issues, but also local factors such as the local hospital, Frimley Park, one of 34 in England with a concrete roof at risk of collapse, and the government’s decision to allow drilling for gas in the Surrey Hills.

Gove has held a string of cabinet posts, including education, the environment, and communities and levelling up. Johnson sacked him from the last job in July after Gove told the prime minister he should leave No 10.

Earlier this month, Gove belatedly said he was supporting Sunak as the next Tory leader and PM, warning that the economic plans of Sunak’s rival, Liz Truss, amounted to a “holiday from reality”.

With Truss seen as almost certain to win, that makes Gove’s chances of returning to the frontbenches very slim. Announcing his decision to back Sunak, Gove wrote in the Times: “I do not expect to be in government again.”