Category Archives: Misc

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Owl is pausing for reflection

Owl has been posting daily for four and a half years and will now pause to reflect on how East Devon Watch should respond to the new political scene.

It has been an eventful time with Owl covering key events including: 

the pandemic in all its phases; 

Ben Ingham’s “last stand” and the changing of the guard in East Devon including the eventual retirement of EDDC’s Chief Executive, Head of Paid Services, Director of Planning and Returning Officer, Mark Williams;

the “Rainbow” coalition inspired by Eileen Wragg and led by Paul Arnott;

Sasha Swire’s “Secret Diary”;

the First Million Hits; 

Alderman John Humphreys’ conviction and sentence for historic child rape, and “who knew what and when”; 

the fall from grace of “Tractor Porn” Neil Parish and the election of our first LibDem MP Richard Foord; 

the short, damaging, history of three Tory Prime Ministers and a lettuce; 

the funding crisis in local government;

Various “goings on” in other neighbouring councils;

the sewage crisis from denial to acceptance;

the 2024 election which saw Conservative reduced to the lowest number of MPs in the party’s history and the LibDems winning the most seats for 100 years.

sadly, Owl has also had to record the deaths of Val Ranger and Sandra Semple both of whom had been significant “agents for change” in East Devon.

East Devon Watch has now become a fantastic archive of more than 19,000 articles, dozens of which are read every day.

As a reader, if you have any views, email them to: eastdevon.owl@gmail.com

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Devon and Cornwall Police ‘inadequate’ at investigating crime

Alison Hernandez is still lagging rather than leading – how did she manage to get re-elected with such a miserable record? – Owl

Bradley Gerrard, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

The Devon and Cornwall Police service has been assessed as ‘inadequate’ at investigating crime in a critical report that says not enough offenders are being brought to justice.

The region’s police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez now says she will challenge its leaders to improve the poor outcome in such a critical function.

HM Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) says the standards of the force’s investigations “have deteriorated” because of understaffed and inexperienced teams investigating serious offences, while the service “still has work to do” in leadership and force management.

In a review of 66 cases, only 47 had an investigation plan, and it found some in which had “significant failings and victims had been let down”.

Inspectors also noted “serious concerns” about how the force manages investigations, adding that it is in “regular contact” with the acting chief constable on this issue.

Ms Hernandez welcomed the inspectors reports saying the service is good at preventing crime, and noted that data since the inspection showed improved performance in other areas, including how it manages offenders.

But she said she “shares HMICFRS’s concerns relating to crime investigation standards.”

She continued: “For several months, my recently formed accountability and standards team have been examining how files are prepared for court and how data is collected and used by the force,” she said.

“Their findings chime with those of His Majesty’s Inspector.

“The public must be confident that when they report crime the evidence and information they supply is correctly recorded and used so perpetrators are brought to book and victims receive the justice they deserve.”

She added that despite record investment in policing in Devon and Cornwall, she would be “challenging the force’s leadership to improve significantly in this area”.

In the report, Andy Cooke, HM chief inspector of constabulary, said he had “concerns about the performance of Devon and Cornwall police in keeping people safe, reducing crime, and providing victims with an effective service”.

However, the force hit back at some aspects of the report “due to the inspection being based on historical data, some of which is over a year old and does not accurately reflect improvements the force has made”.

They claimed positive feedback is evident in the force’s management of offenders and registered sex offenders, although this is still rayted as “requires improvement”.

The inspector said “considerable improvement” had been made in how the service treats people who contact it.

“Since our previous inspection, the force has made significant efforts to improve in the areas we highlighted as causes of concern or areas of improvement, which is recognised,” Mr Cooke said.

“However, despite those improvements, more is required to place the force in a position where it is consistently providing a good standard of service to its local communities.”

Acting chief constable Jim Colwell said: “I am pleased that the Inspectorate has acknowledged the good work that goes on in our neighbourhood teams every day, which is a reflection on the hard work of our officers, staff and volunteers.

“We are committed to delivering community policing with competence, compassion and common sense, which is why we remain the second safest force area in the country, and this has been clearly recognised by the Inspectorate.”

Ms Hernandez echoed this, saying the force has “one of the lowest crime rate areas.. But it is extremely disappointing that the force is letting too many victims down, whether with poor response times or a delayed investigation,” she added.

However, Mr Cooke said while aspects of crime investigation oversight had improved: “the force has understaffed and inexperienced teams investigating serious offences.

“There are delays in crime allocation and supervision, with many investigations lacking a detailed investigation plan or effective supervision.

“The force needs to improve in this area to achieve better outcomes for victims of crime.”

Decon and Cornwall Police said it has made considerable progress since the last inspection, such as review creating  more resilient teams to give more support to victims and ongoing work to address a national shortage of detectives.

“I fully acknowledge that we still have work to do to ensure that our investigations are completed to the high standards that the public would expect of us – particularly when it comes to serious and complex crimes,” acting chief constable Colwell added.

“We have made progress since the last inspection, but I recognise there is still much more to do if we are to deliver a better level of service to our communities and reduce some of the pressure on our colleagues.”

HMICFRS said it had altered its inspection process, meaning that this latest report could not be compared with the previous one.

The old system used to grade nine areas of policing, rather than eight under the new system.

Of those, two were rated inadequate (investigating crime and responding to the public), two require improvement (managing offenders, and leadership and force management), three are adequate (police powers and public treatment, protecting vulnerable people, and developing a positive workforce) and ‘preventing crime is ‘good’.

Mr Cooke praised the force for supporting neighbourhood policing teams, but raised a concern that they are “frequently being diverted to manage other demands, and this is affecting the service the force provides in this important area of policing”.

The inspector added that force now has the highest number of officers for some time.

“Although some of these officers will be less experienced, this presents a good opportunity for the force to make progress,” Mr Cooke added.

Instability at the top the force may also have been a factor in the outcomes of the report, with chief constable Will Kerr remaining suspended after more than a year.

Mr Cooke noted that operating with a temporary senior leadership team “hasn’t been easy”, and that the force is “one of the largest policing regions in England and Wales.

“The infrastructure of both Devon and Cornwall presents challenges in how the force can use resources to improve services in the areas we have identified,” he said.

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Polluting water firms’ bonuses revealed – and how much you’re paying for them

Water companies are set to increase their bills across England and Wales by an average of £94 in the next five years, as the under-fire firms try to improve failing infrastructure.

Adam Forrest inews.co.uk

The water giants are under huge pressure to invest money in the creaking sewage system, following public outrage over the amount of waste getting pumped into the nation’s rivers, lakes and seas.

These companies are allowed to spill untreated sewage from storm overflows during periods of intense rainfall to prevent their systems from becoming overwhelmed.

i revealed on Wednesday that the Government will force the water firms to return money that is not spent on upgrading their sewerage networks to customers.

The bill increases approved by regulator Ofwat are less than a third of what the water companies had asked for. Water bosses had been keen to impose even larger hikes on customers to help pay for upgrades.

It comes despite huge bonuses for the companies’ chief executives over the last year – with some enjoying hundreds of thousands of pounds in top-ups, which took some of their annual pay packets to more than £1m each.

Here i has set out how each water company contributed to polluting rivers last year, how much bills are set to increase – and how much they have paid out in bonuses:

United Utilities

United Utilities performed worst out of any water company last year in terms of sewage pollution, according to the Environment Agency, with 45.4 spills per storm overflow and more than 650,000 hours of monitored spill events in 2023.

Customers’ bills at United Utilities are set to increase by 21 per cent by 2030, from £442 to £536 – up by £94.

The company’s chief executive Louise Beardmore got a £420,000 annual bonus in 2023/24 – part of an overall pay packet of more than £1.4m.

It is down slightly on previous chief executive Steve Mogford’s £426,000 bonus the previous year, which was part of his £2.2m pay packet.

BILLS: Set to rise by 21 per cent

CEO BONUS: Down by 1.4 per cent

South West Water

South West Water, owned by Pennon, had 43.4 spills per overflow and 317,285 total hours of sewage spills. The company is facing a legal challenge over spills on the Devon coast.

Meanwhile, South West Water bills are set to increase by 12 per cent by 2030, from £497 to £561, up by £64.

The company’s chief executive Susan Davy was in line to receive a total pay packet of £860,000 in 2023/24 – up from £543,000 the previous year.

But she opted not to take a bonus for a second year running, amid criticism of pollution levels. The £298,000 she received under a long-term incentive plan was diverted to a company scheme for shareholders.

BILLS: Set to rise by 12 per cent

CEO BONUS: No change.

Yorkshire Water

Yorkshire Water had the third highest level of spills in England and Wales last year, with 35.9 spills per overflow and 516,386 hours in total.

Yorkshire Water’s bills are set for a 25 per cent increase by 2030, from £430 to £537 – up by £107.

Chief executive Nicola Shaw saw her basic pay increase from £515,000 to £585,000 in 2023/24. She was awarded £371,000 as part of the company’s short-term “executive incentive plan”.

She had opted to forgo her bonus the previous year, amid criticism of the company’s performance over sewage.

BILLS: Set to rise by 25 per cent

CEO INCENTIVE: £371,000.

Welsh Water

Welsh Water had 35 spills per overflow in 2023 for its operations in England, according to the Environment Agency. They accounted for 23,354 hours of spills in total.

Bills are set to increase by 29 per cent increase by 2030 from £466 to £603 – up £137.

Welsh Water’s CEO Peter Perry received a £91,000 bonus in “annual variable pay” in 2023/24, part of his £489,000 pay packet. He had refused a bonus the previous year, amid public outcry over the state of Britain’s rivers.

BILLS: Set to rise by 29 per cent

CEO BONUS: Up from zero to £91,000.

Wessex Water

Wessex Water had 32 spills per overflow in 2023, with 372,341 hours of spills, watchdog figures show.

Customers are set for a 2 per cent reduction in their bills by 2030 from £508 to £497.

The company’s chief executive Colin Skellett decided to forgo any bonus in 2023/24, amid criticism over pollution. He received a £120,000 bonus the previous year. His basic pay of £290,000 remained unchanged.

BILLS: Set to decrease by 2 per cent

CEO BONUS: Down from £120,000 to zero.

Southern Water

Southern Water saw average spills of 30.7 per overflow in 2023, spilling for 317,285 hours in total.

Customers’ bills for the company, owned by the Australian conglomerate Macquarie, are set to increase 44 per cent by 2030, from £420 to £603 – up by £183.

The company’s chief executive Lawrence Gosden received a £183,000 bonus for 2023/24, having declined a bonus the previous year. His total pay packet – including base salary, bonus and pension benefits – rose from £427,000 to £764,000.

BILLS: Set to rise by 44 per cent

CEO BONUS: Up from zero to £183,000.

Northumbrian Water

Northumbrian Water recorded 30.1 spills per overflow over the course of 2023, spilling for 280,029 hours in total.

Customers’ bills are set to increase by 11 per cent by 2030 from £415 to £460, which is up by £45.

Chief executive Heidi Mottram received a bonus of £234,000 in 2023/24 – up from £215,000 the previous year. Her overall pay packet rose from £781,000 to £842,000.

BILLS: Set to rise by 11 per cent

CEO BONUS: Up by 8.8 per cent

Thames Water

Thames Water, the embattled giant of the UK water industry, is teetering on the edge of collapse, with negotiations with Ofwat still ongoing.

It saw 27.9 spills per overflow, for a total of 196,414 hours. Thames Water bills are set to increase 23 per cent by 2030 from £436 to £535, up £99.

Chief executive Chris Weston took a £195,000 bonus 2023/24, with his total annual pay packet being £437,000.

Previous boss Sarah Bentley opted to refuse her bonus last year, as the company was heavily criticised for sewage pollution.

BILLS: Set to rise by 23 per cent

CEO BONUS: Up from zero to £195,000

Severn Trent

Severn Trent performed second best of the water companies for average spills, averaging only 24.9 spills per overflow.

Earlier this year the company was fined £2m for allowing huge amounts of raw sewage to discharge into the River Trent.

The company’s bills are set to rise by 23 per cent by 2030, from £403 to £496, up by £93.

Bills for Hafren Dyfrdwy (Severn Dee) customers, part of Severn Trent in Wales, are set to rise by 32 per cent by 2030, from £396 to £524.

Severn Trent’s chief Liv Garfield was handed a £584,000 bonus for 2023/24, up from £358,000 the previous year. Her overall pay packet rose slightly to almost £3.2m.

BILLS: Set to rise by 23 per cent

CEO BONUS: Up by 63.1 per cent

Anglian Water

Anglian Water performed best out of any water company when it comes to sewage spills, averaging 22.2 spills per overflow, spilling for 273,163 hours in total.

The company charges for customers are set to increase by 13 per cent by 2030, from £491 to £557, up by £66.

The company’s chief executive Peter Simpson took bonus and deferred bonus payments of £455,000, down from £517,000 the year before.

BILLS: Set to rise by 13 per cent

CEO BONUS: Down by 12 per cent

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A Correspondent comments on the rejected Knowle, Sidmouth, development plan

Even if plans are eventually passed, caveat emptor!

An anonymous item in The Times on 7th July states:

“My daughters recently inherited a McCarthy Stone leasehold retirement apartment in Lancashire and need to sell it to get probate and distribute the proceeds according to the late owner’s will. Some of those waiting for their share are in urgent need. 

But this may take up to three years, my daughters have been told, as the new owners must be over 70 years of age, and demand from this age group is low. Until this is done they cannot distribute the assets, all the while incurring an annual service charge of about £8,500. What can they do?”

Anonymous

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11 Jul 2024

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Newly elected MP Richard Foord outlines his promises

There is no time for a victory lap. There is far too much to do….

Richard Foord, MP for Honiton & Sidmouth www.midweekherald.co.uk

When former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stepped out into the rain on that fateful Wednesday in May to call the General Election, I think I heard many people across East Devon breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, after a period of chaos and decline, we had a chance to pass judgement on a Conservative government that had lost its way.

Like many MPs, I went into the campaign not knowing whether I would be returned to Parliament to keep on fighting for you. No one has a divine right to be an MP – it is a role that has to be earned through hard work and public service.

Throughout the campaign, I sought to demonstrate the difference having a hard-working Liberal Democrat MP can make. I put ‘demanding better’ in relation to NHS dental services, community healthcare services and the environment at the centre of my campaign.

There is no time for a victory lap. There is far too much to do – on these and other causes that I discussed with thousands of residents on doorsteps in recent months.

We do not know what to expect from the Labour government in Westminster. The Labour Party’s manifesto did not contain many pledges, so in the weeks ahead we will see what their approach to governing will be.

My promise to you is that I will do all I can to make sure our communities get the fair hearing and the attention they deserve. I will hold Ministers to account firmly – and I will challenge them. I won’t provide opposition for its own sake; I will seek instead to advance causes that matter to you.

The first thing I did after being elected on Friday was write to Wes Streeting, the new Health Secretary, to invite him to visit Seaton Hospital and discuss how we can save the community-funded wing from being ripped away from the community that paid for it.

As your MP, I promise to work night and day to repay the trust placed in me – whether you voted for me or not. If you’d like to contact me, then you can write to me at Richard.Foord.MP@parliament.uk or through my website: http://www.RichardFoord.org.uk

My team and I will be held to the highest standards. I’ll aim always to play it straight, roll up my sleeves, and I won’t forget that I was elected to serve you.

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Customers to get refunds from water firms that don’t tackle sewage spills

Water companies will be forced to return money that isn’t spent on upgrading their sewerage networks to customers under new plans being unveiled by the Government, i can reveal.

Lucie Heath, Richard Vaughan inews.co.uk

In his first intervention on Britain’s sewage crisis, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said water companies will no longer be allowed to divert infrastructure funding to pay for bonuses, dividends or salary increases.

It comes ahead of a draft decision by the regulator Ofwat on Thursday over how much it will allow bills to increase to tackle to sewage crisis. Firms have proposed bill increases of up to 72.87 per cent, meaning some customers could be paying up to £726.64 on their annual water bill by 2030.

Mr Reed also revealed plans to double the compensation households receive when their water supply is disrupted and to set up new panels for customers to hold the utility firms to account.

“We will never look the other way while water companies pump sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas,” he said.

“This unacceptable destruction of our waterways should never have been allowed, but change has now begun so it can never happen again.”

Water companies are already forced to return money to customers if they fail to meet separate targets linked to environmental performance and leakages. This is done via deductions to bills in the following year, rather than cash back.

It is understood that it will be up to regulator Ofwat to decide how exactly customers will be refunded if water companies do not spend their allocated infrastructure funding. Ofwat is the sector’s independent economic regulator but takes policy direction from ministers within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Campaigners are likely to welcome the early intervention from Labour during the party’s first week in power.

However, it remains unclear when the new Government plans to set in motion some of the other proposals in its manifesto to clean up the UK’s waterways, including prosecutions for water bosses and automatic fines for firms.

Labour is also yet to commit to all the policies outlined in i’s manifesto to Save Britain’s Rivers and waterways, including increased funding for the Environment Agency and for farmers so they can reduce agricultural pollution, plus a “green duty” on regulator Ofwat to place greater emphasis on the environment when making decisions over water companies’ business plans.

Tomorrow afternoon, Mr Reed will hold a meeting with water company chief executives to set out his plans for the sector, which has faced intense scrutiny for the dumping of sewage into Britain’s rivers.

The meeting will take place on the same day that the Ofwat, publishes its highly-anticipated decision on water companies’ business plans for the next five years.

The draft decision will set out how much water companies will be allowed to increase customer bills by to pay for the upgrades needed to reduce sewage pollution.

Firms have proposed bill hikes between 13.6 and 72.87 per cent over the five-year period, meaning households would be paying up to £726.64 per year for water by 2030.

Ofwat is expected to allow water firms to increase bills, and only by slightly less than they are demanding.

Mr Reed has outlined four policies the Government would introduce “to clean up the water industry to cut sewage pollution, protect customers and attract investment to upgrade its crumbling infrastructure”.

This includes plans to write to Ofwat to ask them to make sure funding for infrastructure investment is ring fenced and cannot be spent on bonuses, dividends or salary increases. This will include infrastructure investments to prevent sewage spills, among other things.

Any promised infrastructure funding that is not spent on upgrades should be refunded to customers, he said.

Last year, 11 of the 16 water companies in England and Wales were forced to give money back to customers. However, water bills have continued to rise despite firms being penalised, for example in the 2023/4 financial year, bills increased by an average of 7.5 per cent despite water companies being penalised for missing targets.

Water companies have been heavily criticised in the past for failing to spend money on their infrastructure, while paying large dividends to their investors.

In its most recent performance report for the sector, Ofwat found water companies had failed to spend £587m set aside for improving their assets between 2020 to 2023.

Meanwhile, water companies in England paid £2.5bn in dividends in the two financial years since 2021, analysis by the Financial Times found.

Alongside restricting infrastructure spending, the Government will consult on doubling the amount of compensation customers will receive when their basic water services are affected. Depending on the circumstances, customers are typically entitled to £20 in compensation if their water supply is disrupted for 24 hours, followed by £10 for each additional day.

Ministers will also look to expand the circumstances under which customers receive compensation to include ‘Boil Water Notices’, which are issued when there are contamination concerns over drinking water in a region.

The move is likely in response to the recent parasite outbreak in Devon that saw over 100 people reporting a diarrhoea-type illness and around 16,000 homes and businesses being ordered to boil their water, with some homes affected for almost two months. South West Water was forced to pay out around £3.5million to affected customers.

Mr Reed will also order water companies to change their governing rules to make the interests of customers and the environment a primary objective.

New customer panels will be introduced with the power to summon board members and hold water executives to account, the Secretary of State said.

However, Mr Reed stressed that change will “take time” to improve Britain’s waterways and said the Government will outline further steps over “the coming weeks and months”.

It’s currently unclear when Labour will set in motion the other policies in its manifesto, including bringing criminal charges against water executives that break the law and introducing automatic and severe fines for polluting firms.

It is possible that more detail will be provided in the King’s Speech, which is scheduled for next week.

While Labour’s proposals are likely to be welcomed by campaigners, the Government is yet to commit to some of the other changes groups have been calling for to end the sewage crisis and restore our waterways.

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Breaking: Ofwat “minded” to slash by a third increases submitted by water companies

Does Ofwat deserve to survive? – Owl

Water bills to rise by average 21% over next five years, regulator rules

James Sillars news.sky.com

Water companies in England and Wales have been told they will not be allowed to impose the hikes to bills they have demanded, the industry regulator has said in an interim verdict on their business plans for the next five years.

Ofwat declared that it was minded to slash, by a third, the combined increases that the 16 companies had submitted.

It left the average bill, the watchdog said, set to rise by £19 a year or 21% over the period.

Ofwat chief executive David Black said: “Customers want to see radical change in the way water companies care for the environment.

“Our draft decisions on company plans approve a tripling of investment to make sustained improvement to customer service and the environment at a fair price for customers.

A final ruling will be made in December.

As Ofwat’s report suggests, their wishes – including the 42% hike demanded by crisis-hit Thames Water – are unlikely to be fully met following final consultations on the plans at a time when the industry is under such heavy fire from many sides.

It said companies’ business plans proposed increases averaging £144 over five years.

Thames Water’s proposed increase of £191 by 2030 had been reduced to £99, Ofwat said, while Severn Trent’s proposed increase of £144 had been reduced to £93.

The industry has long been accused of prioritising bonuses and shareholder dividends over investment in key infrastructure, systems that widely date back to the Victorian era.

Sky News revealed on Wednesday that the new environment secretary Steve Reed had summoned bosses for an urgent meeting, when his plans for tougher regulation will be spelled out later on Thursday.

These “initial steps” include customer panels to hold company boards to account and significantly higher financial penalties for failures.

This is what the water companies are asking for:

  • Southern Water: 72.87% increase to £726.64 by 2029/30
  • Wessex Water: 35.73% increase to £690 by 2029/30
  • Thames Water: 43.96% increase to £627 by 2029/30
  • Dŵr Cymru: 29.06% increase to £602 by 2029/30
  • South West Water: 19.97% increase to £596.04 by 2029/30
  • Anglian Water: 16.75% increase to £573.06 by 2029/30
  • Yorkshire Water: 32.27% increase to £569.40 by 2029/30
  • Hafren Dyfrdwy: 41.21% increase to £560 by 2029/30
  • United Utilities: 25.21% increase to £554 by 2029/30
  • Severn Trent Water: 35.70% increase to £546 by 2029/30
  • Northumbrian Water: 13.60% increase to £471.47 by 2029/30
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10 Jul 2024

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Planning applications validated by EDDC for week begining 24 June

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Budleigh experiences Sidmouth scale cliff fall, naturist beach cut off!

Now the mist has cleared, a correspondent sends Owl dramatic pictures.

According to DevonLive, the landslide came as large swathes of Devon were battered by heavy rainfall overnight and into this morning [yesterday]. One such affected area was Budleigh Salterton, between Exmouth and Sidmouth, where the cliff collapsed. The collapse will cut off parts of the beach to the west at high water, according to an eyewitness.

The coastal town was under a blanket of rain for most of Tuesday morning, up until around lunchtime and it seems it was too much for its striking red sandstone cliffs, which tower above the 2.5-mile stretch of pebble beach.

The cliff collapse took place at 11.40am, leaving behind a huge mound of sandstone with dust swirling through the dark skies and over the choppy waves crashing against the shore.

Thankfully, the beach was deserted at the time due to the adverse weather, save for one passer-by who snapped the photographs after the event. He said that the cliff collapse attracted a lot of attention after it had happened, with a number of people venturing close to the site to check out the rock fall.

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Climate expert Chris Stark appointed to lead UK clean energy taskforce

Labour has appointed one of the country’s foremost climate experts to lead a “mission control centre” on clean energy.

Eleni Courea www.theguardian.com

Chris Stark, the former head of the UK’s climate watchdog, will head a Covid vaccine-style taskforce aimed at delivering clean and cheaper power by 2030.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the centre would work with energy companies and regulators and would be the first of its kind in Whitehall, following Keir Starmer’s plan for mission-driven government.

According to this model, ministers will focus on tackling five of the biggest challenges facing the country, one of which is clean energy.

Stark said: “Tackling the climate crisis and accelerating the transition to clean power is the country’s biggest challenge, and its greatest opportunity. By taking action now, we can put the UK at the forefront of the global race to net zero.”

Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said: “Years of underinvestment has left our country suffering energy insecurity, with working people paying the price through their energy bills and a cost-of-living crisis. That cannot happen again.

“This new mission control centre, benefiting from the expertise and experience of Chris Stark’s leadership and bringing together the brightest and best in the national interest, will have a laser-like focus on delivering our mission of clean power by 2030.”

Stark was head of the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) for six years until January. He was director of energy and climate change in the Scottish government between 2016 and 2018.

During his tenure the CCC recommended a UK net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which is now in law.

Stark won praise for his management of the CCC at a difficult point, when the government was briefing against many of the statutory watchdogs. Some on the right of the Conservative party would have liked to dismantle the 2008 Climate Change Act, under which the committee was set up with the mandate to advise on meeting the five-yearly carbon budgets.

Throughout his six years as chief, he maintained his steady insistence on telling the government truths it did not want to hear – on how far off-track the UK was straying from its climate goals, and how much more it would cost to delay action than to take it now.

Stark clashed with Conservative ministers at the time of his departure from the CCC earlier this year. He warned that the concept of “net zero” had turned into a political slogan used to start a “dangerous” culture war over the climate.

He said sensible improvements to the economy and people’s lives were being blocked as a result and that he would be “intensely relaxed” about losing the term.

Shaun Spiers, executive director of the Green Alliance thinktank, said the appointment would help Labour attract much-needed international investment for its plans. “This shows the government is ambitious and serious about delivering on its clean energy promises, and is really reassuring,” he said. “It’s been a very good few days [since the election] in action from Labour showing they want to get things done quickly.”

Reforms to the UK’s planning system have been a focus so far, including the lifting of an effective ban on onshore wind turbines in England, but Spiers said the government would have to look across a much wider range of issues to be successful in decarbonising electricity by 2030. “Planning is important, but it’s not the whole problem – grid connectivity is key, and there’s a need to build supply chains [for green equipment], building up skills, looking at the cost of borrowing, and attracting international investment. The appointment of Chris Stark will help with all of that.”

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Altered plans for retirement flats on former council office site in Sidmouth are rejected

A marathon debate to thrash out altered plans to build a major Sidmouth retirement development on the former site of the district council offices has ended in rejection.

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk

Revised plans for a major retirement living scheme have been rejected by East Devon planners after a lengthy debate which united residents and Councillors united in opposition, writes local democracy reporter Bradley Gerrard.

McCarthy & Stone recently put a tweaked version of its scheme in front of the district council’s planning committee, but objectors bemoaned the small number of changes made.

The size, scale and number of properties remained the same, residents claimed, and while some balconies had been removed from one side of the building in an effort to reduce fears of overlooking, a large number were still included.

The applicant’s first planning application for the former council headquarters which suffered a fire in March last year, was refused in February, and it has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate.

In assessing the revised application, residents reiterated concerns including about overlooking into nearby Knowle Gardens and Knowle Park, questioned the need for more retirement accommodation in the town, and raised fears about whether the sewage system could cope with the extra demand.

Kelvin Dent, a resident and member of Friends of the Knowle, which helps look after the area’s gardens and park, said the scale, mass and design of the scheme had “not materially changed”.

“The only change is the removal of some balconies on the west elevation and inclusion of more on the south,” he said.

“Those have made things worse, and if the committee wishes to be consistent, then I suggest the present application should be refused.”

The planning committee turned down the scheme previously because it “failed to reflect the local distinctiveness and is not compatible with the character of the site… and so will adversely affect the townscape and local landscape of Sidmouth”.

It also said the large windows and balconies on one block would “result in an unacceptable level of overlooking and overbearing impact on neighbouring properties”.

Resident Barry Kerwin felt the proposal to use a mainly surface water drainage scheme would create a “serious risk of flooding”, especially during heavy rain when local sewers were struggling to cope.

“The sewer has been cleaned and surveyed but the overflow still occurs, and if this is added, flooding is likely,” he said.

Michael Temple felt the increase in balconies on the south side of one of the buildings, the 60 windows and a central viewing platform on top of the four apartments included in the scheme, would “all look down on our secluded public gardens”.

He added it was “out of character with the gardens, the conservation area and the neighbourhood”, while fellow resident Stephen Jones bemoaned the “poor design”.

“It will not enhance the entrance to Sidmouth,” Mr Jones said.

“Stow-on-the-Wold had a great McCarthy and Stone development, although Exmouth’s is not a good example,” he noted.

“This seems to be a situation where it is an off-the-peg design, but this site must be one of the most beautiful, and any architect worth their salt would be excited by the challenge to create something for it.”

The agent, David Williams, defended the scheme, saying that for a second time, officers were recommending approval.

“This is an allocated brownfield site within the settlement boundary and the principle of substantial older person accommodation is established with a previous appeal decision,” he said.

“During the pre-application and application process, we have had detailed discussions with the council, local residents and stakeholders for nearly three years, and accordingly this scheme has evolved and been fine-tuned to provide the optimum and sustainable level of development.

He claimed the inclusion of extra care elements helped Sidmouth meet its need for housing and job creation, and that the care provision for over-sixties and over-seventies would bring “social and economic benefits via a reduction in demand on the public sector and health care services”.

McCarthy & Stone’s scheme includes 33 retirement apartments for the over-sixties and 53 extra care/assisted living homes for the over-seventies.

Also included is a care home building with staff and resident facilities and two pairs of semi-detached properties and three townhouses.

This is lower than the 113-apartment assisted living community previously planned by PegasusLife, which secured permission for its scheme after appealing East Devon’s refusal, but then never went ahead.

But Councillors firmly opposed the latest scheme, using the same reasons for refusing it as earlier in the year.

Councillors raised further concerns, including that the scheme “significantly increases the average density of residential development in an existing urban area”, meaning it would contravene part of the National Planning Policy Framework, or NPPF.

“And the NPPF says that if a scheme is not well designed it should be refused where it neglects to reflect the local design policies and government guidance on design,” Cllr Colin Brown (Conservative, Dunkeswell and Otterhead) said.

Cllr Ian Barlow (Independent, Sidmouth Town) was concerned that local NHS services couldn’t cope with a large addition of homes for elderly people, and questioned whether the town should be trying to encourage new developments for younger residents as Sidmouth’s elderly population grew.

Cllr Matt Hall (Liberal Democrat, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh) said while the principle of development on the site was accepted, it was now about finding the “right development”.

He continued: “I think the original design and layout was far better, and I think it had far less things to be critical of.

“But I think this is overdevelopment of the site and is not in keeping with the existing urban grain, and no offence to the architect, but this is an off-the-peg design, and I don’t think it fits in or acknowledges the local character or creates something distinctive.”

Cllr Barlow proposed the motion to reject the scheme, with a debated ensuing to agree the right wording, content and reasoning.

Eventually, the Councillors agreed to reject the scheme, with one abstention from planning committee chair Olly Davey.

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10 Jul 2024

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Boil water notice finally lifted in Brixham

South West Water says its “especially sorry”.

Two months after a parasitic outbreak in the water supply in Brixham, the final properties under a boil water notice have been told they can finally drink from their taps again.

Radio Exe News www.radioexe.co.uk

Cryptosporidium, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea was discovered in the supply in May. To start with, South West Water denied it had anything to do with the water network and said tap water was safe to drink. The company later U-turned on that statement.

At one stage, 16,000 properties were affected, but the notice for the final 674 in Higher Brixham, Southdown, Upton Manor and St Mary’s has now been lifted.

Bottled water stations were setup in response to the incident, but these will now close. Water deliveries will also stop.

In a statement, chief customer officer Laura Flowerdew said: “A triple layer of protection is now in place including microfilters and UV at our tank and in-line microfiltration in your supply zone providing additional barriers. So you can be confident that the water is safe to drink.

“We want to let you know that now you can use your water as normal, we will be closing the bottled water stations from 9pm this evening (Monday 8 July).

“Water deliveries will also stop in the final area to be lifted from the Boil Water Notice today, we will though continue to deliver water to customers on our Priority Services Register today and tomorrow.

“We are sorry for the disruption the Boil Water Notice has brought. We are especially sorry for the distress caused to those who fell ill because of cryptosporidium and to the ones who had to care for them.”

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9 Jul 2024

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Paul Arnott: David Reed won fair and square and I have already invited him to meet to build a collaborative relationship with EDDC

Paul Arnott

It is hard to believe it’s only fifty days or so since Mr Sunak called a general election. Six weeks of fevered debate ensued.

In a later article I will visit the role of the polling and tactical voting companies and the distorting effect their unregulated work had on the election in which I was a candidate for Exmouth and Exeter East (EEE). For now, I will just say that a ludicrous initial prediction by the Financial Times that the LibDems would only win 3% of the vote in EEE appeared on thousands of Labour leaflets pushed through doors, even when Labour knew full well that the FT had realised their error and had revised this up to have the LibDems as possible winners! (The initial FT mistake was based on the tiny LibDem vote in 2019 when most LibDems lent their vote to Inde Claire Wright.)

In a new constituency where the question on most doorsteps was “how should I vote tactically to ensure a non-Conservative win?” this single item of outdated disinformation, promoted lavishly online too by Labour, did for the LibDems and led directly to the public quite understandably unsure who to vote for. The non-Conservative vote was then split between Labour and the LibDems and the result was a win for David Reed for the Conservatives.

David won fair and square and as Leader of East Devon District Council I have already invited him to meet our senior management to build a collaborative relationship. It is essential that the LibDem winner in Honiton, Richard Foord, now works with David on behalf of the 140,000 people who live in the district. That collaborative style is what my leadership has always been about. Despite some student politics in one part of the Labour EEE campaign, my excellent working relationship with the Labour leader of Exeter City Council remains important too.

Now, what will a Labour government mean locally? The party made the following promises in its manifesto:

· Multi-year finance settlements for local councils, and an overhaul of the business rates, with changes to the audit system

· Deeper devolution by combined authorities, with a review of governance and flexibility for those with good financial management

· A National Care Service , focusing on “home first” care

· Partnership working over hospital discharge and neighbourhood health centres

· A fair pay agreement and the professionalisation of adult social care

· An update of the National Planning Policy Framework, and an increased number of planners

· A raft of new towns, with the biggest increase in housebuilding in a generation and new planning powers for combined authorities

Readers can see that these pledges, if met, could have many implications for East Devon, from the conditions around our own adult social care challenges to, with “neighbourhood health centres”, offering a potentially brighter outlook for Seaton Hospital, whose future I helped to secure at East Devon Council by registering it as an “asset of community value”, securing the position for local providers who may with to take it on if the NHS Trust in the region ever tries to sell it.

Here in East Devon, we need to repair our social housing stock neglected by the Conservatives and build more. Will the new government understand that and, more importantly, will it work across the country collaboratively to achieve it? We shall see.

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8 Jul 2024

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Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 17 June

[A little bit of catching up to do]

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‘Disproportionate’ UK election results boost calls to ditch first past the post

The push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics.

Alexandra Topping www.theguardian.com 

Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK’s Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote.

“This election has thrown the spotlight on to the electoral system as the result was the most disproportional on record,” said Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. “We have already had a growing chorus of calls for PR [proportional representation] in the aftermath.”

Farage said the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system was “unfair” after Reform took 14.3% of the popular vote – making it the third biggest party by vote share – but won only five seats. The Green party received 6.8% of the vote for its four seats.

“I think these results will reinforce in people’s minds the need for reform,” Farage said.

Some experts argue that PR has produced more social democratic politics in Wales and Scotland, but others say it could also be a pathway for extremist politics, as has happened in some places in Europe.

Hughes said the major political parties and FPTP advocates could no longer use fears of the rise of extreme parties as an excuse to resist change.

“The debate around electoral reform can often focus on which parties would benefit from which voting system, but the only people the electoral system should be biased towards is the voters,” he said.

If the UK used the additional member system of PR, used for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, Reform would have won 94 seats across the country on Thursday and the Greens 42, according to the Electoral Reform Society.

It noted that Labour and the Conservatives had received their joint lowest vote share on record, and for the first time four parties had gained more than 10% of the vote.

The additional member system is a hybrid system under which half of a tranche of MPs are elected by FPTP and the rest by a proportional list system, where parties are allocated the remaining MPs on the basis of vote share.

The Liberal Democrats under Ed Davey ruthlessly targeted resources at winnable seats rather than focusing on vote share. As a result, they won a record 72 seats, up from eight in 2019, despite a similar vote share of about 12%.

One Lib Dem insider said: “It’s not that we like first past the post. But it’s fair to say that we had to use the system in front of us and play the board that was there.”

Analysis of the results at the cross-party pressure group Make Votes Matter found that 58% of voters did not choose their MP. The group’s spokesperson, Steve Gilmore, said previous election results using FPTP had also been “disproportional and unrepresentative”.

In 2015 the Conservatives won a majority with 36.9% of the vote, and in 2017 they had to form a minority government with 42.4%. Then in 2019 they landed an 80-seat majority on a vote share increase of 1.2 percentage points.

Gilmore argued that Thursday’s result should still be seen as an outlier. “A government has been elected on a third of the vote and they’ve got two-thirds of the seats,” he said. “That is pretty extraordinary, even by the discreditable standards of first past the post.”

In a referendum in 2011, a proposal on changing the electoral system was comprehensively defeated.

Campaigners were hopeful that a Labour government could result in reform after delegates at the 2022 party conference, including from the major unions Unison and Unite, backed PR.

Keir Starmer said during his leadership campaign in 2020 that the party had to “address the fact that millions of people vote in safe seats and they feel their vote doesn’t count”. Since then his official spokesperson has said he has a “longstanding view against proportional representation”.

Insiders say there is growing support for reform among the Labour party ranks. “More progress has been made internally then at any stage before,” Gilmore said.

Martin Smith, a professor of politics at the University of York, said it was likely that self-interest would be the factor that would push the main political parties to change the voting system.

“The more the party system fragments, the more disproportionate the electoral system becomes, and that fragmentation is not going to go away,” he said. “There’s a point when both Labour and the Conservatives will see the current system as threatening their interests, and then they may start to think: ‘OK, we need to change this.’”

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Cheers – it could have been worse!

Saved by split votes? How the Tories ‘narrowly avoided’ finishing THIRD

For the Tories and their voters, the overriding sentiment following the devastating General Election results is to assume that things could not have gone much worse. But one polling expert’s research now begs to differ.

Tom Head www.thelondoneconomic.com

Tories ‘almost relegated’ to third-largest party status – here’s how

Sam Freedman, a political analyst whose own forecasts proved to be more accurate than the official Exit Poll this year, has identified just how close the blue rosettes came to a total and complete wipeout across the UK.

With all 650 seats now accounted for, the Tories ended up with a dismal 121 of them. Labour, with 412 seats in total, now have a large majority similar to that on Tony Blair’s first term in 1997. The chasm is huge, but the Conservatives are now the oppositon.

Liberal Democrats ruthlessly efficient in making gains

The surge in votes for the Liberal Democrats, who gained a whopping 63 seats an increased their Parliamentary presence to 71, had some pollsters predicting that they would push the Tories into third. Well, they weren’t far off.

In total, there were 79 Conservative seats where their vote share was outnumbered by the cumulative total of Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Only a few dozen of winning Tory tickets actuallyt had an outright majority over the two centre-left parties.

Tories to operate in opposition – largely thanks to ‘split votes’

Had one party made way for the other, or if tactical voting had been applied efficiently in these seats, the scale of the Tory defeat could have been even more humiliating – with a worst case scenario of a 42-seat return suggested by Freedman.

“For many of the seats I had staying Tory, my reasoning was that there was a split opposition, and so tactical voting wouldn’t work. In just 42 seats in England and Wales was the Tory vote bigger than the combined Labour/Lib Dem one.”

“Senior figures like Suella Braverman and Mel Stride were saved by split votes. This saved the party from complete oblivion, and left Labour with a 1997-type majority. But that will make little difference to what they can do.” | Sam Freedman

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Peter Williams lifts the lid on Budleigh’s multiple times per day sewage discharges at Otter Mouth

Budleigh owes its thanks to Peter for his investigative work; organising this meeting; and getting South West Water to come clean with real information and positive action. – Owl

Meeting with South West Water – Lime Kiln issues and resolution : 2nd July 2024

Petercrwilliams fightingpoolution.com 

There have been a huge number of posts and discussions over the last 6 months, relating to the regular sewage alerts and tankering at Budleigh’s Lime Kiln sewage pumping station. In order to resolve these issues – and after several months of data collection and negotiation, we organised a meeting with senior South West Water staff and a cross-party group of local EDDC councillors and officers.

The objective was to fully understand what has been going on – and discuss a plan to resolve the ongoing issues.

Warning: The notes from the meeting are quite long, as the issues are long-standing and complex, and we believe that – after all this time – transparency is important.

Budleigh Salterton attendees

Cllr Charlotte Fitzgerald EDDC – Budleigh Salterton, Environment portfolio

Cllr Henry Riddell         EDDC – Budleigh Salterton

Cllr Geoff Jung                  EDDC – Environment/Coast portfolio lead

Peter Blyth                    EDDC Beach Safety Officer

Peter Williams (Chair)      Budleigh Sewage Action, Escape

South West Water Attendees

Hazel Tranchant          Senior Asset Manager

Alan Burrows                Head of Community Engagement

Jay Harris                      Regional Operations manager

Charlie Ford                      Projects Team

Meeting format: During the meeting, the Chair presented a slide deck of the issues relating to Lime Kiln Sewage Pumping Station, the source of around 95% of Budleigh’s current sewage discharges and alerts. Each key issue was then discussed by the group, and actions agreed.

Presentation slides shown in boxes, followed by discussion notes.

Summary of issues

Detail Section 1: Lime Kiln Emergency Overflow

Discussion and actions on Emergency Overflow (EO)

SWW acknowledged the 2023 discharge history for the EO. Until the new pumps and pipeline were commissioned in July 2023 (as part of LORP development), this EO had been discharging raw sewage into Kersbrook whenever the pumping station liquid level reached the overflow point. The level of discharges became apparent when the EDM sensor was installed in January 2023.

Comment: This use of an EO does not appear to be in line with normal EO permits, which are generally expected to be used ONLY in extreme mechanical failure conditions (eg: pump failure etc).

The positive news is that the new pump and pipeline system, commissioned in July 2023 as part of the LORP program, appears to have reduced or eliminated the use of this EO. There remains some concern that the EO could be activated in cases of severe inundation (ie: infiltration in excess of pump capacity).

Actions on Emergency Overflow (EO)

  • Hazel to confirm if there have been any discharges from the EO into Kersbrook, since end July 2023.
  • The continued high levels of E-coli recorded in the Kersbrook (eg: 27,000 on 3rd May and 18,000 on 15th May 2024), indicate a continued source of E-coli. SWW to consider how they can monitor the E-coli levels, identify the type (human, animal, etc) and determine the source. SWW to consider installation of one or more continuous-monitoring sensors to help with investigation.

Detail Section 2: Lime Kiln Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO)

Discussion and actions on Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO)

SWW confirmed that root cause of Lime Kiln overflow issues is that water ingress into the sewer system is greater than the capacity of the current Lime Kiln pumping station to push the sewage up to the Exmouth sewage treatment works (Maer Lane).

The result is that Lime Kiln CSO is currently pumping a mix of water and sewage out to Otter Mouth multiple times per day. (Note: in the period that we requested full data for, this was approx. 100 times per day, or approx 2 hours per day). This level of discharge continues even when there has been no rain for many days. This is the cause of the frequent pollution alerts shown on the SSRS app, and why so many people in Budleigh are uncertain as to whether it’s safe to swim.

SWW stated that this situation was historically ‘normal’ during Winter months (!), but that previously the volume of liquid arriving at Lime Kiln reduced to a manageable level before May. They stated that this normalisation has not happened in 2024, and that the water ingress is still inundating their system. Tankers have therefore been brought in to lower the tank levels and reduce the volume of sewage which is being discharged into the sea.

Comment: Although SWW state that they were not aware of an issue until April / May, I would point out that I posted (on Facebook) photos of a large number of tankers in Lime Kiln on 20th January 2024, and when we asked SWW what was going on, we were told then that they were lowering the level in the storm tanks. To us, this appeared unusual. We subsequently identified – and reported – exceptionally high numbers of short discharges going out of the CSO. I wrote a blog post on this, published on 18th February this year: https://fightingpoolution.com/2024/02/18/whats-really-happening-with-sewage-overflows-at-lime-kiln-budleigh/ 

We also raised a case (Case-0013670406) with SWW on 21st January, reporting an excessive number of CSO discharges. SWW responded on 2nd February to say they were investigating the source of excess ‘non-foul flows’. We followed up on 2nd, 8th and 13th of February as we were not satisfied with the response.

So it appears to us that SWW should have been aware of the exceptional nature of these excess flows much earlier in the year. The issue of when SWW were aware of the issue is important, as the late start means that resolution work will now be running into the Summer holiday season.

The good news however is that SWW have recently carried out a large number of underground CCTV surveys of the local sewage system in Budleigh, in an effort to identify the source of the exceptional water ingress.

SWW shared with the team their detailed (and impressive) survey mapping, along with photos of water gushing into the sewer system from the adjacent stream. In fact, the main sewer pipe runs underneath the Knowle Brook, between Brook Road / Mews and right along the side of Fore Street. The location of this sewer pipe under the stream is not SWW’s fault, but it is clear that any failure of joints or manhole covers (which actually sit IN the stream itself), can cause the sort of large-scale water ingress that we are suffering from. SWW have also identified and mapped quite a number of other specific points of ingress, including locations in Chapel Street, Rolle Street and Ryll Lane.

SWW Immediate Action

SWW put forward a plan to address the key areas of water ingress in this area, starting immediately in July. The total timeline to address these critical issues is approx. three months, but it is hoped that by addressing the major issues first, SWW could return Lime Kiln to a properly functioning pumping station within 4-6 weeks (ie: no tankers through the town and elimination of dry-weather discharges). It is encouraging to see SWW now have a detailed plan to resolve these issues.

Some of the areas which need addressing include sections of Fore Street. It is not expected that any roads will need to be dug up, as the main solution involves installing waterproof ‘sleaves’ through existing manhole covers. However, to allow the equipment to be set up, some traffic management would be needed in order to safely access manhole covers.

SWW will work with Devon Council and local councils in order to minimise any disruption, particularly as we are running into the peak summer season. All of the EDDC councillors present at the meeting raised the potential issues that this could cause, and discussed how we could balance the need to resolve Budleigh’s ongoing sewage issue, with the needs of a coastal town in the holiday season.

One of the options discussed was to start by fixing some of the major ingress sources in July, and to then review the disruption caused and the degree of improvement achieved – and if absolutely necessary, pause some of the Fore Street works until the end of the Summer holiday season.

As with any actions involving traffic management, the plans will need to go through proper consideration and permits. However, the sooner that actions start, the quicker we will have a functioning sewage system, eliminate most sewage alerts and end the stream of tankers through the town – good for locals, visitors and holiday businesses alike.

We also discussed the routing of the existing tanker lorries, and SWW will confirm whether these can be routed around the town, rather than causing a regular stream of heavy lorries blocking our main high street.

Communications for this short-term action plan: we discussed with SWW how they could provide regular updates to Budleigh residents on what they were doing, why and when. One idea was for SWW to publish this information on an easily accessible web page, so everyone can be fully informed on the plans and progress. SWW to confirm.

SWW Longer Term Action Plan

SWW accept that the above actions by themselves will not resolve all of Budleigh’s sewage issues. Whilst not the focus for this meeting, SWW did present a high-level plan for longer term, staged improvements, including:

  • A series of works to separate surface water from sewage pipes, reducing the volume of rainwater coming down to Lime Kiln storm pumping station and inundating the storm tanks. Some of this work is scheduled to begin in September 2024
  • A series of long-term improvements (through 2028+) to the pumping capacity from Lime Kiln up to Maer Lane, so that the system can cope with greater fluid volumes without having to discharge to Otter Mouth, or to require tankers to lower the sewage level. This would also require one or more interim pumping stations along the route, and possibly some upgrades to the pipeline itself. Treatment capacity at Maer Lane (Exmouth) sewage treatment works is also due to be expanded in 2028, though no additional storm tank capacity is currently planned.
  • SWW state that they are planning to improve the performance of the Budleigh sewage system, such that Lime Kiln sewage overflow will reach the regulator’s target of “10 discharges per year by 2030”. They stated that they will be evaluating a range of further changes to achieve this.
  • Comment: Although the issues at the EO appear to be resolved, the current CSO issues mean that 2024 may end up being even worse than 2023. Major improvement is therefore required. We have a concern that simply building more efficient pumping systems from all regional points, up to Maer Lane treatment works could result in large volumes of excess sewage being discharged through SWW’s expanded outfall pipe when it rains. This outfall is just 200m off Straight Point. Whilst not the subject for this meeting, we do need guarantees that any long-term plans meet the needs of our local community, and do not result in sewage plumes drifting back to Budleigh from Straight Point.

Detail Section 3: Water Quality Warnings and Communications

Discussion and actions on water-quality warnings and communication

We discussed the problems that Budleigh residents face when they want to check if – and where – it’s safe for them to swim. There is no single source which gives the current status of our bathing water – see my blog post on this issue here.

One issue is that the main Lime Kiln swimming area is located much closer to the CSO discharge outfall point than the Environment Agency’s sampling point. We therefore have no actual data on E-coli levels at Lime Kiln swimming area, which could be higher than the EA’s published data. Similarly, we have no sampling data from the Steamer Steps swimming area, which is three times further from the sewage outfall point – so it’s possible that this area could be cleaner.

We asked SWW whether they had done any sampling of the water quality at the Lime Kiln end of the beach (as they are the ones who are discharging sewage near there), but they insisted that this was the Environment Agency’s role and SWW would not be providing any sampling data.

We also, once again, asked them to improve the utility of SWW’s WaterFit app, by including a ‘History’ button to show all the recent discharges for each overflow. This is important as at present, a 1 minute discharge can ‘hide’ a previous 2 hour discharge notification. It does appear that this function is in development, but it remains unclear when they will make this feature available to the public.

We certainly feel that SWW have some way to go in order to provide transparent and actionable data, aimed at genuinely helping Budleigh’s residents.

Section 4: Final thoughts

I believe all participants found this to be a useful meeting, enabling us to speak directly about the issues and challenges.

Most of the SWW team were clear that the current situation was not acceptable, were keen to discuss the issues openly and wanted to resolve the problems. I would like to thank Hazel Tranchant for her positive commitment to the meeting and bringing together the SWW team.

We came away from the meeting with agreement on a plan which we hope will resolve the short-term issue of multiple, daily sewage discharges. Both sides committed to doing whatever they could to deliver or support a quick and effective solution, balancing the needs of the town’s summer tourist trade with the requirement to stop the sewage flows.

So when we see SWW vans or their contractors working in Budleigh over the next few months, it’s probably worth remembering that they are working to a plan to fix these issues as quickly as possible.

The meeting also highlighted the potential for an ongoing working group who can represent Budleigh’s resident water users, and hopefully ensure that future plans and issues are resolved more quickly and effectively.

PW, 2nd July 2024.

Note: The information contained in this document is presented in good faith and represents my best understanding of the facts. Should anything printed here be incorrect, please inform me as soon as possible and I will endeavour to verify and correct where necessary.

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Toxic forever chemicals that damage rivers sprayed over UK area the size of Iceland

Vast swathes of the British countryside are being sprayed in pesticides containing “forever chemicals” that pollute our air, soil and waterways, and pose a threat to public health.

Lucie Heath inews.co.uk

An analysis by the environmental group Fidra, shared exclusively with i, found that pesticides containing potentially dangerous chemicals were sprayed on the equivalent of 10.7m hectares of arable farmland in 2022 – an area roughly the size of Iceland.

The pesticides contained PFAS, or per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances, a group of more than 10,000 industrial chemicals that studies have linked to health problems, including cancer, infertility and developmental issues.

PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because some can take more than 1,000 years to degrade in the environment.

i has called on the next government to get to grips with chemical pollution as part of our five-point manifesto to Save Britain’s Rivers.

Hannah Evans, project manager at Fidra, told i that limited data meant it was difficult “to truly quantify the scale” of the use of pesticides containing PFAS, but said “what we do know is deeply alarming”.

Fidra analysed data published on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive showing the use of pesticides in agricultural crop sectors across the UK.

It found the equivalent of 10.7m hectares of arable land were sprayed in PFAS pesticides in the space of one year. The data includes repeated sprays of pesticide to the same area.

“This is a direct source of environmental PFAS pollution, contributing to further contamination of soil and water sources,” Ms Evans said.

The full effects of forever chemicals on humans is still little understood, but evidence has suggested they could pose a wide range of risks.

PFAS are used in various everyday products, including cookware, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, and water-repellent clothing. They are also found in some pesticides used by farmers to protect their crops.

Studies have linked PFAS to a wide range of health problems, including, cancer, immune system disorders and fertility issues.

PFAS are also a major source of pollution in Britain’s rivers. Not a single waterway in England or Northern Ireland has been assessed as meeting “good” chemical health, with one type of PFAS, called PFOS, responsible for around half of these failures.

There are various ways PFAS can seep into our waterways, including through pesticide use on farmland.

The chemicals can then make their way into our drinking water supply and have been found in the UK’s fish and water populations.

PFAS have also been found in over half of the UK’s fruit and vegetabes, with pesticides assumed to be the main source.

Fidra is one of more than 20 environmental organisations backing i’s manifesto to Save Britain’s Rivers from chemical and other forms of pollution.

The manifesto calls on the next Government to publish the UK’s long-awaited chemicals strategy, which was initially promised in 2020, but has been repeatedly delayed.

Since Brexit, the UK has fallen behind the EU when it comes to banning of dangerous chemicals and has failed to ban 36 harmful pesticides that have been outlawed in Europe.

Ms Evans said UK farmers are facing “overwhelming pressure” and called on the next Government “to restrict PFAS use in pesticide”, while providing “long-term support for more sustainable solutions”.