(Owl hopes Simon Jupp keeps testing himself before he goes on his well publicised pub crawl)

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

According to the latest figures, there are currently 37 coronavirus clusters across Devon, with one area of the county containing more cases than any other.

Figures released by the Government on June 16, relating to positive coronavirus cases between June 5 and June 11, show that Exeter has nine areas reporting a cluster.

A cluster is when more than two positive coronavirus cases are recorded in the same seven-day-period in one area.

Central Exeter has the highest case rate across the city, which is divided into 15 Middle Layer Super Output Areas [MSOA], with 15 cases recorded between June 5 and 11, with a rate of 124.1 cases per 100,000 people.

The figures released today (June 16) show Exeter recorded two new clusters, along with one in West Devon, one in Torbay and two in Plymouth.

The MSOA areas which currently contain the most cases in Devon are Exeter Central with 15 cases, Pennsylvania and University with 12 cases and Teignmouth South with 6 cases.

The Government’s coronavirus cluster map splits the country into areas of roughly 7,500 people, based on the 2011 census, known as Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs).

The map highlights areas where three or more coronavirus cases have been reported for a week period, with the numbers coming off of the map a week after being confirmed positive.

Areas not highlighted do not necessarily have no coronavirus cases in them, as the data does not highlight or count areas with less than three cases in order to protect individuals privacy – meaning that if an area has one or two cases, it will display as 0 to 2 cases.

Below we take a look at the current coronavirus clusters across Devon: New Positives 05-June to 11-June

Note: The figure on the left is how many Covid cases there currently are in the area and the figure in () is how many Covid cases there were in the area yesterday.

Areas in Devon that are not listed below are not currently showing a cluster, but could have up to two positive cases in the seven-day-period.

Exeter / East Devon

East Devon Honiton South & West 3 (0)

Exeter Pennsylvania & University 12 (10)

Exeter Mincinglake & Beacon Heath 4 (4)

Exeter St James’s Park & Hoopern 5 (4)

Exeter Heavitree West & Polsloe 3 (4)

Exeter Heavitree East & Whipton South 5 (4)

Exeter Central Exeter 15 (11)

Exeter St Leonard’s 4 (4)

Exeter St Thomas East 3 (0)

Exeter Middlemoor & Sowton 4 (3)

Mid Devon

Mid Devon Bampton, Holcombe & Westleigh 4 (3)

Mid Devon Cullompton 5 (3)

Mid Devon Crediton 3 (3)

North Devon

North Devon Woolacombe, Georgeham & Croyde 3 (3)

North Devon South Molton 4 (3)

South Hams

South Hams Kingsbridge 4 (4)

Teignbridge

Teignbridge Tedburn, Shillingford & Higher Ashton 3 (3)

Teignbridge Teignmouth South 6 (6)

West Devon

West Devon Okehampton 5(5)

West Devon Lifton, Lamerton & Bridestowe 3 (0)

West Devon Tavistock 3 (3)

Torbay

Torbay Brixham Town 3 (0)

Plymouth

Plymouth Glenholt & Widewell 6 (4)

Plymouth Higher Compton & Eggbuckland 5 (5)

Plymouth North Prospect 3 (3)

Plymouth Keyham 5 (4)

Plymouth Plympton St Mary 3 (3)

Plymouth Plympton Underwood 3 (0)

Plymouth Ford & Blockhouse Park 3 (3)

Plymouth Efford, Laira & Crabtree 4 (3)

Plymouth Plympton St Maurice 3 (3)

Plymouth Mutley 6 (6)

Plymouth Lipson 4 (4)

Plymouth City Centre, Barbican & Sutton Harbour 4 (4)

Plymouth Cattedown & Prince Rock 3 (0)

Plymouth Millbay & Stonehouse 5 (6)

Plymouth Plymstock Hooe & Oreston 3 (3)

“I’d encourage anyone currently looking for work to take advantage of the opportunities available. Everyone else can do their bit by visiting their local pubs, restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels and supporting them by enjoying a drink or a meal.”

(With scary photo)

No mention of the hospitality industry being seasonal and poorly paid. An example of “I’m all right Jack”? – Owl

Banging the drum for hospitality in East Devon is such an important thing to do

Simon Jupp www.devonlive.com

I have always enjoyed the comforting surroundings of a traditional British boozer. The ambiance, the local chatter, the chance to catch up with friends over a pint and a decent plate of homecooked food. Our pubs are something to be proud of and must be protected.

The hospitality sector has faced almighty challenges over the last year or so. Pubs, bars, cafés, hotels and restaurants have all endured a rollercoaster of a ride as restrictions were put in place to tackle the pandemic.

Venues across East Devon have shown flexibility, ingenuity, and vigour in adapting to the temporary rules to ensure a safe and secure experience for us all.

We have a part to play too. We should be patient when it comes to table service and to understand that staff are doing the best they can to take and deliver orders in good time.

MPs Neil Parish and Simon Jupp at The Greyhound Country Inn at Fenny Bridges.

Being asked to use your smartphone to register being in a venue or reminded to use a face covering when moving around might annoy some customers, but the staff are simply doing what is being asked of them until the restrictions are removed. Sadly, as we learnt earlier this week, these rules will be in place for a few more weeks.

I have spoken to several owners and managers in the hospitality sector locally and I know finding staff is becoming another challenge that needs to be overcome.

Next time you are out in your part of Devon, look at the recruitment signs on display outside pubs and restaurants seeking staff. Local online websites are also carrying adverts from businesses looking to hire people. It’s not until you start looking that you see the demand is quickly growing.

Hospitality is the backbone of East Devon. Its prominence and contribution to the local economy is vital. I sometimes feel that we do not properly acknowledge the importance of this sector in terms of how staff are viewed or valued. By this, I don’t necessarily mean by their employers, but by us as customers.

In countries such as France or Spain, working as serving staff or behind a bar is viewed as a lifelong vocation. Sadly, I think some people in the UK wrongly view such jobs as simply menial or a stopgap. They simply aren’t. A lifelong rewarding career is possible. We need to change the perception and recognise how hospitality staff are not only necessary to have a vibrant and successful local economy, but also act as ambassadors for East Devon whenever they interactive with a customer or a tourist.

My door is always open to any business in the constituency that requires support or assistance. I am keen to hear of any ideas of how we can beat the challenge of finding and retaining staff in the hospitality sector.

As we head towards summer and hopefully some more fine weather, I plan to visit as many pubs as possible in the patch. I will also be launching a dedicated website featuring all the pubs in East Devon which I hope will allow you to discover a gem or two that you currently may not be aware of.

I am committed to doing what I can to support any hospitality venue or business of any nature in my constituency as I’m acutely aware many financial support schemes taper off soon. If you would like to speak with me or organise a visit, please make contact via my website www.simonjupp.org.uk

Banging the drum for hospitality in East Devon is such an important thing to do. I’d encourage anyone currently looking for work to take advantage of the opportunities available. Everyone else can do their bit by visiting their local pubs, restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels and supporting them by enjoying a drink or a meal.

We have some of the best hospitality businesses in the country, so let’s come together and give them a helping hand when they need it most.

Bruising and deliciously embarrassing, but does this amount to a “smoking gun”?

The big question is why Boris (and Michael Gove before that) hired him in the first place – Owl

Jessica Elgot www.theguardian.com

Dominic Cummings has delivered yet more incendiary claims – backed up with some new evidence – in an attempt to tackle what he says is an “Orwellian” rewriting of history by the government about mistakes made during the Covid pandemic.

In a more than 7,000-word essay published on the online platform Substack, he made a series of allegations under the broad headline: “The PM on Hancock: ‘totally fucking hopeless’”.

Just as he did during his testimony to MPs three weeks ago, Cummings repeatedly accused the health secretary of talking nonsense, being slippery and blaming others for his own mistakes – claims the health secretary has strenuously denied.

Cummings’s key claims included:

Lockdown modelling: late and chaotic

Cummings published three key Cobra documents from meetings in early March which he said showed the government intended to pursue a herd immunity strategy by September.

The first document said the government “seeks to avoid” a high second peak of the virus in the autumn when the NHS would be overstretched and that that would be exacerbated by “very stringent social and behavioural interventions like China” because the virus would surge after lockdown ended.

The second document showed the interventions the government were considering and its effect on intensive care unit capacity. It reveals the most stringent intervention that was modelled was case isolation and social distancing for over-70s. It did not show any modelling for a full “stay at home” lockdown.

A final document suggested there would be 250,000 dead after the “optimal single peak strategy”, with herd immunity by September.

Cummings also published “whiteboard” plans shown to the PM urging a shift to a lockdown strategy on 14 March, as well as mass testing and increasing NHS capacity. Cummings insisted this was the first time a lockdown scenario had been modelled.

He said both Hancock and the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, had wanted to delay the introduction of quarantining those with symptoms because a helpline was not ready and were overruled. “Both of them have misled the public about this,” he said.

Hancock told MPs that a plan for suppression had been published on 3 March – the contain-delay-mitigate strategy, a document Cummings called “embarrassingly awful”.

Testing: ‘Hancock “hopeless”, but PM does nothing’

In his blogpost, Cummings said Hancock’s select committee hearing had “muddied the waters” about the goal – suggesting he had opposed it – and disclosed text messages to prove he had pushed to ramp up testing. “I was pushing the system on testing weeks before Hancock’s announcement and to build a system for 1m per day,” he said.

What he had opposed, he said, was the “chaos” where Hancock “blurted out his 100k target to the media” and said the health secretary had taken the opportunity while both Cummings and Johnson were ill with Covid.

In a text message to a WhatsApp group including the prime minister, Hancock, Chris Whitty, Patrick Vallance and the then director of communications, Lee Cain, Cummings raised the goal of 100,000 tests a day.

Cummings said Hancock had misled the meeting when the goal was agreed, including saying that the current hold-up was with the Treasury. On 26 March, Cummings texted the PM saying that Hancock was falling behind on his testing promises and it would mean tens of thousands of NHS staff could be absent.

The prime minister texted back saying: “Totally fucking hopeless.”

However, Cummings said Johnson never confronted Hancock – “he would never say to him, despite dozens of requests from two cabinet secretaries, me and other ministers and officials”.

Cummings said the 100,000 goal had distracted from other crucial issues including care homes during April – “distorting priorities across the system so that he [Hancock] could hold a successful press conference”.

Care homes: Hancock’s ‘new version of reality’

One of the biggest scandals of the first Covid wave was that hospital patients were being discharged into adult social care homes without being tested for Covid – seeding the virus into vulnerable and elderly people.

Cummings accused Hancock of “creating a new version of reality” by claiming the government “threw a protective ring” around care homes. He said the health secretary “neglected” care homes throughout April 2020 because he was “trying to focus effort on his press conference” at the end of the month, where he wanted to triumphantly declare his testing target had been met.

Having returned to work on 13 April following his Covid illness and trips to Durham and Barnard Castle, Cummings said that despite Hancock’s assurance that people would be tested before being moved from hospitals to care homes, that was not happening and “there was still no plan to do so”.

Two days later, Cummings said, No 10 was told that a lot of tests were not being used because Hancock’s department had “left in place rules that were limiting those eligible for tests, despite care homes screaming”.

Despite this, “the care homes nightmare continued”, said the former No 10 aide.

Then on 3 May, Cummings recalled he wrote to Johnson: “I think we are negligently killing the most vulnerable who we are supposed to be shielding and I am extremely worried about it.” A few days later, Cummings said, he and No 10 dug into Hancock’s denial of any problem – and ended up concluding the health secretary’s “failures and dishonesty made him unfit for his job” given “there was still no serious testing in care homes and this was killing people”.

PPE: the system collapsed

Also vital to stopping the virus spreading in hospitals and care homes, and ensuring staff did not go off sick, was personal protective equipment (PPE).

“The lack of PPE killed NHS and care home staff in March-May,” was Cummings’s blunt assessment. He said Hancock had given a “fictitious” account of the procurement of items such as aprons, gloves and face shields.

He added this was another subject on which Hancock and No 10 were “creating a new version of reality”, saying that the government’s procurement operation had “collapsed” and stuck to old rules when it should have been operating on a “wartime mentality”.

The health secretary insisted PPE was “all under control” on 26 March – leading to wasted weeks where problems were not solved, Cummings said, adding Hancock sought to blame the chancellor, Cabinet Office and chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens.

“The cabinet secretary [Mark Sedwill] told the PM’s office that Hancock’s claims were false,” Cummings said. “The lack of PPE killed NHS and care home staff in March-May.”

Hancock “had to be removed from crucial decisions”, said Cummings, meaning procuring PPE was handed to Lord Deighton – a Tory peer who was judged to have led well the 2012 London Olympics organising committee.

Officials were flatly contradicting Hancock’s insistence that PPE was not running short, Cummings said, with civil servants telling him most deliveries of the items would only arrive after the first wave in April.

By 20 April, Cummings said, Hancock’s department had only just set up a 24/7 payments system for procurement with Asia. “Imagine if NHS staff wearing bin bags had realised that DHSC had not even set up a round-the-clock system at this point, imagine the rage in No 10 when we discovered this,” the ex-aide said.

“At this time NHS staff were screaming for PPE. The dashboard daily meetings showed we were running out of critical items such as gowns. Reports flooded in of hospitals having run out or on the brink of running out and begging for supplies. Hancock caused further chaos by repeated briefing to the media about how new loads were flying in, bluffing his way through meeting after meeting – his whole routine.”

Cummings also teased the release of further information, saying Hancock had given “a fictitious account of what happened on masks” but that he would “leave that to another day”.

Boris Johnson: wants to ‘make money and have fun’

Hancock may have been the main target of Dominic Cummings’s ire, but the spurned former adviser also levels a series of charges at the prime minister. He claimed Johnson’s administration could not be trusted, and would “unravel”, urging Johnson’s opponents to start preparing now for “what comes next”.

Cummings was particularly preoccupied with what he claimed were No 10’s efforts to rewrite the history of the early days of the pandemic, by claiming “herd immunity” was never the government’s plan A.

He lays the blame for what he saw as these lies firmly on Johnson’s shoulders, accusing him of “trying to influence officials/advisers to support the rewriting of history” and “encouraging ministers to give false accounts to parliament”.

Cummings also claimed that what he saw as Johnson’s protection of Hancock sent a damaging signal: that “a secretary of state will be rewarded despite repeated incompetence and dishonesty and the government machine will seek to rewrite history in Orwellian fashion because the PM thinks it in his personal interests to do so”.

Of course, many at Westminster felt Johnson’s protection of Cummings over his lockdown-busting trip to Durham a year ago sent a pretty strong signal, too.

Cummings also said the prime minister had a “clear plan”, not to “go on and on” but to step down two years after the next general election, to “make money and have fun”.

Finally, Cummings gave an excruciating account of the way Johnson chairs meetings – claiming he told rambling stories and jokes and avoided any difficult issues, urging colleagues to “take it offline”, before shouting “forward to victory”, doing a thumbs-up and fleeing the room before anybody could disagree.

Despite Cummings’s lengthy and occasionally rambling analysis, the health committee chair, Jeremy Hunt, pointed out in a Twitter thread that he has yet to produce any evidence that definitively shows Hancock lied to the prime minister.

Following on from yesterday’s post on main parties in three-way fight for two East Devon by-elections.

A Progressive Alliance between Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens would see 58 seats wiped from the Conservative’s majority, new polling figures have revealed.

By Unibeez www.thelondoneconomic.com 

Electoral Calculus research run on behalf of the Constitution Society found Boris Johnson’s party would return just 307 MPs if the three parties joined forces.

That’s down significantly from the number of MPs they currently have following a landslide election victory in December 2019.

— Election Maps UK (@ElectionMapsUK) June 15, 2021

Oxfordshire

In the local elections in May, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green councillors in Oxfordshire agreed to “put their differences aside” in the interest of local residents to form a coalition.

With no party winning the 32-seat majority required leaders from the parties have formed the Oxfordshire Fair Deal Alliance that is anchored in “the principles shared across our manifestos, with climate change and the environment at their heart.”

It echoes a similar allegiance struck in Stroud, which was renewed after the May 6th election.

Cllr Doina Cornell said the alliance has “achieved so much for the district over these last nine years, protecting and investing in our communities instead of cutting back.”

Labour drubbings

On the national front, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has embarked on some serious soul searching following drubbings for the party across the regions.

Labour lost control of eight councils and shed some 326 councillors all told, with the biggest defeats coming in Hartlepool, where a Conservative MP was elected for the first time in 62 years, and in County Durham, which saw Labour lose overall control of the council for the first time since 1925.

It follows on from the 2019 general election which saw Labour suffer one of its worst results in living memory.

The election saw much of the so-called Red Wall turn blue, with seats such as Workington, Tony Blair’s former constituency of Sedgefield and Bolsover, which had been Dennis Skinner’s seat since 1970, fall to the Conservatives.

The scale of the defeat, which was underpinned by ongoing Brexit issues, has led many people to suggest that the only way forward for Labour is through an alliance with other parties.

Boris Johnson described Matt Hancock as “totally fucking hopeless” during the early stages of the pandemic, concerned by the health secretary’s promises on testing, text messages published by Dominic Cummings have revealed.

Jessica Elgot www.theguardian.com 

Writing on Substack, the prime minister’s former chief aide published a slew of texts and documents from emergency Cobra meetings that he said would combat what he called “lies” from Downing Street and the health secretary about the initial handling of the pandemic.

Cummings had been asked to hand over documents to a select committee inquiry into the pandemic but did not meet the committee’s deadline before Hancock gave evidence last week.

In his post, Cummings said:

• Johnson considered removing all responsibility for PPE from Hancock and putting Michael Gove in charge.
• No strategy for full lockdown was modelled until 14 March, and he published documents predicting 250,000 deaths in the first wave.
• Johnson told “rambling stories and jokes” during emergency meetings and refused to ask awkward questions from officials.
• Johnson intends to quit after the next election in order to make more money.

Cummings said Hancock had come up with a “new version of reality” that he had been responsible for pushing the increase in testing capacity, and that the health secretary had been pursuing the abandoned single-peak, herd immunity strategy until 16 March.

“Testing, like vaccines, was removed from his control in May because of his incompetence and dishonesty,” Cummings wrote on Substack.

He said Hancock told No 10 that the supply of PPE was “all under control” in the week of 23 March, which Cummings said was a false assurance and meant weeks were wasted that could have been used to source equipment.

“If No 10 is prepared to lie so deeply and widely about such vital issues of life and death last year, it cannot be trusted now either on Covid or any other crucial issue of war and peace,” he wrote.

“Hancock continues to have direct responsibility for things like dealing with variants and care homes. Having such a secretary of state in a key role is guaranteed disaster. It is urgent for public safety that he is removed.”

He said Johnson had been “encouraging ministers to give false accounts to parliament” and that the public inquiry would not sufficiently hold the prime minister to account. He said Johnson intended to quit two years after the next election in order to “make money” and move on from politics.

“So we either live with chronic dysfunction for another five years or some force intervenes,” he wrote.

WhatsApp messages published by Dominic Cummings. Photograph: https://dominiccummings.substack.com/

Cummings said he had been torn about publishing private WhatsApp messages but Hancock had challenged him at the select committee to provide evidence and suggested his account was false.

In text messages published on the blog, Cummings said Hancock had told the morning meeting on 24 March there would be 10,000 tests a day by 30 March and 100,000 a day within a month.

On 26 March, the day Johnson tested positive for Covid, Cummings texted the prime minister saying Hancock’s testing plans were in chaos and that the health secretary would not meet his 10,000 tests pledge.

According to the picture on Cummings’ blog, Johnson wrote: “Totally fucking hopeless.”

The prime minister repeated his view of Hancock’s performance in a number of other messages, according to Cummings.

Cummings said that when he returned to work on 13 April 2020 following his own Covid illness and trips to Durham and Barnard Castle, it became clear that Hancock’s promise that people would be tested before being moved from hospitals to care homes had not been implemented, and that “there was still no plan to do so”.

A similar “nightmare” was also under way with the procurement of ventilators, according to Cummings. He said a health department official told him they had been turning down machines because prices were rising. Attaching a WhatsApp purportedly from Johnson, he said the prime minister pointed the finger of blame at Hancock, saying “he has been useless”.

Whatsapp messages purportedly between Johnson and Cummings. Photograph: https://dominiccummings.substack.com/

In another series of WhatsApp messages released by Cummings, Johnson apparently told his aide on 27 April that PPE procurement was a disaster, adding: “I can’t think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting Gove on.”

Cummings said he told Johnson on 3 May: “I think we are negligently killing the most vulnerable who we are supposed to be shielding and I am extremely worried about it,” because testing was still not being properly distributed to care homes. He said the prime minister agreed Hancock’s “failures and dishonesty made him unfit for his job” but refused to take any action.

Even by the start of May, Cummings said, the government had still not adopted a “wartime mentality” and when the prime minister chaired important meetings, Johnson would ramble and tell jokes.

“As soon as things get ‘a bit embarrassing’ [he] does the whole ‘let’s take it offline’ shtick before shouting ‘forward to victory’, doing a thumbs up and pegging it out of the room before anybody can disagree.”

As well as text messages from Johnson, Cummings also published a Cobra document from early March that argued for herd immunity by September to avoid a second peak in the winter and more pressure on the NHS.

The document did not include the possibility of a full “stay at home” lockdown strategy and suggested there would be 250,000 people dead after the “optimal single peak strategy”, with herd immunity by September.

Cummings said he told Johnson on 14 March 2020 that many more than 250,000 would die. “I said the public would march up Downing Street and lynch him,” Cummings wrote.

He published whiteboard plans shown to the PM by himself and Ben Warner, a data scientist, urging a shift to a lockdown strategy on 14 March as well as mass testing and increasing NHS capacity. Cummings said that was the first time a lockdown scenario was modelled.

Hancock told MPs that a plan for suppression was published on 3 March – the contain-delay-mitigate strategy. Cummings said the document was based on the logic that the UK would not implement any suppression measures.

“Obviously this embarrassingly awful document, which will be remembered as a case study in failure for decades to come, in no sense set out what we actually did, as everybody can see,” he said. “That ‘plan’ was sending us to catastrophe so we ditched it.”

Dear Supporter

The Campaign has written to the chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee asking the Committee to investigate the role of the Cabinet Office in relation to the Freedom of Information Act and the wider problem of enforcement of the Act’s timeliness requirements.

The letter states:

“We understand that a number of organisations have written to you expressing concern about the FOI clearing house’s role in light of the First-tier Tribunal’s recent decision in Cabinet Office v ICO and Jenna Corderoy. We share that concern. We also think the requirement that departments consult the clearing house about sensitive FOI requests may contribute to the unacceptable delays experienced by many FOI requesters. We documented these in our recent evidence to the Committee’s Greensill inquiry.

The Corderoy decision highlighted significant failings by the Cabinet Office. It failed to correctly describe the contents of its ‘round robin’ lists, misleading its own minister, the Information Commissioner and the tribunal by suggesting the information was more sensitive than it actually was. It took eight months instead of 20 working days to carry out the required internal review and two and a half years to identify one of the exemptions it ultimately relied on. The tribunal has responded by effectively inviting the parties to apply for the Cabinet Office to be ordered to pay their legal costs. Such failings are not new – see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40189828. It is a matter of concern that the Cabinet Office, which deals with its own requests so negligently, is responsible for advising other departments on their requests.

We hope the Committee will also examine the wider question of whether the Information Commissioner could do more to address the chronic delays that prevent the timely release of information. Although the ICO’s data protection role has been regularly examined by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, its FOI role has not been subject to parliamentary scrutiny since the Justice Committee’s post legislative scrutiny of the FOI Act in 2012.”

Read the full letter here.

Katherine Gundersen

Campaign for Freedom of Information

Construction industry experts warn that an exodus of skilled EU workers is increasingly leading to serious staff shortages and therefore damage the sector and delay a range of projects, primarily as a result of Brexit as well as Covid-19.

Michiel Willems www.cityam.com

The ONS said recently that the non-British resident population declined in the year through June 2020, with the biggest decrease among citizens of EU8 countries at -135,000 people.

This groups include migrants from Poland, Estonia and Slovenia, which make up 26 per cent of the UK’s construction sector.

Jason Tema, director of property development firm Clearview Developments, said immediate government intervention is needed to avoid further staff shortages.

“Whilst the departure of EU-born construction professionals might only marginally open up job opportunities for some British workers, a drop of qualified industry staff of this scale will inevitably lead to severe staff shortages,” Tema told City A.M.

“As a result, project completions could face major delays. It’s yet another hurdle for the UK’s construction sector to overcome at a time when the industry is already behind target to build new private market as well as affordable homes,” he added.

Fewer homes

The BBC’s Housing Briefing last year estimated that the UK has built 1.2m fewer homes than it should have, and the need for more homes continues to rise.

The calculations suggest it will take a minimum of 15 years at current building rates to close the gap and that not enough of what is being built is affordable.

The Migration and Construction report, published by the Construction Industry Training Body (CITB), previously warned that recruitment agencies believe the UK’s new, point-based immigration system will lead to a 40 per cent decrease in the number of skilled construction workers coming to the UK.

At the same time, the report forecasted a decrease in the number of ‘low skilled’ construction workers working in the UK of 58 per cent.

“The government needs to reconsider the newly proposed visa process and allow construction workers a concession, given the characteristics of the sector. For example, staff are self-employed, paid under CIS and given the nature of project-based positions, the need for spoken and written English does not need to be on par with sectors that are delivering a professional service or are people-facing,” Tema continued.

“For years, thousands of temporary EU workers have shaped construction sites with the provision of their labour and the government needs to recognise and give support to that for the sector to continue to flourish,” he concluded.

The US is investigating claims that China responded to a leak at a nuclear power station that posed an “imminent radiological threat” by raising the safety limit to keep it open.

[This story coincides with: “Fire confirmed at Hinkley Point after smoke cloud seen from afar” www.somersetlive.co.uk]

Adam Sage, Paris | Didi Tang, Beijing www.thetimes.co.uk 

Instead of shutting the new generation European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) at Taishan in the southern province of Guangdong, Chinese officials increased the authorised level of radiation, EDF, the French state energy group, is said to have told Washington.

EDF, which designed the new reactors, is also involved in a joint venture with China General Nuclear Power Group to build two EPRs at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

Officials are said to have concluded that there was no severe safety threat to workers or people living near the plant. The Biden administration has decided that the incident at Taishan has yet to reach “crisis level”.

However, EDF hinted that information was being withheld by the Chinese. In a statement the French state group demanded an extraordinary meeting of the joint venture running the plant “to present all the data and the necessary decisions”.

This is the headline of the Devon Live article (see below) announcing the candidates for the Feniton and the Honiton St Michaels ward by-elections.

Unfortunately, a macho three-way “bare fist, winner takes all” fight is the way the national political parties would like to see it play out. 

But two of them are misguided to the point of deluded naivety if they really think this is the way to give the voters the choice of an alternative to the Tories. 

Repeatedly taking part in local elections, just for the sake of it, splitting the opposition vote and losing, isn’t the way, in Owl’s opinion, to increase your credibility with the electorate.

In fact, there is no natural majority support for the Tories here in East Devon local politics. Since 2019 the Tories only have just over a third of the seats in East Devon and despite having won two thirds of the Devon County seats this May, they did so on only 42% of the votes. But splitting the opposition vote will assuredly let them in.

Historically, the strong influence of religious nonconformity coupled with the independent nature of rural industries such as fishing and farming has produced a radical streak in Devon politics. For years it was the bedrock of liberalism. It could be again.

However, we live in strange times, in a fragmented political landscape, with no real prospect, under the first past the post system, that either Labour or the Liberal Democrats could win the next general election. 

The gradual emergence of alliances and coalitions in Local politics, is being chronicled on East Devon Watch. They are locally led and gaining momentum. So why do Labour and the Lib Dems insist on fielding a candidate  in every election? Where is any sign of them working together? 

This is the politics of self-indulgence, not politics for the people.

Unashamedly in this post, Owl is going to try to knock some sense into Labour and Lib Dem heads with a no-holds review of their candidates. Two are strong but two are weak no-hopers. Their parties should be smart enough to see this for themselves. If it’s any consolation to them, Owl thinks both Tory candidates are also weak. But with a split opposition they are likely to win. This would be an awful outcome for both wards.

Feniton

This ward is vacant following Cllr Susie Bond’s move to Berkshire to be closer to family and the end of virtual meetings, meaning it is no longer practical for her to carry on in the role. (How long has she been telecommuting from Berkshire?). However, she did return to vote at the annual meeting, supporting Cllr Andrew Moulding for Leader. Someone about as old and stale a member of the “Old Guard” as you can find. Inexplicable behaviour for a supposed Independent councillor.

Privately, Owl has always thought she was one of those councillors who were “really-not-very-independent-at-all-but-I probably-wouldn’t have-got-in-if-I-still-called-myself-Tory”.

This ward will be contested between Linda Baden (Labour), Alasdair Bruce (Conservatives), and Todd Olive (Liberal Democrats).

Alasdair Bruce (brother of Fiona) stood against East Devon Alliance Paul Hayward for Yarty, in the Tory rout of 2019 and lost by a substantial margin. Not exactly a strong candidate.

Todd Olive came a close second to the Tories in this May’s by-election for the district council seat formerly held by Kathy Mclauchlan (Independent Whimple and Rockbeare), where he received 44% of the vote and is learning how to campaign fast.

Against these, Linda Baden looks to be a candidate in name only with simply no chance of success.

Honiton St Michaels

This ward is vacant after Cllr Luke Jeffery, Lib Dem, stepped down to focus on his University course.

The ward will be contested between Jake Bonetta (Labour), Jules Hoyles (Liberal Democrats) and Jenny Brown (Conservatives).

Here the picture Owl sees is very different.

Jenny Brown is the wife of Cllr. Colin Brown (current leader of EDDC Tory group). She has been a previous councillor but was rejected by Seaton voters in 2015. Owl places her in the mould or supporter of former EDDC councillor Sarah Randall-Johnson (SRJ) who, when leader of EEDC, was defeated by Claire Wright in 2011. A defeat that started the decline in Tory fortunes in EDDC.

SRJ’s style of abrasive Conservatism is amply chronicled in the EDW archive. See how she ignored a motion to debate hospital bed closures in 2017 – a Tory hardline policy we are living to regret.

Tory husband and wife teams aren’t new in EDDC. Sasha Swire outrageously described one pair as “toilet seats”, demonstrating that there is often little love lost between fellow Tories. 

The Conservatives look to be scraping the barrel in choosing Jenny Brown. She isn’t the candidate for the testing times of the post-covid years.

Jake Bonetta came a close second in the May 2021 County Council elections for the Feniton and Honiton Division with 38% of the vote. In this contest he is fighting directly on his home patch. He was born and bred in Honiton and has taken an active part in Honiton Forward which, amongst other things, seek better governance in Honiton Town Council.The “goings on” there are also well recorded in EDW.

An “impressive head on young shoulders”, Owl believes he is the sort of young blood local government needs more of. The 2019 election did see a welcome change in this direction amongst newly elected councillors, long may this trend continue.

Jules Hoyles was the spoiler candidate in the Axminster County election gaining 5% of the vote and could reprise the same role.

Spoiler alert on another race for second place with potentially dire consequences

Here is another example of just how potentially dangerous this tit-for-tat competition for second place can be.

Owl understands that Labour is putting up a candidate for the Upper Culm Valley Mid Devon District by-election, again splitting the vote. The Lib Dems currently hold Mid Devon, but if Conservatives win this seat, they take back Mid Devon. 

Owl hopes for the best but fears the worst. 

Main parties in three-way fight for two East Devon by-elections

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

The candidates for a pair of by-elections being held in East Devon have been announced – with both being a three-way fight between the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Vacancies on the council have arisen in the Feniton and the Honiton St Michaels ward, with polls taking place on Thursday, July 8.

One of the Honiton St Michaels seats became available after Cllr Luke Jeffery stepped down to focus on his University course, while the Feniton seat is vacant following Cllr Susie Bond having moved to Berkshire to be closer to family and the end of virtual meetings, plus the allowing of by-elections again, meaning it is no longer practical for her to carry on in the role.

The list of candidates nominated in both seats have now been announced, with the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all fielding a candidate in both wards.

In Feniton, the seat, which was held by an Independent, will be contested between Linda Baden (Labour), Alasdair Bruce (Conservatives), and Todd Olive (Liberal Democrats).

In Honiton St Michaels, which was held by the Liberal Democrats, the seat will be contested between Jake Bonetta (Labour), Jules Hoyles (Liberal Democrats) and Jenny Brown (Conservatives).

The by-elections will both take place on Thursday, July 8, with anyone wishing to vote needing to be registered by Tuesday, June 22.

Following the two resignations, the composition of East Devon District Council consists of Conservatives (21), East Devon Alliance (13), Independents (12), Liberal Democrats (7), Cranbrook Voice (3), and Green Party (2), with two seats vacant.

The council is currently run by a coalition of the East Devon Alliance, Liberal Democrats, Greens, and some of the Independents.

Ministers could be banned from lobbying for up to five years after leaving office and also face possible penalties if they break the rules, the anti-corruption watchdog has said.

Rajeev Syal www.theguardian.com 

Jonathan Evans, the chair of the committee on standards in public life, made the proposal in an emergency review published on Monday in the wake of the Greensill scandal.

The intervention by Lord Evans, a former head of MI5, is a response to claims that the rules continue to be flouted by former ministers, special advisers and senior civil servants once they leave office. His report demands an overhaul of the rules in an attempt to stop the revolving door in Whitehall that allows them to use their contacts and expertise for private gain.

Under current rules, ministers and senior civil servants are in effect banned from lobbying their former colleagues for two years after leaving their post.

The committee has also raised concerns that the system of appointing to public bodies may be leaning towards ministerial patronage and away from “merit”, following rows over Boris Johnson’s attempts to impose the former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre as the head of Ofcom.

No 10 is expected to wait until the final report from the committee later this year before saying which recommendations it might accept.

The report names David Cameron, the former prime minister under whom Evans served for three years as head of MI5, in concluding that the current rules are inadequate, and says ministers should disclose informal lobbying over WhatsApp and text messages in future.

Cameron texted Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, on behalf of Greensill Capital, a finance firm that employed him as a lobbyist and the collapse of which has put thousands of jobs at risk. He asked the government to change the rules to allow it to receive Covid corporate financing facility loans.

It has since emerged that he subjected Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and other ministers to a deluge of WhatsApp messages and texts, including 56 messages over a single Covid loan scheme.

As there were more than two years between his resignation as prime minister and taking up his role at the failed financial firm, Cameron’s actions were permissible under current rules.

Lex Greensill, an Australian financier, was given access to 11 Whitehall departments, having previously been appointed as an official government adviser without any transparency.

Cameron told MPs last month there was “absolutely no wrongdoing” in his lobbying attempts, but accepted that former prime ministers must “act differently”.

The report forms part of the committee’s “landscape review of standards”.

The committee also proposes: introducing anti-lobbying clauses into the employment contracts of ministers, special advisers and civil servants; designing a system of possible civil penalties for rule-breakers; banning ministers from taking jobs for two years in sectors over which they had direct responsibility in office; and giving the appointments watchdog the power to apply tailored restrictions, including banning ex-ministers from taking certain jobs for up to five years “where appropriate”.

It also calls for new rules so that the government releases details of lobbying every four weeks, rather than quarterly; and regulating the appointment of non-executive directors to Whitehall departments amid fears politicians are appointing “cronies”.

In a foreword to the report, Evans says: “We have found that four areas of standards regulation require significant reform: the ministerial code and the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, the business appointment rules and the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba), transparency around lobbying, and the regulation of public appointments.”

The report says the powers of the commissioner for public appointments, a position occupied by Peter Riddell, need to be strengthened if the integrity of the process is to be upheld.

“Reforms are necessary to ensure the commissioner has sufficient powers to uphold the integrity of the process by which a list of appointable candidates is produced, from which ministers can make their choice,” it says.

It also criticises the unregulated appointments of non-executive directors (NEDs). Michael Gove was criticised last year after appointing three close Vote Leave allies, Baroness Finn, Henry de Zoete and Gisela Stuart, to roles in the Cabinet Office.

“There is an increasing trend amongst ministers to appoint supporters or political allies as NEDs. This both undermines the ability of NEDs to scrutinise the work of their departments, and has a knock-on effect on the appointments process elsewhere, as NEDs are often used on the assessment panels for other public and senior civil service appointments. The appointment process for NEDs should be regulated,” the report says.

To start, let us remember why “Freedom Day” has been postponed:

Just when you think you’ve got it beat, Covid-19 somehow comes back stronger. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger but without the charm, this Terminator of a virus has an “I’ll be back” menace that risks undoing all the hard work of the UK’s stunning vaccine rollout.

Paul Waugh www.huffingtonpost.co.uk 

The epic battle between the vaccines and the virus certainly has high stakes. Perhaps that’s why Boris Johnson sounded unusually nervous as he announced he would indeed be postponing ‘Freedom Day’ by another four weeks. Instead of the sunshine of Midsummer Merrie England, there was a blizzard of scary charts of projected hospitalisations.

Fluffing his lines, the PM referred to “the adults of this company” (he meant “country”) and then wrongly declared the new unlocking date was July 29th (correcting it later to July 19th). Polling shows most of the public are relaxed about a delay, but Johnson is acutely aware that the 24% who are unhappy include several of his own backbenchers, and it showed.

Nowhere was this more telling than in his repeated reassurance that the Freedom Day Mk II was the real deal. He was “pretty confident” that July 19 will be “the terminus date” (he said “terminal date” too). June 21 was always a “‘not before’ date”, whereas this was much firmer, he suggested. This was not a defeat for lockdown sceptics, it was a victory, he seemed to imply.

That spin may or may not work on Tory MPs, but it could paint the PM into a corner for the first time in months. Ever since he bowed to Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance’s plan for a cautious roadmap, he has been able to fall back on their insistence that all four tests have to be met (the new variant test was particularly shrewd) and that “data not dates” will drive his decisions.

But now with talk of “terminal” and fixed timelines, it feels like dates not data is the new approach. Steve Baker, Mark Harper and Sir Charles Walker, who will probably vote against the delay, have much more concrete evidence of a breach of faith should that July 19 date somehow slip again.

Whitty and Vallance gave the PM invaluable backing at the press conference. The chief medical officer in particular pointed out that even without the Indian variant, the very restoration of unrestricted indoor mixing of “households that are unrelated” was always going to lead to an uptick in cases. He added there had to come a point where fatalities switched from “deaths averted” to deaths delayed”, as with flu.

Patrick Vallance even suggested that locking down beyond July 19 would be counter-productive. And he made the case for that date containing the Goldilocks calculation of just how hot or cold to make the roadmap porridge. Giving over-18s their first jab and pushing unlockdown closer to the school holidays certainly added some sugar, as did a lifting of the cap on wedding numbers.

Still, for Keir Starmer, the talk of 19 July as a “terminal” date is an opportunity for a Judgement Day on Johnson’s competence. If the vaccination programme can’t sufficiently flatten the Delta variant spike, he is sure to step up his own attack line that Johnson’s failure to stop flights from India is the real culprit. Already today, the Labour leader hardened his rhetoric to say it was a “pathetic” border policy that had postponed freedoms.

Starmer’s clear aim is to drive a big wedge between the excellence of the NHS vaccine rollout and the government’s wider failures. It’s unclear whether it was the PM’s desire to keep alive post-Brexit trade talks with Narendra Modi that prompted his inaction, but the suggestion that he recklessly undermined both the NHS’s programme and public sacrifices is a toxic one.

Today’s failure to offer extra financial support to businesses added extra political risk too. Those firms which were hanging on by their fingertips will now face having to pay their share of furlough bills, with no extra income to fund them. Add in the self-employed already upset and an Opposition that was pro-enterprise could make inroads.

To oversee one Covid wave is a misfortune, to allow two begins to look like carelessness. But to trigger a third wave, squandering all the good work of your own vaccine success story, could be seen as unforgivable by a public which has to date been incredibly forgiving of its prime minister.

Story goes national.

Police have issued a stark warning to visitors after they were forced to throw 100 drunken yobs off a beach in Devon.

Lorraine King www.mirror.co.uk 

Officers from Exmouth Police were called to Orcombe Point following complaints of anti-social behaviour on Saturday.

The rowdy mob were then dispersed, and police are now warning others to behave when visiting the area during high temperatures, Devon Live reports.

In a statement on their Facebook, a spokesperson for Exmouth Police said: ”On Saturday late afternoon, around 100 drunken youths were seen causing a disturbance on the beach below Orcombe Point. Police officers attended and youths were dispersed.

”Exmouth currently has a public space protection order (PSPO) in parts of the town.

”East Devon District Council are currently running a consultation process to extend the PSPO to cover the beach and seafront. The PSPO restricts certain activities linked to anti-social behaviour […]

”We welcome all visitors to the town but would like to remind people to behave appropriately.

”We don’t want to stop people from having fun but please take your litter home, use the toilets provided and drink responsibly.”

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police added: ”A Section 35 Dispersal Order of the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act was authorised for Exmouth seafront, following concerns of the anti-social behaviour.”

Police were called to Exmouth beach amid reports of a large group of ‘drunken youths’ causing a disturbance.

They found roughly 100 youngsters behaving anti-socially and took action to disperse them. No one was arrested, officers said.

• The construction of a detached triple garage/car port with home office over on an existing vehicle hardstanding. Home Cottage Burridge Axminster EX13 7DFRef. No: 21/1572/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Front Garden : T1, Willow : dismantle to near ground level as tree is too close to the house and too big for its position. T2, Forsythia next to willow : reduce shrub by 2-3 metres. Works required as part of ongoing annual management. Rear Garden: H1, Cypress and leylandii hedge : reduce in height by 1 metre to the height of the fence posts to rear field. Trim annual growth on neighbours side and end profiles. Works required as part of annual hedge management. Church Terrace Cottage Dunkeswell Honiton EX14 4QZRef. No: 21/1564/TCA | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension Slowpool House Offwell Honiton EX14 9SRRef. No: 21/1556/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side and rear extension. Selbourne Radway Sidmouth EX10 8TWRef. No: 21/1549/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition No. 2 (approved plans) of planning permission ref: 19/2077/FUL to allow for increase in ground floor level and omission of glazed panel from north elevation and rooflights Radway Croft Radway Sidmouth EX10 8TWRef. No: 21/1544/VAR | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey front extension 2 Fairmead Sidmouth EX10 9SURef. No: 21/1551/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Lean to general purpose agricultural building Rockerhayne Farm Northleigh Colyton EX24 6DARef. No: 21/1552/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of detached garage and alterations to fenestrations. Rectory Oaks Plymtree Cullompton EX15 2JURef. No: 21/1554/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey infill side extension, front porch and alterations to fenestrations 72 Malden Road Sidmouth EX10 9NARef. No: 21/1542/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension Sunways Wilmington Honiton EX14 9JXRef. No: 21/1541/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Single storey rear extensionLittle Holt Ebford Lane Ebford Exeter EX3 0QXRef. No: 21/1539/CPL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension 36 Lydgates Road Seaton EX12 2BXRef. No: 21/1531/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a single storey rear extension, which would extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by 5 metres, for which the maximum height would be 3.1 metres, and for which the height of the eaves would be 2.8 metres 39 Lyndhurst Road Exmouth EX8 3DSRef. No: 21/1534/GPD | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of outbuilding for use ancillary to flat 1 Flat 1 Sidbury House Buckley Road Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0SBRef. No: 21/1523/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of outbuilding for use ancillary to flat 1 Flat 1 Sidbury House Buckley Road Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0SBRef. No: 21/1524/LBC | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of existing flat roof to detached garage with new pitched roof including installation of side PV panels 15 Coastguard Road Budleigh Salterton EX9 6NURef. No: 21/1514/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed rear extension, garage side extension, re-roofing and additional dormer windows Marandor Exmouth Road Exton Exeter EX3 0PZRef. No: 21/1510/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a single-storey orangery and addition of a porch Myrtle Cottage Combpyne Axminster EX13 8SXRef. No: 21/1513/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Front infill extension to ground and first floor 5 Chard Road Axminster EX13 5HNRef. No: 21/1495/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of existing garage and construction of extension to dental surgery, incorporating staff room, storage area, w.c. and porch, and provision of external decking (resubmission) 43 Wells Avenue Feniton Honiton EX14 3DRRef. No: 21/1503/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Single storey front extension. 28 Ashfield Close Exmouth EX8 4HERef. No: 21/1498/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Implement shed/store and track Wellhayes Harcombe Lyme Regis DT7 3RNRef. No: 21/1500/AGR | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of existing agricultural building with 5x live-work units Building Adjacent Turbury DunkeswellRef. No: 21/1497/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Agricultural building over silage store Lower Westwater Farm Westwater Axminster EX13 7JDRef. No: 21/1499/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single storey side extension, installation of dormer window and balcony doors to the rear to facilitate a loft conversion for habitable use, enlargement of first floor window on east elevation, and creation of extended raised patio area with glass balustrade. Combecroft 85 Beer Road Seaton EX12 2PTRef. No: 21/1485/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alterations and extension to existing barn to create garage, store and holiday accommodation and erection of replacement mower shed (resubmission of application 18/0670/FUL) Knights Farm Knights Lane All Saints Axminster EX13 7LSRef. No: 21/1484/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of existing wall and creation of parking space. 25 Old Home Farm Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3YLRef. No: 21/1482/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline permission with all matters reserved for the erection of a bungalow The Store Mill Lane AwliscombeRef. No: 21/1479/OUT | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing conservatory and single storey rear extension 26 Belle Vue Road Exmouth EX8 3DPRef. No: 21/1478/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey front/side extension and first floor front/rear extension and erection of a detached garage The Reef Boughmore Road Sidmouth EX10 8SHRef. No: 21/1476/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Raising height of western chimney from 1.3m to 1.8m above the thatched ridge Higher Budlake Cottage Budlake Exeter Devon EX5 3JRRef. No: 21/1472/LBC | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Raising height of western chimney from 1.3m to 1.8m above the thatched ridge Higher Budlake Cottage Budlake Exeter Devon EX5 3JRRef. No: 21/1471/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing garage and erection of a two storey side and front extension; amendments to existing access to form parking area. Pentlands Old Coach Road Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3EZRef. No: 21/1464/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of replacement barn Eastleigh Farm Offwell Honiton EX14 9SERef. No: 21/1456/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 2 front dormer windows and front porch Oak House Withen Lane Farringdon Exeter EX5 2JHRef. No: 21/1447/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single story side extension to form garden room; erection of new roof to front porch including repositioning front door 1 Pound Lane Woodbury Exeter EX5 1JERef. No: 21/1455/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension. 30 Springfield Road Exmouth EX8 3JYRef. No: 21/1453/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of jump tower Devon Cliffs Holiday Centre Sandy Bay Exmouth EX8 5BTRef. No: 21/1449/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use from police station to dwelling Montpelier House 78 Queen Street Seaton EX12 2RJRef. No: 21/1446/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 1×48 sheet freestanding digital advertising display unit, measuring 6.4m wide x 3.4m high and comprising pressed metal frame and sealed LED lighting Martins Of Exeter Ltd Sandygate Exeter EX2 7JLRef. No: 21/1441/ADV | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Two storey front/side extension, extension to existing decking with associated storage and 3 x front rooflights The Shieling Burnt Oak Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0RBRef. No: 21/1438/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of Use of land from agricultural to extend existing caravan site to provide an additional 9 no. touring caravan pitches and associated landscaping works (partially retrospective) Ashdown Caravan Park Colyton Hill Colyton EX24 6HYRef. No: 21/1427/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Existing certificate of lawfulness to establish use of the land as domestic garden Higher Barn Sidmouth Road Aylesbeare Exeter EX5 2JJRef. No: 21/1372/CPE | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey extension to east elevation 16 Long Park Woodbury Exeter EX5 1JBRef. No: 21/1374/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed change of use of shop (E(a)) to living accommodation (C3) associated with existing dwelling, including alterations to the shop fronts. Conversion of roof space to habitable with the addition of include 2 rear dormer windows, 1 front rooflight and 1 rear rooflight. Rear two storey extension to form a new stairwell. Bumbles Locker Fore Street Beer Seaton EX12 3JBRef. No: 21/1367/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of Lawfulness for a summer house.1 Fountain Hill Budleigh Salterton EX9 6BXRef. No: 21/1347/CPL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace 4no. sash windows on south elevation 2no. at ground floor and 2no. at first floor and repairs to 15no. windows on north, south and east elevations; re-render east, south and west elevations and re-pointing of east boundary garden wall Willow Cottage School Lane Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3EQRef. No: 21/1332/LBC | Validated: Sat 05 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retrospective planning consent for the conversion of a redundant agricultural barn to a single dwelling, with associated works, construction of garden room and change of use of agricultural land to residential garden. Apple Barn South Of Yonder Down ReweRef. No: 21/1338/FUL | Validated: Tue 01 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of existing garage/store to holiday chalet Cedar Ridge Higher Marley Road Exmouth EX8 5DTRef. No: 21/1272/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of existing dwelling with two-storey, 4-bed, detached dwelling and replacement detached garage, involving demolition of existing detached dwelling house and detached garage. Hillcrest Woodhouse Hill Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3SLRef. No: 21/1219/FUL | Validated: Wed 02 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Erection of roof over an existing silage clamp. Lower Pithayne Farm Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9ABRef. No: 21/1000/FUL | Validated: Thu 03 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of garden shed Rose Cottage Ebford Lane Ebford Exeter EX3 0QXRef. No: 21/0669/FUL | Validated: Fri 04 Jun 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

A headache, sore throat and runny nose are now the most commonly reported symptoms linked to Covid infection in the UK, researchers say.

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk

Prof Tim Spector, who runs the Zoe Covid Symptom study, says catching the Delta variant can feel “more like a bad cold” for younger people.

But although they may not feel very ill, they could be contagious and put others at risk.

Anyone who thinks they may have Covid should take a test.

The classic Covid symptoms people should look out for, the NHS says, are:

• cough
• fever
• loss of smell or taste

But Prof Spector says these are now less common, based on the data the Zoe team has been receiving from thousands of people who have logged their symptoms on an app.

Figure captionWarning: Third party content may contain adverts

“Since the start of May, we have been looking at the top symptoms in the app users – and they are not the same as they were,” he says.

The change appears linked to the rise in the Delta variant, first identified in India and now accounting for 90% of Covid cases in the UK.

Fever remains quite common but loss of smell no longer appears in the top 10 symptoms, Prof Spector says.

‘Off’ feeling

“This variant seems to be working slightly differently,” he says.

“People might think they’ve just got some sort of seasonal cold and they still go out to parties and they might spread around to six other people.

“We think this is fuelling a lot of the problem.

“The message here is that if you are young, you are going to get milder symptoms anyway.

“It might just feel like a bad cold or some funny ‘off’ feeling – but do stay at home and do get a test.”

Muscle aches

Similarly, the Imperial College London React study of more than a million people in England – when the Alpha or UK variant was dominant – found a wide range of additional symptoms linked to Covid.

Chills, loss of appetite, headache and muscle aches were together most strongly linked with being infected, alongside classic symptoms.

Government advice says the most important symptoms of Covid are:

• new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• loss of or change in smell or taste.

“There are several other symptoms linked with Covid-19,” it says.

“These other symptoms may have another cause and are not on their own a reason to have a Covid-19 test.

“If you are concerned about your symptoms, seek medical advice.”

Weak regulation, self reporting and failings in enforcement. What do you expect? – Owl

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

Water companies are being allowed to unlawfully discharge raw sewage into rivers at a scale at least 10 times greater than Environment Agency prosecutions indicate, according to analysis to be presented to the government.

The number of prosecutions of English water companies for unlawful spills from sewage treatment plants in 10 years are just a tiny fraction of the scale of potentially illegal discharges, the research presented to the environment minister, Rebecca Pow, this week will suggest.

Prof Peter Hammond, visiting scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, will tell Pow that weak regulation, underreporting by water companies of potentially illegal discharges and a failure to hold companies to account mean there has been unchecked dumping of untreated sewage which would have resulted in ecological damage.

His analysis covers a 10-year period from 2010, when the regulations changed to allow water companies to self-report spills from storm overflows which might be illegal.

The Environment Agency issues permits to wastewater companies to allow them to discharge untreated sewage into rivers after heavy rainfall to relieve pressure in the system.

The conditions include a requirement that water treatment continues to a minimum level set down in the permit, while raw sewage is being released into rivers.

Hammond has examined the scale of breaches of this permit requirement and he believes there is gross under-reporting by water companies.

His data has been drawn from environmental information requests (EIRs), examination of permits issued by the EA to sewage treatment works, analysis of the rates of flow of untreated and treated sewage at treatment works, and the stop and start times of raw sewage discharges which are recorded on telemetry known as event duration monitoring.

In response to an EIR, the EA catalogued 174 prosecutions of water companies between 2010 and 2020 for breaches of this condition across more than 1,000 sewage treatment plants.

But Hammond’s analysis snapshot of 83 sewage treatment plants suggests in the same period there were at least 2,197 potential breaches.

The permits do not require the companies to measure or record that they are continuing to treat a minimum amount of effluent. This was a “calamitous error”, which suggests water companies were allowed to carry out potentially illegal discharges of raw sewage on a scale 10 times greater than the Environment Agency has prosecuted, said Hammond.

Growing pressure on the government and the EA as a result of investigations by the Guardian and Panorama led to the creation of a storm overflow taskforce by Pow. She has asked for Hammond to present his findings to her at a meeting next week.

“The evidence suggests that in the last decade, ‘early’ dumping of untreated sewage to rivers has been at least 10 times more frequent than EA monitoring and prosecutions suggest,” said Hammond.

“For rivers, wildlife and environment there has been unchecked dumping of untreated sewage which would have resulted in ecological damage.”

Temporary permits issued by the EA to water companies to allow them to discharge raw sewage are 11 years old, in some cases. For example, the Oxford sewage treatment plant owned by Thames Water has had the same temporary permit since September 2010.

The wording reveals how the watchdog allows the company to release solid waste into rivers – including faeces, sanitary towels and condoms – as long as they try to clean up afterwards.

The permit reads: “Where the discharge … results in unsatisfactory solid matter being visible in the receiving waters, or on the banks of the receiving waters, beach or shoreline … the permit holder shall take all reasonable steps to collect and remove such matter as soon as reasonably practicable after the discharge has been reported.”

Pollution from raw sewage discharges by water companies directly into rivers, chemical discharges from industry and agricultural run-off are key sources of pollution, according to data released by the EA last year. Only 16% of waterways – rivers, lakes and streams – are classed as in ecological good health, the same as 2016. Recent research by Prof Jamie Woodward has suggested untreated sewage is the main source of microplastics found in river sediment.

The EA said: “Where there is evidence, the Environment Agency uses a full range of enforcement options ranging from advice and guidance through to prosecution.

“We know the impact major pollution incidents can have and, while water quality has improved dramatically over the last decade, we are committed to improving it further – so far in 2021 the EA have concluded 2 prosecutions against water companies with fines of £2.3m and £4m.”

Sewage wastewater discharges by water companies into rivers account for damage to 36% of waterways, and runoff from agricultural industries is responsible for 40% of damage to waterways, according to the EA.

New dispersal orders used

Adam Manning www.radioexe.co.uk

Police have broken up partying youths on Exmouth seafront, using recently introduced powers.

A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) covering the town centre was extended to cover Exmouth seafront at the beginning of this month. It allows police to act when they find people drinking or behaving anti-socially. 

On Saturday, around 100 drunken youths were seen fighting, urinating and selling and taking drugs on the beach as temperatures stayed high into the evening.

Bottles of beer quickly disappeared into rucksacks before furtive youths left the area as the police presence increased.

Four police vehicles, two riot vans, around ten officers broke up remaining revellers and escorted them along the seafront.

An eyewitness told Radio Exe at the scene, “We have been here all afternoon enjoying the sunshine and have seen the group get rowdier throughout the day, drinking selling drugs and urinating on those bins up there by Orcombe Point”. 

“As you can see there are families on holiday here sat on the beach and they have had to watch all this unfold so we thought enough was enough and called it into the police”

A billionaire property tycoon gave £150,000 to the Conservative Party 48 hours after a government minister approved a controversial housing scheme for him.

By BritFinanceNews www.thelondoneconomic.com 

In a move that smacks of the Richard Desmond affair, John Bloor plunged an eye-watering sum of money into the Tory coffers after the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the department run by Robert Jenrick, green-lighted his Sandleford Park development.

Bloor Holdings Ltd had their application to build 1,000 new homes at Sandleford Park in Berkshire repeatedly rejected.

But that was overturned when Jenrick exercised his powers to ensure he and his ministerial team made the decision instead.

“Selling out communities”

Yesterday Labour accused the Tories of “selling out communities to pay back developers”.

It comes after figures showed 13 per cent of recent Tory donations are from property tycoons and firms, The Guardian has reported.

Based on information from the Electoral Commission, Labour said companies gave £891,984 to Tory central office and eight local associations.

This makes a big part of the £6.4 million coming from 36 developers donations that the Tories reported for the first three months of this year.

Tory response

A Conservative party spokesperson said: “Government policy is in no way influenced by the donations the party receives – they are entirely separate.

“Donations to the Conservative party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and comply fully with the law. Fundraising is a legitimate part of the democratic process. The alternative is more taxpayer funding of political campaigning, which would mean less money for frontline services like schools, police and hospitals.”

The spokesperson added that “working with the housing industry is an essential part of getting new homes built and regenerating brownfield land”.

A team of volunteers is hoping a “tiny forest” planted at a community farm will make a big difference to the environment.

www.bbc.co.uk  (Watch short video on this site)

Rachel Richards designed the Miyawaki-style forest, inspired by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, which has been planted at the farm in Screveton, Nottinghamshire.

“Akira Miyawaki found trees naturally grew much faster if planted closer together than ones that were planted and spaced out on soil that had been cleared,” she said.

“The reason why I decided to design a forest like this was because it absorbs 30 times as much carbon as a normal forest because it’s so densely planted.”