Profit before planet – developers duck opportunity to reduce carbon footprint

Councils serving the South West Exeter area have been forced to shelve an innovative district heating system designed to cut carbon emissions and reduce heating costs for future residents because most developers are unwilling to absorb any of the additional costs.

wearesouthdevon.com

Although house prices have risen by £25,000 per plot in Teignbridge over the past year, the majority of housebuilders involved in the proposed development to the South West of Exeter were not prepared to contemplate an additional £2,000 a plot in potential development costs, despite the scheme benefits of a 70% cut in carbon emissions compared with natural gas fired boilers.

Announced earlier this year, the carbon cutting heating system which would have used heat already being generated from waste, was supported by a consortium including Teignbridge District Council, Exeter City Council and Devon County Council. Due to the benefits of tackling climate change, the £23 million project would have been backed by the three councils with up to £7.3 million capital investment funding – the equivalent to £3,000 a plot.

In addition, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) offered an additional £9 million through a mixture of loans and grants to support the scheme.

The scheme for 2,500 new homes, shops, community facilities and a new school campus near Exminster would have taken heat from the nearby Viridor Exeter Energy Recovery Facility at Marsh Barton and was supported by BEIS.

Annual carbon savings of 2,500 tonnes would have been secured by the scheme as well as lower energy costs for those who bought the new homes. The scheme was in line with the Government’s commitment to ending the use of fossil fuel heating systems.

In addition to the £7.3m contribution, Teignbridge was prepared to make a £50,000 advance payment for preliminary infrastructure.

Although smaller developers such as locally based Cavanna Homes demonstrated its green credentials by being prepared to support the scheme, the lack of sufficient housebuilder support means that the development, which has historic planning permission, is likely to go ahead with less energy efficient heating systems.

Teignbridge will continue to apply its approved carbon reduction policies and will need to approve plans prepared by the developers but the resulting emissions savings will not come close to the benefits of the district heating network.

Teignbridge Council leader and local County Councillor, Cllr Alan Connett said he was deeply disappointed that an impasse had been reached. “It seems to me that the developers are out of step with the public mood which understands the importance of doing everything we can to tackle climate change. Their actions do not seem to reflect the commitments in their annual reports to deliver low carbon developments.

“Sadly it seems that despite huge increases in returns over the past year due to the housing boom, many developers have taken a short sighted view, preferring to maximise profit before cutting carbon emissions and protecting the planet for future generations.

“We would have invested £3,000 a plot to achieve this fantastic carbon cutting scheme but the developers will not meet us even part way. Their decision makes it worse for the climate and future residents will also likely face higher heating bills as a result of this decision.”

Cllr Connett praised the organisations who had been involved in the project for their support of a common cause of providing high quality housing with low carbon, efficient heating.

Cllr John Hart, Leader Elect of Devon County Council, which is responsible for the Energy Recovery Facility site, said: “It is very disappointing that this scheme, to include the district heating system, is not going ahead because it would so clearly help address the Devon climate emergency. I am extremely keen to make use of the surplus heat from the waste to energy plant, and hope to see it being used in future housing projects.”

Johnny Mercer has vowed to march on campaigning for new state of the art facilities at Derriford Hospital after an official warning was placed over its under strain Emergency Department.

Eve Watson. www.devonlive.com

The Moor View parliamentarian believes the CQC’s report exposing a number of issues concerning crowding and delays as ‘not helpful’ during the coronavirus pandemic and says he will do all he can to ensure Derriford gets a new Emergency Department by 2024 as well as a brand new hospital in later years.

His comments come as the UK’s health watchdog orders Plymouth University Hospitals NHS Trust to make urgent improvements after an inspection in March.

The former Veterans Minister said: “I’d just like to thank all the staff who’ve done an amazing job during this pandemic.

“I’m not sure why the CQC think a report like this is helpful at this time during a once-in-a-generation pandemic when we all know there are structural challenges at Derriford Hospital and the A&E (Emergency) department so I don’t see why that’s helpful.

“Personally I don’t think it’s helpful, and I’d just like to say a huge thank you to the staff because they’ve been struggling away in a department that’s not fit for purpose in a long time.”

When asked whether the NHS was suffering from lack of investment under the Conservative Government, he responded: “I think if you look at the figures, yes historically as a Conservative Government we haven’t invested enough in our NHS, that’s a fair criticism.

“I don’t think that can be levelled at the current administration, I think that we need to have grown up conversations around how we can sustain a health care system that is free to the point of need for those who need it.

“One of the answers is a big investment in infrastructure which I’ve committed to, Matt Hancock has committed to, the Prime Minister has committed to. I think everybody knows my views of those who don’t deliver their promises in politics.”

Meanwhile, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport Labour MP Luke Pollard said some ‘serious problems need to be addressed’.

He said: “I want to thank our NHS staff for working under incredibly tough circumstances throughout the pandemic. The CQC report identifies some problems, but it should also thank staff enough for going the extra mile and working their socks off. I have confidence in the team at Derriford to address the problems that have been identified.

“A decade of underfunding and fragmenting our NHS means there are some serious problems that need to be addressed. One of the most urgent issues is sorting out the crisis in primary care so everyone can see a GP locally. Derriford’s Emergency Department should be for emergencies but sadly too many Plymouth families are having to use it because they can’t access a doctor.

“I want to see NHS staff paid a decent pay rise not given the planned real terms pay cut by Ministers. It also means proper investment in our NHS and that is what I will continue to argue for.”

A report from the CQC, published yesterday, states Plymouth University Hospitals Trust has been informed of two breaches of legal requirements which “must be put right”.

Inspectors received information which led to concerns about “the safety and quality of the service”, and as a result gave the trust “around 30 minutes” notice before an inspection was carried out of the ED and diagnostic imaging services.

The trust said it has provided the CQC with “evidence of the immediate actions” it has already taken to address the concerns raised during the inspection.

It praised staff for their efforts during the global pandemic “to meet the needs of patients attending as emergencies, both with and without Covid-19”.

A Derriford spokesperson said the hospital appreciated the recognition.

The inspection, which focused purely on how safe, responsive and well-led the service was, found that there had been a deterioration in the quality of services being provided, which resulted in some rating changes.

The safety of this service at Derriford Hospital was previously rated as requires improvement, but it is now inadequate; and where the service used to be good for being well-led, it is now rated as requires improvement.

The ‘Responsive’ category was not rated on this occasion so the previous rating of requires improvement remains. The overall rating for the urgent and emergency care service at Derriford Hospital remains as requires improvement.

CQC also looked at the diagnostic and imaging services in response to concerns about the safety and quality of the service, and to check on the progress of improvements made following a previous inspection. During this focused inspection, CQC looked at how safe, effective and well-led the diagnostic imaging service at Derriford Hospital was.

Due to the narrow focus of the inspection, the overall rating for diagnostic imaging did not change and remains requires improvement.

During this part of the inspection, the CQC found staff “identified, responded to and removed or minimised risks to patients” and the service managed patient safety incidents “well”. It also found that staff felt “respected, supported and valued” and were focused on the needs of patients receiving care.

You can read the full report here.

A national nature reserve has been announced today (13 May) for the East Devon Pebbled Heaths near Exeter.

Announced by Natural England, the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths, stretching between the village of Woodbury towards Budleigh Salterton on the Jurassic Coast, is the latest site in the county to join the UK’s list of nationally and internationally important landscapes. 

Radio Exe News www.radioexe.co.uk

East Devon Pebblebed Heaths (courtesy: Jake Newman, Rekord Media)

Protects and establishes habitats, species, and geology

The Pebbled Heaths Conservation Trust is managed by the Devon Wildlife Trust and the RSPB – a new board under the chairmanship of Chris Woodruff, the manager of the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership, will guide and advise the partners in the management of the new NNR.    

Recognition of the 1,160 hectare site as a national nature reserve (NNR) both protects and establishes East Devon Pebblebed Heaths’ important habitats, species, and geology and provides an ‘outdoor laboratory’ for research.

The new NNR will make up a part of the wider Nature Recovery Network to significantly expand and connect wildlife-rich places to benefit people and nature. At the heart of the heaths is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the site is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protection Area (SPA).  

A biodiversity audit in 2016 documented more than 3,000 species across the range of habitats on the heaths – and more than 10% of these have been shown to have high conservation value. Among the key species which benefit from the habitats the heaths provide are Dartford warblers, nightjars, and the southern damselfly. 

Announcing the NNR, Natural England Chair Tony Juniper, said: 

“National Nature Reserves are the very jewels in nature’s crown. In addition to being among our most wonderful natural areas, they are also at the very heart of our ambition to create a Nature Recovery Network, to restore the beauty, diversity, and health of nature across the country. 

“The East Devon Pebblebed Heaths reserve offers wonderful opportunities for people to connect with nature, and to experience some wonderful wildlife, including 70 species of breeding birds and many unusual plants, insects, and reptiles. It is also an important archaeological site, set in a unique and evocative landscape. 

“Natural England is very proud to confirm the designation of East Devon Pebblebed Heaths and hope many more people will enjoy its wonderful natural riches.” 

Dr Sam Bridgewater, Head of Wildlife and Conservation for Clinton Devon Estates, said: 

“The heaths have been loved by generations of people and attract around 400,000 visits a year. As well as providing space for some of our rarest species, they play an important role in supporting mental and physical health and wellbeing, providing contact with nature and a place to exercise, socialise and enjoy.  

“Being granted National Nature Reserve status by Natural England is a recognition of the hard work not just of the staff of the three partner management organisations but the many volunteers who give so much of their time through groups such as the Friends of the Commons, all of which are invaluable.  

“This declaration also helps ensure the future of the heaths and their wildlife because National Nature Reserves benefit from the highest level of conservation protection available under UK legislation.” 

NNRs are designated by Natural England and are acknowledged as rare and precious areas which protect some of our country’s most important places for wildlife and geology.  

There are more than 200 NNRs in England with the first NNRs declared in the 1950s. Today NNRs showcase the best of conservation practice aimed at protecting habitat, wildlife, and geology alongside supporting research, education, and recreation where people can enjoy and engage with our shared heritage. 

Owl will wait and see if it really happens. Can you rebuild lost teams of expertise overnight?

Patrick Barkham  www.theguardian.com 

Natural England, the government’s conservation watchdog, is to receive a 47% increase in government funding this year as its role expands to support a “green recovery” and provide environmental scrutiny of the government’s controversial “Project Speed”.

The dramatic funding increase is a boost for wildlife protection and monitoring after a decade of deep cuts which left the agency at “crisis point” and its chairman, Tony Juniper, admitting that it would struggle to reverse declines in biodiversity.

Natural England monitors and manages some of the country’s most wildlife-rich places, including sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and many nature reserves, also providing expert advice on the environmental impact of new homes, roads and other developments.

Juniper, the influential former Friends of the Earth campaigner who was appointed chair in 2019, said: “I am delighted to see the government backing nature recovery and giving us more of the tools we need to make a real difference and build back greener from the coronavirus pandemic. Natural England has big ambitions to establish a ‘nature recovery network’ and I believe our renewed focus and remit will help us to achieve this.”

The “nature recovery network,” a vision of landscape-scale restoration that joins up nature-rich places to better enable wild species to move through the countryside, was first mapped out in the government’s 25-year plan for the environment in 2018.

After a modest injection of an extra £15m last year, Natural England’s total budget for 2021-22 will rise to £198m, of which 90% is from Defra, plus £2.5m from other government departments and the remainder from fees, charges and external funding. Although a big increase from a low of £85.6m in 2019-20, its budget is still less than the £265m it received in 2008-09.

In its expanded role, Natural England will be a statutory consultee on the government’s “Project Speed” to accelerate infrastructure projects, an aspiration recently branded “an utter disaster” by conservationists.

Juniper told the Guardian that there was “a lot to do” to “join up the ambition to streamline the development process at the same time as achieving ‘nature recovery’” but that there was not necessarily a contradiction between these aspirations.

The forthcoming environment bill includes the requirement for all developments to provide a “net gain” in biodiversity, which Natural England will assess.

“Housing and infrastructure can be done in ways that are quite damaging [to nature] or in quite a good way. Our task at Natural England is to get these things as complementary as they can be,” he said. “If we can step back and have ecological thinking built into the planning process, that’s going to solve a lot of the problems before they emerge.”

The agency will also administer the new “nature for climate” peatland grant scheme and increase its work with farmers, helping Defra design the new environmental land management scheme (Elms). This post-Brexit support for farmers aims to provide “public money for public goods”, with farmers paid for environmental services such as flood alleviation and carbon sequestration in soils and trees.

Juniper, who has consistently argued for more government resources, said the increase was a “a very welcome outcome for this year” that would “put more capacity into the organisation”.

In 2019, he warned that the “massively depleted” agency could not adequately manage the “jewels in the crown” of English nature. The government missed its 2010 target to restore half of SSSIs to “favourable” condition by 2020, with more than 60% of the nature-rich sites in unfavourable condition, and more than half not monitored in six years or more due to the funding cuts.

Joan Edwards, director of policy and public affairs for the Wildlife Trusts, said: “This is a positive step in the right direction, but Natural England has suffered underfunding for years, which has had a significant effect on the work it needs to do for nature’s recovery.

“We hope that this is the first of a series of increases to Natural England’s budget, we are still one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. In the run-up to Cop26 we must show the world we mean business, tackling the twin nature and climate emergencies, and Natural England has a vital role to play.

“We still need to see significant increases in funding, for example, for work improving natural habitats at sea so that marine wildlife can flourish again, and sea habitats can store carbon once more.”

[All these events have been widely reported]

A week ago Boris Johnson felt sufficiently confident in the success of the Government’ Covid strategy to concede a public inquiry.

The May elections boosted his confidence that he could win a general election in 2023 without having to worry about an inquiry that would not start work before 2022 and would not report until at least 2024.

Then:

 “I’m sick of it.” 

 Jenny McGee, St. Thomas’ nurse who treated Boris Johnson, resigned over low pay. 

“We’re not getting the respect and now pay that we deserve.”

“We’re All Going on a Summer Holiday”. Or are we?

Days of mixed messages about travel – Can you/can’t you? Should you/shouldn’t you? Does amber mean stop, go or don’t even think about it?

A couple of days ago:

Dominic Cummings tweeted in combative mood that the key to the pandemic was “fast hard effective action” to lock down. He dismissed any notion of there being a trade-off between lockdown and economic recovery. “This nonsense is STILL influencing policy, eg our joke borders policy.”

 Which naturally leads Owl to note:

The “Indian” variant of Covid-19 is becoming increasingly “significant” and, if it proves to be very much more infectious than the “British” variant, could derail Boris’ June 21 “Freedom Day” plans.

As Cummings says, Johnson has become complacent about the trade-off strategy. 

Yesterday:

The government has admitted that failings with the test and trace system led to a delay in hundreds being told they should have isolated after coming into contact with coronavirus,

The glitch meant local councils, including Blackburn with Darwen, were not given the full data on the number of positive tests in their area – which may have led to the current surge in numbers.

On Track and Trace :

Dido Harding’s test and trace system has swallowed up “unimaginable” amounts of taxpayers’ money with no evidence of any measurable difference on the progress of the coronavirus pandemic, a scathing report by a Westminster spending watchdog [the Public Accounts Committee] has found.

The report said NHS test and trace must “wean itself off” its reliance on private-sector consultants, after figures showed it was still employing around 2,500 in early February on an estimated daily rate of £1,100 a head – with the highest-paid individual costing taxpayers £6,624 a day. 

The March budget included an additional £15bn for test and trace, taking the total bill to more than £37bn over two years.

Next week:

Cummings is to give “explosive evidence” to the joint health and science select committee investigation on the handling of the pandemic next Wednesday. (He claims to have a “Smoking Gun”).

 Finally:

To cap it all, the £840/roll “gold” print wall paper is reported to have started to peel off the walls of the Downing Street flat.

The company states on its website that it does not offer refunds and advises customers to inspect deliveries before pasting its heavy-duty products to walls. “No claims for faulty fabrics or wallpapers can be made after the fabrics or wallpapers have been cut or hung,” the firm says. 

 So who foots the bill on this one?

A care home at the centre of a police inquiry over a Covid-19 outbreak has been banned from taking on any new residents.

www.bbc.co.uk

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also downgraded the Holmesley Care Home in Sidmouth, Devon from good to inadequate on safety and leadership.

The CQC visited the home in February and March, days before an outbreak of Covid-19 which led to nine deaths.

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect.

The CQC said it had imposed conditions on the operation of the care home, preventing it from admitting new residents, or re-admitting former residents “without prior written agreement from the CQC”.

The care home “must also ensure that systems are in place to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 to protect patients and staff”, said the CQC.

Amanda Stride, CQC’s head of adult social care, said: “When we inspected Holmesley Care Home, we found that people were not protected from the spread of infection.

“During the first day of our inspection we observed seven members of staff wearing face masks under their chin, or not at all.

“Soon afterwards, the care home experienced a widespread outbreak of Covid-19.

“As the circumstances which led to this are now subject to a police investigation, we are unable to comment further on this.”

She said inspectors found “widespread and significant shortfalls in the way in which the service was led”.

“Residents were at risk of neglect and abuse because systems to monitor the quality of care were either not in place, or not operating efficiently,” she said.

The CQC would “continue to monitor the service closely, in conjunction with the local authority, to ensure that improvements are made and fully embedded”.

It was also meeting managers “to discuss how they plan to make the required changes to improve their rating and we will re-inspect to check the improvements have been made”.

Good Law Project  us15.campaign-archive.com /

Today the High Court heard our lawyers detail waste, mismanagement – and yet more special treatment for politically connected companies placed in the “VIP” Lane. 

Government paid tens of millions of pounds to PestFix and Ayanda Capital for face masks which did not meet NHS standards. An email from a senior official stated that they needed to “get out of a contract” due to “a failure of the commercial process…”

PestFix was in the “VIP” lane because an ex-director was an old-school friend of a senior official’s father-in-law; Ayanda, because one of its senior advisers was a member of Government’s Board of Trade.

Government failed to carry out any proper checks before ordering gowns from PestFix. After examining the evidence, our lawyers told the Court: “over £100m spent on gowns with no technical assurance, no financial due diligence and based on a misunderstanding of the gowns which were actually being purchased.”

Government didn’t put its cards on the table. One witness went to some lengths to “gloss over” – as our lawyer put it – the lack of technical assurance. It was left to a detailed forensic review by our legal team to uncover this extraordinary failure. 

Government awarded huge contracts to Ayanda Capital despite it having failed financial due diligence. The hedge fund was given a red rating, which meant there were “Major issues or concerns [which] would need to be resolved before we use them”

Not only did this not dissuade Government from accepting Ayanda’s offer to supply millions of FFP2 masks, but its VIP status actually meant that it was invited to supply a different type of mask, leading to an even larger contract award.

This was taxpayers’ money, dished out to companies because of who they knew, not what they could supply. The result – unsurprisingly – was a waste of hundreds of millions of pounds. In these contracts alone.

Our challenge seeks to get to the truth of the PPE procurement process in which – again to quote our lawyer – “a truly colossal amount of public money” was spent “in circumstances of almost total secrecy”.

Please help us shine a light on this scandal by sharing with your friends and family and asking them to sign up for updates. 

Thank you,

Jo Maugham 

Director of Good Law Project

[Tuesday 25 May, socially distanced at 6.00 pm Westpoint – Owl]

Paul Arnott www.midweekherald.co.uk

Many readers may know that councils have been meeting entirely by Zoom since March 2020, with two great benefits. 

The first of course has been to prevent the spread of infection. The second has been the ability to attend meetings and really get stuck in while not having to drive 15 miles to do so. The final attendance figures for the last civic year are still being looked at – but I suspect that meetings have probably seen a rise of the numbers of councillors attending of about 25%

The reasons for this are clear. Without wishing to play the violin, backbench East Devon councillors are allowed a (taxable) amount of a little over £4,000 per year to cover all their expenses and all their time. Many give two to three whole days a week to their work, and the reward is pitiful. If however they can attend a meeting for a couple of hours without it turning into a whole half day, this enables those with jobs or young families to play a much fuller part.

However, the Conservatives, despite universal pleas from across the political spectrum, have now failed to put in place the legislation needed after emergency Covid-19 powers lapsed on May 7. Therefore, as if in Dr Who’s Tardis, we have all been propelled back to the sideburned days of 1972, when the most recent legislation was passed, insisting that councillors had to be “present” to vote in any meeting.

In 1972, the idea of the internet might pop up in Star Trek or an Isaac Asimov SF novel. And back then, council meetings were mostly old men with brylcreemed hair smoking their way through long afternoons in civic halls. Today that has entirely changed.

One of the problems that my group on the council has is that far from being stale old men with yellow fingers, there is a welcome mixture of younger councillors elected in 2019. It’s not that they have not had two jabs; many have not even had one. The first fruit of the government’s failure was seen at our Cabinet last week where a portfolio holder in their thirties simply did not feel it was safe to attend, and I don’t blame them.

But Cabinet is just 10 councillors. Next week we are being forced to hold our annual meeting – where the Chair and Leader of the council for 2021-22 will be elected by all 59 councillors – in conditions we are still working on at Westpoint. Our own quite sizeable chamber at Blackdown House is not remotely big enough for 59, plus officers, to meet safely.

This will involve a huge amount of wasted public money, councillor and officer anxiety, and the unanswerable question: what do those with one or no jabs do? Sorry to be so blunt, but this government doesn’t give a damn, even though we have been warning about this for a whole year.

It is so obvious that we should meet, as we did last May, to hold this annual meeting by Zoom. But to do so is to break a 50 year old law, and the government has simply washed their hands of the consequences. Closer to home, your parish and town councils are being forced to do this too. Last week, Seaton Town Council held their annual meeting in a car park, praying that the rain would hold off. They will not be alone in this.

However, we will crack on of course, and must continue to make the case to government to legislate as they had promised. I will not hold my breath. Many believe there is a cussed inclination emanating from the Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who sets the tone in these matters, that it’s all stuff and nonsense. Tell that to my eldest son in Glasgow, where the Indian strain this week is as virulent as it is in Bolton.

Residents of Newton Poppleford and Harpford have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a set of locally drawn up policies to help decide planning applications.

Philippa Davies sidmouth.nub.news

The referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan – held at the same time as this month’s local elections – resulted in 652 ‘yes’ votes and just 83 who said ‘no’.

The Plan will now be considered by East Devon District Council’s Cabinet on June 9, and if they agree to formally ‘adopt’ it, the council will be guided by the Plan when making decisions on applications for new developments in the parish.

The Neighbourhood Plan has the general aim of ensuring that ‘Newton Poppleford and Harpford will continue to be a thriving and vibrant village community which protects and enhances its distinctive character, rich heritage and its East Devon AONB setting, and should become an even better place for residents of all ages to live.’

Development applications will be looked at to see if they support that aim, for example by providing adequate parking, not generating extra traffic, retaining public rights of way, conserving the natural environment and incorporating road safety measures.

A consultation on the architectural style of potential new homes was carried out, and the preference was for traditional designs using similar materials to the existing properties.

A summary of the Neighbourhood Plan can be found here.

Good Law Project 18 May us15.campaign-archive.com /

Dear Friend,

Today was the first day of our High Court legal challenge over Government’s award of PPE contracts. Here are three of the most shocking revelations from Court.

1) Government prioritised companies because of who they knew and not what they could deliver. Take Pestfix and Multibrands. Both suppliers emailed the senior official in charge of NHS procurement explaining their ability to supply PPE. Multibrands did so on 20th March 2020, a week before Pestfix. Multibrands received no response. 

By contrast, Pestfix’s email resulted in their allocation to the “VIP lane”, where companies were fast-tracked to lucrative contracts. Why? An ex-director of PestFix was an “old school friend” of the official’s father-in-law. 

2) Ministers did not want their political contacts to have to wait in line with everyone else. Evidence read out in Court revealed “…ministers and senior officials sometimes introduce offers of PPE and want them personally handled rather than going through surveys and bulk routes. Some of these contacts simply flatly refuse to proceed via a webform…..”  

3) The banks were so concerned about Government’s lack of due diligence on  companies who had been handed huge contracts that they halted payments. An email from a civil servant stated “It is… imperative that we rectify the with supplier due diligence to ensure we do not leave ourselves at unacceptable risk of fraud/loss”

Thank you as ever for your support. There will be more from Court tomorrow. If you’re interested, our skeleton can be read here.

Jo Maugham

Director of Good Law Project

Coronavirus has exposed decades-long weaknesses in government and divisions in wider society, an official parliamentary watchdog has said, including neglect of social care and chronic underfunding in local government.

Peter Walker www.theguardian.com

Amid renewed questions over the reopening timetable, the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that from the very start of the pandemic a lack of planning had left ministers without a “playbook” on how to respond.

In the report released on Wednesday that pulls together lessons from more than a dozen more sector-specific reports into the handling of Covid, the NAO said the virus “laid bare existing fault lines within society, such as the risk of widening inequalities, and within public service delivery and government itself”.

Coronavirus had “stress-tested the government’s ability to deal with unforeseen events”, said Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, noting that it had shown the need for government to be “systematic” in planning for emergencies, and to learn lessons at speed.

Boris Johnson has told his cabinet that he intends to proceed with the roadmap for lifting England’s lockdown despite concerns over a new coronavirus variant, but said the government would monitor the data over the coming days.

The prime minister told reporters on Tuesday he saw no conclusive evidence to delay the full reopening of the economy on 21 June, though sources have suggested it may not be as comprehensive a lifting of restrictions as previously billed.

“I don’t see anything conclusive at the moment to say that we need to deviate from the roadmap,” Johnson said, adding that more would be known “in a few days’ time.”

A number of cabinet ministers are understood to be reluctant to allow the roadmap to slip unless there is compelling evidence that the spread of the variant could pose a threat to NHS capacity. A Whitehall source said ministers were keeping their counsel while a few more days of data is analysed.

One cabinet source said they expected government to throw “the kitchen sink” at hotspot areas to try to stem the spread of the new variant, expected to become the dominant variant within days. Another cabinet minister said the next few days would be “a race against the virus.”

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is understood to be keen to proceed with the roadmap as planned but is prepared to be convinced otherwise if the data is overwhelming.

Other ministers with a particular vested interest in keeping to the 21 June plan if possible include Oliver Dowden, with his culture department in daily talks with sports organisations, theatre owners and others about whether a long-anticipated return of crowds can still happen.

Theatres have given the message that it is “bums on seats or bust” for their profession, a source said, adding: “We completely understand that plans might have to change, but it’s also important to know that we can’t keep the sort of emergency support we’ve offered to the sector going into the long term. Part of our job is to set out the case that more delay could mean the end for some venues.”

Johnson is charged with making the call on whether to proceed with the roadmap, with intense scrutiny over the early weeks of the pandemic, and the charge he allowed the B.1.617.2 variant to establish itself in the UK by delaying curbing arrivals from India, jeopardising a planned summer timetable for reopening the economy.

The NAO report highlighted the need for long-term solutions across areas including the disconnect between adult social care and the NHS, failings in data and IT systems, workforce shortages and ongoing monetary shortfalls, with a warning that already-struggling local government finances had been “scarred by the pandemic”.

The report also collated the total government extra spend on Covid-related measures, putting it at an estimated £372bn by the end of this March, taking in the full lifetime of all policies.

Johnson’s former senior adviser Dominic Cummings is also expected to lay out his view of the early weeks of the pandemic next Wednesday when he appears before a parliamentary committee which is also examining the lessons of the pandemic.

In a Twitter thread, Cummings argued that the early process had been over-secretive, and promised to release what he described as “a crucial historical document from Covid decision-making”.

The NAO report laid out wider failures in planning for a pandemic, noting that Exercise Cygnus, a 2016 modelling of a flu-based outbreak, did not properly consider the issue of shielding clinically vulnerable people. “Government lacked a playbook for many aspects of its response,” the report concluded.

This led to gaps in data, it found, saying that when it was decided last spring that clinically vulnerable people should shield, it took three weeks to identify more than 400,000 of them because of the “challenge of extracting usable data from different NHS and GP IT systems”.

On social care, a lack of integration between care services and the NHS “has been challenging for decades”, the report said, citing 12 government consultations and five independent reviews in the past 20 years.

An impact of this was a better response to the pandemic for health services than for care. From March to July last year, NHS trusts received 80% of their estimated requirements for protective equipment, with the equivalent figure for care providers being just 10%, the NAO said.

It also set out the effects of underfunding, often due to a decade of austerity policies, in areas including councils, the NHS and social care.

The NAO also highlighted findings from its earlier reports about staffing shortages, with 11% vacancy rates in nursing just before the pandemic, and one-third of social care providers saying they needed extra staff.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow heath secretary, said Covid had “exposed the NHS and social care to extreme pressure like never before”.

He said: “We entered the pandemic with a weakened NHS with growing waiting list, fewer beds and desperately short of staff. We cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes. We need both an NHS rescue plan to bring waiting lists down and a plan for social care reform. Our NHS and care system cannot be left exposed in the same way again.”

A government spokesperson said: “Throughout the pandemic, our approach has been guided by data and the advice of scientific and medical experts. As new evidence emerged, we acted quickly and decisively to protect lives and livelihoods.

“We have committed to a full public independent inquiry to look at what lessons we can learn from our response to this unprecedented global challenge.”

But Boris han’t seen “anything conclusive at the moment to say that we need to deviate from the road map”.

Max Channon www.devonlive.com

A Government source has reportedly claimed the likelihood of full Covid lockdown restrictions being lifted on June 21 in England is ‘close to nil’.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today said he has not seen “anything conclusive at the moment to say that we need to deviate from the road map”.

Nonetheless, ITV’s Robert Peston reports “the prospect of the final easing of lockdown restrictions in England going ahead precisely as planned on June 21 are close to nil… according to ministers and officials.”

ITV quotes a government adviser as saying: “It is clear some social distancing will have to be retained, not everything we’ve set out for June 21 is likely to happen.

“But it is also possible some of the easing we’ve done will have to be reversed.”

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports that “one Cabinet minister” has said that missing the June 21 milestone could become Mr Johnson’s ‘Theresa May moment’ – a reference to her failed Brexit deadline.

The Mail quotes its source as saying: “This freedom date is burned on people’s brains in the same way as her date for leaving the EU,’ the source said. ‘When she missed it, she was finished.'”

However, Boris Johnson has told senior ministers that he still wants to work through the road map for lifting coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England.

And, on a visit to a vaccine centre in London, he said: “I don’t see anything conclusive at the moment to say that we need to deviate from the road map.

“We’ve got to be cautious and we are keeping everything under very close observation. We’ll know a lot more in a few days’ time.”

The PM’s official spokesman said that he told the weekly meeting of the Cabinet that they would need to monitor the data closely.

“The Prime Minister set out the Government’s desire to continue to work through the road map following the move to step three yesterday,” the spokesman said.

“He concluded Cabinet by re-stating the important need to closely watch the data in the coming days ahead of making decisions on step four.”

The spokesman said that Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the meeting that “comprehensive work” to provide more vaccines and “surge” testing in outbreak areas was continuing.

Stephen Pemberton has sent Owl the text of his letter, as recently published, in the Sidmouth Herald.

[Owl thinks it shows “counter-intuitive” attitudes to late night noise between Exmouth and Sidmouth.]

“Sidmouth Town Clerk, The Leader and Sidmouth Town Councillors have excelled themselves.

They have allowed the proposed Sidmouth Jazz and Blues Festival in June 2022 to apply for a drink and entertainment license from midnight until 2.30am each morning of the week.

This is a residential area.

Recent years has seen events on The Ham close by 9.30pm, and be placed at the sea end of The Ham, except the Folk Festival which ends and is cleared by 11.00pm, and the Fun Fair.

All this continues decades long lack of consideration of the needs of local residents. It compounds a recent imposition of groundworks which falsely claims it has the Agreement of Glenisla Terrace residents, and the sudden (despite assurance by the Town Clerk as to otherwise) removal of the shielding of trees and bushes for some of the houses from The Ham playground.

Events on The Ham are why many residents moved here: complete disregard for residents’ needs and of reasonable behaviour perpetuates the long held poor reputation of Sidmouth Town Council and how it is run, apparently again with complete disregard for local residents.”

Stephen Pemberton

A teaser of what to expect next week from Boris Johnson’s “Disrupter-in-Chief”.

Henry Zeffman Tuesday May 18 2021 www.thetimes.co.uk 

The UK’s border policy is a “joke”, Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser has said as the row intensifies over whether the Indian coronavirus variant could have been stopped before it entered Britain.

Dominic Cummings accused the government of being “totally hostile to learning from east Asia” over the course of the pandemic, resulting in a reluctance to close the UK’s borders.

Writing on Twitter, Cummings, who left Downing Street during a power struggle late last year, said that “one of the biggest misunderstandings” was that there is a trade-off between locking down to stop Covid and protecting the economy. “Fact: evidence clear that fast hard effective action best policy for economy AND for reducing deaths/suffering,” he wrote. “Best example: Taiwan. Also shows that if you really get your act together not only is econ largely unscathed but life is ~ normal.”

He continued: “There’s a general western problem based on nonsense memes like ‘asians all do as they’re told it won’t work here’. This is what many behavioural science ‘experts’/charlatans argued, disastrously, in Feb2020. This nonsense is STILL influencing policy, eg our joke borders policy.”

Cummings will give evidence to MPs next week about his role in the government’s response to the pandemic.

There has been increasing criticism of the UK’s decision not to close down travel from India earlier. At least 20,000 passengers who may have been infected with the variant were allowed to enter Britain before India was added to the red list on April 23, according to a Sunday Times analysis.

Johnson had been hoping to fly to Delhi on April 25 to discuss a post-Brexit trade deal with Narendra Modi, the prime minister; something opposition figures blame for the government’s delay in blocking travel from India.

In the Commons yesterday Yvette Cooper, Labour head of the home affairs select committee, said that people would be “angry” that “the government’s border measures have failed to prevent the spread of a new variant”.

UK farmers have sounded the alarm over reports the government plans a trade deal with Australia that would make its food and farming imports cheaper.

Government about to abandon the farmers as well as the fishermen? – Owl

BBC News  www.bbc.co.uk

The move is being considered as part of a free trade pact with Australia the UK government hopes will be a springboard for similar deals with other countries.

But UK farming unions have warned of “irreversible damage” from a bad deal.

There is speculation the Cabinet is split over the move, and Labour has accused the government of a “sell-out”.

As with many countries, farming imports from Australia face tariffs – or taxes – making lamb and beef, for example, more expensive.

But in a post-Brexit world, the UK government is keen to strike free trade deals and has now indicated that farmers may have to prepare for the lowering of tariffs on agricultural imports.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) would not be drawn directly on reports it is willing to concede to zero tariffs in return for an Australia deal.

Struggle to compete

However, it said a deal would be “an important stepping stone” to joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sprawling trade group that includes New Zealand, China, Japan, Vietnam, as well as Australia.

A deal would “allow UK farmers even greater access to growing consumer markets in Asia”, the DIT said, adding that it would not allow importers to undercut the farming industry or food standards.

However, the National Farmers’ Union warned that its members will struggle to compete if zero-tariff trade on lamb and beef goes ahead.

NFU president Minette Batters said: “We know that if we’re to open up the opportunities of new markets overseas for UK farmers, we will have to offer greater access to our own markets in return.

“However, this trade-off needs to be balanced, and we need to make sure concessions to our hugely valuable home market are not given away lightly.

“There is a very real risk that, if we get it wrong, UK farming will suffer irreversible damage rather than flourish in the way we all desire, to the detriment of our environment, our food security and our rural communities.”

Farmers’ concerns are reportedly shared by some members of the Cabinet.

The Financial Times reported that Environment Secretary George Eustice and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are at loggerheads with International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Brexit minister Lord Frost over granting tariff-free access to Australian, and possibly New Zealand, farmers.

Asked about the rift by the Press Association, Mr Eustice said: “I’m not going to get into discussions that are going on in government about individual trade agreements.

“In any discussion on any part of government policy, and trade agreements are no exception, there’s a discussion and there’s a consensus.

“At the moment there’s a very clear consensus in government that we want to do a trade agreement with countries like Australia, but obviously on the right terms.”

However, sources did not deny to the BBC that there were Cabinet divisions over the issue.

Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow international trade secretary, accused Ms Truss of selling out British farmers.

“It’s perfectly normal that the Australian government should try to get the best possible deal for its agricultural mega-corporations,” she said.

“But British family farmers have a right to expect that Liz Truss will do the same for them, not sell out their livelihoods for the price of a quick trade deal, and a cheap headline at the G7 summit.”

Ms Truss was hoping to secure an Australia deal ahead of the G7 summit in June. She is about to start official trade talks with Canada and Mexico, adding to those under way with India and New Zealand.

Trade deals are about countries trying to secure the best for their businesses and people. When working down the menu of issues, the hardest to digest – typically, agriculture – is normally left to the last.

Australia aims to get tariffs and quotas dropped for all goods, which on the UK government’s own estimates could boost imports from that country by 83% – mainly due to beef and lamb.

That’s worrying for some farmers – but the government says any liberalisation would take years, and Australia isn’t taking full advantage of the tariff free quotas it’s got now.

But the key is what it signals for other trade deals and policy. An agreement with Australia will likely be the first one struck by the UK with a nation with which it didn’t have an agreement while part of the EU. And Trade Secretary Liz Truss is keen to strike it fast, as a springboard for membership of a wider trans-pacific trading bloc.

Fourteen beaches in Devon have been awarded Blue Flag status for 2021.

These include Exmouth, Sandy Bay and Sidmouth Town but not Budleigh Salterton! – Owl

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

The independently assessed seal of approval is awarded to beaches which achieve very high quality standards of excellent cleanliness, safe access and appropriate signage.

Blue Flag awards also look at the beaches which meet high environmental standards and tough international bathing water quality standards.

Winning beaches also had to run a minimum of five educational activities for the local community and visitors.

Across Devon, 14 beaches were given the prestigious award, the same number as in 2020.

The beaches in Devon given the blue flag award are:

• Blackpool Sands
• Sandy Bay (Exmouth)
• Exmouth
• Sidmouth Town
• Challaborough Bay
• Dawlish Warren
• Teignmouth Town
• Breakwater Beach (Brixham)
• Broadsands (Paignton)
• Meadfoot Beach
• Oddicombe Beach
• Preston Sands
• Torre Abbey Sands
• Westward Ho!

The Blue Flag is widely considered to be the gold standard for beaches and as such is internationally recognised. While most people are aware that the certification guarantees the quality of the bathing water this is only part of the criteria on which beaches are judged.

To qualify to fly the Blue Flag the beach must satisfy standards in four categories and against 33 individual targets covering environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management, safety and services.

Cllr Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, lead member for community, culture and leisure for Torridge District Council, said: “We’re very lucky in Torridge to have such a fantastic beach at Westward Ho! that has consistently achieved the Blue Flag award for over 18 years in a row. It also backs onto Northam Burrows which is another important asset for rare Wildlife and Plant species.

“A better awareness of plastic issues in our marine environment has only increased interest in beaches that meet the strict criteria for cleanliness and the partnerships with community group initiatives are something we can all be proud of.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “This year, more than ever, we are going to be relying on our country’s beautiful beaches to escape for a much-needed break after all the stresses and strains of the past year.

“Whether it’s camping in Cornwall, renting a cottage in North Yorkshire or simply having a day out at the seaside in Sussex, a fantastic beach is an essential part of a holiday for so many of us.

“From environmental education for the local community and ensuring responsible beach use, to cleaning regimes and an increasing number of recycling facilities, it is a full-time commitment to create beaches worthy of these awards.

“As we all plan our 2021 holidays much closer to home, thanks to the Blue Flag and Seaside Award those choosing to holiday at a destination with an award-winning beach can be assured it will be clean and safe and meet the highest standards for water quality and management.”

Dawdling, incompetence and the threat of disaster are overshadowing what should be a day of joy as England’s lockdown rules are eased.

Kevin Maguire www.mirror.co.uk  (Extract to get the flavour)

They are the hallmarks of Boris Johnson who is once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

India’s inclusion on the Covid-19 red list was delayed and now the rapidly-spreading mutation of the virus detected in that country is jeopardising the planned end to all restrictions in England, planned for June 21.

It’s another unforgivable own goal by a charlatan who will eventually burst his vaccine bubble…..

Rock Feilding-Mellen has run a property development company since 2009, and in 2011, at the age of 32, was promoted to a cabinet position at the Conservative stronghold of Kensington and Chelsea council.

Robert Booth www.theguardian.com

Socially Conscious Capital helps obtain planning consent for housing on greenfield sites.

While in charge of housing and regeneration at Kensington and Chelsea, he was treated to dinners and entertainment by property lobbyists, his register of interests shows. But since the Grenfell fire that forced his resignation, he has developed wider interests.

In January he became the director of a new “psychedelic venture studio” company, according to records at Companies House. It intends “to build and invest in companies devoted to providing safe and wide access to psychedelic medicines”.

Based at his family’s Tudor stately home in Oxfordshire, Beckley Park, Beckley Waves works with the Beckley Foundation, which is “progressing innovative formulations and applications of well-characterised psychedelic agents such as psilocybin” and is designing “new chemical entities” that improve upon existing psychedelics.

His mother, Amanda Feilding, is the chair of its scientific advisory board. Also known as the Countess of Wemyss and March, her interest in alternative medicine led her to drill a hole in her own skull in 1970 to better understand the potential benefits of trepanning.

But still outside top 100

East Devon is the area in the south west which has seen the biggest improvement in overall prosperity in the last decade, according to a new study.

[The Legatum Institute is a think tank based in London run by Philippa, Baroness Stroud, a Conservative member of the House of Lords. It is funded by a Dubai-based investment firm. Owl thinks it would be reasonable to describe it as “Centre-right”.] 

Daniel Clark, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

The United Kingdom Prosperity Report 2021 published by the Legatum Institute ranks the 379 local authorities across the UK by 12 key measures covering crime, personal freedom, local democracy, family and social relationships, the  economy, quality of life, health, education and the environment.

East Devon has seen the biggest rise in the region stretching from Cornwall to Gloucestershire, up from 180th to 102nd place after improvements in governance, personal freedom and natural environment.

It is the highest ranking area of Devon, with Torbay bottom for the county and the South West region in 292nd place, down from 284th in 2011.

Top of the UK list is Wokingham in Surrey, with Blackpool in Lancashire at the bottom for the second year in a row.

The south west ranks second behind the south east, coming out top for safety and security but last for infrastructure, with 25 of the 30 local authorities in the top half of the index. It has strong institutions, social capital and health, and relatively low rates of poverty.

The report adds: “Its major weakness is economic: local employers face skill shortages, there is a lack of adequate infrastructure, and financial pressures on local councils are increasing.”

It says the index was set up to help drive the government’s levelling up agenda by providing an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of every region and local authority area.

The report says the UK is the 13th most prosperous nation in the world, with national prosperity increasing from 2010 to a peak in 2018. Since then, every region outside London has seen a small decline.

It says: “Overall, the UK is continuing to build a strong and open economy. It has achieved big improvements in the quality of its infrastructure, labour force engagement and competitiveness. 

“But these gains are currently being undermined by a deterioration in several specific areas: 

• in the quality of conditions for local enterprise, which are needed to bolster business dynamism and entrepreneurialism; 
• in the safety and security of communities, which are struggling with increasing violent crime;
• in the physical and mental health of people; 
• in key indicators of social capital, including weaker family relationships, evidenced by an increase in looked after children; 
• and, to a lesser extent, in the quality of local governance.

The report warns that the national conversation about ‘levelling up’ is too simplistic, with wide variations between and within regions.

It says: “Prosperity is currently being undermined by factors that lie outside of the traditional focus on ‘bridges and trains’. 

“These include a decline in the safety and security of communities due to rising violent crime, a deterioration in people’s mental and physical health, an erosion of social capital, including fraying family relationships, weakening enterprise conditions, a loss of public trust in institutions and deteriorating local democracy.”

A major review of East Devon’s public toilets is set to be launched.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

More than six years after a review of the toilets run by East Devon District Council was first mooted, councillors on the cabinet last Wednesday unanimously agreed to launch the consultation over the public toilet service in the district.

Councillors were told that the continued provision at the current level is no longer sustainable, with the review seeking to balance the savings requirement with protecting a level of toilet provision, enhancing and investing in retained stock.

And while public toilets matter to everyone, as the provision is not a statutory service the council is required to provide, and with them facing a £3m budget gap, the review aims to reduce the costs of providing the service, review the ways in which it is provided, the number of overall toilets they provide, particularly in locations where demand is less or alternative facilities exist.

All of the council run toilets have been provisionally split into three categories. Category A, where provision will be maintained and investment made to bring them up to standard. Category B, where they will look to consider marketing a lease opportunity for a different offer such as a café, to include a publicly accessible toilet. And Category C, where there would be no commercial alternative and would be offered to town and parish councils to run, but if they turned down the chance, they would be closed.

Cllr Geoff Jung, portfolio holder for the environment, said: “Most of our public conveniences were built in the 1950s and the plumbing and structures are not as they were. Some of the toilets closed for over a year there has not been much call for. Let’s face it, the loos are passed their sell by date and some will soon need to be shut as they will fail environmental standards. The world has moved on but our loos are a flashback to the mods and rockers.”

The proposed categorisation of the toilets run by East Devon

CATEGORY A

Promoted Stories

• West Street Car Park, Axminster
• Cliff Path, Budleigh Salterton
• East End, Budleigh Salterton
• Jubilee Gardens, Beer
• Foxholes Car Park, Exmouth
• Magnolia Centre, Exmouth
• Manor Gardens, Exmouth
• Phear Park, Exmouth
• Queens Drive, Exmouth
• Lace Walk, Honiton
• West Walk, Seaton
• Connaught Gardens, Sidmouth
• Triangle, Sidmouth
• Market Place or Port Royal, Sidmouth

CATEGORY B

• Station Road, Budleigh Salterton
• Imperial Recreation Ground, Exmouth
• Orcombe Point, Exmouth
• The Maer, Exmouth
• Harbour Road, Seaton
• Seaton Hole, Seaton
• Market Place or Port Royal, Sidmouth

CATEGORY C

• Brook Road, Budleigh Salterton
• Dolphin Street, Colyton
• Exmouth Bus Station, Exmouth
• Jarvis Close, Exmouth
• King Street Car Park, Honiton
• Marsh Road, Seaton

In his report to the cabinet, Andrew Hancock, service lead for StreetScene, said: “The review proposes to invest in toilets that are retained to ensure the right toilet in the right place, this is important since no capital investment has been made for a number of years. Many of the sites need updating to meet modern standards and expectations as well as incorporating Covid secure/improved hygiene design features.

“While there have been a handful of local complaints about the inconvenience of some of our public toilets being closed during the pandemic, on the whole the open blocks have coped with the community need and we’ve had less complaints about the facilities as they are maintained to a higher standard.

“Even in the height of summer 2020 when we saw record levels of use at our parks and beaches, the toilets we had open were sufficient for most, so one has to ask if we know we need to invest significantly in re-building or refurbishing our outdated toilets for modern requirements, and we know we have a high number of toilet blocks compared to neighbouring areas.

“Moving forward, it would seem sensible to provide a smaller number of better provisioned and better maintained toilets, with other sites re-purposed, for example, the Seaton Chine Hideaway café, and still providing some form of toilet access, particularly as the positioning or use of some public toilets are questionable.

“It is very important that we continue to provide high quality public toilets for our residents and that we recognise they have an important role to play in our visitor economy; but that future provision is financially sustainable and that we are making the best uses of our sites. Continued provision at our current level is no longer sustainable. This review seeks to balance the savings requirement with protecting a level of toilet provision, enhancing and investing in retained stock.”

He added: “The overall objective of the council should be to provide high quality, modern facilities that are mainly located in town centres, tourist areas and parks which help support these areas. The council should look at other means of operating toilets and be concerned with overall levels of provision, but not necessarily direct provision in all cases.

“We recognise that public toilet provision is an emotive subject and an important service. It is however non-statutory and costs almost £900,000 per year including recharges. With budget pressure from reducing government grants we must look at transforming how we operate services, and our medium term financial plan sets out targets for savings from different ways of operating.

“This review is looking to ensure East Devon continues to provide high quality public toilets in a sustainable way, but also recognising in some situations other methods of provision might be appropriate, indeed beneficial to the public, particularly where there are multiple toilet blocks or toilets are less well used and some sites could add a café, bar or other commercial offer.”

Cllr Paul Hayward, portfolio holder for economy and assets, added that change was necessary and the council had to think about what was considered necessary going forward.

He called for all the towns and parishes affected to be invited into the discussion to see if they can run them more efficiently, and said there would need to be some innovative thinking, and that ‘some things won’t be palatable, but this needs to be done’.

Cllr Cathy Gardner said that she was concerned about any charging for toilets as it would be a retrograde step for public health and as charging reduces the use of toilets, the council should do all they can to avoid it.

Cllr Paul Millar added that there should be one free of charge toilet in each town where there are areas of deprivation whatever the outcome of the review was, while Cllr Steve Gazzard said that they had to take the public with them on the review, and Cllr Marcus Hartnell said lessons needed to be learnt from the Seaton café example to ensure a minimum level of provision was still provided.

The cabinet agreed to the basis for the toilet review to ensure ‘we have the right toilet in the right place’, which will focus on the provision and support for Category A public conveniences at the key locations, seeks to provide opportunities for others to take on Category B sites, and offers Category C sites to Town & Parish councils if they feel continued provision here is necessary.

The review will also determine whether to install contactless paid access on the retained toilets to enable a future income to help meet deficits and improve toilet standards and whether in-house operation, which is more cost effective than private sector operators, and whether they resolve to continue operation on this basis.

It will also see them agree to consult with all stakeholders to obtain their views of these proposals in order to gain understanding/agreement that public toilets need investment to modernise them, whether to investigate charging for their use to protect future provision, and to provide a concessionary card for those with medical needs.

A recommendation that a capital budget of £3.15 million be set as part of the 2022/23 budget for the rebuild or refurbishment of all Category A public toilets, subject to the results of the consultation, was also made to full council.

Prior to any decision being made, the cabinet also asked the Overview Committee to review the consultation responses and equalities assessment and provide its views, with Cllr Paul Arnott, leader of the council, saying that this was the time for concerns around the individual toilets mentioned in the review to be raised, rather than at last week’s meeting.