80 flaws, including these:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/distraught-buyer-reveals-eighty-flaws-20821356
Category Archives: Misc
Are you a “sofa surfer” or boat dweller – you CAN vote!
It’s not as easy as for people with permanent addresses but it is still possible.
You need to make your voices heard.
Details here:
Can you be really thick (and very, very unpleasant) and be an MP? Yes, of course!
And anyone who wants to know more about Mr Bridgen, check out the link below. It was reported by Owl in 2017 when it appeared in the Daily Mirror. It has now disappeared from the Mirror site but has been accessed hundreds of times on this site as journalists searched for historical information about him:
Former Indie MP Martin Bell on prospective Indie MP Claire Wright
“… What you need is a champion, a person of integrity, a person in the community and my goodness you have that – Claire I think you are going to win.
“It’s always difficult as an independent, to be up against the party machines, but it’s do-able.
“I think she is a remarkable candidate with a strong local presence. She’s well-known. I think it’s within her reach.
“Contrary to popular misconception, independents do have a strong voice in Parliament and, such is the current mass disillusion with mainstream parties, their voice will only become louder.
“I think for the people of East Devon to vote for this particular candidate is the very reverse of a wasted vote.
“It is a useful vote. It is a vote to put into Parliament someone who can genuinely represent you for the whole of a four or five-year term.” …”
“Fracking halted after government pulls support”
SOME of the “missing millions” registering to vote but not enough
“Almost a third of the 316,264 voter registration applications submitted in the last two days have been from voters aged under 25, according to government figures.
Young voters rushed to send almost 45,000 applications on Tuesday after the announcement of a snap general election on 12 December. This increased to 59,000 on Wednesday, with both days marking a significant surge on the 13,109 applications sent on Monday, and the 4,981 applications the day before that.
The total number of applications marked the highest and second highest number of applications submitted on any day of 2019. Almost 140,000 registrations were counted on Tuesday and more than 170,000 were received on Wednesday.
How do I register to vote in the 2019 general election?
Go to:
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
About 65% of applications came from people under 35, while only 4% of those registering were aged 65 and over. Some applications may have been from people already registered to vote.
However, Willie Sullivan, a senior director at the Electoral Reform Society, said 9.4 million people were still missing from the electoral roll. “There’s a long way to go before we close the registration gap,” he said, adding that there remained large disproportions between different social and economic groups who register to vote.
“Younger people and renters are most at risk of being missing from the register, so it’s welcome to see this surge in registrations from the ‘missing millions’.”
Sullivan said the registration process needed urgently improving across the country to avoid similar scrambles to register.
“It’s an annoying reality that many of these applications will be already on the register, since there’s no way to check online if you are already registered. Let’s make this the last time we see a manic registration rush – putting strain on local electoral offices.
“We cannot be complacent – this election must see the biggest registration drive this country has seen to ensure it genuinely represents all of us.”
The final date for registering to vote is 26 November.”
Hugo “I can’t wait to get out of here” Swire
Junior doctor not allowed to ask Johnson questions on taxpayer-funded publicity stunt visit to hospital
Tory slogan says you deserve better! People point out the obvious!
East Devon: fourth fastest aging population in the country
“Parts of the UK are ageing twice as fast as other areas of the country, while in some cities the population is getting younger, a divergence that will have a lasting impact on local economies, local government and national politics, according to new research. …
The research is here:
resolutionfoundation.org
GP knows where NHS problems originate
Planning: is the tail wagging the dog at EDDC?
From a correspondent:
“I had thought that the people of East Devon had voted for an Independent Council. So this correspondent finds it perplexing that it is the conservative Philip Skinner who is extolling the virtues of “the potential for strategic scale development in the North West Quadrant area of East Devon was identified and a network of linked villages, referred to as Clyst Villages” and “this is a really exciting project and I hope people grasp it with the enthusiasm that I have so we get the good things for the area that we live in.”
Are the “independent” chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee and Portfolio Holder of Strategic Development, Susie Bond, the great “independent” leader, Ben Ingham, and the “independent” Portfolio Holder for the Environment whose Woodbury ward will be part of the exciting network of the linked villages, Geoff Jung, in full agreement?
Does the cabinet have too much power? Why is “tory” Philip Skinner the spokesman for development in our district?
Is the old tail wagging the new dog?”
Proof an expensive education isn’t always value for money
Boris Johnson’s handwriting and excuses for not meeting with select committees:
Committee chair Sarah Woolaston’s reply:
EDDC ex-Tory councillor doesn’t like the idea of a Jurassic National Park
Can leopards change their spots?
Interestingly, his objection seems to be entirely about losing control of housing development:
His objections seem eerily reminiscent of the objections raised when Paul Diviani was Leader of EDDC:
Swire and Parish: how did they vote?
Need you ask? For Boris and against Letwin, of course.
Now East Devon is sandwiched between Remainer Bradshaw (Exeter) and Arch Boris Disbeliever Letwin (West Dorset).
Broadclyst Parish Council offices aren’t even in Broadclyst (and the rent is £16,000 a year)!
Broadclyst – where the council makes sure hedges don’t scratch your new car! Where bowls club members are heavily subsidised – and where the town council doesn’t even have an office – preferring to rent in Sowton for £16,000 a year!
AND where 4.5 employees share salary and pension costs of £204,000 – meaning if they were all paid the same they would be getting £45,000 plus per year. But they probably AREN’T being paid equally, which means someone – or a couple of someones – is probably being paid substantially more …
“Broadclyst Parish Council currently charges £244.51 for a band D property for its portion of the council tax, compared with the average in Devon of £42.20. …
Since the meeting [when new councillor Karl Straw tried to get the massive precept reduced] we’ve had this excellent cost cutting suggestion from a parishioner about re-locating the council office. The council pays £16,000 a year for office and car parking on the Sowton industrial estate, outside the parish, while the council owned village sports pavilion is a loss-making building, mainly used at weekends. The parishioner has suggested it would make sense to reduce costs and move the offices to the pavilion.
During the meeting one councillor said that we have to pay more because people with new cars would complain if they get scratched on uncut hedges. I don’t know what world they live in, but most ordinary hardworking people don’t have brand new cars, a lot of residents struggle even to have a car.”
Cllr Straw said that parishioners were also very concerned about the high cost of leasing a maintenance truck, at £4,500 a year, plus £3,000 for insurance and other costs.
Parish councillor Liz Straw, who joined the council in May and also voted to reduce the council tax added: “This council dramatically increased the tax now it’s time for a dramatic reduction and time to listen to local people’s concerns. We must behave responsibly and carefully with public money, other thriving Devon parishes charge a sensible council tax. We need to do the same.
“We can’t afford to subsidize the bowling club to the tune of £10,000 – it’s highly irresponsible, especially in a time of austerity. There have been a lot of complaints about the bowling club costs and I hope the club will take over most of the costs and not expect the public purse to fund their hobby.”
Councillors voted by six votes to two to reject the motion though, with the chairman not required to vote.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Massey, the chairman said that they welcomed the Straw’s motion looking to cut the cost and the council tax and that every line in the budget would be looked at, but cutting one third of the budget in one go was not something they felt they could support.
He said: “The council tax in Broadclyst is high, as it is in Cranbrook and Clyst Honiton, our neighbouring parishes. We do provide a lot of services and we have been asked by the community who don’t want to see things lost and we had a request to provide more services and so we have to set the council tax accordingly.”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/bid-reduce-council-tax-parish-3427719
Young people – your vote really CAN change history this time round
How?
Since 2016 2 million older people have died. Research showed that their age group in 2016 voted for Brexit and denied or did not care about global warming and the destruction of our environment. Many had owned their own homes since they were in their 20s. By and large they did not want change.
Since 2016. 2.5 million teenagers have reached voting age. Although turnout in this age group tends to be low, those that would vote are overwhelmingly in favour of wanting Britain to stay in the EU, are unlikely to ever own a home, or, if they do so, it will be with help from asset-rich patents or not before they are in their 40s, mostly accept and are concerned about global warming and are passionate about the environment. They want CHANGE.
East Devon’s current MP (Conservative Hugo Swire, who votes for Brexit) is standing down and the most serious contender for his seat is local Independent Claire Wright.
Find out what she stands for here:
If you 2.5 million don’t vote you will have left YOUR future to older people to decide for you.
If you have not registered, register NOW:
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
and vote on the day!
Green or Greed?
From a correspondent:
“Owl is not the only one to shine a light into the darkest corners of East Devon and keep an eye on local issues, with last night’s BBC Inside Out programme investigating the reality behind the ‘green’ credentials of local anaerobic digesters by focussing on the sizeable expansion of digester developments attached to Enfield Farm, Clyst St Mary and Menchine Farm, Nomansland, Tiverton.
Regrettably, the finest technological innovations that could benefit our local districts and, indeed, our entire planet can be corrupted for short term financial gain by the few! There is, no doubt, that environmentally-sound, sustainable waste to energy systems have the potential to be beneficial but such eco-friendly practices must be governed by the law and flouting local planning conditions specifically in place to protect the environment and local people is both intolerable and insupportable.
The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is a Parliamentary Law in place to regulate the development of land and is not to be manipulated, abused and interpreted by developers seeking to achieve huge profits under the guise of conforming to national and international renewable energy targets. Non-recognition of authority and controlling systems is the definition of anarchy – none of us are above the law!
Although the Planning Permitted Development Rights have recently been extended in 2019 to achieve greater flexibility and speed up planning delivery processes, none of us envisage a carte blanche approach, where we can all ignore planning laws and embark on building high-rise blocks of flats in our gardens, whilst justifying their existence through Government housing needs figures!”
“Housing minister Esther McVey mocked for saying ‘3D architects’ are now building homes ‘on computers’ “
“Housing minister Esther McVey has faced widespread ridicule on social media after she praised “new” methods of home building at the Conservative Party conference.
Addressing crowds at an event in Manchester titled ‘Are We Solving the Housing Crisis?’, Ms McVey spoke excitedly about innovative technologies.
The Minister for Housing and Planning praised a “new way” of doing things, with the potential to draw more young people into construction,
“We’ve got to get more people into construction full stop,” she said.
“But if we have this new way of doing it – 3D architects, 3D visionaries – doing it with it on a computer… there’s a whole new raft of jobs.”
However, as Twitter users were quick to point out, her suggested methods were not, in fact, new.
Architects have been using computers for planning since the 1980s, and a house cannot be built without full dimensions.
In the hours following the self-styled “problem solver’s” suggestions, social media was flooded with mocking or confused comments.
“Esther McVey is telling Tory conference about ‘3D architects’ who are ‘doing it on a computer’. I don’t know much about the process of designing buildings but I thought that was quite normal, especially the 3D element,” wrote one Twitter ‘
Esther McVey just solved the housing crisis. Just make the houses 2D and you can do it all at a fraction of the price! #ConservativeConference2019,” tweeted another.
“Thank goodness I’ll soon be able to leave my 2d house…#EstherMcVey #planegeometry,” commented another.
“Thank god Esther McVey is here to transform house building to make it fit for the 21st century,” tweeted another alongside a movie set scattered with one-sided buildings.
“EXCLUSIVE: Leaked pictures of the architectural designs for Esther McVey’s new home,” added another, with an child-like drawing of a house, done on an Etch a sketch.”
“Families [and developers and speculators] may be able to add two storeys to their home WITHOUT planning permission, under new government reforms”
Oh dear – Daily Fail says “families” will be able to add 2-storey extensions to properties, but what they really mean is “DEVELOPERS, SPECULATORS and BUY TO LET LANDLORDS – oh and families … ”
“Families will be able to add two storeys to their homes without planning permission under reforms to be unveiled today.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick will announce the move in a package of measures tearing up ‘outdated and bureaucratic’ planning laws.
The proposal, affecting owners of detached properties, was first floated by Mr Jenrick’s predecessor Sajid Javid 18 months ago.
It was originally aimed principally at town centres and would have still [have] required light-touch planning approval.
But under the new plans, families will be able to build up to two storeys using permitted development rights – the same system used for small extensions and loft conversions.
The right will be afforded first to purpose-built blocks of flats, but will eventually be rolled out to all detached properties. …”
