Eight out of ten low income households in the South West are seeing no sign of improving finances, a study has revealed.
A new survey commissioned by the national charity Turn2us has found that, despite a recovering economy, 80% of low income households across the South West of England have seen no sign of their financial situation improving. …
In today’s Observer leader, Tim Montgomerie, co-founder of lobby group The Good Right is quoted as saying his party is “going through an identity crisis with its association with individualism, cronyism and big business and “survival of the fittest”.
American philosopher Michael Sandel is also quoted: “Who does the economy serve?” he asks and “welcomes more discussion on morality in politics and public discourse”.
Well, there is plenty of talk in East Devon about Big Business, cronyism and morality in public life!
The following town and parish councils WILL have elections in May 2015 there being more nominees than seats:
Axminster Town, Budleigh Salterton, Clyst St George, Dalwood, Exmouth Brixington, Exmouth Halsdon, Exmouth Town, Exmouth Witycombe Raleigh, Gittisham Village, Honiton St Michaels, Honiton St Pauls, Kimington, Lympstone, Membury, Offwell, Ottery St Mary (Tipton St John), Plymtree, Seaton, Sidmouth North, Sidmouth Primley, Sidmouth West, Stockland, Yarcombe.
The following councils will not face election run offs either because they have the same number of councillors as seats, or too few people have put themselves forward for nomination, so all will be returned uncontested. In some cases, too few people have put themselves forward and there will need to be co-option, or failing that, further elections.
All Saints, Awliscombe, Axminster (Raymonds Hill), Axminster Weycroft, Axmouth, Alyesbeare, Beer, Bicton, Brampton Speke, Branscombe, Broadclyst, Braodham, Buckerell, Chardstock, Clyst Honiton, Clyst Hydon, Clyst St Mary, Colaton Raleigh, Colyton, Combpyne/Rousden, Cotleigh, Cranbrook, Dunkeswell, East Budleigh, Exmouth Littleham, Farway, Feniton, Gittisham kVale, Hawkchurch, Luppitt, Monkton, Musbury, Newton Poppleford (Harpford), Newton Poppleford (Venn Ottery), Northleigh, Otterton, Ottery St Mary North, Ottery St Mary Town, Ottery St Mary West Hill, Payhembury, Poltimore, Rowe, Rockbeare, Shute and Whitford, Sidmouth East, Sidmouth Salcombe Regis, Sidmouth Sidbury, Sidmouth Village, Sidmouth South, Southleigh, Sowton, Stoke Canon, Talaton, Uplyme, Upottery, Upton Pyne, Whimple, Widworthy, Woodbury Exton, Woodbury Woodbury Salterton, Woodbury Woodbury.
Is your MP a Tory or Lib Dem? Want to know what they’ve been doing in your name for the last five years?
See if they have a parliamentary record worth defending — or one they’d rather you didn’t know…
This is what happened when Hugo Swire’s name was input:
From a correspondent:
Oxford University researchers have discovered the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (symbol=Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called pillocks. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.
A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2 to 6 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganisation in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.
In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganisation will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.
This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as a critical morass. When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium (symbol=Ad), an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium, since it has half as many pillocks but twice as many morons.
St Francis Church Hall , Wallbrook Road (opposite Lidl, adjacent to the school) at 8 pm
The independence of chief inspectors in areas like prisons and the border force could be threatened by the way they are selected and budgets are set, MPs say.
Administration of the five inspectorates in the justice and home affairs sectors is done by ministers in charge of those areas.
The Public Accounts Committee said there was a risk government departments “could use these controls… as levers to influence” the inspectorates.
It wants a review of the arrangements. …
… It said the Ministry of Justice “mishandled an entirely foreseeable conflict of interest” by appointing former Chief Inspector of Probation Paul McDowell in February 2014, because his wife held a senior post in a private provider which later successfully bid for six contracts.
A MoJ spokesman said: “At the time of his appointment, Mr McDowell’s position was fully reasonable with all the appropriate pre-appointment processes properly followed.”
He said the MoJ would liaise with the Justice Select Committee about the arrangements for the appointment of a new chief inspector of probation.
The PAC report questioned a January 2014 change allowing the home secretary to decide when to issue the border inspector reports, saying this undermined the inspectorate’s independence and had resulted in publication delays.
Here is an article about (current) EDDC leader taking about the increase in housing numbers for the district:
and here is one Devon company’s view on this “high frowth” in the same article:
“Devon isn’t all just beautiful beaches and tourist attractions though – any potential tenants looking to move to Devon will want to see how modern and contemporary the area is. This new housing is perfectly set to frame how modern and contemporary life in Devon is. Savvy property developers will be looking to install luxury bathrooms and luxury items such as illuminated mirrors into these new houses in order to increase the asking price.”
Rock superstar Brian May declared today that “no vote is wasted, no seat is safe”, as he launched a campaign aimed at encouraging people to vote.
His Common Decency initiative aims to undermine safe parliamentary seats by persuading voters to back “decent” candidates, rather than parties.
“I have a very poor opinion of what this Coalition has done in this country and I think they have turned their back on the public and turned their back on ordinary voters.
“Things like the whip system – I don’t think most people realise their MP is in the House of Commons in the bar while the debate goes on and he then runs in and votes according to what he’s told to do by the whip.
“That is where democracy stops; in my mind, we need to aim for a complete reform of the House of Commons.
“What we have is a serial dictatorship, we do not have a democracy.”
East Devon is heavily reliant on Tesco stores as they are the most prominent supermarket in most of our towns. News of multi-billion pound law suit against the company by some very hard-hitters is not good:
“The Chancellor used his Budget to underline £7 billion being spent on transport in the region, and said a new rail contract will bring “new Inter-city Express trains and greatly improved rail services”.
But it later emerged Mr Osborne was only referring to existing discussions over awarding the Great Western franchise to First Group, which is scheduled to take place in 2019.
The Budget “red book” referred to “shortly setting out details” of a new deal, which would include “more frequent services and faster journey times” as well as new express trains.
It was already known that from 2017 the first of 50 new sets of modern high-speed trains will start running on the Great Western line as part of a £4.5 billion Government investment. However, none will travel on the “second” line from London to Penzance via Plymouth, but only the route to Bristol and Wales.
The new diesel-electric hybrid trains can not get to the peninsula, where not an inch of track is electrified, chiefly because they are not powerful enough to mount the hilly terrain.”
Presumably we are the Much Too Far Far South West!
Who obviously based his fictitious world on “Greater Exeter” – a flat disc balanced on the back of four elephants (East Devon, Exeter, Teignbridge and Mid-Devon) themselves balanced on a giant turtle (Devon) with a crazy capital called Ankh-Morpork (Exeter) – where only the City Watch (East Devon Watch) was able to keep a semblance of order and call the baddies to account!
“It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it”.
Naming no names, but have some of them heard there will be local elections in May? Some obviously have and are closely covering the issues and the candidates. Others? Newspapers are supposed to cover NEWS. Are elections not news?
The (unofficial) newspaper “purdah” period will start in early April, when newspapers voluntarily agree to keep election information unbiased and balanced.
This is similar to, but not the same as local authority purdah when councils avoid controversial decisions which would bind the next council. Hence the undue haste for the decision on Knowle relocation. The majority party (Conservative) dare not risk leaving it to the next council to decide – even though they will be bound to the decisions and costings. Maybe they know something we don’t … nothing new there!
But, with some newspapers, we really won’t notice the difference.
Thank heaven for bloggers!
Huffington Post UK:
“[Jackob] Rees-Mogg said that unlike in 2010, the three main parties no longer represent 90% of the electorate, instead “the 90 per cent figure is made up by a whole swathe of parties, which is what the prime minister has agreed to do.” He said that the proposed head-to-head between Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband would only cover “about 60 per cent of the vote,” adding that Britain is no longer a two-party system.”
A comment on a previous post:
“Are any of our MPs worth £68k (plus all their expenses of course)??
From IPSA MP salary from April 2014 is £67,060 plus up to £36,465 in living expenses (e.g. for maintaining a second home) plus £159,950 for running their office (i.e. sometimes with salaries paid to members of their families such as husbands or wives).
If they are members or chairs of select committees they can earn a further £14,876. Or if you are a minister you can earn between £89,435 and £134,565 extra.
So that means that Hugo Swire gets a tad under £200,000 payments for himself (inc. living expenses) and a further c. £160,000 to run his MP’s office – so he costs us £360,000.
So the question I would ask is whether Hugo Swire is worth £360,000 per year?”
Details here- including Exmouth and Woodbury Common. No, developers, no, not luxury houses with their own reservoir or water tower!
http://www.bradleys-estate-agents.co.uk/properties/sales/tag-south-west-water
