NFU Hustings at
Ottery St Mary Cricket Club
Date Wednesday, 27th November 2019
Time 14:00
Hosted by the National Farmers’ Union at Ottery St Mary Cricket Club.
Category Archives: Ottery St Mary
New retirement housing in Ottery – 1 bed flats from £250,000
£250,000 plus service charges, of course.
“… Councillor Giles said: “I was delighted to be invited to the opening of Tumbling Weir Court. I am pleased to see the excellent finished development which will help boost the choice for older people in Ottery St Mary and beyond.”
Ciara Hilley, divisional marketing manager for McCarthy and Stone, added: “We are committed to delivering an exceptional lifestyle and, as such, the development enjoys a prime location with access to a superb selection of local amenities, and the highest specification fixtures and finishes throughout.”
Prices at Tumbling Weir Court currently start from £250,000 for a one bedroom apartment and £299,000 for a two bedroom apartment.”
https://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/new-retirement-living-development-in-ottery-st-mary-1-6318155
All three seats fall to Independents in Ottery St Mary – Paul Carter loses seat
Vicky Johns (Independent) – 1501 ELECTED
Margaret Anne Piper (Conservative) – 245
Geoff Pratt (Independent) – 1044 ELECTED
Harv Sethi (Independent) – 422
Paul Richard Carter (Conservative) – 477
Anne Edwards (Conservative) – 428
Peter Hamilton Faithfull (Independent) – 878 ELECTED
Luke Gray (Labour) – 381
Some Tories don’t appear to know where they live!
It seems some Tory party candidates are not sure where they live. And as they don’t seem to be canvassing in person – just sending their leaflets through the post – there’s no-one able to draw their attention to the problem, so Owl is letting them know …
[Leaflet refers to “Otter St Mary]
Should Ottery have a lottery to repair its roads?
Owl says: isn’t that what road taxes and council payments from central government (also from out taxes) supposed to pay for?
https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/ottery-lottery-1-5964938
[Ottery] “Hospital faces 18 month wait to apply for community status”
“East Devon District Council (EDDC) announced on February 27 that supporters must wait until February 2020 before re-applying for the hospital to be listed as an asset of community value (ACV). When a building is listed as an ACV, the local community has to be informed if it goes up for sale and the public can enact the ‘community right to bid’ which gives them a period of six months to determine if they can raise the finance to purchase the asset.
The initial decision not to list the building as an ACV came in December when Ottery was one of four East Devon hospitals to be nominated. EDDC stated that it did not believe the hospital furthered the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community.
At the council meeting on February 27, Cllr Roger Giles, who also sits on the Ottery Town Council, raised the matter and referenced Southwold Hospital, in Suffolk, which was successfully listed as an ACV, before becoming the first hospital in the country to be bought by the community.
As part of the decision to list it as an ACV, Cllr Giles said the strategic director of WDC stated the owner’s assertion there is no evidence of the community social wellbeing being furthered defied common sense.
Cllr Giles said this is a view shared by many local Ottery residents about their hospital and warned that Ottery and other local community hospitals are at risk because of this perverse decision. He said EDDC is suffering reputational damage as a result of this ‘very regrettable’ decision.
Cllr Ian Thomas, leader of EDDC, said each case is considered on its merits and there had been no new evidence to warrant a review for Ottery.
Last week, leading figures from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and the Northern, Eastern and Western Locality Devon Clinical Commissioning Group attended a discussion to review plans for the building. A statement from the working group said: “A wide-ranging and constructive discussion took place, and a number of tasks were allocated.”
A further meeting will be held in early June.”
https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/ottery-hospital-wait-1-5930495
EDDC CEO is an “expert” on elections (Owl begs to differ)
Owl begs to differ – but the Sidmouth Herald (headline to article: ‘Expert to offer advice to potential election candidates’ seems not to know about his election officer past where he “lost” 6000 voters and had to explain himself (not too well) to a parliamentary committee!
Hopefully, this “expert” will also visit other towns!
“Residents wishing to stand as a candidate for Ottery Town Council, but are unsure about the process and role can speak to an expert tomorrow (Saturday) at the community market.
Ottery Town Council has 11 seats to be contested during the election on May 2.
Mark William’s EDDC’s returning officer will be available to speak to between 9.30am and 12.30pm at The Institute to offer advice and assistance about the role.
An Ottery Town Council spokesman said: “As a local councillor you can become a voice for your community and make a real change. Councillors are community leaders and represent the interests of the communities they serve. If you’re still undecided and feel you require more information before making a final decision, then there is an expert available who should be able to provide you all the answers.”
Ottery Town Council (particularly Councillor Carter) makes itself a laughing stock (again)
Owl says: It is well-known that Councillor Carter (one of the Greendale Carters) has no love for independent councillors!
https://eastdevonwatch.org/2019/02/08/decision-overturned-to-set-up-ottery-hospital-working-group/
From the blog of Independent Councillor Claire Wright:
“Ottery St Mary Town Council revisited the contentious issue of whether it should support setting up a group to ensure the future of Ottery Hospital at yet another fraught meeting on Monday 4 February.
A bit of background information – at the town council meeting on 6 November a similar proposal was agreed by three votes to nil. Subsequently the town council abstainers (who thought that they had won) called for an extraordinary town council meeting to overturn the decision, which took place on 29 November.
Subsequently it became known that two members of the Health and Care Forum had established a limited company whose purpose is unclear.
I still find it hard to believe that a proposal to set up a working group to help retain the hospital, by a councillor – Geoff Pratt, who was asked as to help by the Health and Care Team Chair, has resulted in a bitter row lasting four months.
Our offer of help has been sullied, dragged through the dirt and subject to chicanery by political opponents who appear to be engaging in some kind of strange game of cat and mouse. I have been insulted on social media and mine and the town’s residents continued efforts over the years to retain the hospital and its beds have been rudely ridiculed and dismissed.
Myself and Dr Margaret Hall, who was also subject to unpleasantness, have both pulled out of any potential group as a result. It was difficult to believe the level of vitriol from a minority of people.
On Monday evening the town council finally agreed to meet with the hospital League of Friends Chair, Adrian Rutter, who came across as the voice of reason on Monday evening. However, as soon as the row seemed to abate, Cllr Paul Carter bizarrely decided to reignite it by insinuating that our offer of help was a bid to cause trouble.
One councillor announced that she didn’t think Mr Rutter should be allowed to speak as he hadn’t asked to do so at the beginning of the meeting!
Cllr Carter then accused me of smirking (I was doing anything but smirking!) and the mayor refused to let me respond. I did, however, manage to ask Cllr Carter why he was trying to reignite the row again.
Once again there were raised tempers, including from members of the public. One of whom told me afterwards it was one of the worst town council meetings he had ever attended.
It was not very clear what was agreed, but I believe the town council deferred a decision to establish the working group.”
“Decision overturned to set up Ottery Hospital working group”
What IS going on at Ottery town council? Sounds like a nest of vipers! AND a nest of political chicanery … Who IS it (or who are they) fomenting this silly behaviour – and why? If you can’t work together for the good of the community – should you even be a councillor at all?
“A proposal to create a working group to safeguard Ottery Hospital has been overturned following more heated debate over how to save it.
A motion was submitted on January 24, signed by councillors Glyn Dobson, Ian Holmes, Anne Edwards and Lynn Harding, to re-examine the decision to support or rescind a motion to set up the group.
The proposal was passed in November, with many councillors abstaining due to a lack of information or because they felt it would duplicate the work of the town’s health and care forum.
Residents had their say at an extraordinary meeting on November 29, when a motion was first made to re-examine the motion.
The decision was deferred until February to allow organisations involved in saving the hospital to meet and gather information.
Speaking at Monday’s town council meeting, Councillor Roger Giles, who supported the group, said: “The purpose of the working group was to bring all sorts of organisations and good people together to embrace the skill and expertise and energy of the LOF (League of Friends).
“I really can’t see why we are not doing something – we need to campaign, we need to get as many services as we can in Ottery Hospital.
“Fill it up, get it used to capacity, and ensure its future. That’s the essence of what I am trying to achieve.”
Adrian Rutter, chairman of the hospital League of Friends, said everyone had the same aim but did not share a way of working together.
Mayor Paul Bartlett offered to meet representatives from the health and care forum and League of Friends to discuss any problems between the two groups.
Members voted to rescind the group by five votes to three.
Following the vote, Deputy Mayor Paul Carter said he was ‘disappointed’ members were failing to pull together.
He said: “If you have expertise that can help what’s already happening, why not help and join in?
“I cannot believe we’re all grown-ups down this table and we keep going down different avenues.
“I would very much like, going forward, to try and pull together and look down the same road.”
He added: “We do not need to be going on independent routes to be a collective and a team.
“I always say we’re stronger together.”
EDDC says community hospitals do not contribute to social well-being
“Here is my letter, about Ottery Hospital, which was published in the Sidmouth Herald about ten days ago [from Ottery Hospital campaigner Philip Algar]:
Last August, I asked the Ottery Town Council to request the East Devon District Council to declare the Ottery Hospital to be an asset of community value. Such a designation would have delayed any decision by NHS Properties to sell the hospital.
The request was rejected by EDDC because the hospital was not a community asset.
Unlike swimming pools and pubs, it did not contribute to “social wellbeing”! This is manifest nonsense but there is a more disturbing aspect to this EDDC decision which challenges common sense and justice.
Apparently, there is no precise definition of social wellbeing so any determination must be subjective. This is demonstrated by the fact that three district councils in Devon have granted the status to hospitals in their areas.
This raises some serious questions.
What was different about the request to give the Ottery hospital this designation? EDDC admit that they gave more weight to an NHS objection than they did to the wishes of the people of Ottery and district whom they are supposed to represent.
Why did NHS Properties oppose this proposal whilst other councils granted the desired status to hospitals serving their electors? Who should we blame for having our hospital treated in this way? Is it EDDC for cravenly giving in to the NHS or should it be the NHS itself which may plan to close the hospital entirely and sell the site and so opposes any action that could delay implementing such a decision?”
Ottery Community Hospital – a campaigner speaks on council in-fighting
Text of address to Ottery Town Council by Philip Algar, a long-term campaigner for the Ottery hospital, including its in-patient beds:
“OSMTC 29th NOVEMBER 2018
As an interested member of the public, I have attended almost all the town council meetings over the last few years. During that time, I have seen the councillors confront many issues, some trivial and some serious. However, I have not seen a collective, note the word “collective”, and timely public effort by the council as a whole to support those of us who have been campaigning to save the Ottery hospital. I can think of nothing that is more important to the local people than having access to a well-located modern greatly-valued hospital and this, surely, justifies your collective support. Why has such support been missing?
Whenever the subject of the hospital’s future has been included on the town council agenda, the main speaker, often the only speaker, has been one councillor, who, quite correctly, has said that she does not speak for the council but for a group of which she is a leading member.
As recently as last August, I asked the council to adopt an official and supportive role but nothing happened and, as far as I know, my suggestion that the hospital should become a community asset, which was rejected by EDDC, was not challenged by this council, even although such status has, I am told, been granted to other hospitals. I had suggested in advance that it might be wise to devise a response in anticipation of a negative decision.
All this is why I shall no longer be attending your meetings which will be good news for many of you. Furthermore, the well-intentioned and hard-working unofficial groups have failed to make much progress with the official bodies and, apparently, admit this. That said, it would be helpful if they were more communicative with the public.
Given this lamentable situation, it was hardly surprising that three councillors, backed by a county councillor, suggested setting up a semi-official working group to solve the crisis. Three councillors voted in favour and six, according to the draft minutes of the meeting, abstained.
I was astonished to learn that, allegedly, some councillors construed this as a defeat for the trio. That is breathtaking and worthy of Private Eye. If this is true, it also exposes a level of ignorance that calls into question the competence of those involved. If it is not true, I withdraw this comment immediately.
Now, despite an objective explanation from Dr. Margaret Hall, explaining that, effectively, NHS groups, apparently, will only discuss matters with official groups or those under the aegis of the council, you still chose to organise this meeting, at an unusual time when so many residents are at work. I note the comments that this meeting was planned as councillors were attending a finance meeting. The claim by the abstainers, that they did not have sufficient information, has already been undermined by Dr. Hall’s contribution so why have another meeting?
This, presumably, is an effort to overturn the initial decision on the creation of a working group. The agenda also raises the possibility of supporting a decision that has already been agreed after a vote of three to nil, and which has now been explained by Dr. Hall. I find the possibility that organising a meeting to consider reversing the democratically-taken decision to be a truly ludicrous waste of time and totally unnecessary.
Those who were penalised by the decision to remove inpatient beds and now face the prospect that the hospital may not even become a hub, deserve much more from their councillors.”
End: 29.11.18
Chaos mounts on best way to save Ottery hospital – together or apart
Owl says: what a dreadful thing to make this issue an area for political point-scoring and petty feuds!
“Fighting for the future of Ottery Hospital should be ‘top priority’ says residents as they called for more support and transparency from town councillors.
The council chamber was filled to capacity for an extraordinary meeting re-examining a decision by the town council to support or rescind a motion to set up a hospital working group.
The proposal was passed at the start of the month, with many councillors abstaining as they said they did not have enough information.
Residents speaking at the meeting last Thursday said they felt there was lack of support from the council and were baffled to revisit the decision due to the weight and transparency a working group could show.
Stewart Lucas told members the council contributed hugely to the community but needed to listen to concerns as the town’s population continued to grow.
He said: “I for one believe the protection and the support of our local community hospital is an issue that should be right at the very top of the priorities of the council, and I feel the people of this town deserve to know that is a priority and that their feelings and opinions are valued and taken into consideration and that there is full transparency.”
Last week, health ministers gave firm reassurances the hospital has a ‘sustainable future’ but resident Ian Dowler said there needed to be more than a ‘glimmer of hope’.
Mr Dowler said: “Ottery does need to retain, not just the hospital services that it has at the moment but it needs to expand and utilise the space that’s there.
“With people living longer, Coleridge (Medical Centre) is bursting at the seams. Surely common sense would dictate that an overspill surgery be created at the hospital among other health departments, which would take some of the pressure off the RD&E?
“We need to take affirmative and positive action and no longer rely or applaud these sad and pathetic reasonings that all shall be well. It’s not acceptable.”
Councillors voted to defer making a decision until February to allow organisations involved in saving the hospital to meet and gather information.
Cllr Glyn Dobson said: “We all want to save the hospital, perhaps we want to do it in different ways. The health and care forum is doing a good job, there are five councillors on there and the results have come out this week in the Houses of Parliament that Ottery St Mary Hospital has a good chance of staying open.”
Ottery Town Council has very oddly-timed meeting (2.30 pm, 29 November)on future of its hospital … under very unusual circumstances …
Ottery Town Council is behaving VERY strangely ……….
“An Extraordinary Town Council meeting to ‘re-examine’ a decision to set up a working group to retain Ottery Hospital, will take place next Thursday (29 November) at the unusual time of 2.30pm.
Four councillors – Dobson, Holmes, Gori and Edwards have signed the paperwork required to trigger the meeting, at which councillors will decide to ‘support or rescind’ the decision made earlier this month to set up the working group.
At the Ottery Town Council meeing on Tuesday, a proposal 6 November for a working group to help retain Ottery’s community hospital was approved by three votes to eight abstentions.
Next Thursday’s meeting is convened on the grounds of not having enough information, despite myself, Cllr Geoff Pratt, Roger Giles and Dr Margaret Hall (chair of West Hill Parish Council) explaining at length the proposal.
I’m kind of speechless at the apparent determination of some town councillors to thwart plans to save our hospital.
And I have never known an Ottery Town Council meeting in public to take place in the middle of the day either.
Dr Hall’s letter to Mayor, Paul Bartlett, setting out the background to why there is a need for a working group, was published on this blog earlier this week, here – http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/west_hill_parish_council_chairs_letter_to_ottery_mayor_explaining_working_g
Members of the public are able to make representations at the beginning of next Thursday’s meeting.
If you have a view, please do go along and express it.
If you have no view but wish to attend the meeting, please try and be there.
It will be held at the town council offices, just off The Square.
It is only by seeing the strength of feeling in the town to protect the hospital that councillors may relent and allow this vital work to happen.
Unfortunately, I am in London that day, so will be unable to be there.
The agenda will appear here shortly – http://www.otterystmary-tc.gov.uk/Ottery-St-Mary-Town-Council/Default-24395.aspx
Pic: Over 200 people who attended mine and Cllr Giles meeting in October 2014 when Ottery Hospital’s beds were first threatened.”
Majority of Ottery Town Council remarkably unconcerned about the future of their hospital
From the blog of Claire Wright. It seems remarkable that the abstaining councillors were so similar and united in their views.
“For the first time in many years, I left an Ottery Town Council meeting in pure frustration last night, at councillors arguing against the creation of a working group to help secure the future of Ottery St Mary Hospital.
A straightforward and uncontroversial proposal… or at least, so I thought!
A few weeks ago, I met with Cllr Geoff Pratt (EDDC ward member for Ottery Rural and Ottery Town Councillor), Margaret Hall (retired GP and chair of West Hill Parish Council), Elli Pang (Ottery Town Councillor and chair of the local Health and Care Team Forum) and her colleague, Leigh Edwards.
We discussed the risks facing Ottery St Mary Hospital and the risk of it being sold off for development by NHS Property Services – and how we might move things forward in a productive way.
Currently the hospital is less than 40 per cent occupied and a whopping £200,000 a year rent must be paid to the company, which is wholly owned by the Secretary of State for Health. The rent is mostly covered by NHS England at the moment, with some paid by the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, which runs the services there.
Cllr Pang said at this meeting and at the town council meeting last night that it was difficult to make progress on this for a number of reasons, namely trying unsuccessfully to engage key stakeholders and also having the clout to deal with NHS Property Services, which is well known for the aggressive way it deals with its tenants rents, often increasing the rent suddenly and significantly, without apparently caring whether or not the tenant can actually pay.
At the end of our meeting we agreed to ask Ottery Town Council to agree to setting up a working group specifically to move things forward, which would have the advantage of being part of a legally constituted body and one where other people from other areas could be invited onto it.
I am not a member of Ottery Town Council, I attend as the Devon County Council and to give my report. I asked to contribute to the debate, however, as the subject of the hospital is close to my heart and I have spent many years working to try and protect it and prevent the loss of beds.
As one councillor after another spoke it was clear, apart from Cllrs Geoff Pratt and Roger Giles, that the others were opposed to the working group being created.
Various spurious reasons were cited for being against the working group, including:
-There was already a working group set up (there was not)
-It would be better for such a group to be independent from the town council (it would have more clout and relevance to be part of the town council)
-It was duplication (no, it was building on the work of the Health and Care Team Forum)
-It might close down the Health and Care Team Forum (it would not)
-Our proposal was unclear (it was perfectly clear)
-We were insulting the Health and Care Team Forum (no one did this)
After trying to reason with the town council, and then hear several of them speak afterwards as though I had said nothing, I felt my frustrations boil over.
I couldn’t bear to hear any more utter nonsense on the subject, so I prepared to leave before the vote took place, as I could see which way it was going.
Before I left I told them that there was absolutely no reason whatsoever that the town council should not support the proposal and if Ottery Hospital was sold off to developers in a few years time, that each and every town councillor who voted against the proposal would need to examine their consciences.
After I left Cllr Giles asked for a recorded vote so that the minutes listed the way each councillor voted. This proposal was voted down.
I was informed later that after about an HOUR of debate, the vote took place. The councillors who objected to the working group all abstained, apparently on the assumption that their abstentions would result in the failure of the proposal. Instead the vote was carried with eight abstentions and three votes in favour. This was met with much debate and disbelief.
Several then councillors asked that it be recorded in the minutes that they abstained because the proposal was unclear.
On the way out I slammed the glass door, which I am told this morning, resulted in the glass fracturing. This is regrettable.
I have agreed to reimburse the council for the replacement glass, which will need to be in instalments.
A councillor (I am not clear who as the message was relayed by the clerk) has demanded I apologise for “storming out of the meeting.”
My reply was: “I will apologise when those town councillors who sought to obstruct the safeguarding of Ottery Hospital by arguing against setting up the working group and abstaining in the vote, apologise to the residents of Ottery.”
I now look forward to the first meeting and getting on with trying to safeguard our hospital.
Voting in favour of the working group were: Roger Giles, Geoff Pratt and Peter Faithfull.
Those abstaining were: Anne Edwards, Elli Pang, Paul Bartlett, Ian Holmes, Josefina Gori, Lyn Harding, Paul Carter and Glyn Dobson.”
Hospitals should not be used as “weapons”
Here are some images of a few of the responses in the Sidmouth Herald to Hugo Swire after his claims that campaigners for Ottery St Mary Hospital are “anti-Tory” and have “weaponised” their campaign (click on images for better view):
The “army” “weaponising” Ottery Hospital!
A few of the “weaponised army” at Ottery Hospital – the strapline picture from the blog of tireless health campaignet Claire Wright – the picture shows 2 children, a dozen ladies of a certain age and two mem. Can anyone see any weapons! Do placards and peaceful protest constitute weaponising?
Added to which, Claire Wright looks distinctly unarmed!
or perhaps this is more appropriate:
or this:
and remember, Swire signed up to this:
Swire accuses Ottery hospital campaigners of “weaponising” their cause
In an extraordinary rant – no cancel that, Swire seems to be ranting much of the time these days so it isn’t at all extraordinary! – Swire accuses those campaigning for the retention of beds (gone)and services (some) remaining of “weaponising” Ottery St Mary hospital. By implication, he appears to include his arch-enemy, Claire Wright in this “weaponisation” (aka peaceful campaigning).
In a recent Exmouth Journal article (which they will presumably allow campaigners to respond to as a right to reply) he says:
“Regrettably, Ottery Hospital has been weaponised by an anti-Tory coalition for nigh on ten years with them telling a naturally alarmed local community that it will be sold off or closed. I have spent 10 years trying to counter this scaremongering. … “
He then goes on to puff up his recent visit to Ottery – well what do tou call a hospital with no beds? – let’s say “closed community bed building” with the new Secretary of State for Health, when said Secretary refused to meet tireless campaigner Claire Wright and other local people who are keeping up the pressure on him and his mates – though rumour has it that Sarah Randall-Johnson was somewhere in his vicinity. You know, the woman who thinks her DCC committee has no need to scrutinise these changes.
SWIRE MAKES NO MENTION OF THE FACT THAT THE MINOR INJURIES UNIT AND ALL INPATIENT BEDS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CLOSED AT THE HOSPITAL DURING THIS SO-CALLED 10 YEARS!!!!!!!
He says we must look to the future not back at the past and see how our changing needs can be met.
Owl has a suggestion: with the ageing population in East Devon how about a Minor Injuries Unit and Community Hospital beds?
Report that Randall-Johnson was with Swire and Minister of Health at Ottery St Mary
“If you thought Health Secretary Matt Hancock was a safe pair of hands for the NHS after Jeremy Hunt think again. Comedy antics ensued when the Hancock turned up at Ottery hospital. First he hid, then he hurried.
Matt may well have been doing a favour for a rich mate, East Devon money-bags MP Hugo Swire, but at what price, making him appear a hapless lacky to East Devon’s Tory elite.
Hugo by-passed the Department of Health to take Matt hospital surfing. They went to Budleigh Salterton Hospital, before popping into in Ottery.
East Devon Councillor and Devon County Council Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee Councillor Claire Wright was on hand, along with some residents, to ask the Health Secretary some questions.
Unfortunately, he was holed up solely with a number of East Devon Tories, including Sara Randall Johnson, chair of the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee. East Devon MP, Mr Swire and his aides were also present.
Have a read of Claire’s account. It certainly seems weird, so does the behaviour of the communication people of the NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Group.
‘Why was he so frightened about talking to a dozen residents, and the local county councillor?’ asks Claire.
‘I had been quite encouraged that he was visiting the hospital and wanted to hear from him that he will protect Ottery’s and other hospitals. After all, Mr Hancock commands the NHS and also NHS Property Services, which now owns many hospital buildings in the area.
‘They are all at risk of possible closure and sell-off due to the lack of funding available to pay the enormous rents NHS Property Services demands.
‘But his cowardly escape bid simply gave the impression of a man who does not wish to be even remotely accountable.’
But that’s not all. Here’s the response of an East Devon constituent, as posted by Channel 5 News Health Correspondent Catherine Jones (check out the picture).
[There follow many hilarious comments on Swire’s justification for his actions and a You Tube video of Hancock doing a karaoke version of “Can’t Stop Me Now]
“Poorest to be worst hit by a cashless society, warns Which?”
Lyme Regis hit the headlines last week when it became yet another bank-less town. In East Devon we already have Ottery St Mary and Budleigh Salterton without banks, with surely others to follow.
“Lower-income households and older generations will be hardest hit by bank branch and ATM closures that threaten their vital access to cash, as these groups use cash more frequently than average, new research from Which? reveals.
More than three quarters (78%) of consumers in the two lowest income households groups rely on cash, using it at least two or three times a week. This group are less likely than average to use a credit or debit card – in fact, just over a quarter (26%) never use card payments.
Cash usage is high among over-65s – the group perhaps most at risk of social exclusion when bank branches and ATMs disappear – with four in five (80%) reliant on cash, using it at least two to three times a week.
The findings come amid concerns that consumers’ access to cash is under threat, due to a severe reduction in bank branches on Britain’s high streets and changes to the funding model of ATMs that is seeing 250 disappear every month.”
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/10/poorest-to-be-worst-hit-by-a-cashless-society-warns-which/ – Which?
The mysterious case of the missing speeding Health Secretary video!
“WHY DID ITV DELETE THE FILM OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S CAR SPEEDING THROUGH OTTERY HOSPITAL CAR PARK?
ITV’s short clip of Matt Hancock, Health Secretary’s ministerial blue-lighted car travelling at speed through Ottery Hospital’s car park, was deleted yesterday afternoon, less than 24 hours after it was posted.
Given that the video, which was in the process of going viral, must have dismayed both Mr Swire and Mr Hancock, my suspicions are directed firmly at these two.
I will be interested to hear from the two politicians whether they played a role in removing the embarrassing footage.
The tweet in question from political correspondent, Nick Smith, also confirmed that Mr Hancock’s black jaguar, using its security alert blue lights, appeared to be fleeing the apparently terrifying prospect of talking to me and around a dozen peaceable looking residents….
Here’s the video of the ministerial car speeding away after trying to shake us off…
For more detail see…
http://www.claire-wright.org/…/why_has_itv_deleted_the_film…
East Devon Watch 