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Developers eye Sidmouth AONB

According to Sidmouth Herald story on their Twitter feed:

Bloor Homes has made a last-ditch bid to see its vision to transform 16 acres of farmland – outside of the town’s A3052 ‘boundary’ – included in a blueprint for the future of East Devon.

The firm has urged a government inspector to include three fields, situated between Sidmouth Garden Centre and Core Hill Road, in the latest draft of the district council’s Local Plan.

And in a separate move, Persimmon has called for its plot west of Woolbrook Road – which could accommodate more than 100 houses and a public transport hub – to be incorporated as well.

A concept layout of the Bloor Homes site submitted to East Devon District Council (EDDC) shows provision for around 100 dwellings – as well as allotments, an orchard and a play area.

The developer has argued that EDDC’s current growth target of 150 homes for Sidmouth over the next 16 years is insufficient to meet the town’s needs.

Consultants acting for the firm say that housing on their site would ‘contribute towards the delivery of much-needed housing for Sidmouth’.

They say failing to provide the right type and quantity of new homes could lead to an ‘imbalanced community’ if young people are forced to look outside of the town for somewhere to live.

The land in question neighbours Sidmouth Garden Centre, but owner of the business Ian Barlow – who has previously championed the idea of an eco-friendly business park on the plot – said the proposed housing scheme was nothing to do with him as he does not own the site.

Mr Barlow said: “I have disagreed, and still disagree with building homes on that side of the road. I think the A3052 would have been a nice boundary to defend the AONB.

“There are other sites in the town that would be much more suitable.”

The submission by Bloor Homes will be considered by planning inspector Anthony Thickett.

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/developer_targets_16_acres_of_aonb_1_4145733?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

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Demonstration against Ottery and Axminster hospital closures

Claire Wright’s blog:

There will be a placard demonstration at

12.30pm on Thursday 16 July,

outside Newcourt Community Centre, Exeter – map here – https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Newcourt+Community+Centre/@50.701755,-3.474879,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xd9a1e2f62015b734

The Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group will meet at 1pm and will take a decision on whether to shut all the beds at Ottery and Axminster Hospitals, moving them to other local hospitals, as well as closing minor injuries units at Axminster, Ottery, Seaton and Sidmouth.

We are not allowed to speak during the meeting, although questions can be submitted in writing to staceyavery@nhs.net

For more see – http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/the_last_battle._d_day_for_ottery_hospital_please_attend_this_meeting

This is our LAST CHANCE to be heard. Please come. And bring your friends. I would be grateful if you would drop me a line at claire@claire-wright.org if you plan on coming. Thanks very much.

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/demonstration_planned_for_last_battle_to_save_east_devon_hospital_beds_and

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The last battle for local hospital services

From the blog of Independent DCC Councillor Claire Wright (Ottery Sy Mary). We assume local MP Hugo Swire will be at the meeting … in our dreams.

The last battle. D-day for Ottery Hospital – please attend this meeting!

The decision on the fate of Ottery St Mary Hospital will be made next Thursday (16 July), and the Northern, Eastern And Western Clinical Commissioning Group (NEW Devon CCG) appear as determined as ever, to close it.

Also at risk across East Devon, are all of Axminster Hospital beds, and minor injuries units at Ottery, Axminster, Sidmouth and Seaton Hospitals.

The CCG’s board papers, published yesterday, argue strongly in favour of closing Ottery Hospital’s beds and minor injuries unit and against any other option, including the recommendations presented by the stakeholder group – a group set up by the CCG in January.

The paper, in my view, has totally misrepresented the stakeholder group’s recommendation on hospital beds, by implying that the group supported “consolidation” as a long-term measure (moving hospital beds out of Ottery and Axminster to other hospitals).

The stakeholder group’s recommendation was that beds should remain at all our community hospitals and a minor injuries service should be retained in each town.

The paper that goes before the CCG’s governing body on Thursday states that the cuts will be implemented immediately once a decision has been made.

The paper acknowledges the significant projected population increase in East Devon over the next few years – over 11 per cent by 2026), but seems to believe that the best way of handling this is to move community hospital beds to other nearby hospitals.

At the last health and wellbeing scrutiny committee meeting on 18 June, the CCG’s update report, scarcely mentioned the work of the stakeholder group, bar a passing reference. Certainly it did not allude to its recommendations, despite the group being established by the CCG in January!

You can view discussions at this meeting here. The speakers names are now included within the webcast – http://www.devoncc.public-i.tv/…/portal/webcast_inte…/159084

I have not been able to find any mention of the CCG’s plans for Ottery Hospital, if the beds and minor injuries unit closes, yet paperwork claims that the stakeholder recommendations will cost an additional £200K. And the savings from closing all the beds at Axminster and Ottery will be £500,000.

The existing 15 bed stroke unit housed at Ottery is set to move to a site in Exeter – probably the RD&E. Ottery is viewed as an interim measure.

One of the stakeholder group’s recommendations included that no changes should take place until integration with a new provider had taken place (a decision about who gets to run local community hospitals – likely to be the RD&E).

But the papers submitted for next Thursday’s meeting tacitly admit that providers have not even been consulted with.
The CCG makes a strong case for its own proposals and dismisses the alternatives.

To view the recommendations turn to page 110 of the papers, in this link –

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Claire/My%20Documents/Downloads/GB%20Pack%20PUBLIC%2016%20July%202015.pdf

The meeting starts at 1pm on Thursday 16 July, at Newcourt Community Centre, Exeter. It is open to the public, but please bear in mind that the relevant agenda item isn’t likely to start until after 3pm.

It is absolutely vital that there is a big public attendance from across East Devon, as this is when the decisions are made.

There is no facility for public speaking unfortunately (I did ask twice but was refused). However, there is the option of submitting questions in advance, in writing.

http://www.claire-wright.org

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Coastal Communities Fund extended for further 5 years

The Coastal Communities Fund, which was launched in 2012, will make £90m in funding available until 2020/2021.
Seaside towns across the UK will be able to bid for a share of the funding.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-33467461

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Seaton Beach Huts meeting: not a happy place for EDDC Councillor Pook

Councillor Pook, Chairman of EDDC’s Asset Management group was given a rough ride in Seaton this afternoon, according to this report from a correspondent:

Cllr Pook Needs Longer Spoon

Cllr Geoff Pook, the only “Independent” on East Devon District Council to refuse to work with the recently strengthened Independent group has been rewarded for this with a seat on the Cabinet by Paul Diviani and his non-whipping bulldog, Councillir Phil Twiss.

But almost immediately Cllr Pook has realised that the temperature under his own cabinet seat has been turned up to boiling point. For reasons best known to himself, Beer councillor Pook has it in his head to lead the charge to offer the district’s beach huts to the highest bidders, a policy his East Devon Tory playmates did not dare put in their manifesto this May.

At Seaton this afternoon, more than a hundred and fifty worried locals gathered to hear him explain himself, with Seaton’s own district councillor, Jim Knight, looking on in silence.

Pook initially made an attempt to defend the ridiculously loaded “survey” on beach huts to the gathering, switching as fast as he then could to a George Osborne-style line that East Devon District Council need to save more than two million pounds in the next four years. Beach huts would not be the only casualty to the Tory cutbacks, he said, but if an auction was not agreed his new chums would find another way to get “best value” from them.

Seaton folk are no fools and asked for some hard financial data on all this. This, said Pook “was being prepared”. The usual EDDC cart-before-horse strategic style.

It was obvious to anyone who has seen EDDC in action that Pook & Co will try to drive this through various committees before bringing it before his Cabinet in early Autumn. By then, without his being defeated by public action, it will be too late, and non-whipmeister Cllr Twiss will be growling from his enforcer’s seat to make sure at Full Council that any waverers on the Tory side put their hands up at the right time.

Meanwhile, back in Seaton, Pook finally realised that his uncosted, ill-considered scheme was being roundly booed by the usually very polite people in the room.. So he waffled that he had only just taken over as chair of EDDC’s Asset Management Committee, but nobody was buying his “I am only obeying orders” defence. The Asset Management committee is one of the most notoriously secretive of all the many hole-in-the-wall arms of the dismal district council. Still, at least none of his Beer constituents can say he is going against his election manifesto. Nobody voted for him; he was unopposed.

What next? Many in the room felt that one answer would be to provide even more beach huts if there is such a waiting list. Another idea is that the town councils take on the beach huts themselves – but be very, very careful with this one. How long before a town council, in Beer perhaps, “struggles” and sells the whole operation off to the private sector ….

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Meetings about sale of beach huts to rich people tomorrow

Tuesday 7 July

In Seaton at 2 pm at Town Hall
https://www.facebook.com/groups/498639013619794/

In Sidmouth at Kennaway House
https://www.visionforsidmouth.org/calendar/2015/july/the-future-of-east-devons-beach-huts.aspx

Selling beach hut leases to highest bidders – meetings in Sidmouth and Seaton

Basically, EDCC wants to give notice to all current beach hut tenants and sell 5 year leases of sites only to highest bidders – local, not local, individual or business or investors.

They have 300 beach huts and a waiting list of 300. No attempt to create more sites – just flogging off current sites (some used by families for decades) to the highest bidder.

Brave New World!

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Beach Huts: where’s the news? It’s not happy-clappy

Spotlight last night featured East Devon beach hut owners up in arms about proposed changes that would see the agreements between hut renters and EDDC torn up in favour of an auction of five year leases of sites only which would go to the highest bidder. There would be no restriction on where new leaseholders would come from. ITV regional news featured this item last week too.

Apparently, Leader Diviani was pictured on an East Devon beach yesterday saying that the idea would be looked at again due to the backlash from local renters which he appears not to have anticipated.

Pulmans View titles has carried articles on this hot topic and mention of two meetings in Sidmouth and Seaton about it.

And the Herald titles? Not a mention in this week’s Midweek Herald. In fact, we must give an award for the most Good News About East Devon to the Midweek Herald. It DID carry an article on industrial estate tenants being kicked off EDDC Heathpark estate to make way for a housing development and an item on SW water polluting the River Axe but the rest of the paper was totally happy-clappy Good News – not even a mention of the new Local Plan public investigations next week.

Whatever happened to investigative journalism and controversial local news? It seems alive and well at the View titles but not in Archant titles.

There were, however, a lot of EDDC official notices at the back of the Archant newspapers though – mostly about planning developments. Indeed, Archant received over 90% of EDDC’s not inconsiderable £200,000 newspaper advertising budget last year.

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Beach Huts

Exmouth beach huts could go to rich under highest bidder plans
(And Beer, Budleigh Salterton, Seaton & Sidmouth)
From: Exeter Express and Echo
By Anita Merritt
Hundreds of families could face losing beach huts they have enjoyed for years under plans to let them to the highest bidder.
East Devon District Council wants to scrap the current system for renting out huts and chalets in Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Beer and Seaton.
Until now they have been hired by people who automatically get to rent them every year until they choose to give them up, when they are offered to those on a waiting list.
Instead, five-year leases on the sought-after huts and sites would in future be offered on the open market to the highest bidder – which could push up prices.
Under the proposed changes, non-domestic rates of up to £90 per year will also be paid by the
occupiers of the beach huts rather than by the council, which currently picks up this charge.
Concerns have been raised that the new system would allow those who can afford it to jump the queue, while pricing out people on lower incomes who have enjoyed using the beach huts for years.
Steve Gazzard, Liberal Democrat councillor for Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh ward, said: “Obviously I am very concerned. The beach huts have always been a vital part of Exmouth seafront. I’m one of those traditionalists where if the system isn’t broken, why change it? It has always appeared to work and it’s quite clear this new proposal is about generating more income, and I think it’s a backwards step.
“The rich will get in there first because they have the money. I don’t know how the council will administer it, but will anyone in the country be able to apply? I think the beach huts should be for local people. Some people do manage to hire them for the holidays which is fine, but I hope once people hear about the proposal they will partake in the consultation and give their views.”
The Tory-controlled district council is responsible for managing and maintaining 237 beach huts, 20 beach chalets and 241 beach hut sites in Budleigh Salterton, Seaton, Beer, Sidmouth and Exmouth. The huts are currently rented out for between £480 and £650 a season, with the Exmouth chalets costing £1,023 a season. Sites hired without huts are cheaper.
More than 300 people are on waiting lists for huts, chalets or sites.
Consultation has begun on the proposed changes, which would take effect next year if approved, with an online questionnaire open until Monday, July 13.
The council has said it is “looking for ways to enable more people to have a chance to lease a beach hut, chalet or beach hut site”.
But it also admitted it wants to generate more income in the face of government funding cuts.
A council spokeswoman said: “We think it is only fair that everyone – from East Devon residents to visitors – should have the opportunity to hire a beach hut, site or chalet. This consultation is a great opportunity for people to give us their views on the service they would like to receive from us.
“It’s time that this special service, which we offer, becomes a viable self-supporting asset and not a burden of luxury. We strongly believe that these changes are for the better.”
The spokeswoman added: “We have a responsibility to make sure that public money is spent in the best way possible. If we can collect more from this enterprise than it costs us to provide it, we can also improve our beach hut, chalet and beach hut site service. Any surplus funds would be re-invested in other council services.”
It is not yet clear how any auction of beach hut leases would work.
On the reasons for the proposed new system, the council has said: “The funding that we receive from Government to run all our services is reducing, so we need to find better ways to use the assets that we have.
“The beach huts, beach chalets and beach hut sites service is not something we have to provide.
However, it is a service that is valued by residents and visitors alike so we would like to keep
providing it.
“Currently some of the costs are absorbed by the local authority (council tax payers). These
expenses include the cost to the council of huts rented in Budleigh Salterton and Seaton being
dismantled by us, stored over each winter and re-erected each spring. We also pay the non-domestic rates of between £21 and £90 a year for each of the 498 beach huts and beach hut sites. We feel it is reasonable that users of the service pay these costs.”
In some locations, the council is proposing other changes. Where sites are leased without huts, it will be up to the person leasing the site to purchase and look after the hut.
The person leasing the site will also have to put up the hut at the beginning of the season and take it down and store it at the end of the season. Contractors are available to do this for about £220.
People leasing the sites that previously housed beach huts will be given the option of purchasing the existing hut for about £250.
An additional 70 beach hut sites are provided through formal leases with individuals, who then operate them as a business. These 70 sites will not be affected by these proposals.
People who already either hire or are on the waiting list to hire a beach hut, beach hut site or beach chalet will receive a copy of the proposals and questionnaire by post.
The questionnaire can be found at:

http://eastdevon.gov.uk/consultation-and-surveys/beach-huts-service/

http://eastdevon.gov.uk/news/2015/05/tell-us-what-you-think-east-devon-asks-public-for-opinion-on-proposed-changes-to-its-beach-huts-service/

The Owl says: Seeing as how quickly this policy has emerged fully fledged so soon after the election it looks like it has long been an EDDC intention. (Didn’t they try to hike the prices up in Budleigh by 50% a couple of years ago?) Don’t remember seeing it on any Tory election pledge!

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Roger Giles (Ind) polls highest vote in District Council elections

We’ve had further feedback from today’s election of East Devon District Councillors, when Independents gained considerable ground. Here are some highlights:

– The voters’ favourite was Roger Giles, the seasoned Independent Councillor for Ottery St Mary Town Ward, with 2087 votes.
– Paul Diviani, Leader of the Council) retained his seat at Yarty. He received 776 votes. But votes against him totalled 795.
– Cabinet member, Ray Bloxham (525 votes) lost in Raleigh Ward to IEDA candidate, Geoff Jung (950 votes).
– IEDA Leader, Ben Ingham successfully held Woodbury & Lympstone, where he and IEDA colleague, Rob Longhurst, defeated David Atkins (Con).
– The most significant cull of Tory Councillors was in Sidmouth, with Independents now in control:
There was a surprise defeat for Graham Troman, who ironically has often stood up alone for Sidmouth, without the backing of the other local councillors.
Stuart Hughes is the sole remaining Conservative, sharing Sidmouth-Sidford with Dawn Manley and Marianne Rixson, both IEDA.
Sidmouth Town Ward is in the hands of Cathy Gardner (IEDA), Matt Booth(IEDA) and John Dyson (Independent).

The Sidmouth Herald reporters were quick to pick this up: http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/election/eddc_independents_oust_tories_in_sidmouth_town_1_4066681

For complete election result information, go to http://eastdevon.gov.uk/elections-and-registering-to-vote/elections-2015/2015-district-council-elections-results/

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EDDC loses its appeal to keep Knowle relocation reports secret, with scathing commentary on Council’s behaviour!

The Judge’s report ends with this REMARKABLE paragraph:

‘ This Tribunal takes the unusual and unfortunate step of commenting on the conduct of the appeal itself.

We are unanimous in our view that this appeal has taken much longer than it should have done and the reason for this seems to be the failure on the part of the public authority, the appellant, to address itself with sufficient attention to the details of what information and documents it was sup- plying to the Commissioner and ultimately also to the Tribunal.

It was not until March 2015 that a fully legible copy of the disputed information was supplied and seemed to be complete. This is, in our collective experience, wholly exceptional and the time spent dealing with what we believe to be five different sets of disputed information is simply not a good use of the Tribunal’s time nor fair, in terms of delay, to the requester.

Correspondence on behalf of the Council, rather than ensuring the Tribunal was assisted in its function, was at times discourteous and unhelpful including the statement that we had the most legible copies possible. A statement, which was clearly inaccurate as subsequently, we have been provided with perfectly legible documents.

We believe this appeal could and should have been dealt with completely at the hearing in August 2014 and the decision promulgated six months ago had the Council discharged its responsibilities properly’.

A press release is due shortly, from Save our Sidmouth.

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Councillor uses Sidmouth Streetlife to propound his views.

from a correspondent (happy to be named as Sandra Semple):

Didn’t Archant promise a purdah period?

Aren’t councillors supposed to show an imprint when they distribute pre-election material?

Under a heading “My Election News” a councillor identified as Peter S makes various political claims:

https://www.streetlife.com/conversation/3kpv1ltvmcvg1/?utm_term=sidmouthherald.co.uk&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=archant

I made a complaint about this in the column (Sandra S) which was removed almost immediately by the newspaper which has allowed other comments to continue (no, actually it refuses to accept my password!)

[Subsequent posts to this make an interesting read as readers take the councillor to task for admitting that he took a decision on incomplete information – his Cabinet having denied other councillors the rightt to see many of the documents that led to their decision – Ed EDW]

Electoral Commission document states:

You must:
• Use imprints on all your campaign material, including websites. See paragraph 1.26 below for more information.

Websites and other electronic material

1.33 You should also put an imprint on electronic material, such as websites and emails. The imprint should include the name and address of the promoter and the organisation on whose behalf it has been produced.

Click to access Part-4-The-campaign-P-and-C.pdf

Is this an appropriate use of the Streetlife ethos (chatting about what is going on in your local community)? And why was my comment censored?

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Meet the candidates, in the comfort of your own home!

Before you vote on 7th May, want to know who’d like to replace the current EDDC, and why? On the http://www.eastdevonalliance.org.uk website, EDW sees that 14 candidates have already taken the brave step of presenting themselves on video.
On each candidates’ page, click on video intro, and scroll down to video just below candidate’s pic. Videos currently available for Paul Arnott (Chair..standing in Coly Valley Ward) ) Ben Ingham (Leader..standing in Woodbury & Lympstone) ), Cathy Gardner (Communications Director..standing in Sidmouth Town) ), Steve Horner (standing against P. Diviani in Yarty), Martin Shaw (Seaton), Megan Armstrong (Exmouth Halsdon), Rob Longhurst (Woodbury & Lympstone),Val Ranger Newton Poppleford), Mark Daugherty (Exmouth Brixington), Marianne Rixson (Sidmouth, Sidford), Les Cotton (Budleigh Salterton) , Dawn Manley (Sidford, Sidford), Matt Coppell (Ottery St Mary Rural), Robert Crick (Exmouth Littleham)….more coming soon (if they can be caught for a few minutes’ filming between leafleting, we’re told!)

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Claire Wright, Cranbrook, General Election, Hugo Swire, Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury, Voting

Final General Electionhustings this week: Sidmouth (Tuesday) Cranbrook (Wednesday)

Final chance to make up your mind or change your mind!

Remember, East Devon Conservatives say it is too close to call – your vote REALLY WILL COUNT this time round!

Sidmouth: Tues. 28 April 2015

VGS General Election Hustings 7.30 pm for 7.50 pm start.

Questions to be submitted in advance to info@visionforsidmouth.org

Cranbrook: Wednesday 29 April 2015

St Martin’s School – opposite Younghayes Centre

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm start 9.30 pm finish

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Sidford – car parking and loss surgery and shops – Herald asks for views

Conversation on Sidmouth Herald website on future of car par in Sidford after loss of doctors surgery and shop closures – development or not?

One commentator says:

“Without the Doctors Surgery will they [EDDC] still charge?”

Another replies:

Lexy’s the hairdresser is on the market…the Post Office is hoping to move into the Spar…The former Butchers is still for sale. Told another shop is on the market……..

These shops could do with their free parking again……”

and Sidmouth Herald responds:

I will ask the council about parking charges as a possible story in the paper. It has also been confirmed that the Lloyds Pharmacy will definitely close in the village (to be relocated to the new surgery premises at Stowford).

I wondered how people feel about another business moving from Sidford? Please get in touch with me on 01392 888504 or eleanor.pipe@archant.co.uk. Thanks, Ellie

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Meet the candidates…if they deign to turn up!!

Town Council hustings tonight in Sidmouth (21 April, 6.00pm -7.30 pm, in Sidmouth College).

Organised by Vision Group for Sidmouth (VgS) http://www.visionforsidmouth.org

Wonder if any of the current councillors will show their mettle and be there to face questions? Only ONE representative came to the crowded VgS District Council hustings last week, with lame excuses for the rest.

Voters’ verdict: Could do better?

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Sidmouth District Council Hustings Wednesday 15 April

Sidmouth: Wednesday 15 April

organised by Vision Group for Sidmouth

District Council Hustings. 7.30 pm for 7.50 start. St Francis Hall, Woolbrook EX10 9XH .

Questions in advance to info@visionforsidmouth.org

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Protest meeting tomorrow at Knowle 3 pm Community Voice on Planning

Many speakers including local prospective parliamentary candidates – see links in Dates for Your Diary for more information.

A Good Day Out! And the more placards the better!

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Sidford business park

Whilst it is true that, at EDDC, it was Councillors Troman (in particular) and Hughes (in general) who helped to get the ridiculous Sidford Fields business park deleted from the draft local plan, it was the constant work of EDA members in Sidford, Sidmouth and beyond, that kept the issue at the forefront of the discussions and publicity that led to the change:

http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/victory_in_fight_to_see_12_acre_sidford_business_park_ditched_1_4020613

The remarks of CEO Mark Williams about that change are mind- blowingly insulting. He said:

“The inspector has already heard everything we have said and is yet to tell us what his view is on that part of the application. He may recommend that this site is not suitable and should be removed. It’s his decision now, not yours.

“It’s your funeral if you want to take it out.”

What he did not add is that, entirely without consultation or reference to any committee, except the Development Management Committee on the day, FIVE extra business parks, closer to Exeter, had been added to the draft recently.

A massive number of changes have been made to the latest draft, yet this one amendment, made by democratic decision in a transparent way, is the only one Mr Williams was worried about.

The Sidford Fields site was added AFTER public consultation on the first draft local plan, with no explanation whatsoever for its inclusion, as noted in a letter in this week’s Sidmouth Herald.

Councillor Mike Allen, in the same article, laid the blame squarely on Councillor Andrew Moulding:

“Cllr Moulding was accused by Cllr Mike Allen of being the person responsible for the allocation’s original inclusion in the plan.

“Cllr Allen said: “There’s no demand, no economic case and it would damage the tourism industry in Sidmouth. There’s no justification for keeping it. Please could we get rid of this site once and for all.”

Anyone making a Freedom of Information request for correspondence or meetings about inclusion/exclusion of the site?

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Meet the Candidates (East Devon PPCs, and for Sidmouth Town and District Council), organised by VGS

Click here for details: VGS hustings poster1.pages

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Sidmouth Streetscene, Easter 2015

A correspondent writes: Streetscene at East Devon District Council are responsible for emptying litter bins and keeping streets and footpaths clear of litter. This is how they dealt with things over the Easter Bank Holiday 2015. Surely our Sidmouth District Councillors should insist that this is better managed?