Walking and cycling schemes across Devon have received millions of pounds of cash to help them come to life. A number of priority active travel projects in Exeter, Newton Abbot, North Devon and Torridge will be supported with the funding to enable and encourage more people to walk and cycle.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

Devon County Council is receiving just over £2 million of active travel funding from the Department for Transport. Plymouth City Council has been granted £2.5 million and Torbay £250,000.

In Exeter, £200,000 will go towards road layout enhancements in Queen Street and Iron Bridge which recently got underway. This scheme will ensure that the changes introduced during the pandemic to provide more space and improve safety for walkers and cyclists are made permanent.

Around £400,000 of funding will be used to upgrade walking and cycling links in Wonford, Exeter. This will include the construction of a bi-directional cycleway and pedestrian/cycle crossings on Rifford Road, which will form part of the E12 North-South strategic cycle route.

Work will also be carried out to design schemes to improve connections between the proposed Rifford Road cycleway and existing walking and cycling facilities.

Over £900,000 will help complete a section of the Tarka Trail between Ilfracombe and Braunton, delivering a key missing link of the trail near Willingcott Valley Holiday Village and on Nethercott Road, as well as enabling design development for other sections.

A zebra crossing will be constructed on Richmond Road in Appledore, near the Kingsley Avenue junction. This will support children, parents and staff walking to Appledore Primary School, as well as people visiting Anchor Park.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “This is very welcome funding towards the development and construction of a number of important active travel schemes. All of these schemes will provide benefits for health and wellbeing, as well as helping people to access education, employment and leisure facilities. We want to enable and encourage more people in Devon to walk and cycle, while also creating more attractive environments in town and city centres.”

In Torbay, the grant will deliver a new crossing at Shiphay Lane as part of a hospital trail, but the council has expressed its disappointment that other schemes it applied for – a ramp to improve access at Rainbow Drive and funds for developing further designs for the wider network – have not been awarded funding.

Cllr David Thomas, the new Conservative leader of the council, said: “We are delighted that Torbay has been successful in applying for a share of national funding from the government’s latest tranche of the active travel fund and this means that work can start on delivering safer roads for all users in that area, and provide the connection across Shiphay Lane to make walking, cycling and wheeling a real choice for residents in the area.

“However, we know from consultation with the local community that we also need a ramp and other accessibility improvements. We are disappointed not to have been given the funding and officers will meet with government to discuss other opportunities. Ultimately, we want the Hospital Trail delivered in full.”

Funding has also been awarded towards the controversial plans for Queen Street in Newton Abbot to undergo improvements to support walking and cycling. This scheme will include footway widening, improved crossing facilities and greening and seating to improve the local environment.

Changes are also proposed to parking and vehicular access arrangements, to facilitate the improvements and reduce traffic noise and pollution, with £500,000 of funding awarded to complement Future High Streets funding.

But last year, two thirds of businesses in Newton Abbot’s main shopping street came out against plans for pedestrianisation. Only public transport vehicles, disabled drivers and delivery lorries getting access to a restricted loading bay would be allowed through into Queen Street if the scheme goes ahead.

Officers at County Hall, working with counterparts at Teignbridge District Council, said widening pavements and reducing on-street parking by 55 per cent would create “a package of pedestrian and public realm enhancements”. The work would be supported by the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, designed to enable economic recovery.

But the plans have proven controversial and unpopular in some quarters. Newton Abbot Town Council is resisting plans that would reduce parking and banish most traffic from Queen Street, saying it is worried about the impact on shops and businesses. Councillors from the South Devon Alliance have provided a survey that shows the scale of opposition to the proposals. They attempted to speak to all 66 businesses that operate in and around Queen Street to get their views on the plans.

Of them, 43 openly stated they were against the proposals. Only six were in favour of the scheme, with seven undecided at this stage. A further ten had no-one who wished to comment or were closed when the surveys were carried out.

The Newton Abbot scheme will be subject to approval by councillors. The next meeting of the Teignbridge Highways and Traffic Orders Committee which will determine the fate of the plans is scheduled for Thursday, June 1 – although the agenda will not come out until later this week.

This latest grant from the Active Travel Fund is in addition to the £580,000 secured from the Active Travel Capability Fund 2022/23, and follows previous successful bids for nearly £3 million from earlier rounds of the Active Travel Fund.

Watch this space!

Anti-sewage campaigners at Scarborough’s South Bay were forced to protest outside of the water on Saturday, due to poor water quality at the popular bathing spot.

Nick Ferris www.independent.co.uk 

The campaigners were taking part in a nationwide protest organised by the charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), which saw thousands join protests at 12 of the UK’s most popular beaches.

“We protested about dirty water, but could not go in the water because the water was too dirty,” said Steve Crawford, the Scarborough protest organiser.

“We went to one of the most prestigious beaches in Yorkshire, on one of the hottest days of the year so far, and we were told we could not go into the water.

“We had people coming from Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and they arrived at the beach to be told they cannot go into the water.”

Crawford said that signs had been up for the past two weeks advising people not to swim in the water.

The 54-year-old has been forced to shut the surf shop he has owned on the beach for the past 17 years during that time. “Since 6 May I have not been able to work,” he said.

Elsewhere in the UK, SAS said that thousands of paddle-boarders, kayakers, swimmers and paddlers took part in the action.

Organisers described an “awesome turnout” at Brighton Beach, where hundreds of people took to the sea in the 20C heat.

Other locations staging protests include Falmouth and Gyllyngvase beaches in Cornwall, South Bay in Scarborough, Portobello Beach in Edinburgh, Penarth Pier Pavilion in South Wales and Tinside Beach East, Plymouth Hoe.

The Brighton protest also featured the world’s first-ever surfboard made from a mixture of raw sewage and resin, called The Floater, which featured two transparent windows where brown sewage water is visible.

“The public at large are sick and tired of greed taking precedence over the health of our ocean”, said SAS campaign manager Izzy Ross.

“Last year, 12 water companies paid out a combined £1bn to shareholders while relentlessly polluting UK waterways with sewage nearly 400,000 times.

“These mass paddle-out protests across the country are about holding polluters to account.

“We will not tolerate their shameless exploitation of our blue spaces any longer.”

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Tweeted: “Congrats to @sascampaigns‘s protest on #Brighton beach this morning. Southern Water dumped sewage into Sussex’s waterways *16,000* times last year”.

SAS is calling for a 90 per cent reduction in sewage discharges by 2030, and for all UK bathing spots to be protected.

A recent SAS survey showed that trust in water companies was at 21 per cent among UK adults and that 85 per cent of people supported a ban on bonuses for CEOs of companies that failed to meet environmental standards.

Research by the charity also shows that 12 UK water companies paid out a combined £1 billion to shareholders in 2022.

The protests come as Environment Agency data revealed in March that in 2022 there were 301,091 sewage discharges in England, 14,008 in Scotland and 74,066 in Wales.

“The figures are shocking, the transparency is questionable, and the accountability is non-existent. It’s a broken system and we’re sick of it”, said SAS at the time of the data release.

Earlier this week, industry body Water UK apologised for the sewage discharges and announced a £10bn plan to reduce the number of sewage discharges into UK waterways. But it warned that water bills would likely rise to cover the cost, with one water firm, Anglian Water, predicting the average customer would pay up to £91 extra a year until the end of the decade.

SAS is also urging people to sign a petition calling for an “end to water companies profiting while they’re polluting”. It has so far gained more than 114,000 signatures.

Labour faces accusations of overcentralised meddling after the party’s national executive vetoed planned coalitions with the Liberal Democrats or Greens in a series of formerly Conservative-held local authorities.

East Devon has been, and hopefully will continue to be, an example of progressive politics in action.

Described as “chaos” by non-progressive Tories.

To be decided at the Annual Council on Wednesday, 24th May, 2023, 6.00 pm – Owl

Peter Walker www.theguardian.com 

While it is longstanding Labour policy that local parties need a green light from the national executive committee (NEC) before forming coalitions, some activists say attempts to block deals risk allowing Conservatives to regain control instead.

In one council, Hertsmere, just north of London, where the Tories lost power for the first time since 1999 in this month’s elections, Labour councillors are threatening to sit as independents if the NEC continues to veto a deal with the Lib Dems.

“This has been a Tory area for the last 24 years, and we’ve worked so hard to change that,” one local Labour source in the Hertfordshire district said. “It’s quite insulting now to be told we can’t get the benefits.”

A similar stalemate at Cherwell council in Oxfordshire, where the NEC is refusing to allow the Labour group to govern with the Lib Dems and Greens, has prompted speculation it could end up returning to Tory control.

There have been similar vetoes at two other formerly Conservative-run local authorities that are now in no overall control, Lewes in East Sussex and Canterbury in Kent.

Several local Labour sources told the Guardian they believed the party was being overly rigid and interventionist. It comes after the NEC announced it would appoint the next leader of Birmingham council, following an internal report that said the Labour group was riven by factions.

In a notably positive set of local election results on 4 May, Labour won control of 22 new councils, with a further 12 shifting to no overall control, many having previously been Conservative-run.

Among the latter group was Hertsmere, where from the Tories’ pre-election position of holding 29 of the 39 council seats they plummeted to 16, fewer than the combined total of 14 for Labour and nine Lib Dems. But plans for a Labour-Lib Dem coalition are in deadlock after the NEC vetoed it over apparent claims about a pre-election pact between the parties, something rejected by local Labour sources.

A number of Labour councillors are understood to be considering resigning from the party to sit as independents if the NEC does not back down.

In Cherwell, formerly the last Conservative-run council in Oxfordshire, the Tories’ post-election total of 20 councillors is fewer than the 12 for Labour, 10 Lib Dems and three Greens.

But plans for a coalition are at a stalemate after the NEC refused to allow the local Labour party to sign up to a deal with both the Lib Dems and Greens. A Labour source said the party’s policy was to make pacts with the fewest number of parties needed to form a majority.

The complication in Cherwell is that the Lib Dems and Greens, as well as one independent councillor, are grouped into the so-called Progressive Oxfordshire Alliance, and so will not accept the NEC’s insistence on a Lib Dem-only deal.

A first meeting of the new council removed the existing Tory leader but could not agree a replacement. One council source said that if the NEC did not back down the Conservatives might govern as a minority: “The Tories in charge again isn’t what people voted for, but there has to be an administration at some point.”

In Lewes, the Greens, who became the biggest party after an election in which the Tories were wiped out, say their plans for an all-party administration involving both the Lib Dems and Labour had reached agreement but was blocked by Labour’s NEC.

Labour councillors in Canterbury, where they are the biggest party, have been allowed to govern with the Lib Dems, but the NEC stopped the participation of the Greens.

Neal Lawson, the head of the cross-party campaign group Compass, called for the party to show more flexibility. He said: “No Labour councillors should be blocked from forming anti-Tory alliances. Protecting the interests of local voters must come before party tribalism.”

A South West Water project to reduce drought is to get £1 million from government quango.

Water regulator Ofwat is giving the money from its innovation fund to pay farmers in Devon and Cornwall to create water storage on their land.

“land use changes and the accompanying management practices have been linked to increased erosion and farm-scale runoff, and the degradation of soil structure. Of particular concern are winter practices that leave the soil surface bare or require the use of heavy machinery on the land, and also those actions that increase the surface and subsurface flow connectivity of the landscape, to give pathways for rapid runoff.” (From joint Environment/Defra 2004 study) – Owl

www.radioexe.co.uk 

It is one of 16 projects – and one of five involving South West Water – awarded a share of £40 million from Ofwat in a competition called the Water Breakthrough Challenge.

The project, which will be run by the company along with Westcountry Rivers Trust claims to contribute to better hydrated wetlands, woodlands and fields, and will help farms manage water demand through dry weather and boost biodiversity. 

Farmers will be paid to create ‘water batteries’, storing up water in soil ‘sponges’ as well as ponds and lakes. These stores will recharge during wet weather and can be drawn down during periods of drought, either for use on the farm to reduce demand on the mains supply, or sold to a range of buyers.

Carolyn Cadman, Director of Natural Resources, said: “This exciting project will embed new ways of thinking, valuing and storing water across the South West.

“The project will explore innovative ways of improving resilience to climate change, which we expect will bring more intense rain and more periods of drought. Working in partnership we will test ways in which farmers can capture and store that intense rainfall on their land, either to use themselves or by selling it onto others.”

Dr Laurence Cauldrick, CEO at Westcountry Rivers Trust said: “These ecologically connected and distributive ‘smart ponds’ would enhance water retention on land, charging during the winter, and enabling farmers during times of summer drought to either use the water for on-farm needs, thereby alleviating demand on the mains supply, or to sell to recharge our rivers via water companies adding to the water supply grid.”

The huge scale of damage caused to properties during last week’s flash flooding has been confirmed. Latest figures shared by Devon County Council (DCC) state that initial investigations have found more than 100 properties in Devon suffered internal flooding.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com

For many residents, the misery of the damage caused remains ongoing prompting the council to host drop-in session next week to help those affected by the flooding. Parts of East Devon suffered some of the county’s worst flooding during heavy rainfall on Tuesday, May 5.

Newton Poppleford was the hardest hit by the flash floods with 55 properties affected. Properties were also flooded in a number of other areas including Tipton St John, Colaton Raleigh, Metcombe, Venn Ottery and Exeter.

Although a major clear up operation has taken place, temporary traffic lights remain on two sections of the A3052 at either end of Newton Poppleford. These are on Four Elms Hill, due to a collapse of the road, and on Exeter Road, Newton Poppleford, due to edge subsidence and a dangerous private wall.

DCC, the Environment Agency and East Devon District Council are working in partnership to assess the scale of the damage caused by the flash flooding event. The agencies will all be in attendance at the drop-in session taking place on Tuesday, May 23, at Newton Poppleford Pavilion from 3pm to 7pm.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for Highway Management, said: “I would encourage everyone affected by these flash floods to attend this drop-in session and help provide us with the insight on how events unfolded. We always work closely with other agencies and authorities to hold these sessions and they have always proven to be an effective way of gaining information about flood events.

“It’s vitally important that the local community helps us to understand how they’ve been impacted to see what we can possibly do to reduce their flood risk in future.”

Matt Blythe, East Devon District Council’s assistant director for Environmental Health and Climate Change, added: “Since the extreme weather, staff from East Devon District Council have been supporting those who have been impacted by these extreme weather events. Our team will be present to help with any housing issues or those who may require support from our financial resilience officers.”

Jon Snowden, recovery manager for the Environment Agency, added: “We feel for those who have been flooded; the impact on people and property can be devastating. As the focus now turns to recovery, we will support communities and look at all options to reduce the risk and impact of further flooding.

“It’s an opportunity to ‘build back better’ and ensure any repairs do not encroach further into vital flood storage areas. Please come along to the public-drop in session to discuss how you can minimise your flood risk and further protect your property.”

Earlier this week, DevonLive reported how communities have rallied together in the wake of heavy floods which wreaked havoc on homes, businesses and a school in East Devon. It has prompted calls to improve the area’s flood defences.

The sheer power of the water during the flash floods caused significant damage to people’s homes. Newton Poppleford local Hilary Pinfold said she felt “helpless” as she watched water gush through her garden and into her home, knocking over a wall and a fridge and even moving their car.

She said: “We were just shocked because we just felt helpless because we didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t get our heads round the volume of water and how powerful it was.

“It had the power to move a car, it’s moved my husband’s car in the garage, it’s turned over a fridge-freezer, it’s knocked down two walls in the garage that have just collapsed.

“I just heard my neighbour shouting at one point ‘your outhouse is going’ and the outhouse just collapsed. We’re in a bit of a mess.

“We’ve got to have the floors replaced because we don’t know if water’s gone under the house. We’ve lost a hell of a lot of stuff as well.”

She described the community effort to help those affected as “absolutely brilliant” as people came together to clean up the village. Local pub The Cannon Inn on Newton Poppleford High Street even jumped in to act as a temporary fire station.

Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, said earlier this week he has spoken to residents as well as school leaders at Tipton St John Primary School who fear that this could happen again. He says he has called on the Environment Agency, Devon County Council, East Devon District Council and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to address a range of issues including blocked drains and damaged road surfaces.

Mr Jupp said: “I want to put on record my huge thanks to the staff from local councils and various organisations, as well as selfless residents and volunteers, who have been supporting those impacted by the terrible flash floods which occurred last week. It was heart-breaking to see the damage and I will do what I can to help.

“With over 60 homes flooded and Tipton St John Primary School severely damaged, I am pursuing a comprehensive multi-agency response to provide support and a plan for the future. That is what residents deserve.”

Anyone who would like more information should email floodrisk@devon.gov.uk For other useful contact details and answers to FAQs visit East Devon District Council’s webpages.

Session to be held on Tuesday

People who were affected by flash floods in East Devon earlier this month are being invited to drop-in session at Newton Poppleford on Tuesday (23 May) from 3 to 7 p.m.

www.radioexe.co.uk

Initial investigations into the scale of the damage caused by the flash floods have found that more than 100 properties in Devon suffered internal flooding. Fifty-five of the properties were in the village. Tipton St John, Colaton Raleigh, Metcombe, Venn Ottery and Exeter were also affected.

Now residents can meet with staff from Devon County Council, the Environment Agency and East Devon District Council, who can offer the following advice.

Environment Agency
– Flood warning service and the event.
– Assets and recovery work.
– Land use management, remedial works and longer-term management.
– Repair works and flood risk activity permitting requirements.
– Waste disposal advice.

Devon County Council
– Flood Team: Production of Flood Investigation Report, Property Flood Resilience, Ordinary Watercourse regulation, consideration of future flood improvements.
– Highways: maintenance and clearance of drainage systems and road surfaces.

East Devon District Council
– Housing issues.
– Waste collection and street cleaning.
– Advice on financial support that may be available.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highway management, said: “I would encourage everyone affected by these flash floods to attend this drop-in session and help provide us with the insight on how events unfolded. We always work closely with other agencies and authorities to hold these sessions and they have always proven to be an effective way of gaining information about flood events. It’s vitally important that the local community helps us to understand how they’ve been impacted to see what we can possibly do to reduce their flood risk in future.”

If this conduct lies within the code, then the code needs changing. – Owl

Donna Jones faced a complaints panel on Friday (May 19).

She stood accused of breaking the code of conduct and oath of impartiality by endorsing candidates in north Hampshire in this month’s elections.

Natalia Forero www.portsmouth.co.uk 

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Panel Complaints Sub-Committee received three complaints on April 11 from three individuals who wanted to remain anonymous, against the commissioner.

They took exception to videos she made during purdah, the pre-election period, when she was campaigning in the Hart district.

The videos played at the crime panel showed Ms Jones supporting Annette Whibley from Crookham East, Spencer Farmer from Hartley Wintney, Roy Fang from Fleet Central and Jennifer Copeland from Hook.

Some comments were: ‘Please, please do support Annette on May 4 in the local elections’, ‘Here in Hart, you will be getting a new police station or a building, which I will buy, which will make sure that we have front counter access for you, the people of this local area’ and ‘Please do support Roy in the local elections’.

Of the four videos, two were posted on Facebook at the ‘Hart Conservative’ profile and Crookham’s profile.

The PCC talked about problems in Hart, such as the specialist operation Op Chromium – set up to tackle unauthorised car meets – anti-social behaviour and the importance of quality CCTV cameras.

The complainants claimed that the PCC had broken the code of conduct and the oath of impartiality required to perform her duty as a public representative.

One complaint said: ‘I am truly outraged that this is allowed to happen and deepens the perception that the police are heavily influenced by politics for their own game. The PCC role should not be a political one.’

Another said: ‘I refer you to the APPC guidance – “Whether or not police and crime commissioners have a particular allegiance to a political party, it is recognised that this is a political role, but in seeking re-election themselves or supporting other individuals seeking election, police and crime commissioners are acting in a personal capacity and should not use their public office to influence the outcome of the PCC Elections”.’

The complainants’ aim was that the PCC remove the social media posts, apologise for the ‘political propaganda’, stop using her office to campaign, and distance themselves from ‘any candidate or party that attempts to use her office/name for their own promotion’.

Peter Baulf, city solicitor and monitoring officer from Portsmouth City Council, said that according to the Code of Conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, there were ‘two potentially legally applicable’ aspects .

‘Point 2.1.4 Act in a manner which could not reasonably be regarded as bringing the office into disrepute. And 2.1.7 Not use resources improperly for political purposes (including party political purposes).’

Mrs Jones sent a letter to the panel to defend herself. This read: ‘I am aware and always cognisant to the duty placed upon me by statute of law, to act impartially when representing the public. It is worth pointing out that I’m not responsible for the publications of others, and the posts included in the complaint are for third-party social media channels and not mine.

‘But in any case, if the post were on my social media channels, this is not a breach of the legislation or the guidance.

‘Finally I have provided for the panel, some examples of images of PCCs from the two political parties represented by PCCs from across the country, campaigning in the last few weeks, supporting their politically aligned colleagues. This information is meant to assure the committee that my activity is normal and in accordance with the law and with the guidance.’

Conservative Cllr Sean Woodward said: ‘We agreed that the code was engaged because she attended as a police and crime commissioner.

‘The police and crime commissioner is elected as a politician; it is a politician. Much like a government minister who will carry on his duty in an impartial fashion, engage with all parties, and then go out and campaign for their own party. It is the same for a council leader, executive member, police and crime commissioner or government minister; that is what they do.

“I don’t think there is evidence whatsoever of any use of the resources for political purposes.’

Labour councillor Tony Jones said: ‘From my perspective, we agree it hasn’t been a breach. I’m not happy with the way it is laid down – [just] as much as if it [were] a Labour crime commissioner or anybody else. But they are politicians trying to promote their people; it might be very biased, but that’s politics, I’m afraid.

‘Therefore, there is nowhere to go. It is not good for the public, in my view, as they might see it from a different perspective.’

The panel resolved that no action would be taken since there was no breach of the code.

Afterwards Mrs Jones said: ‘I am pleased to have been exonerated unanimously by the panel. Unfortunately, as an elected individual, when you’re doing a good job and being effective, you become the focus of attacks from those who don’t support the cause. This has been a clear case of people trying to discredit me as a Police and Crime Commissioner in spite of the overwhelming public support that I have.

‘I will continue to do a good job to make communities safer, working alongside our new chief constable, and place on record my thanks to the panel for coming to the right decision in a timely manner.’

Publicly-elected police and crime commissioners were introduced in 2012. Hampshire’s first was an independent, Simon Hayes, who held the post from 2012 to 2016. He was followed by Conservative Michael Lane up to 2021, and Mrs Jones, a former Tory leader of Portsmouth City Council, has had the role since.

East Devon District Council, (EDDC), wont be cutting some grass verges in the county this summer – to allow wildlife and flowers to grow.

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

Some selected sites across East Devon will be left alone to flourish between April and September These will be signposted. While others will still be maintained to allow for safety, sport, recreation, and amenity purposes.

EDDC say that: “Letting the grass grow at their selected sites means less CO2 emissions caused by mowing, and more habitats for insects and wildlife. Enabling vegetation to flower provides essential nectar for bees and pollinators, aiding nature and biodiversity.”

Future plans will see Streetscene expand the list of re-natured areas further, following consultation with local residents. Machinery has been invested in, that will help to cut and scarify these spaces, transforming them from long grass to wildflower areas in the future.

Tom Wood, Streetscene Operations Manager, said: “I’m delighted that we are expanding the number of areas within our greenspaces that we leave uncut for nature and wildlife during the mowing season. These critical habitats provide nature recovery corridors for insects and pollinators to thrive and survive. Over time we will develop these areas into wildflower meadows, providing stunning displays and boosting biodiversity”

Residents and visitors are encouraged to look out for longer vegetation in East Devon’s greenspaces and see what wildlife they can spot such as the Meadow Brown Butterfly, Blue Tit, and Common Field Grasshopper. Look out for new ‘let it grow’ signs with bees on, which identify nature recovery areas, and for more information, visit our webpages.

Ministers were warned about the dangers of private equity taking over the water industry in a briefing that has been kept secret for 20 years, the Guardian can reveal.

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

Details of the analysis are still being withheld as sewage pollution and the failure of water companies to invest in infrastructure are under national scrutiny.

On Thursday the water industry – after more than three decades running a privatised model – apologised for its failures to properly manage and invest in water, and for the scale of raw sewage discharges that have fuelled huge public anger.

It promised to triple funding in pipes, treatment works and infrastructure over the next decade to £10bn and apologised for polluting beaches and rivers with raw sewage. But all of this will be paid for by increased customer bills.

The report being withheld from publication predicted the state of the privatised water industry today, and warned against private equity being allowed to move into water firms.

It was prepared for the Competition Commission (now the Competition and Markets Authority, CMA) in 2002 and has never been published in full. It should have been released under the 20-year rule last summer, but despite repeated attempts to have it published it is being kept secret.

Today, as private equity dominates ownership of the water sector in England, bringing with it high levels of debt and underinvestment leading to sewage pollution, water shortages and leaks, the author of the report has called for full disclosure of his warning two decades ago.

Chris Goodall, who wrote the report for the Competition Commission investigation into a proposed takeover of Southern Water, said: “My real concern was about the financial structure of the proposed deal. In my view the transaction created an entity which would prove impossible to regulate.

“Large external private equity shareholders would load the company with debt and Ofwat inevitably would lose any regulatory control. For example, it would prove extremely difficult to ensure that water companies invested enough in sewage control.

“This report should be published in full now because it helps to show why the last 20 years of increasing private equity dominance of the water industry has proved so disastrous.”

This year the chief executive of Thames Water, Sarah Bentley, admitted high levels of pollution in rivers were the result of “decades of underinvestment” by the privatised water company. New data from the Financial Times shows the 10 biggest water companies more than doubled their dividend payments to shareholders in 2022 to £1.4bn, despite an outcry over sewage pollution in rivers and a failure to invest in infrastructure.

The CMA said the report, written in September 2002, had been passed for publication. But eight months on from the date it should have been published, it has not been released.

The CMA has warned it would be exempt from releasing the report under freedom of information laws if a request to do so was submitted. The authority said: “Without wanting to prejudge the outcome of any request you may make under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I wanted to refer you to the exemption at s.22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

“This exemption provides that information intended for future publication is exempt from release provided the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in release.”

The economist Dieter Helm has warned that the high levels of debt that the privately owned water companies have leveraged risk the stability of the companies.

Asked by the Guardian why the Goodall report and the full investigation it was part of had not been released under the 20-year rule, the CMA said: “As the statement is now over 20 years old, it has been reviewed by our records management team in line with the above process … however, there are a significant amount of documents which make up this matter which are yet to be reviewed. Further, the CMA, consistent with normal processes, will transfer these records with other records which have reached the 20-year mark and which have also been selected for transfer. This process will be completed over the course of this year.”

Water companies ‘apologise’ to their customers – cartoon

A mystery motorist hunted by highways chiefs after filling in a huge pothole in Cornwall has said the local council should be thanking him.

Emily Atkinson www.independent.co.uk

The unnamed vigilante repairman allegedly spent £1,000 of his own money to fill the 10ft hole with concrete. The crater lies in the middle of a road in Lostwithiel, which has been closed for more than a month to the despair of residents.

The man has since broken his silence, telling MailOnline he is, in fact, an experienced road worker who only had acted in support of his neighbours.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said: “ I thought it was a good thing to do personally. I think I did everybody a favour.

“If anything the council should be thanking me, not hunting me down. I spent the seven hours and £1,000 hiring the equipment and buying materials.”

Days after the hole was filled, the council deployed its own road maintenance team to reinstall the barriers to close off the road once again, saying the work had been done “by persons unknown, without consent”.

Council chiefs then urged residents to turn in the man, but he remains confident he won’t face retribution.

“Why kick up such a fuss? It was open for three days before they put the concrete blocks back. I think the council are just trying to save face now because they’re embarrassed,” he said.

The unnamed man’s actions were subject to widespread acclaim, with former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg among those heaping praise on the guerilla repair operation.

“The bureaucratic state hates being humiliated so resorts to bullying the good citizen,” he wrote on Twitter.

One nearby resident told MailOnline: “The person who filled it is a hero.”

Another compared the mystery man to Sir Rod Stewart, who last year helped fill potholes near his home in Harlow, Essex.

Cornwall Council’s roads repair company Cormac has said the road would now remain closed until 9 June, adding it did not intend to mend it again until it has caught up with a backlog of pothole repairs.

Ahead of this month’s local elections, prime minister Rishi Sunak promised a clampdown on potholes.

On a visit to Darlington, he said new powers would help ensure firms repair roads properly after carrying out works, through more fines and inspections.

Local councillor Colin Martin stands in front of pothole which has closed the road in Lostwithiel

The government also said it was investing more than £5.5bn between 2020 and 2025 in highways maintenance, with an extra £200m to help fix potholes announced in March’s budget.

A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: “There is an ongoing issue with drainage at this site which has led to the deterioration of the road surface. These drainage issues have meant that any surface repairs during the winter have been temporary.

“As we are now moving into warmer and drier weather, Cormac [the maintenance company] can programme in the permanent drainage and surfacing repairs needed at this site.”

I don’t think it is an apology at all. I think it was somebody trying to strategise: “We are going to treat our customers with even more contempt than we’ve ever done before.”

Feargal Sharkey www.thetimes.co.uk 

We’ve paid and provided all the funding needed for the water companies to meet their legal obligations, to build, operate, maintain sewage systems for 30 years. They’ve had all the funding.

They’re now turning around and, even more contemptuously, suggesting that they now want to put up customers’ bills by £10 billion to cover up and pay for their failure. It’s their greed and their bloody profiteering and their own incompetence that’s created the situation.

For me, it seems like this investment clearly hasn’t been approved by [the regulator] Ofwat. So it’s money that doesn’t even exist until it’s approved. It’s £10 billion over seven years. That’s £1.42 billion a year divided between nine main sewage companies. That’s £158.7 million a year.

Let me remind you that between April and September last year, Thames Water declared they had made £493.5 million in profit. The sector still managed to find a way to pay themselves £1.4 billion in dividends last year. So tell me again: is this an apology?

I’ve heard no apology for the billions they’ve made off with [in dividends and profits], the £60 billion worth of debt they’re in. I’ve heard no apology for the absolutely desperate state these rivers are now in because of their actions over the past 30 years. And I see absolutely nothing that actually looks like a plan.

Five of them have now given up their bonuses. Having spent three years dumping 7.5 million hours’ worth of sewage into our rivers, I don’t think you’re entitled to a bonus anyway.

The government, Ofwat and the companies now need to publish the strategy over the next five, ten, 15 years about exactly who’s going to be doing what, who’s going to be held accountable for it, who’s going to deliver it, who’s going to end up paying for it. How much pain the water companies are going to feel? How much are their shareholders going to put up? Who’s going to do something to rein in all of these limited bonuses?

This doesn’t stop until it’s fixed. And it’s a long, long way from being fixed.

It’ll be shown at events throughout the summer.

(Is this one of Alison Hernandez’ ideas? Owl hopes Neil Parish will behave himself!)

Devon and Cornwall Police have revealed the latest addition to their fleet in a bid to spread awareness of rural crime.

Radio Exe News www.radioexe.co.uk

 The tractor is being leant to the force (courtesy: Devon and Cornwall Police)

A tractor has been leant to them by local agricultural and turf dealership Mason Kings and will be at across the region at agricultural shows and other events throughout the summer.

The force says the rural affairs team will use the new vehicle to raise awareness of the support it can give to those who are concerned and effected about issues such as agricultural plant, GPS and livestock theft.

Police constable Clarke Orchard said: “A huge part of our job is to connect to and be visible in our rural and agricultural communities.

“We work with local police neighbourhood teams to tackle rural crime and anti-social behaviour anywhere in our counties.

“Whilst this vehicle won’t be used operationally, it will be seen at various shows across the region, sparking conversations with farmers, highlighting crime prevention strategies, and engaging with those who might not interact with police teams normally.”

The tractor is making its debut at the Devon County Show.

Tory run Devon County is still cutting services to rural communities (and don’t mention the potholes). – Owl

Devon’s mobile library service is to be scrapped because the county council says it can no longer afford to run it.

Philippa Davies www.midweekherald.co.uk

The council currently has four library vehicles, adapted for people with mobility or hearing problems, that visit 374 locations across Devon every month. In East Devon these include Sidford, Salcombe Regis, Beer, East Budleigh, Lympstone, West Hill, Cranbrook, Whimple, Feniton, Offwell and many other communities outside the district’s main towns.

But the vehicles – three of which are 15 years old – have become unreliable and expensive to maintain, and the county council says it cannot afford to replace them.

A consultation on the termination of the service is open until Friday, May 26, but it seems that the decision has already been made and the council is inviting suggestions on how people could access library services without the mobile vehicles.

Devon County Council says there has been a steep fall in the number of people using its mobile libraries – a decrease of 44 per cent in the last 10 years. Its figures show there were more than 161,000 loans from mobile libraries in 2012, with 5,546 active members, compared to around 51,000 loans in 2022 with 3,080 active members.

But Paul Sandy, a regular user of the mobile library service, says these figures are misleading. He has discovered that in 2012 there were eight library vehicles, presumably providing a much fuller service. The reduction to four vans in 2013-14 would have cut the number of users.

He also highlights the county council’s own statement that collectively, its library vehicles were off the road for 670 hours last year, largely because of ‘vehicle issues and maintenance’, making it impossible to provide a reliable service. This would also have reduced user numbers.

Mr Sandy said: “Worryingly, the proposal seems to take no account of the social impact of ending the mobile service, where people in small and often isolated rural communities have a reason to get out of the house to meet once a month. In addition, it is well known that many of those who visit the library borrow books for mobility-impaired or housebound friends, neighbours and relations to read. Thus the ‘active user’ count is certain to be significantly less than the number that benefit from the service.”

He is also concerned that the council does not seem to have looked into other options, such as leasing library vans instead of buying new ones or seeking grants and sponsorship to fund the service.

The county council’s rationale for ending the service, and the consultation document, can be found here:

https://www.devon.gov.uk/haveyoursay/document/mobile-libraries/

Simon Jupp’s recent charm offensive  doesn’t seem to be winning hearts and minds in the farming community. – Owl 

As Devon County Show opens, the county’s farming leaders are asking the Government to do more to support their family farms.

Lisa Young www.southwestfarmer.co.uk 

A recent survey by the NFU showed that confidence levels in the industry are at their lowest level for three years.

The Farmer Confidence Survey found that the main concern for farmers in the region was steep increases in costs of production, with 88 per cent saying they are being negatively affected by price rises of ‘inputs’ like energy, fuel and fertiliser.

Eighty-two per cent said the phasing out of current farming support payments – which were worth £120 million to Devon in 2020 – is negatively impacting their business confidence and 72 per cent highlighted the impact of increased regulation and legislation.

Farmers are hoping to find out more about what the government’s intentions are at the Devon County Show, which begins today at Westpoint near Exeter.

Devon NFU chair Paul Glanvill, a dairy farmer from Woodbury near Exeter said: “Our family farms are a key part of the county’s economy, with food and farming contributing more than £1.7 billion annually.

“As a family we have invested heavily in facilities at our farm, and if we are to encourage the next generation into the agricultural industry then more farmers need to have the confidence to do the same.

“There are many challenges facing us at the moment and we will be asking politicians at the show what they intend to do to help secure the future of such a crucial industry.

“In particular we are still awaiting many details of the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) that is supposed to replace the Basic Payment Scheme, so it is high time we heard more about that.”

The annual survey also found three key factors that would make farmers in the region more willing to invest in the next three years.

They want to see the introduction of a government strategy to avoid them being undercut by food imports from countries with lower production standards, where the carbon footprint caused by food production is much higher than our own.

Farrmers also say they need to see an increase in output prices and a reduction in levels of input price inflation.

Mr Glanvill added that this week’s Farm to Fork food security summit, which saw the NFU and other bodies calling on the government to make sure food security is higher up the policy agenda was a positive step in the right direction, but farmers needed the government to deliver action, not just words.

“We want to see a commitment to maintaining Britain’s food self-sufficiency at 60 per cent whilst avoiding imports that may be causing environmental harm elsewhere in the world, and for supply chains to be made fairer.

“We also need to see Defra and Natural England recognise the role of farmers as custodians of the landscape, and work with us as we seek to enhance the natural environment that it is in all our interests to preserve.”

The NFU marquee will be in its usual position above the main livestock rings at the Devon County Show and NFU president Minette Batters will be there today.

Yesterday’s mea culpa came from Water UK, an umbrella organisation funded by the water companies to represent the water industry as a whole. It was obviously intended as a “pitch rolling” exercise, softening us up to pay a second time for something we have already paid for.

Feargal Sharkey:

“What I am actually hearing is no apology for the fact we have paid them for a service we haven’t got, they are now suggesting we pay them a second time for a service we haven’t had,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“We should have an apology for the suggestion they are going to put bills up by £10bn for their incompetence and their greed. This is nothing to celebrate.”

The detailed industry proposals include:

Resilient Water Supplies. The aim is to reduce the amount of water taken from rivers by reducing leakage from pipes and helping customers to reduce their own storage. New supplies of water will be sourced locally and regionally.

Bill increases £25 for the average bill

Tap quality drinking water. Taking a source to tap investment approach to ensure customers continue to receive high quality water that looks tastes and smells great

Bill increases £15 for the average bill

Controlled and managed drainage Invest in sewer and wastewater network treatment processes. Protect bathing beaches and environmentally important sites as a priority

Bill increases £95 for the average bill

Environmental leaders Improve coastal and river water quality. Increase biodiversity through natural capital solutions, planting trees and restoring peatland. Invest in renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions to reach net zero by 2030

Bill increases £13 for the average bill

Customers and communities to have a great experience every time they interact. By improving performance and being transparent and open. To increase the level of trust.

Bill increases £10 for average bill

The expected cost to the consumer

The current average household combined bill is at present £476

£476 (+£25 +£15 +£95 +£13 +£10) £158 a 33% increase on top of inflation to £634

We await the verdict from:

OFWAT – the regulator; the Government; and at the general election us, the voters.

Here is what Simon Jupp said in March:

……Of course, in a perfect world, we would stop sewage spills completely and immediately. Sadly, that is virtually impossible in the short term; because of the pressure on our water infrastructure, we would risk the collapse of the entire water network, and the eye-watering costs involved mean we would need not just a magic money tree, but a whole forest.

Pledges and apologies will not be enough to clear UK waters of raw sewage

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

Across the country this weekend campaigners will paddle out on their local rivers or beaches to warn water companies they will not put up with another summer of sewage pollution.

No doubt they will be buoyed up by the high-profile mea culpa trumpeted by privatised water companies on Thursday, along with a promise to treble their existing investment in pipes, water treatment works and water storage to £10bn over the next 10 years.

But if Ruth Kelly, the head of the industry body Water UK and one of the architects of this belated change in direction, thinks it will see off any more of these mass protests, she is likely to be disappointed.

Kelly, who is new to the job, reverted to dubious claims about the Victorians as she promised the new investment. “These are 150-year-old pipes, and sewage systems that need to be upgraded,” she said. The Victorian myth has been used for years by water companies as an excuse not to act because the task was just too great.

In fact pipes, sewage and treatment plants mostly date back to the 1970s and 80s. In the more than three decades since water was privatised, there have been many opportunities to invest the necessary money to keep modernising, but as some water bosses now admit, they have instead overseen decades of underinvestment, while taking huge salaries – in one case £3.9m – and paying dividends to shareholders which last year reached £1.4bn.

Within the puff of the announcement carefully placed in friendly media on Thursday by an industry forced into a change of tack, the crux is stark. It is the customer who will be paying for this trebled investment, which water companies should have been carrying out for years to fulfil their legal duties. And it has always been the customer who pays, as the once publicly owned utility has morphed over the decades into a highly complex, opaque financial instrument set up to maximise returns for investors.

Now the customer will be asked to pay even more if the companies are true to their word and triple their investment. This is despite Ofwat having made clear last year that water companies had all the funding needed to carry out all their legal responsibilities, which are to treat sewage and provide clean water, and did not need to raise bills.

Kelly said on Thursday that by and large the water companies had indeed been carrying out their legal duties; a spin which may be one too far for many of those waxing surfboards and blowing up paddleboards before the mass protest on Saturday.

So far have some water companies been from carrying out their legal duties :that six of them are at the centre of a major investigation into suspected illegal activity by Ofwat.

And it was only two years ago that Southern Water was fined a record £90m for illegally dumping billions of litres of raw sewage into protected waters amid a reprimand from the judge for its repeated criminality.

The water activist and former Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey did not have his tongue in his cheek when he suggested on Thursday the water companies should be paying the customers the £10bn in compensation for failing to do their legal duty. And the idea is not so far-fetched, given compensating customers and the environment is built into the regulatory system when companies fail to fulfil their responsibilities.

Behind the grovelling apologies and promises of more money – promises which seem to come once a month as the election looms – there is still a lack of recognition that the public have for years been paying for a service which they did not get. It has taken surfers, swimmers, paddlers and dedicated data detectives such as Prof Peter Hammond to reveal the scale of the water companies’ failures; and with the print still drying on their apology, those guardians of the waters will continue to be watching and holding those responsible to account.