The leader of East Devon District Coubcil and three other Cabinet members – all previously elected as members of the Independent East Devon Alliance – will stand as Liberal Democrat candidates in the elections on May 4.
Leader of the council Cllr Paul Arnott (Coly Valley); Cabinet member for Tourism, Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nick Hookway (Exmouth Littleham); Cabinet member for Coast, Country and the Environment, Cllr Geoff Jung (Woodbury & Lympstone); and Cabinet member for Climate Action, Councillor Marianne Rixson (Sidmouth Sidford), have announced they will all stand as Liberal Democrats in the upcoming idstirct council election.
They were previously elected as members of the Independent East Devon Alliance and later joined the council’s Democratic Alliance with other party members.
In a joint statement, they said they believed that a Democratic Alliance would provide a “sustainable future” and standing as Lib Dems was a way to help guarantee this.
They commented: “For the last three years, we have been proud to be part of the Democratic Alliance leading the council as Independent, Lib Dem and Green councillors.
“Under this administration, East Devon is the only district council in Devon to balance its books without major borrowing from reserves.
“Together, we led the district through Covid-19, supporting thousands of individuals and businesses. We kept our leisure centres open. We made huge strides in environmental protection, from new projects to sea defences, and created new economic strategies around tourism and culture.
“We have invested sustainably in the economic powerhouse in the west end of the district, which will lead to more than a thousand new jobs. We dealt with toilet and car park legacy issues which were ignored by the Tories for more than a decade.
“We believe that this Democratic Alliance of the last three years is the sustainable future for East Devon. The historic election victory of Richard Foord MP last summer was a watershed moment.
“In order to grow a progressive, centrist East Devon – with Homes, the Environment and Economic Growth at its heart – we believe that by standing as Lib Dems we can help guarantee this for the future.”
Nub News will be offering all local candidates in the East Devon District Council the opportunity to make a statement before the election.
“We effectively have in East Devon an almost proportional representation situation with those who are prepared to work together doing so, and those who put politics first (Tories and pseudo-Independent Tories) refusing to do what is best for the district.”
The East Devon Alliance (EDA) emerged in 2013 from the widespread protests at the arrogant way the long standing Tory regime in EDDC were driving through a build, build, build agenda, with a disregard for accountability and scrutiny and their lack of respect in listening to members of the public.
Its purpose was to provide genuine Independents with a mutual support umbrella to seek election.
Under electoral law it was obliged to register as a political party in 2015 when it won 10 of the 59 seats in the 2015 and became a significant opposition political grouping.
In the 2019 election two thirds of councillors were non-Tories of various shades. Under “independent” Ben Ingham an administration was formed with the support of the remaining 19 Tories. Ingham specifically excluded the EDA. Unsurprisingly, his cabinet fell apart within a year as, one by one, independents who had given this form of “change” a go realised their error and removed their support.
At this point long standing LibDem Councillor Eileen Wragg suggested a formal arrangement between the two major groupings of the LibDems and EDA, forming the “Democratic Alliance”. This has resulted in a three year broad coalition in EDDC between an even wider grouping including other Independents, Greens and Labour. Their achievements in just these three years are listed in separate posts mentioned below.
We now learn (see separate posts) that a number of EDA councillors will join the LibDems to fight this year’s election, seeing this the best way to ensure the “Democratic Alliance” continues, others will continue as EDA candidates.
Owl’s hope is that ALL non-Tories will work together, as they have done so far, because we have to do better at a local level than those who are at a national level are currently doing – putting party before prinicples.
We deserve better and we effectively currently have in East Devon an almost proportional representation situation with those who are prepared to work together doing so and those who put politics first (Tories and pseudo-Independent Tories) refusing to do what is best for the district.
We have to do politics better – localism should trump tribalism.
Be under no illusion. Under the leadership of Phil Skinner, with his deputy Ben Ingham, the local Tories have not reflected on why they lost so heavily in 2019.
If the Tories are returned to power this May we will return to their rotten old ways of governance.
South West Water is launching a new interactive map to update people on water quality at beaches.
It follows criticism over how often the water company discharges sewage into the sea via storm overflow pipes.
Member of parliament for East Devon Simon Jupp said South West Water still needed to “clean up their act”.
SWW said WaterFit Live would be a “one-stop shop” for all information about its network and the company wanted to be “really open” with its customers.
Laura Flowerdew, chief customer officer for South West Water, said: “We’re really excited to be launching the website to give better information to customers and to be really open and transparent about how our waste water network operates.
“The site will give information on how our network is impacting bathing water across our designated bathing waters in the region and, importantly, it also shows what we’re doing to improve the performance of our network by investing across all out bathing waters over the coming years.”
‘Still more to do’
Ms Flowerdew added that the company’s performance was “really improving”.
She said SWW had reduced its use of storm overflows by 50% over the bathing season in 2022, adding there was “still more to do”.
She said: “We know customers really care about bathing waters across the region and we also really care about the environment so it’s absolutely critical that we tell our side of the story and we show what we’re doing to reduce the use of storm overflows.”
Daniel Green, from Bude, is a regular user of the town’s tidal sea pool.
He said: “We love spending time down here all year round and having a nice clean environment on the coastline and in the sea pool is really important.
“Discharging waste into the local area just isn’t acceptable really.”
Mr Jupp said real improvement would only come when SWW was able to share its real-time data from storm overflows, expected later this year.
He said: “What’s being launched now is a good step forward because it clarifies all the data and also looks back at historical data from the last three years as well but it’s not enough.
“I want to see South West Water launching their real-time information which will really help the public decide what they want to do, as quickly as possible.”
Mr Jupp said people in the South West paid the “highest water bills in the country”.
He added: “We have a one-star rated water company which was fined £13m as a result of the government’s new laws.
“South West Water need to clean up their act and our water.”
Izzy Ross, campaigns manager for Surfers Against Sewage, said the charity wanted to applaud water companies being more transparent about sewage discharge but she said it did not solve the problem.
Ms Ross said: “We need to actually see a reduction and eventually an end to sewage discharges from these sewage overflow pipes.”
Coastal Workboats Limited (CWL) will construct a state-of-the-art new HQ and ‘advanced manufacturing site’at the Heathpark Industrial Estate.
The site is due to be finished in 2024 and will use solar and ground source heating.
CWL will use the HQ to manufacture components for the country’s first fully-electric workboat and charging station.
The move has been supported by East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) Economic Development team.
Councillor Paul Hayward, EDDC portfolio holder for economy and assets, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Coastal Workboats Limited, a company which has led the way in developing new clean and sustainable ways of powering vessels.
“This is exactly the sort of investment which the district needs to help us grow our green economy and help us reach net-zero.”
An EDDC spokesperson added: “CWL’s new HQ is scheduled for completion in 2024, and will be state-of-the-art in respect of energy use and generation.
“The building will use solar and ground source heating and will have facilities to charge electric vehicles.
“The investment has been backed by £6million from the Government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition fund.
“The scheme is designed to help maritime industries eliminate carbon emissions and increase efficiency.
“Electric boats already exist, but so far they have only been used for leisure. CWL’s project will be the first to demonstrate their commercial potential.
“CWL’s successful funding application will support a £9million project which will deliver the UK’s first demonstration of a fully-electric workboat and charging station.
“The purpose-built Electric Landing Utility Vessel (E-LUV) will be demonstrated for four weeks in the Shetland Isles in a workboat capacity, running inter-island routes.
“Most workboats are operated in areas with low or low grid power to support the recharging of vessels.”
The First Homes programme promised to help thousands of key workers onto the property ladder by offering homes at a discount of at least 30% compared to the market price.
A trial was launched in Bolsover, Derbyshire, in June 2021, with a ministerial visit by then housing secretary Robert Jenrick.
It all formed part of Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda and aimed to help first-time buyers stay in their local area.
The scheme featured in the Conservative Party’s winning 2019 election manifesto and was part of Johnson’s ambition to build one million new affordable homes during this parliament.
The government promised that further sites would launch across the country in “coming weeks”, adding: “A further 1,500 will enter the market from the autumn, with at least 10,000 homes a year being delivered in the years ahead and more if there is demand.”
However, figures unearthed by Labour MP Mike Amesbury show the government has delivered just 35 home since the scheme launched.
How Many First Homes Have Been Completed?
In the financial year 2021-22 at total of 35 First Homes were completed in England, according to government figures.
12 were completed in Bolsover, 10 in Cannock Chase, 10 in County Durham and three in South Cambridgeshire.
The former shadow housing minister branded it a “flop” and accused the government of “all spin and no substance”.
He told HuffPost UK: “Millions of people across the country are desperate to get on the housing ladder yet for many, market prices are simply unaffordable.
“Here was a glimmer of hope, with promises made and expectations raised. But yet again we find a government that is all spin and no substance.
“How many were completed in 2021-22? Just 35. And not a single one in my constituency or the wider North West region where I’m based.
“This is a scandalous state of affairs. It’s government by press release, government by soundbite. When you examine the evidence, there’s just no delivery.”
The then housing secretary Jenrick said at the launch: “Thanks to First Homes, we will offer more homes to local people and families, providing a route for first-time buyers to stay in their local areas rather than being forced out due to rising prices.”
Government sources stressed that they were still in the first stage of the scheme which runs until September and after then will ramp up the scheme to 10,000 a year.
A Department for Levelling Up spokesperson said: “First Homes gives first-time buyers discounts of up to 30% – making homeownership a reality for many.
“These figures only cover the very early stages of the pilot scheme and we have always been clear it will take time to ramp up and have never suggested delivery will be at 10,000 at this stage.
“We continue to support people onto the property ladder through a range of schemes including Right to Buy, Shared Ownership and through the mortgage guarantee scheme.”
Remember: in the heyday of the “Build, build, build”, developer friendly business forum oriented Tory administration, EDDC lost track of S106 monies. Vote the wrong way in May and that’s where we will return.
Under the proposals, the amount developers will have to pay will be calculated once a project is complete, instead of at the stage when planning permission is given. This is designed to make sure that councils benefit from increases in land value, which can be significant for large developments that take years to complete.
The infrastructure levy, which will replace section 106 contributions for most developments, will prevent developers from negotiating down the amount they contribute to the community when they bring forward new projects, the government says.
Councils will also be given powers to set rates themselves.
Secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities Michael Gove said: “Central to our levelling up mission is ensuring local communities can take back control. The infrastructure levy will do just that – giving local leaders the tools to bring forward more affordable housing and the transport links, schools and GP surgeries their communities need.”
He added: “It will also speed up delivery and put an end to lengthy negotiations with developers seeking to shirk their responsibility to provide for local people.”
A small number of councils will implement the levy initially, testing how it operates in practice, before being rolled out more widely, to make sure the new approach works.
Solicitor Gary Sector, a partner in Addleshaw Goddard’s planning & infrastructure consenting team, said: “This announcement is no surprise really. For years the government has been talking about shaking up the levy on developers. It makes sense that Michael Gove was going to be the one to finally do it.
“Since the controversial community infrastructure levy (CIL) was brought in 13 years ago to sit alongside 106 planning obligations, there have been a number of false dawns on further major structural reform in this area.
“Undoubtedly this is a complex system to navigate. The consultation suggests the government is serious about securing a simpler calculation of contributions paid on the completion of a development, replacing current s106 and CIL calculations which are front-loaded to when planning permission is granted.
“Whether the planning system really needs another big-bang moment it debateable at a time when the government is so focused on growth. Changes to the planning system are often unpredictable and there’s nothing to say that this change won’t slow things down in the short-term.
“The consultation raises a number of pressing questions, not least around how charges secured at the time of completion of developments secure the timely delivery of infrastructure requirements. The government can expect a lot of lively debate from developers and local authorities during the 12-week consultation period.
“Make no mistake, change here is not going to be instant. The government makes clear any significant reforms will be implemented slowly, with a 10 year ‘test and learn’ period. So in the short term this is perhaps more about creating the illusion of significant reform, whilst on a practical level doing very little in a few local authority areas – at least initially.”
Ofwat, which in December heavily criticised some of the country’s biggest suppliers over the size of dividend payments relative to their financial performance, said the new rules would also mean water companies would “maintain a higher level of overall financial health”.
“When deciding on dividend payments to investors, water companies need to take stock of their performance for customers, the environment, and the company’s overall financial health,” said David Black, the Ofwat chief executive.
“Too often, this has not been the case. That is why we’re implementing changes that will allow us to better hold companies to account and take enforcement action when they get it wrong.”
Ofwat, which is taking a tough stance with water companies after criticism that for years the firms have not been properly regulated, said its new rules would improve the attractiveness of investment in the sector as well as “protect customers and the health of our waterways”.
In December, Ofwat released a report that found poor performance was “the norm” at many water companies, in particular naming Northumbrian Water, Southern Water, South West Water, Thames Water, Welsh Water and Yorkshire Water.
The regulator is modifying water company licences to ensure they have a strong credit rating, with the power to stop them paying dividends if their financial health is at risk.
In addition, licences will be changed to require companies to also take into account “service delivery for customers and the environment” when deciding whether to pay dividends.
“We hope the introduction of these new powers will focus minds around company board tables on the importance of responsible decision making and openness with customers and other stakeholders. And if that isn’t the case, we will act.”
Last month, the government accepted a Liberal Democrat amendment to the UK infrastructure bank bill that would mean taxpayer money would be able to fund water companies only if they produce a costed and timed plan for ending sewage spills into waterways.
Commenting on Ofwat’s new powers, the water minister, Rebecca Pow, said: “It is wrong for water companies to be responsible for environmental damage and poor performance but not face the penalties.
“It has been happening too often and it needs to stop. These new powers, made possible through our Environment Act, will enable Ofwat to clamp down on excessive cash payouts and make sure companies put customers first.”
Liberal Democrat Julian Brazil, opposition leader at Devon County Council who also sits on South Hams District Council, was speaking after a number of Devon bids to the fund’s second round were rejected at the start of the year.
These included a bid by Teignbridge District Council for government cash to create a new cycle route between Newton Abbot and Torquay, a new relief road for Cullompton in Mid Devon, and an East Devon bid for the Axe Valley.
A number of applications were successful though, with a total of £45 million going towards an extension to Dinan Way in Exmouth and town centre transport improvements, a new railway station at Okehampton and a Clean Maritime Innovation Centre in Appledore.
The levelling-up fund awarded £1.7 billion to projects in October 2021 and another £2.1 billion in January. So far, more than £300 million of this has been handed out to projects in the south west.
However, speaking to Devoncast from Radio Exe, Cllr Brazil said of the process: “I do find the way that the government hands out this money, with all the strings attached, is absolutely the wrong way to go about it.
“If you want to give levelling-up money to communities, give it to local authorities and let them decide how they want to spend it. But I think this [process] of making areas compete against each other is timely, costly and I don’t think, in the end, will necessarily produce the best results.”
He also criticised the “over-centralised” spread of power in the country: “Westminster has the money and it will decide, and I just think that’s disappointing. I’d much prefer to see that funding devolved down to the regions or to Devon itself and [let] Devon County decide.
“Much closer to the people. Much more democratically accountable.”
Labour’s shadow secretary of state for levelling-up, housing and communities, Lisa Nandy, has also criticised the bidding process and the “Hunger Games-style beauty contest for levelling-up funds.”
But Councillor Philip Skinner, leader of the Conservative group on East Devon District Council, defended the process, telling Devoncast: “We’ve been securing money in this way for a long time now, and in actual fact it’s really a good public process. It’s not hidden from view from anybody.”
He hailed the £15.7 million of cash given to Exmouth from the fund and said: “It is very unfortunate when other authorities – Teignbridge and the like – put bids in and you don’t win, but you don’t always get things on the first round.”
Cllr Skinner added: “Local authorities really need to work up schemes to get them put forward to government, so if you can imagine it’s almost like putting a business plan forward to a bank. And this is almost the same sort of process.
“So, what the government is saying is ‘we’re not just going to dole out money to you for you to prop up what may be things that are not actually going to deliver for the money that’s come from central government,’ and it’s making local authorities really focus and concentrate. And I think it’s a good thing.”
There is expected to be a third round of the fund within the next year, in which unsuccessful councils are likely to be able to bid again.
Fifteen years of wage stagnation has left British workers £11,000 worse off per year, according to research shared exclusively with BBC Panorama.
The figures come from the Resolution Foundation think tank, which focuses on low-to-middle income households.
It also found typical UK household incomes have fallen further behind those in Germany. In 2008, the gap was over £500 a year, now it is £4,000.
The Treasury says the UK economy is more resilient than many predicted.
In his Budget speech last week, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt acknowledged there is still enormous pressure on people’s finances.
In recent months, wages have failed to keep up with rising costs, meaning that millions of Britons have, in effect, had a pay cut.
But experts have told Panorama that problems with incomes go much further back.
The Resolution Foundation calculated that had wages continued to grow as they were before the financial crash of 2008, the average worker would make £11,000 more per year than they do now, taking rising prices into account.
And Ipsos polling of more than 6,000 adults suggested that two-thirds of them think the economy is going to get worse in the coming year.
Lower wages than our neighbours
At the Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said that inflation, which measures how prices change over time, “destroys the value of hard-earned pay”.
The government argues that problems with living standards are the result of rising prices, which have been driven up by the war in Ukraine and the legacy of Covid.
But the roots of the cost-of-living crisis go deeper.
In fact, what are known as “real wages” haven’t seen sustained growth for 15 years.
Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, says that the wage stagnation of the past decade and a half is “almost completely unprecedented”.
“Nobody who’s alive and working in the British economy today has ever seen anything like this.
“This is definitely not what normal looks like. This is what failure looks like,” he added.
Xiaowei Xu, senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank, describes this as an “absolutely massive difference in living standards” that ends nearly 60 years of consistent growth.
The online polling of 6,189 adults conducted by Ipsos in February suggests that one in four people are struggling on their current income, and nearly half are worried about their financial situation.
British wage stagnation has also meant the UK is not keeping up with its neighbours – as the comparison between typical household incomes in the UK and Germany by the Resolution Foundation shows.
The productivity problem
So what’s behind this stall in wage growth? Economists say the key to increasing wages is productivity – a measure of workers’ output.
“Productivity is how much you produce with a unit of labour or with a machine,” says Dr Mohamed El-Erian, a former deputy director of the International Monetary Fund and president at Queens’ College Cambridge.
“The more you can produce, the more you get rewarded for it.”
The UK has lower productivity than countries such as France and Germany, and the gap is getting bigger.
Since the financial crash of 2008, many countries have struggled to increase productivity. But the UK has struggled more than most.
It averages growth of 0.4% a year, well below the average of developed nations. One reason for that is the make-up of the UK economy.
Services, like finance, retail, hospitality and leisure, make up 80% of our economy. It is traditionally harder to increase productivity in these areas.
But that’s not the only factor. Our slow productivity growth is partly down to decades of low investment.
A failure to invest
One commonly-accepted way to increase productivity is by increasing investment.
New technology, machinery, buildings and skills are all ways to boost the amount that workers can achieve.
Panorama visited Callestick Farm in Cornwall which recently invested more than £1m in order to make more ice cream – part of a new deal with Marks and Spencer.
New equipment, including a spiral freezer that chills ice cream much more quickly, has tripled the amount they make every day. More ice cream per day means more ice cream for sale.
It’s a productivity boost that can lead, in the long term, to more cash for pay rises. It shows the difference that investment can make, whether in new equipment, infrastructure or training.
But the UK has historically failed to invest as much as it could.
On average, capital investment has only been worth 16% of the total value of the economy in the years since 1997.
That’s the lowest proportion of any developed country in that period.
Prof Diane Coyle of Cambridge University told Panorama: “A lack of investment over decades has held back the economy, and made the UK less resilient than comparable countries to shocks like Brexit, Covid and the invasion of Ukraine.”
What effect has Brexit had?
Since 2020, the government has increased its own investment, but business investment hasn’t kept up. A big part of that story is what has happened since the Brexit referendum.
The Office for Budget Responsibility, the government’s independent watchdog, says that since the UK’s vote to leave the European Union in 2016, business investment in the UK has “stalled”.
They say that while shocks, including the pandemic and energy price rises, have hurt investment everywhere, UK investment “has continued to underperform relative to other G7 countries”.
Since 2016, as well as Covid and the war in Ukraine, there have been five prime ministers, years of uncertainty over Brexit, and the financial turmoil of Liz Truss’s leadership.
“Any economist would tell you the number one thing you can do to incentivise business investment, and therefore drive growth, is to have stability and certainty and strong institutions,” says Tim Pitt, a former senior adviser to Conservative chancellors Sajid Javid and Philip Hammond.
“We seem to have gone out of our way over the past few years to undermine some of those things.”
The government says Brexit is a long-term plan. When he became prime minister, Rishi Sunak spoke of “building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit”.
That is a question for the future, but right now business investment in the UK is low compared to other developed economies.
That’s been true for years, and it’s been exacerbated in the short term by Brexit.
At the Budget last week, the chancellor didn’t deny the UK has problems that need addressing.
When Panorama put its findings to the government, a Treasury spokesman said the government was increasing incentives for investment and pointed to low unemployment – and its plan to increase growth – as signs the country was on the right track.
But what remains to be seen is if the plan can match the scale of the problem.
Additional reporting by Sachin Croker and Lora Jones
A landmark devolution deal for the greater Devon region, which transfers new money and powers into the hands of local Leaders across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, has moved a step closer today with the backing of the Government’s Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison.
What then happens to the unaccountable, unelected: “Heart of the South West” LEP and “The great South West”? – Owl
Outline approval has been given for a Devon-wide devolution deal which could bring greater local control and allow partners to tap into additional resources to help tackle key local priorities such as affordable housing, better public transport and connectivity, and providing for the skills the local economy needs.
Importantly, the deal would not require a change to the established democratic structures across the area or the need for an elected Mayor as in other devolution deals across the country.
Instead, the new powers would be devolved to a partnership of existing local councils who would deliver on a joint programme working alongside a wide range of other local stakeholders.
Local partners across Devon have now been invited to work together to prepare a Final Business Case to present to Government for final approval later in the year.
Any final deal would require local consent with the full agreement of all the constituent councils as well as Parliamentary approval.
Welcoming the opportunity and Government’s backing for a local deal without the need for an elected mayor, councillor John Hart, Leader of Devon County Council and Chair of the local Devolution Partnership said: “This could be an important first step towards getting more local control to deliver on the big issues affecting local people and help us get access to much needed new investment.
“At its heart, it is all about building a better future for our children and young people, creating more opportunities for all, and backing local people and businesses to succeed.
“We have a strong local partnership and a devolution deal would bring new local powers and fresh resources to help us work together to tackle the big local priorities such as affordable housing, better public transport and providing for the skills our economy needs.
“We have been talking with the Government about this for some time and now it’s time to deliver.”
Cllr Steve Darling, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “This is a welcome opportunity to work with partners across Devon and with Government to build on the foundations we are already putting in place around our electronics, photonics, tourism and fishing industries. We hope that this will accelerate our plans to ensure our residents have the skills, housing and infrastructure to benefit from a brighter, thriving place.
“The partnership administration in Torbay has sought, over the past four years, to empower its community more and we anticipate that this deal will now empower communities across Devon with powers that have previously been ceded to central government. We have an ambitious agenda for making Torbay the premier resort in the UK and are keen to work with partners across the area to drive the regeneration and growing aspirations of our local communities.
“Whilst we are at the early stage of these negotiations, we expect that a Devolution Deal will enable us to tackle the challenges that Torbay faces including our housing crisis, climate change and the need for better paid jobs for local people.”
Cllr Phil Bialyk, Leader of Exeter City Council and Chair of the Devon Districts Forum, said: “We’ve been speaking to the Government about the need for a devolution deal which maintains the current structure of local councils while providing access to much-needed new funding for Devon.
“This has been a real partnership approach, and it is great that the Government appears to understand that by working together locally with key stakeholders we can achieve great things for all of our residents throughout the county.”
Rishi Sunak will lose “dozens” of Conservatives seats at the next general election if he fails to stop sewage being pumped into rivers, according to Sir Ed Davey.
The Liberal Democrats’ leader pressed for greater action on “one of the biggest environmental crimes in our country” as he spoke at his party’s spring conference in York.
Water companies are only permitted to release sewage during periods of heavy rain so the system does not back up – but campaigners last year warned firms released raw sewage into UK rivers and seas almost 150 times during dry weather in a 12-month period.
Sir Ed made clear issue has become a key battleground for the Lib Dems in local and nation elections, as they bid for swifter progress to prevent sewage dumping.
Calling the Tories “mutinous pirates”, he said voters want “an end to the Conservatives letting water companies get away with pumping filthy sewage straight into our rivers”.
He added: “That is one of the biggest environmental crimes in our country today and it’s a crime that will cost the Conservatives dozens of seats if they don’t act”.
Government plans released last month outlined how water companies in England will be required to explain why sewage spillages into rivers and seas are happening and what is being done to fix them.
Ministers are also consulting on making it easier and quicker to slap polluting companies with penalties, so they are made to pay immediately rather than wait for lengthy criminal prosecutions to conclude.
Sir Ed earlier compared Tory MPs to “mutinous pirates” as Britain encountered choppy waters, telling Lib Dem members: “We needed Hornblower. They gave us Pugwash.”
Accusing the government of “total defeatism” and having “nothing left to offer”, the Lib Dem leader said: “Take economic growth. Remember when governments used to talk about targeting three, four, five per cent? Rishi Sunak’s target – anything above zero.
He added: “It’s like a mid-table football club with a new manager, targeting to avoid relegation rather than a place in the Champions League. The way Conservative MPs talk nowadays, it’s like they know the truth: their government needs to be put out of its misery.”
The party leader received sustained applause from members as he spoke of the need to “repair our broken relationship with Europe” after Brexit.
He claimed the Lib Dems have a “real plan to fix Britain’s trade”, which will “tear down the Conservatives’ trade barriers, rip up their red tape, and rebuild the ties of trust and friendship with our European neighbours”.
Sir Ed has not committed to re-joining the EU single market immediately, but the party adopted a position of seeking to single market membership once “the ties of trust and friendship are renewed” after the 2022 spring conference.
The party’s four-point for closer ties includes stronger links on education programmes; a UK-EU returns agreement on asylum seekers; greater access for British agri-food products to the single market; and an eventual effort to re-join the single market once trust is restored.
Tory chairman Greg Hands dismissed Sunday’s conference attack by Sir Ed, firing back: “Time and time again, the Liberal Democrats have shown they cannot be trusted to deliver for the British people. They are out of touch with the people’s priorities on key issues like housing, energy and immigration.”
Devon’s roads have come under fresh fire as councillors heard about the plight of a local father who lost a night’s work and subsequently a day’s salary after a pothole ruined one of his tyres.
It comes as Barnstaple Town Council resolved to write to Devon County, raise the issue with potholes to Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon, and support a campaign to ensure the government adequately funds public services.
Speaking at the meeting and putting forward the motion to take action, Councillor Peter Leaver said: “I was talking to a resident – Mark – a young man with a young family and a food delivery driver. He told me he’s on a zero-hours contract and that most of his work is at night. He worries every night when he goes out delivering food as he hit a pothole twice last year and ruined a tyre on his car. Not only does he lose that night’s work, but it costs him a day’s salary to get it repaired. There’s a real cost to people.
“Mark said that sometimes it’s like you’re driving your car in a third-world country, but we’re the sixth wealthiest nation in the world, and I don’t understand how we can’t get something as simple as looking after our roads right.”
He continued: “It’s a huge failure of government cuts to local services, and it’s a failure of the county council as well. Only two weeks ago Devon County Council voted a small increase in the budget for road repairs and the Liberal Democrat councillors gave them the opportunity to increase that budget by £ 3 million for road repairs and road safety without the need to increase council tax and they turned down that opportunity.”
Councillor Ian Roome, speaking as Devon County division member for Barnstaple North, said: “The biggest thing my inbox is filled with at Devon County at the moment is potholes. People are complaining that they’re not watching where they’re going because they’re looking where the potholes are so they can dodge them; it’s really awful.
“For anyone who uses a cycle, it’s even worse. Devon County Council’s specification for when a pothole gets repaired is worse for cyclists. I’ve been told some of the reported potholes don’t meet the defect safety standard even though they would be terrible for somebody to go over on a pushbike.”
Cllr Roome said he recently asked Devon Highways how much it would cost to get the roads to an acceptable standard. He continued: “They told me there was red, amber and green classification. To bring the Devon roads up from red to amber, which isn’t top level, would cost £167 million. The roads are terrible, and Devon County Council says they’re getting around to the backlog.”
The proposed development by Aura Power is for a subsidy-free solar farm of up to 49.9 MW capacity that would generate enough renewable electricity to supply the equivalent of over 12,000 typical homes or to power 18,000 electric vehicles annually.
Aura Power say it would save an estimated 11,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, making a substantial contribution to local and national net zero targets. Now councillors are being recommended to back the scheme.
This proposal is one of a number of solar developments which have recently been considered in East Devon. Some 60,000 panels were proposed covering more than 200 acres of land across a total of 27 farm fields in nearby Marsh Green.
But campaigners who opposed plans for a huge solar farm on farmland in East Devon were left to celebrate when back in December planners rejected the scheme. Devon CPRE, the Devon branch of the countryside charity, feared councillors in East Devon would back the proposal officers made for the development south of the settlement at Marsh Green to the East of Rockbeare alongside the A30 to be approved, only for councillors by six votes to four to reject the scheme.
Again though, East Devon District Council’s planning committee, when they meet on Tuesday, March 28, are being recommended to approve this plan for land east of Rutton Farm on Rull Lane. Officers say that despite the concerns raised, the scheme should go ahead. A total of 31 representations have been received, consisting of 24 objections and seven in support.
“Concerns about the impact of the proposed solar farm on residential amenity have been raised by a number of people residing in the vicinity of the site,” the report says. “However, the proposal site would not immediately adjoin the curtilage boundary of any residential property, and the hedges on the boundary would be enhanced as part of the works.
“It is considered that the site is a sufficient distance from other solar developments, either existing or with extant permissions, in the area to ensure, that there would not be a significant cumulative visual impact. In terms of other cumulative impacts, it is considered that there would be no significant harm arising from those circumstances
“It is considered that the proposed development would not have a detrimental impact on any listed buildings. Natural England has confirmed that the site and proposal is acceptable in terms of its impact upon the area and biodiversity. The Council’s Ecologist also supports the proposal in this regard.
“The proposal is considered acceptable in terms of its impact on archaeology, highway safety, aviation, railways, trees and hedges, and flooding and drainage – although, in some cases, conditions relating to those matters are proposed. It is recommended that this application is approved.”
Homeowners face having their new-build properties flattened after a developer built some of them too high. Families have been told they risk losing their homes because they were built on higher ground than they should have been
Persimmon Homes was granted permission for 125 homes. But it has now emerged the ground level of the estate was raised by 2.4 metres to make the site flat. It has led to complaints from neighbours in nearby streets that some of the new homes are ‘over-bearing’ and ‘blocking sunlight’, with councillors likening the change to ‘adding an extra storey’.
Now Persimmon – which has outline planning for a further 135 homes on nearby land – has applied for retrospective permission to keep the houses as they are. It is also looking at mitigation measures such as tree and hedgerow planting to provide ‘visual screening,’ StokeonTrentLive reports.
But if permission is refused and a compromise can’t be reached, those living there could see their properties flattened, the chairman of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning committee warned. And the council’s lawyers have advised that the homes could have ‘no value’ on the open market anyway as they were sold without proper planning permission.
Planners have deferred a decision so talks can take place with residents. It is understood that eight of the 125 properties are affected.
Legal advisor Justin Price-Jones told a meeting of the planning committee: “It does surprise me somewhat that properties of some considerable value, no doubt, have been sold without planning permission because they’d have absolutely zero value on the market, to my mind at least.” He said there were potentially ‘very serious consequences’ for people living in them if councillors decided to refuse the application.
He added: “Persimmon would have known when they sold it that they didn’t have planning permission. I imagine there’s a lot of people in this equation who don’t know how dire their situation is.” Resident Tracy Milward described the properties as ‘overbearing’, and claimed they blocked sunlight in their gardens.
She said: “This development has been built in breach of the planning application submitted. They have built too high, and too close to the surrounding properties. Consequently ours, and many of our neighbours’ properties are now dwarfed and dominated by this unsightly development.”
She said residents first raised concerns with the council in October 2021 but nothing was done to halt it. She also said it has caused them ‘stress and anxiety’.
She complained: “The system is broken. Persimmon appear to have manipulated planning regulations to their own advantage by submitting drawings they never intended to comply to and then add variations in retrospect. We feel they’re using the system and local communities.”
She said the council would effectively be giving the developer ‘carte blanche’ if they were given the go-ahead. Cheadle town councillor, Paulette Upton agreed, saying: “The plain fact is the developers have blatantly breached the planning permission and we seem to have allowed that to happen.
“Somebody needs to take accountability for this – it sends a shocking message to other developers that they can come to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, put in a planning application and do what the hell they like.”
Committee chairman, Councillor Stephen Ellis said it was the worst situation he’d been put in, from two decades of being involved with planning decisions, and criticised the council’s planning department for not following up on complaints. He said: “It really is an unacceptable situation to be in – to have a committee consider that your brand new house – your home and your asset – could be flattened, it must be absolutely horrendous.
“I can’t believe we’ve placed either set of residents in this situation. I do feel angry in the way that Persimmon have done that.” Councillor Peter Jackson said a responsible developer would have sought adequate planning permission before carrying out the work.
He said: “I don’t think you’re treating local people with respect.” He also noted the developer still had to return to the council with plans for the second phase of the development – and asked what confidence the committee could have that they would be built correctly.
Councillor Keith Flunder said residents living in the Persimmon houses wouldn’t answer the door during a site visit due to fear. He said: “Those people who are now living in those houses, overlooking the other houses, are in fear – knowing this is coming here today – there’s a potential at the end of it all where we knock them down.”
The council’s head of development Ben Haywood told councillors: “Ultimately it’s a decision for members [of the planning committee] whether the relationship between properties is an acceptable one, and which residents could reasonably be expected to experience.”
He said despite the plans not being followed, officers were still recommending approval for retrospective planning permission. A Persimmon North West spokesperson said: “Planning permission for Pottery Gardens was granted by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council in December 2020.
“The application discussed by the planning committee last week sought non-material amendments to some existing homes in line with this planning permission. While the application was recommended for approval, this has been deferred by the planning committee to allow for further engagement with local residents.
“We fully appreciate the issues that have been raised and have therefore already written to residents requesting time to meet and agree solutions that address these concerns as soon as possible.”
A council spokesman said: “The planning application was considered by the Planning Applications Committee on March 9. Following their site visit and having been addressed by members of the public and the developer, the committee resolved to defer its decision, due to concerns over the impact on a number of existing neighbouring residents.
“At no time did the committee request the demolition of the new houses, but requested that officers, in consultation with the developer and local residents, consider whether mitigation measures could be secured to address their concerns. Consequently, the planning application will be presented back to the planning committee once this has been carried out.”
Outrage at the unusual level of control imposed on media coverage of the home secretary’s trip to Rwanda has grown this weekend during Suella Braverman’s first hours in the country.
Prominent names, including news presenters, academics and opposition MPs expressed shock at what they considered the partisan reporting of the trip from the right-wing news organisations invited to join the trip. The Guardian, BBC, Mirror, Independent and i Newspaper were barred.
Braverman and her Home Office team flew out on Friday to promote the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to the African country in a controversial deal signed last April by her predecessor, Priti Patel. No one has been relocated to the country so far, as the plan faces legal challenges, but a Home Office source said on Saturday that that they were “certainly working towards getting the flights off before the summer”.
Braverman appeared in a series of photo-ops, laughing with a group of children and posing in front of an accommodation block set to host asylum seekers. In comments that alarmed human rights campaigners, she described the homes as “really beautiful, high quality, welcoming”.
“I quite like your interior designer,” she added. “I need some advice myself.”
The Telegraph, whose reporter was one of a handful from right-wing outlets picked by the Home Office to join the trip, wrote gushingly about the accommodation. “The houses provide families with off street car parking, fibre optic broadband, front and back gardens, an eco-design that also combats humidity and gases rising from the ground and decor that would not look out of place in a British town house.”
Jon Sopel, the BBC’s former North American editor, told the Observer that the row over who was being allowed to cover the trip, with left-leaning or liberal news organisations left out, immediately reminded him of the pressure put on White House political journalists during the presidency of Donald Trump.
“This sounds familiar, that was my first thought,” said Sopel, now the co-host of The News Agents current affairs podcast. “There was a period when several newspaper titles were not going to be allowed in to press briefings. But the difference in America was that the Correspondents Association immediately pointed to the First Amendment of the Constitution and it was not allowed to happen.”
While a smaller group of political reporters, or “pool”, is sometimes conventionally set up for trips where security concerns are paramount, the understanding is usually that all information will be shared with the wider mix of national reporting teams.
Under Boris Johnson’s premiership there were other alleged attempts to vet the reporters and filter the questions at news briefings and press conferences.
Clive Myrie, the BBC’s news anchor, retweeted the Guardian’s critical account of the trip, while other British journalists expressed surprise that approved reporters were prepared to go along with the vetting process. “It is not very collegiate,” said one former newspaper editor on Saturday.
Michela Wrong, a British journalist and author of a recent book on Rwanda, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad, said the timing of Braverman’s visit was “grotesque”.
“Rwanda and DRC are on the brink of all-out war. The M23 guerrilla group, a Rwandan proxy, has sent 600,000-800,000 Congolese villagers fleeing their homes and Braverman is happily validating the African leader widely recognised to be responsible for the destabilisation of the African Great Lakes.
“Britain should be discussing slapping sanctions on Rwanda – it is the only message Kagame responds to – rather than planning to send migrants there.”
The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, was among political opponents who pointed out that time spent in Rwanda publicising Conservative policy was funded by the public purse. She added: “Suella Braverman has still not come clean on the number of people Rwanda will really take in practice or the full cost to the British taxpayer.
“Already the home secretary has written Rwanda cheques for at least £140m even though she has admitted the scheme is failing and the Home Office says it has a high risk of fraud. Instead of expensive PR stunts she should put that money into going after the smuggling gangs to stop dangerous boat crossings.”
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said the trip was “an expensive distraction from the immoral, unworkable Braverman Bill”. He added: “Suella Braverman is wasting taxpayers’ money to flaunt the Conservative party’s latest vanity project in Rwanda. Liberal Democrats will oppose this appalling, anti-refugee law, which is nothing more than a criminal traffickers’ charter.”
On Saturday night the home secretary hailed the partnership with Rwanda after meeting her counterpart, Vincent Biruta. They announced that they had signed an update to their memorandum of understanding, expanding the partnership further “to all categories of people who pass through safe countries and make illegal and dangerous journeys to the UK”.
Braverman said: “We cannot continue to see people risking their lives crossing the Channel, which is why I am pleased to strengthen our agreement even further with the government of Rwanda so we can address the global migration crisis head on.
“Rwanda is a progressive, rapidly growing economy at the forefront of innovation – I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing first-hand the rich opportunities this country can provide to relocated people through our partnership.”
A Rwandan government spokesperson said the country was “ready to absorb the thousands that will come from the UK”.
The number of recorded potholes in Devon is on track to be lower than last year, despite January’s total being the highest in a single month for three years.
Figures by Devon County Council, which excludes Torbay and Plymouth, shows 34,199 recorded potholes in the 11 full months of 2022/23, compared to 44,263 the previous year.
However, almost 7,400 were recorded in January, the most since March 2020. A report to be presented to a council scrutiny meeting on Thursday [23 March] blames this on “the cycle of very wet weather followed by very cold spells.”
It adds: “The number of potholes waiting for repair with our contractor peaked at almost 3,000 at the end of January, however through the use of additional and carefully coordinated resources this number reduced significantly on a day-to-day basis, with as many as 2,200 potholes being repaired each week.
“This has been achieved by doubling the number of pothole gangs across the network from 20 to 40, as well as additional hours and weekend working.”
It comes as the government announced a further £9.4 million for pothole repairs in Devon this week, as part of £200 million extra for the whole country in chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget.
County council leader John Hart (Conservative, Bickleigh & Wembury) said: “I’m delighted that the chancellor has announced extra money for us to tackle potholes.
“I’d like to thank all our MPs for their support, especially those identified by the chancellor who he said had lobbied very strongly on our behalf.”
Tory MPs Selaine Saxby (North Devon), Gary Streeter (SW Devon) and Anne Marie Morris (Newton Abbot) were all given a mention at the dispatch box by Mr Hunt.
Councillor Stuart Hughes (Conservative, Sidmouth), Devon’s highways chief, said this winter’s weather has had significant impact on the condition of Devon’s 8,000-mile road network – the longest in England.
“We’ve seen the worst conditions for potholes, with torrential rain and very cold snaps that have played havoc with the condition of our roads.
“We welcome this additional funding, which will contribute to our extensive maintenance and repair programme.”
The UK is still on course to be the only big wealthy economy to register negative growth this year, despite an upturn in growth prospects, according to new international forecasts.
Projections from the Organisation for Economic Coordination and Development (OECD) show that the UK economy will be an outlier among wealthier countries with an annual contraction in growth this year of 0.2 per cent.
That is 0.2 percentage points better than the OECD’s last forecast in November but remains the worst performance among the richest countries.
The OECD’s forecast matches updated projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which said this week that the economy would narrowly avoid a technical recession this year, defined as two quarters of negative growth. The improved outlook is the result of lower energy prices and resilient consumer and business sentiment recorded this year. The economy will experience a “mild” recovery of 0.9 per cent next year, according to the OECD forecast.
Germany, which was expected to be the worst-performing economy in the eurozone, will now record positive growth of 0.3 per cent rather than a 0.3 per cent contraction, according to the OECD, which also upgraded its projections for Italy, Spain and France. The single currency area is on course to record annual growth of 0.8 per cent this year and global growth to fall from 3.2 per cent in 2022 to 2.6 per cent.
The United States, the world’s largest economy, will record growth of 1.5 per cent this year, 0.5 percentage points better than the last forecast, before slowing to growth of 0.9 per cent in 2024, partly as a result of aggressive monetary tightening from the US Federal Reserve.
Headline inflation in the UK is on course to average 6.7 per cent this year, in line with the likes of Germany and Italy. The OBR expects consumer price inflation to drop to 2.9 per cent by the end of the year.
The OECD said growth across the world economy would remain below pre-pandemic trends but falling inflation would give a bigger boost to incomes this year than expected. “The improvement in the outlook is still fragile,” it said. “Risks have become somewhat better balanced but remain tilted to the downside. Uncertainty about the course of the war in Ukraine and its broader consequences is a key concern.”
Amid concerns over global financial stability following the collapse of three US banks this week the report warned that further interest rate rises could “continue to expose financial vulnerabilities” in the markets.
Problems in parts of the financial system in recent months, including the UK’s pension fund crisis, will require central banks to carry out “clear communication” over the shrinking of their balance sheets to “minimise the risk of contagion”, the OECD said.
“Higher interest rates could also have stronger effects on economic growth than expected, particularly if they expose underlying financial vulnerabilities. While a cooling of overheated markets, including real estate markets, and repricing of financial portfolios are standard channels through which monetary policy takes effect, the full impact of higher interest rates is hard to gauge.”
James Hunt, the chancellor, said: “The British economy has proven more resilient than many expected, outperforming many forecasts to be the fastest growing economy in the G7 last year, and is on track to avoid recession.
“Earlier this week I set out a plan to grow the economy by unleashing business investment and helping more people into work, alongside extending our significant energy bill support to help with rising prices, made possible by our windfall tax on energy profits.”
It seems from an article on here today that even turnips will be off the menu. The largest grower of turnips who is in Coffeys constituency has given up growing them. He supplied a huge percentage of UKs turnips.
The UKs largest tomato growers are also giving up growing tomatoes on an 18 hectare sight in Norfolk ,and one of largest growers of cucumbers is also ceasing growing them.
Many other crops will probably see a reduction of 25% in plantings this year.
All going well for those Brexit supporters who say we can just live off what we produce here and share it out.
Wheel Cottage Exmouth Road Colaton Raleigh Devon EX10 0LERef. No: 23/0537/CPE | Validated: Fri 10 Mar 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
East Devon Watch 