A £1.2million off-road multi-use trail – described as the ‘missing link’ between Seaton and Colyford – is on the way.

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk 

The scheme, approved by Devon County Council’s (DCC) cabinet on Wednesday, March 8, will improve part of the existing National Cycle Network Route 2 in East Devon.

It currently diverts onto a section of road that is unsuitable for families and less-confident cyclists, writes Local Democracy Reporter Ollie Heptinstall.

The off-road section will run from the rear of properties at The Saltings to Marsh Lane Cemetery, linking to Seaton Wetlands.

It will ‘encourage and enable more people to use sustainable travel and help reduce carbon emissions’, according to DCC.

Route two of the network also includes the Exe Estuary Trail and connects Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Seaton and Axminster through to the Dorset border and onwards towards Portsmouth.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, DCC cabinet member for highways, said: “By completing the missing off-road section of this route, it will unlock the full potential of the trail for people of all abilities.

“Establishing a high-quality sustainable travel connection will encourage people to be active while supporting our net-zero carbon targets and the green recovery of our economy.”

The approved Seaton to Colyford cycle trail; the off-road section is highlighted with the dotted line. Image: DCC

Councillor Marcus Hartnell, who represents Seaton and Colyton, added: “I welcome completion of this final section of the multi-use path.

“It’s a milestone that the communities of both Seaton and Colyford will welcome.

“The benefits are widespread, encouraging safe and sustainable travel, improving accessibility for all, and boosting the local tourism economy.”

Cllr Hartnell did, however, request safety improvements in Colyford where the path exits onto Seaton Road; an issue also raised by a number of local residents according to Cllr Hughes.

East Devon District Council also support the new scheme, a report presented to cabinet revealed. It believes the multi-use path ‘will provide a stimulus for further tourism growth’.

County council opposition leader Julian Brazil welcomed the plan but said he was ‘wary’ of what are described as ‘low traffic lanes’ along the route to Axminster.

“In some cases these can be the most dangerous for cyclists,” he said.

“If it’s anything like the lanes near me, that is high hedge lanes with lots of blind corners, and the idea that cyclists have a safe passage is far from true.”

Cllr Brazil acknowledged the council ‘can’t solve that overnight’, but said it was something that should be looked at ‘in the future’.

In response, Cllr Hughes said the part of the route towards Axminster had been used for a number of years already.

DCC’s cabinet approved the section of trail. It is set to be constructed this summer.

The ‘shocking’ state of North Devon’s roads has led to a Conservative councillor quitting his party saying there is a ‘non-committal’ response from the government when asking for help. 

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com 

Councillor Paul Henderson who was a Conservative district councillors in the South Molton ward and Devon County member for the Culmleigh & Landkey division for the past two years, will now sit as an independent. He is also a member of South Molton Town Council.

He said: “The decision for me to resign from the Conservative Party in the middle of February was one which I did not take lightly. I must stress at this point that my decision is not a reflection on my councillor colleagues for whom I only have great respect – regardless of any political allegiances.”

As well as the state of North Devon’s road, he says the governance of the North Devon Conservative group also forced him to make the decision to quit.

On the highways, Cllr Henderson said: “Devon County Council is responsible for the maintenance of our roads. However, for well over a decade funding from central government has been reduced and with increasing pressures on both adult health and social care as well as children’s services, the highways budget has declined drastically. That’s simply a point of fact. If the money isn’t there, then the necessary repairs cannot be carried out.

“Both our ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads are in a shocking state but many unclassified rural roads are now to my mind dangerous to drive on. I spend as much time on two wheels as I do driving my car, but I cannot ride my motorcycle any longer in the wet or at night because to put it bluntly, I simply don’t trust the road surface under my wheels. At my age I’m not going to mend terribly quickly (or worse) when – not if, I hit a broken road surface or pothole on the bike.

“I and a number of my parishes have asked our MP to lobby Westminster for additional funding to stop the deterioration of our road network – particularly here in North Devon. The response received was non-committal, instead quoting overall funding for the country instead of detailed information relating directly to Devon. There was also veiled criticism of Conservative run Devon County Council as to how the money they do receive is spent. Please bear in mind that I was, at the time, in the same party as the MP.

“Unless significant investment is made into Devon Highways – and we’re talking £100’s of millions of pounds over the coming few years, then I fear the damage many of us are experiencing to our vehicles will deteriorate into personal injury or death because of the condition of our highways.”

On North Devon Conservative governance, he added: “In May we’ll all have the chance to vote for candidates to become parish, town and district councillors. These elections are carried out under the strictest of rules and once elected, all councillors must follow a code of conduct.

“In essence, that means that if you attend a council meeting you must declare an interest on any agenda item to which you have either a personal or potentially prejudicial interest. That’s there to protect democracy. Unfortunately, the same rules do not appear to apply to the Conservative Party when going through their selection process to decide who should stand to contest a particular seat/ward.

“I’m sure all the political parties have a similar selection process but to me the one run by the Conservative Party is unacceptable and this was my primary reason for deciding to leave the party.

“Conservative Party candidates are selected by either their very local members or in many cases, candidates are interviewed by the executive of their relevant Conservative Party Association.

“Prior to a recent selection meeting, I queried the attendance of one voting member of the executive as they were, in effect, a paid employee of the candidate that was to sit before the panel. The response I received from the chair of the local Association having checked with Conservative Central Office was that this member of the executive did have the right to take part in the selection process and vote.

“To me, that is wrong on every single level. It is nothing to do with the personalities involved. As a councillor, the Code of Conduct is there to protect democracy, but the Conservative Party system to select candidates is by its very nature deeply flawed. I’m not suggesting any wrongdoing by the North Devon Conservative Association, but that system is open to manipulation and/or abuse and for me, I cannot be part of something that fundamentally goes against basic rules of democracy.”

In response, Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon said: “I am fully aware that we have the longest road network in the United Kingdom by 2,000 miles and that the council is working flat out to try to repair the proliferation of potholes that we have seen this winter. Not only has the weather contributed but we need to recognise that in rural Britain we have enormous farm vehicles on tiny lanes and we therefore create even more potholes, yet our council is not assigned long-term funding solutions to tackle them.

“The short-term approach to funding, with inadequate rural weighting, makes the cost of repairing each pothole far higher. At this time, Devon is moving teams off scheduled roadworks as we cannot take on full-time highways teams due to the uncertainty around long-term funding. I hope that the Minister will be able to take that away and see what more can be done to address the entirely unacceptable state of our roads. If there were an Ofsted inspection of roads, I suspect we would go into special measures, yet the current funding mechanism contributes to that. The damage that potholes do to vehicles is also hugely expensive to motorists and the council, which is no doubt reimbursing a growing number of inconvenienced motorists with damaged tyres. And it deters people from switching to active travel solutions because of the potential risk of falling due to a pothole.”

Aka “30p Lee”, ignores his own stricture – Owl

John Stevens www.mirror.co.uk (Extract)

Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson has got a show on GB News despite previously suggesting MPs wanting to earn big money should give up their day jobs in Parliament.

There were rumours the money could go into children’s services

Devon’s county farms will not be sold, the county council’s leader has pledged.

More examples of the state we are in – Owl

Ollie Heptinstall, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

John Hart (Conservative) made the commitment after opposite number Julian Brazil (Lib Dem) claimed he had “heard rumours” they could be sold to pay off a growing overspend in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Devon’s total running overspend on the service is projected to be £127 million at the end of this month, rising to £153 million by March 2024.

Councils across the country have been instructed by the government to keep these overspends in ring-fenced accounts separate from its main budget while it develops a new funding model – an arrangement recently extended to 2026.

Negotiations between Devon and the government are ongoing about what will happen to the total – effectively debt – and who will be responsible for paying it off.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday [8 March], Cllr Brazil said: “I think at some stage we’ve got to have a clearer understanding of what that [overspend] is going to entail within the council.

“I’ve heard rumours that we’re going to flog off all our farms in order to pay that off.  That’s the kind of rumour that I’m hearing.”

In response, Cllr Hart said: “I will categorically say to you now, Cllr Brazil, that we are not selling the farms estate … the farms estate is not on the market. They never have been, and I said when I took over the leadership of this council that it was one of the jewels in our crown that I’m most proud of.”

Leader of the Labour group, Cllr Carol Whitton, said she “welcomed” the comments, adding: “It is indeed a real asset that is held by the county council and brings in a useful income.”

She continued: “It is a beacon in our rural agricultural county for best practice and for helping people into that particular industry.”

Devon’s county farms estate contains 3,873 hectares (9,570 acres) of agricultural land and comprises 65 fully equipped residential dairy and mixed livestock farms.

According to the county council, the estates “aims to provide people with their first opportunity to farm but with a view that within a reasonable time frame, they secure an independent livelihood from agriculture.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Alistair Dewhirst said Cllr Hart’s pledge was “really important … because there are many people out there who are really concerned about the situation at Devon County Council with this massive, huge overspend going on that somehow is hidden from public view but we all know is there.”

Updating colleagues, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter (Conservative), cabinet member for children’s services said the council is trying to reach a resolution on the SEND overspend, adding: “I am confident we will sort this out.”

Boris Johnson’s pay accounts for 85% of all outside earnings declared by MPs so far this year

Includes Persimmon.

“ Developers: Time is running out” – Michael Gove

A major housing developer at the heart of a government campaign to fix unsafe buildings has said it has still not received the final version of a crucial contract that they need to sign in the next five days or risk being “banned” from operating in the market, PoliticsHome has learned.

www.politicshome.com

In January, house-building companies were given six weeks to sign a legally binding agreement that will commit them to funding repairs to unsafe buildings in England that they have developed or refurbished over the last 30 years.

Earlier this week housing secretary Michael Gove put pressure on companies to return the crucial contract in order to avoid the ban. “One week to sign the building safety contract to fix unsafe buildings you are responsible for or you will be banned from operating in the housing market,” he tweeted.

The legal commitment solidifies a pledge made last year by 49 developers to remediate critical safety works.

When Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities DLUHC launched the contract on January 30, they said that legislation planned for this Spring will create a Responsible Actors Scheme, which will allow ministers to block developers who have not signed the contract or do not comply with it, and prevent them from operating as usual in the housing market. 

However, Persimmon featured on the government’s press release to publicly back the legally-binding contract when it was launched on 30 January, and said they were the “first” to signal their intention to sign, say they have still not received the final paperwork from government. 

“We still intend to sign as we signalled in January. We will do so as soon as we receive the final contract to sign,” a spokesperson for Persimmon told PoliticsHome.

“The department has not sent that to us yet.”

When the contract was launched at the end of January, Dean Finch, the group chief executive at Persimmon said in the government’s press release that the “terms of the contract are entirely consistent with our existent commitment to protect leaseholders” and “we are pleased to confirm our intention to sign the final document.” 

Another major housing developer, Lovell, who signed last year’s pledge, said that they have told the department they will sign the contract, but are also still waiting for a final version to be issued. 

“The final-form legal contract was issued in January 2023 and Lovell Partnerships Limited has confirmed in writing to DLUHC its intention to sign and execute the contract on or before the stipulated date of 13 March 2023,” a spokesperson for Lovell Partnerships said.

“We await a final version of the contract from the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities to enable signing.”

While some firms are believed to have received the final paperwork, PoliticsHome understands that work is still ongoing within DLUHC to add a number of annexes to contracts relating to specific buildings from particular firms, and officials hope this will be sorted in the coming days before the final deadline. 

When the contract was first announced, Gove said “there will be nowhere to hide for those who fail to step up to their responsibilities – I will not hesitate to act and they will face significant consequences”. 

A spokesperson at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “Developers who signed the pledge last year committed to remediate buildings they developed. The contract binds them to that commitment.

“All developers received the final text of the contract on 30 January and several have since confirmed they will sign.

“We expect all developers to do so without delay. Those that fail to do the right thing will be banned from the housing market.”

Planned cuts to homeless prevention services in Devon have been criticised by senior opposition councillors.

Ollie Heptinstall.www.midweekherald.co.uk 

Devon County Council is consulting on proposals to stop funding adult homelessness services across the county, saving around £1.5 million per year.

It says it can no longer afford to pay for the services, with the money instead going towards increasing spending in other areas that support vulnerable children, young people and adults.

But local charities have urged it to think again.

YMCA Exeter, which receives £150,000 in support from the council, said “the consequences for vulnerable young adults will be huge,” while St Petrock’s warned it could lead to a “homelessness crisis” in the city.

The proposals come as new figures reveal the estimated number of rough sleepers in Devon increased by 28 per cent last year to 113.

Opposition leader of the council, Julian Brazil (Lib Dem, Kingsbridge), said: “It’s extremely worrying, but we all knew it was the case.

“Despite all the positive messages around the budget, we knew it was absolutely appalling and we’re struggling to find these cuts somewhere.”

But he added he had “some sympathy” with the council and expressed his frustration at the county’s Conservative MPs, who he claims have failed to secure more money for Devon.

“The truth is, if we don’t get the proper funding from central government, we’re never going to be able to provide these services.

“And they put as much spin as they like on it, but in the end these are cuts to the most vulnerable people in Devon and it breaks my heart to think we’re having to do that.”

Speaking to Devoncast from Radio Exe, Independent councillor Jess Bailey (Otter Valley) said she was “very concerned” about the proposals.

“I think it’s the worst possible time and, as a member of the [county council’s] health and adult care scrutiny committee, I will be looking very closely at these proposals. I’m strongly opposed to them and I think it’s removing funding from our most vulnerable residents.

“I’m very disappointed that the county council cannot apparently find the money for our most vulnerable residents and I think, in terms of health inequality, we need to find a way of supporting these people and continuing with that funding.”

Outlining the potential impacts of its loss in funding last week, YMCA Exeter warned that over 100 young adults a year could continue to face homelessness and “no longer have access to tailored wellbeing support, unable to move beyond their circumstances and thrive again.”

“Without the essential prevention measures YMCA Exeter provides,” it said, “Devon County Council could find themselves covering an average bill of over £924,000 a year in adult social care costs, rather than the current £157,000 they give to YMCA Exeter.”

The council estimates the cuts could save around £1.5 million per year. (Image: Terry Ife)

Meanwhile, Peter Stephenson, St Petrock’s director said the proposals are “disastrous for people at risk of homelessness in Exeter and across Devon, who are some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

“Long-standing and desperately needed support is set to disappear, removing a life-line people desperately need to avoid becoming homeless.”

A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: “We’ve budgeted this year to significantly increase spending in services that support vulnerable children, young people and adults, to meet rapidly growing demand for those services.

“To prioritise spending on our statutory responsibilities, we have to make savings in the region of £45 million from elsewhere and get the best possible outcomes from every single penny we spend.

“While we’ve been able to help fund this support service in the past, even though it falls outside our statutory adult social care responsibilities, sadly, we can no longer afford to do so.

“Reluctantly, we are therefore proposing to stop our contributions to this contract and instead target our scarce resources to support growing numbers of vulnerable adults who are eligible for social care support.”

The spokesperson added: “We will not make a decision regarding this proposal until we’ve considered the consultation responses, and we encourage people in the meantime to let us know what they think.”

The public consultation is open until Wednesday, April 19.

Residents in Teignbridge have less than a week to give their views on plans for development across the district over the next 17 years. 

Will they then follow EDDC and pause to await the revisions to the PPF? – Owl

Phillip Churm, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

The draft local plan identifies how land should be used for homes and jobs as well as setting out the infrastructure needed to support developments such as roads, schools and healthcare.

It also aims to protect the environment by tackling climate change and promoting low carbon energy.  

People can give their thoughts on the plan until noon on Monday 13 March  when the fifth and final public consultation closes.

The draft local plan, described by the council as “ambitious and forward looking,” has been approved by councillors and features land allocations for 4,560 homes, with about a quarter of them affordable, more homes for people with mobility issues and it will ensure all developments are net zero by 2028.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Dawlish South West and executive member for planning, Gary Taylor said: “The final draft proposals have been shaped by the more than 7,000 people who have contributed their views at the different consultation stages.

“Residents, businesses and other organisations have just a few days left to take advantage of this final consultation and submit their views.  Please take the time to do so by completing the feedback form on our website by noon on Monday.”

The approximate distribution of new homes across the district will be:

Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community – 37 per cent

Edge of Exeter – 46 per cent

Coastal and rural towns – 5 per cent

Villages – 12 per cent

In addition, about 65 hectares of land is allocated for employment use while two sites are identified for gypsies and travellers.

Three major expansions to existing settlements are proposed. Firstly, at Bradmore, west of Houghton Barton on the outskirts of Newton Abbot, for approximately 1,050 homes. These are in addition to the 1,800 homes in the area allocated in the existing local plan.

On the edge of Exeter, approximately 900 homes are planned for Markham Village, which will be created as a small new village between Ide and Shillingford Abbot, while a mixed use development of approximately 750 homes at Peamore is also proposed.

The plan will increase the rate of new housebuilding in Teignbridge to an average of 741 homes per year and all new-build open market homes on allocated sites will be occupied as a primary residence – secured through a legal process.

It adds how brownfield sites will be prioritised to help regenerate town centres, while most new homes would be located close to jobs, services and sustainable transport. Some small development sites are also identified in larger villages to help sustain essential local services.  

After the consultation ends on Monday, the draft plan and all comments received will be submitted to the planning inspectorate for review and public examination. 

If approved, the plan will come into force in early 2024.

Devon County and East Devon District Cllr Jess Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley) is concerned about the rule’s impact on democracy and that it favours the Conservatives.

Rob Kershaw www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

A government scheme requiring voters to show identification at polling stations has been criticised.

The new rule means that people will need to bring a certain form of ID – which include passports and drivers’ licenses – or they won’t be able to vote. It will come into effect at local elections in less than two months.

Among accepted IDs are older people’s bus passes, but not those for young people or students.

Devon County and East Devon District Cllr Jess Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley) is concerned about the rule’s impact on democracy and that it favours the Conservatives.

Speaking on Devoncast, a new weekly podcast, she said: “My view is that it’s an absolutely terrible scheme.

“Not only is it a terrible scheme that discriminates against younger people, but it also has been introduced far too late before the local elections.

“There’s an established principle that you don’t start messing around with rules relating to elections within the six months prior to those elections.

“Well, this government’s completely ignored that by introducing these rules at the last minute and I don’t think people are aware of them.

“And I’m really, really concerned that instead of making our system more robust, I think it’s actually going to disenfranchise thousands of people across the country.”

Cllr Bailey claims the rule is “designed to take votes away from non-Tory voters,” and warns of the risk of people being turned away from polling stations in May.

Former Conservative MP Neil Parish, who resigned last year, accepted that the deployment of the new scheme could have been better, but feels that it is needed to prevent voter fraud.

“I think it is actually necessary for people to identify themselves,” he told Devoncast.

“I think we are actually slow in rolling it out and we are slow in getting the necessary information to people.

“I think it’s necessary, I think we’ve got to make sure that the district councils get the information out and I would accept what Jess says – it’s getting close to the election now.

“But I think it’s really necessary because I think, in the end, we need to make sure everyone who votes are who they say they are.

“I think most people don’t actually pretend to be somebody they are not, but in some parts of the country it has happened, and I think it’s right to get it.

“Jess is right, there will be first problems in the first instance, but at some stage we do need to bring this in to make sure who is voting are exactly who they say they are.”

Mid Devon will keep trying to secure the money needed to build a new relief road for Cullompton.

Simon Jupp (Exmouth’s temporary MP) claimed a couple of weeks ago in the commons:

Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset secured £152 million from the levelling-up fund last month. The four counties make up the region’s new powerhouse, the great south west, of which I chair the all-party parliamentary group. Will my right hon. Friend [Michael Gove] meet me to discuss the fantastic opportunities that lie ahead for the great south west? 

Michael Gove replied: I absolutely will, and I will make sure that the Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, my hon. Friend Dehenna Davison, is with me as well. There is nothing that the two of us enjoy more than hearing good news from fantastic constituency MPs such as my hon. Friend Simon Jupp.

So there you are Levelling Up in action – Owl

Council’s relief road efforts continue

Ollie Heptinstall, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

The planned road to the east of the town is seen as essential for Cullompton, improving capacity at the town’s M5 junction, reducing traffic through the town centre and unlocking the development of 2,000 homes nearby.

It would also provide improved pedestrian and cycle access to the planned new Cullompton railway station, which could be in use by 2025.

But Mid Devon District Council is short of around £19 million of the road’s projected £30 million cost after being rejected again by the government’s flagship levelling-up scheme in January, despite backing from local Lib Dem MP Richard Foord and Conservative-controlled Devon County Council.

Originally set to cost £15 million, the road has ballooned in price; blamed on increased construction costs, replacing sporting facilities and the potential amount needed to buy land.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday [7 March], councillors agreed to submit a third bid to the levelling-up fund, if and when it is announced by Westminster, and to “continue to explore additional funding opportunities” to plug the shortfall.

Mid Devon’s new cabinet member for planning and economic regeneration, Councillor Graeme Barnell (Independent, Newbrooke) said he was “extremely disappointed” at the rejection and that it was “very important that officers do have a plan B and are working on that.”

Liberal Democrat councillor James Buczkowski (Cullompton South) stressed the importance of the road, saying it is “not only vital to the prosperity and wellbeing of Cullompton residents but vital, I believe, to the prosperity of the wider district too.

“The relief road is vital in terms of addressing the horrendous air quality in the town centre, addressing the outright dangerous transiting of heavy goods vehicles through our historical town centre, and addressing the daily congestion that has a severe detrimental impact on the lives of Cullompton residents.”

He added: “Please be assured that Cullompton residents have had enough of the daily plight and broken promises from Mid Devon District Council.”

Cllr Buczkowski urged councillors to explore other models of funding apart from the levelling-up fund, which a council officer said they are doing. Mr Buczkowski also suggested borrowing the money needed and paying it back in the long-term through developer housing contributions.

In response, Mid Devon’s director of place, Richard Marsh, claimed the council had been “working flat out” to try to make the road a reality.

He said it “wouldn’t be usual” for a district authority to borrow for a strategic highways project, while finance officer Andrew Jarrett added it was “not something we are looking to do or could do in the short to medium term” due to it putting a “very significant funding requirement” on the rest of the council.

Mr Marsh said it is planning policy that the relief road is in place before many new developments are built.

Cllr Barnell recommended a closer working with Devon County Council, which is responsible for highways and has pledged £1.5 towards the project.

The majority of cabinet members agreed to keep looking for more ways to fund the road, and to prepare another levelling-up bid.

A new specialist school will be built in the Cranbrook area after it was selected by the government. The school, one of 33 that will be built across the country, will cater for children aged nine to 16 and provide up to 70 additional places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Ollie Heptinstall www.devonlive.com 

Devon County Council is looking to increase the amount of SEND places it can provide directly, with places at independent schools costing it significantly more money. It also needs to improve its provision. Devon was last year hit with a government improvement notice for its services for SEND children, which it runs in partnership with NHS Devon.

The Conservative-run council and NHS Devon both apologised after a revisit by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission last May found that progress had not been made in fixing four areas of significant concern identified in December 2018. A protest by SEND parents was also held at county hall last month, over what they said was a poor provision by the council in supporting children with additional needs.

Welcoming the new school, cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter said: “We’re trying to change the system to obviously offer a much better service to our parents, and this is part of our strategy to have more schools.” He added: “We are really pleased we’ve got this money from the government, because it’s something we want to do.”

It is not yet known exactly where or when the new school in the Cranbrook area will be built. Another catering for children with SEND, the Promise School in Okehampton, opened its doors to pupils in September, while another is planned for Ivybridge.

Cllr Leadbetter also said long-running negotiations were still ongoing with the Department for Education about the county council’s large ongoing overspend on supporting children. Since 2020, councils across the country have been told by the government to put their SEND overspends into separate ring-fenced accounts while it develops a new funding model – an arrangement recently extended to 2026.

It means Devon’s total running overspend on the service – effectively debt – is projected to be £127 million at the end of this month, rising to £153 million by March 2024.

Will he – won’t he?

How many times has old “Tractor Porn” Parish floated the idea of standing as an “independent”!

Not that he was obviously independent minded when he was an MP.

Neil, Owl’s advice is put your money where your mouth is and stand – split the Tory vote! It will be fun to watch.

Philip Churm www.devonlive.com

The former Devon Tory MP who quit after admitting watching pornography in the House of Commons has said he may stand as an independent in the next general election. Neil Parish, who served Tiverton and Honiton for 12 years, and before that was a member of the European Parliament, resigned after he was spotted viewing sexually explicit material on a mobile device while waiting to vote.

Because of forthcoming boundary changes, the Tiverton and Honiton constituency will cease to exist. Simon Jupp, the current Conservative MP for East Devon, has said he will stand in the newly created Honiton and Sidmouth seat.

Ian Liddell-Grainger, the current Conservative MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, has been named as their candidate in the newly-created Tiverton and Minehead seat. And Mr Parish says that if he decides to run again, it is this seat he would stand in.

But in an interview for Devoncast, a podcast hosted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service in Devon, Mr Parish said politics is in his blood and he wants voters to decide whether he should return as an MP.

In a frank interview, the former MP, who had a majority of more than 24,000 at the last general election, said the circumstances surrounding his resignation last year had met with mixed reactions.

“It was a terrible year for me,” he explained. “And it’s interesting now to see where I take myself going forward, because I still have very much a public interest in mind with politics in the blood, food, farming environment. I just want to try and keep those things running, if I can, and hopefully do some good.”

However, the 66 year-old, who opposed Brexit and previously served as an MEP, said he was no longer a member of the Conservative Party and had no plans to rejoin.

“I don’t particularly like the direction of some of the policies. So, I am just making up my mind now whether to stand for parliament as an independent,” he said.

Asked which policies he will prioritise if he is re-elected he said: “It would be the cottage hospitals, the health side of it. It would be the food and farming side of it.

“Naturally, the big issue for Tiverton itself is the new school for Tiverton High School. That’s making progress now, but that needs to be delivered.”

He will also focus on rural issues. Mr Parish admits he will face challenges without the backing of a major party but suggests his prior knowledge will stand him in good stead.

“As an independent, it’s difficult to deliver in parliament, but I have had a lot of experience in parliament,” he added. “But what it does enable you to do is look at policies across the [board] because I wouldn’t stand to be anti-Tory, anti-Labour, anti-Liberal, anti-Green.

“I would like to try to put forward a positive message and to see whether people actually wanted that.”

Mr Parish said the next general election may prove interesting as he feels many people are “looking for something different.”

Responding to critics who have said he should not see re-election after last year’s revelations, he believes the decision should be in the hands of the electorate.

“By resigning and then if you stand again, then people can make up their own mind, can’t they? And that’s what democracy’s about,” he said.

Neil Parish’s resignation triggered a by-election in June last year which was won by Liberal Democrat, Richard Foord with a 6,000 majority.

The Lib Dem leader of Torbay Council is to challenge the area’s Conservative MP at the next general election.

Paul Nero www.radioexe.co.uk

Cllr Steve Darling currently heads the Liberal Democrat/Independent coalition that runs the council. He’s been a councillor in Torquay for 28 years and worked for former Lib Dem MP Adrian Sanders as a caseworker for 18 years.

Despite three decades in politics, the Lib Dem chairperson in the area claims he is not a career politician.

Mr Darling wants to oust former immigration minister Kevin Foster, who was a member of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss’s governments.

Mr Foster took the seat from the Lib Dems in 2015. But with most polls suggesting that the Tories are facing electoral wipeout, the Lib Dems are likely to think they would have a good chance of taking back Torbay.

It will be a challenge. Mr Foster has grown his majority considerably since being elected. In 2015, he took the seat with a 40 per cent majority, increased that in the 2017 general election, which was generally a bad one for the Tories under Theresa May, and then put on more votes in 2019 under Boris Johnson’s leadership.

With the announcement that Steve Darling is to stand, it makes the fourth candidate for the party in four elections.

Announcing his candidacy, Mr Darling said: “We must demand better for Torbay from the government. The lack of support in this cost-of-living crisis has shown that Conservative MPs are taking us for granted. Torbay needs a strong voice in parliament and I will be that voice.”

“When speaking to residents across the Bay they tell me they are tired of the lies, scandals and dishonesty associated with the Conservative Party. The Liberal Democrats will tax fairly those who have gained the most while others have struggled, and will invest in our coastal communities, create sustainable jobs, protect pensions, our NHS and social care, and take climate change seriously.”   

Chair of Torbay Liberal Democrats Pam Bagnall said: “Steve is not a career politician, he knows and understands our area and wants to work for the people of the Bay. As we have learnt in the past, if we want a strong caring voice in Parliament we have to unite behind the Liberal Democrats in Torbay because votes for Labour, Greens and others only split the vote and let the Tories win.”

Before the general election, which must be held before January 2025, Torbay will have local election this May.

Whipsiderry development stalls as Duchy of Cornwall suspends licence

Work to reinforce cliffs [with concrete] to enable a luxury housing development to be built has been put on hold after intervention by the Duchy of Cornwall.

By Johnny O’Shea www.bbc.co.uk

Work at the site has been put on hold after the Duchy of Cornwall suspended a licence allowing access to the beach

Protesters have been demonstrating against work at Whipsiderry beach, near Newquay, due to concerns over damage to the environment and wildlife habitat.

Now the Duchy has suspended a licence allowing access to part of the beach it owns.

Developer Living Quarter Properties has been approached for comment.

It has permission to build seven luxury homes on cliffs above the beach, but work necessary to backfill caves with concrete cannot legally take place while the licence is suspended.

Planning consent for the development had previously been granted by Cornwall Council.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) granted a licence for cliff reinforcement work, while the duchy – a private estate that funds both the charitable and private activities of the Duke of Cornwall, Prince William – granted access to the beach.

Seabirds called fulmars nest at the cliffs each year, and under the terms of the MMO licence, reinforcement works had to be completed by the end of March, due to nesting season.

A demonstration was held on 18 February, and protesters have retained a presence on the beach since, disrupting progress.

A second demonstration last week attracted about 200 protesters, organisers said.

Hundreds of people gathered on Thursday to protest against works to shore up the cliffs ahead of development

Developers used a crane to get a digger on to the beach, and security guards were hired to keep people away from areas being worked on.

On Sunday, organisers wrote to the Duchy, asking it to use its “power and position of authority to stop the destruction at Whipsiderry Beach”.

A Duchy spokesperson said: “The Duchy granted access on the basis that these works be carried out in a safe manner, and that all necessary consents were in place, including observing bird-nesting restrictions.

“The Duchy has therefore suspended the licence in order for discussions between the developer and the relevant statutory authorities to take place and for those authorities to determine if and how the consented work can take place in a safe and compliant manner.”

He thinks it would be unfair on others.

Could this public spirited public servant leading from the front, be our very own Chief Weazel?

Errrrr – not this time. – Owl

Philip Churm www.devonlive.com 

The boss of a Devon council won’t take his full salary increase because he thinks it is unfair on other staff. Nonetheless, the chief executive of South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council Andy Bates, could still get a £7,500 rise – or six per cent – of his £125,000 salary.

As the most senior official on the two councils, he says he doesn’t want to take a bigger percentage pay rise than the lowest paid worker. Mr Bates was speaking at a South Hams executive meeting on Thursday [2 March] to discuss pay and employee retention.

An independent report by the Local Government Association to senior councillors recommended all council staff should receive pay increases of not less than six per cent. But Mr Bates insisted: “Actually for those staff in the lower bands, typically they will be receiving a pay increase of between nine and 12 per cent.”

He explained how the recommendations in the report would “result in a seven per cent increase for directors and, indeed, myself.”

But Mr Bates, whose salary is currently £125,150 insisted he did not wish to receive a higher percentage increase than workers in lower bands.

“In the event that the executive chooses to agree this – and indeed councillors choose to agree this – it’s my intention that I should cap an increase to six per cent. I think it’s appropriate you shouldn’t be paying your senior team more than you’re paying your staff.”

Lib Dem councillor for Stokenham, Julian Brazil welcomed the comments by Mr Bates but said he hoped the decision wouldn’t lead to much bigger pay rises in future.

“I do not believe that senior management, however wonderful they are, should be paid disproportionately more than people out there at the coalface delivering the services that our people want us to do.”

The chief executive’s salary can only be decided by full council on the recommendation of the leader after taking appropriate advice. The Local Government Chronicle’s (LGC) salary tracker, published earlier this month, showed between February 2020 and January 2022, the average salary for a new chief executive was £154,764.

More than half of local authorities in England plan to cut more services while also raising council tax by the maximum possible amount, as they turn to increasingly “desperate” measures to remain financially solvent, a survey has revealed.

Patrick Butler www.theguardian.com 

Nine out of 10 councils are raising council tax from April. This alone will not balance their budgets, meaning most are also proposing to cut spending (52%), increase fees for services such as parking and waste (93%), spend their “rainy day” financial reserves (67%) and sell off assets such as land and buildings.

At least 12 councils are on the edge of “effective bankruptcy”, the survey warns, as they struggle to meet their official obligation to balance their budget while trying to maintain legal minimum levels of core service provision, from adult social care to roads repair, libraries and homelessness.

“This is an unsustainable situation. Eventually, there will be no more cuts that councils can make without endangering their essential services. Our evidence suggests that for just under 10% of councils, this is the situation they find themselves in now,” said the survey by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), a membership body and thinktank.

Just under a quarter of councils plan to take the axe to arts and culture services such as theatres and museums, while a fifth will cut back on parks and leisure services such as swimming pools. More than a quarter say they will have to reduce support for local businesses.

The precarious state of local government finances and the “desperate measures” taken by councils to address it, with most asking ratepayers to pay more even as they reduce services, is laid bare by the survey. It finds dismal levels of confidence among council leaders in a funding system many consider no longer fit for purpose.

“Citizens across the country are failed in three ways: their bills rise, their services are cut and the councils they rely on edge ever closer to financial ruin,” said Jonathan Carr-West, the chief executive of the LGIU.

Although local authority finances have been in trouble for years as a consequence of austerity cuts, 2023 is proving “an unusually difficult year”, the survey finds, as councils come under extra pressure from rampant inflation and increased demand from residents hit by the cost of living crisis.

In the last three years, three councils – Croydon, Slough, and Thurrock – have declared effective bankruptcy, while Woking has warned it faces a potential financial predicament “worse than bankruptcy”. All four borrowed hundreds of millions to invest in commercial deals to try to offset funding cuts.

The LGIU survey reveals that despite increased scrutiny of the potential risks of pumping huge sums into income generation schemes, 52% of councils say they are increasing their commercial investments. More than a quarter of respondents planto sell assets to raise cash.

“Putting councils in a situation where they are increasingly reliant on commercial activity to balance their budgets will inevitably leave them more exposed to financial risks, another factor which diminishes their sustainability,” the report said.

The survey, carried out last month, analyses 138 responses from what amounts to a regionally and politically representative group of councils in England.

James Jamieson, the chair of the Local Government Association, said: “Many councils are still grappling with significant challenges when setting their budgets and trying to protect services from cutbacks due to the deep underlying and existing pressures they face.”

The Department for Housing, Levelling Up and Communities was approached for comment.

• Covered silage clamp and agricultural building extension Summerhayes Farm Buckerell Honiton EX14 3ETRef. No: 23/0406/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• To placement of tables and chairs on the Strand. Strand Gardens The Strand ExmouthRef. No: 23/0405/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of two double storey detached dwellings. Land South Of Pump Field Close Dunkeswell EX14 4XXRef. No: 23/0400/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline proposal for a single dwelling with all matters reserved other than access Exton Lodge Mill Lane Exton EX3 0PJRef. No: 23/0401/OUT | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of garage and erection of 1 No new dwelling. 21 Clinton Terrace Budleigh Salterton EX9 6RYRef. No: 23/0391/PIP | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 29 Beech – Fell to ground level. Plant single Beech in immediate vicinity. Land North Of Higher MetcombeRef. No: 23/0398/TRE | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed conversion of existing side garage to family room and ground floor utility toilet. New insulated roof and parapet separation wall. 19 Lea Combe Axminster Devon EX13 5LJRef. No: 23/0395/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed two storey detached dwelling and stable to replace existing barns. Windrush Poltimore Devon EX4 0ABRef. No: 23/0393/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T08: Giant Redwood – Fell. 5 Hillcrest Gardens Exmouth EX8 4FERef. No: 23/0399/TRE | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Permission in principle for a proposed redevelopment of existing residential site including replacement dwelling. Timbervale Sowton Exeter EX5 2AGRef. No: 23/0392/PIP | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing attached garage, erection of side two storey extension and new detached double garage Pathways Smallridge EX13 7JNRef. No: 23/0390/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of two storey rear extension and first floor side extension. Demolition of existing garage to replace with new double garage. Fields Afar Sidmouth Road Rousdon DT7 3RDRef. No: 23/0389/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Leylandii – remove to ground level. Rosemary Cottage Dunkeswell Devon EX14 4RERef. No: 23/0387/TCA | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawfulness for a loft conversion19 Danby Terrace Exmouth EX8 1QSRef. No: 23/0386/CPL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey extension to existing kitchen extension; creation of first floor bathroom and re-roofing of existing garage Franklyns Smallridge Devon EX13 7LYRef. No: 23/0382/LBC | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey extension to existing kitchen extension; creation of first floor bathroom and re-roofing of existing garage Franklyns Smallridge Devon EX13 7LYRef. No: 23/0381/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Pittisporum – light crown reduction/reshape removing up to 1m, pruning cuts not exceeding 50mm. Southcote Convent Road Sidmouth EX10 8RLRef. No: 23/0388/TCA | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retrospective application for agricultural access track Land South Of Little Hill Cottage Holcombe Lane UplymeRef. No: 23/0383/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of fodder storage building Clifthayne Farm Marsh Honiton EX14 9ANRef. No: 23/0374/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• My property is accessed via a gate from a private lane. Just inside of this gate, on my property is a very large Leylandii Tree, a photograph is attached. This tree completly blocks access through a pedestrian gate, and impedes access for vehicles through the vehicular gate. In addition it blocks the light to a Cherry Tree that has been planted next to it. I would like to remove this tree in order to regain access to the pedestrian gate, to improve vehicular access and to help the Cherry Tree to flourish. The property is in a conservation area, and I understand I need permission to remove it, hence this application. 18 Little Knowle Budleigh Salterton EX9 6QSRef. No: 23/0369/TCA | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing attached garage, erection of side two storey extension and new detached double garage Pathways Smallridge EX13 7JNRef. No: 23/0390/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of two storey rear extension and first floor side extension. Demolition of existing garage to replace with new double garage. Fields Afar Sidmouth Road Rousdon DT7 3RDRef. No: 23/0389/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Leylandii – remove to ground level. Rosemary Cottage Dunkeswell Devon EX14 4RERef. No: 23/0387/TCA | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawfulness for a loft conversion19 Danby Terrace Exmouth EX8 1QSRef. No: 23/0386/CPL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey extension to existing kitchen extension; creation of first floor bathroom and re-roofing of existing garage Franklyns Smallridge Devon EX13 7LYRef. No: 23/0382/LBC | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey extension to existing kitchen extension; creation of first floor bathroom and re-roofing of existing garage Franklyns Smallridge Devon EX13 7LYRef. No: 23/0381/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Pittisporum – light crown reduction/reshape removing up to 1m, pruning cuts not exceeding 50mm. Southcote Convent Road Sidmouth EX10 8RLRef. No: 23/0388/TCA | Validated: Thu 23 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retrospective application for agricultural access track Land South Of Little Hill Cottage Holcombe Lane UplymeRef. No: 23/0383/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of fodder storage building Clifthayne Farm Marsh Honiton EX14 9ANRef. No: 23/0374/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• My property is accessed via a gate from a private lane. Just inside of this gate, on my property is a very large Leylandii Tree, a photograph is attached. This tree completly blocks access through a pedestrian gate, and impedes access for vehicles through the vehicular gate. In addition it blocks the light to a Cherry Tree that has been planted next to it. I would like to remove this tree in order to regain access to the pedestrian gate, to improve vehicular access and to help the Cherry Tree to flourish. The property is in a conservation area, and I understand I need permission to remove it, hence this application. 18 Little Knowle Budleigh Salterton EX9 6QSRef. No: 23/0369/TCA | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of side conservatory, grey flat roof building and lean-to former extension. Improvement to drive to increase parking area and the replacement of windows. The Old Stores Lyme Road Uplyme Devon DT7 3THRef. No: 23/0376/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Side infill station and internal and external alterations. Carlton Park Bickwell Valley Sidmouth EX10 8SGRef. No: 23/0370/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Crab Apple : crown lift to 2m above path ground level, tip prune over entire canopy to tidy and contain, thin canopy by up to 10%: maximum diameter of cuts of 25mm. Reason for works: Minimal works to contain tree, appropriate management for tree in small garden Eleanors Church Road Lympstone Devon EX8 5JTRef. No: 23/0378/TCA | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Lime : Remove northern stem, making one cut approximately 400mm in diameter. Remove one western low primary branch making one cut approximately 100mm in diameter. Remove approximately 5 western branches at approximately 50mm in diameter to achieve approximately 1.5 meters clearance above the garage of no. 32. 32 Witheby Sidmouth EX10 8SRRef. No: 23/0371/TRE | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of a greenhouse at the North East end of the garden. 2 Sprydoncote Cottages Budlake Devon EX5 3JNRef. No: 23/0368/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of garage to habitable use and erection of a detached double garage. Greenslades River Front Exton Devon EX3 0PRRef. No: 23/0366/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1: Ash – fell (Ash Dieback). The Rousdon Estate RousdonRef. No: 23/0365/TCA | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed replacement tennis building. Annexe Monks Wall Otterton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7JJRef. No: 23/0355/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Lawful Development Certificate for the construction of a single storey lean to extension at the rear of the property6 Bennetts Close Branscombe Devon EX12 3DGRef. No: 23/0356/CPL | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Refused
• Extension to driveway, turning area and timber frame car port Yew Tree House Musbury EX13 8ARRef. No: 23/0350/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a permanent agricultural worker’s dwelling to replace a temporary agricultural worker’s dwelling and an office in two static caravans Alderwood Barn Branscombe Devon EX12 3BURef. No: 23/0269/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Re-siting and amendment of the approved garden studio/summerhouse in the rear garden. 8 Granary Lane Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6JDRef. No: 23/0262/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed extension to the rear and side of semi detached dwelling 51 Little Meadow Exmouth EX8 4LURef. No: 23/0260/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 2 no. ground mounted PV solar arrays Deer Park Hotel Weston Honiton EX14 3PGRef. No: 23/0239/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of 50 no. touring pitches with 32 no. static holiday homes, with occupancy for 12 months each year Oakdown Holiday Park Weston Sidmouth EX10 0PTRef. No: 23/0220/MFUL | Validated: Tue 21 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Beech : crown reduction of branches growing towards the neighbours house by approximately 1.5 – 2 m, diameter cuts approximately 3 – 5 cm. Western Red Cedar (x2) : fell The Old Rectory Dunkeswell Devon EX14 4RERef. No: 23/0163/TCA | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed steel framed storage shed plus 2 x storage containers to stand beside shed. Raxhayes Farm Holcombe Lane Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1PQRef. No: 23/0121/AGR | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey extension to existing cottage. Keepers Cottage Combe Raleigh Honiton EX14 4TGRef. No: 22/2679/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Install on shed 1 3no. solar PV; shed 2 4no. solar PV and shed 3 6no. solar PV on side east elevation. Stoney Court Talaton Exeter EX5 2RJRef. No: 22/2561/LBC | Validated: Mon 20 Feb 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision

www.radioexe.co.uk

Devoncast: former MP Neil Parish and East Devon councillor Jess Bailey are the guests

Former Tory MP Neil Parish is on this week’s Devoncast, explaining why he is considering standing for parliament again following his X-rated departure in disgrace last year, and even though he is no longer a member of the Conservative Party.

Independent councillor Jess Bailey in East Devon also joins Ollie Heptinstall, Rob Kershaw and Philip Churm. She’s concerned about the homelessness situation in the region, and the new requirement for people to show voter ID at elections.

We also consider if we should start eating grey squirrels to help reintroduce reds, with the help of Chris Wright, whose business at Otterton Mill no longer serves the dish.

And this week’s Devoncast ends with Exeter teen band Pleasant Sense, and a track from their new EP. 

Download or stream Devoncast from your preferred podcast provider, or the Radio Exe podcast page here:

https://www.radioexe.co.uk/devon/podcasts/devoncast/episode/neil-parish-voter-id-and-a-lovely-bit-of-squirrel/

The former vaccines taskforce boss has branded Matt Hancock as “bit like a headless chicken” when he was serving as Health Secretary during the pandemic.

Brendan McFadden inews.co.uk

Dr Clive Dix, the former chairman of the Vaccines Taskforce, also said in a an article in the Daily Telegraph that Mr Hancock the “the most difficult of all the ministers because he didn’t take time to understand anything”.

He said: “He was all over the place, a bit like a headless chicken. He often made statements saying ‘we are going to do X and we want to let the world know about it’, but we were dealing with an uncertain situation in bringing the vaccines forward.

“The manufacturing process was brand new and any process like this is fraught with problems, which we need to fix as we go along, but normally you would spend two or three years stress-testing something like this.

“Hancock was laying down timelines by saying things like ‘we will vaccinate the whole population’, and these timelines drove his behaviour.”

The rebuke by the former chairman is the latest blow to Mr Hancock after the paper published a tranche of leaked WhatsApp messages from the former health secretary, which described how he handled the pandemic.

The messages were shared with the newspaper by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who co-authored Mr Hancock’s memoir the Pandemic Diaries, which covered his time as health secretary.

The latest messages show Mr Hancock criticising vaccines tsar Dame Kate Bingham, after she had used an interview with the Financial Times to claim that vaccinating everyone in the UK was “not going to happen” and the country needed to just “vaccinate everyone at risk”.

Exchanges from October 2020 show him saying she “has view and a wacky way of expressing them & is totally unreliable”.

“She regards anything that isn’t her idea as political interference.”

Mr Hancock also complained in February 2021 about Dame Kate and Dr Dix, who took over as chairman after her six-month term came to an end, amid concerns about UK access to vaccines from the Serum Institute of India.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said: “As we’ve seen all week, these stories are wrong as they’re based on an entirely partial account.

“In the case of vaccines, Matt drove the goal of getting everyone vaccinated, often against resistance in the system. Ultimately he prevailed, thank goodness, and we got the first vaccine in the world, for everyone. Matt set all this out in his book.”

Dr Dix hit out at the former health secretary, accusing him of “panicking” before trying to pursue doses from India.

The UK made secured vaccine doses from the Serum Institute of India in 2021, but Dr Dix said he had serious misgivings about the plan.

“When we said the AstraZeneca vaccine had manufacturing problems, that is when Hancock panicked,” Dr Dix wrote.

“He didn’t believe us. We were working night and day to make it work and he was turning around and saying: ‘I have said the UK population will all get vaccinated.’

“But we couldn’t change the nature of the process and he didn’t get that. He thought it was like procurement. That is where his behaviour came from.

“He panicked and that led to them going to India and taking vaccines that had been meant for the developing world.”

Dr Dix, writing after the leak of the WhatsApp messages, said it is “certainly extraordinary to see how two-faced they are”.

“We were working as hard as we could and he thought he could just come in and make a bold statement to the public and tell us that we have got to do it. I don’t think he understood the process. He was a loose cannon.

“The taskforce sat in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and that is where the budget came from. We reported to Alok Sharma and then Nadhim Zahawi came in as vaccines minister. Hancock wanted to get involved and because he was secretary of state, Alok stepped aside.

“He was using the vaccine to protect his reputation. We had no ego, we were only doing this because the country needed vaccines. I had worked for nine months from 4am until midnight without any pay to do this.”

A spokesman for Dame Kate told the Telegraph: “These WhatsApps suggest that Matt Hancock was not aware of the published and agreed government vaccine procurement policy, did not read the reports by and about the work of the Vaccine Taskforce, and did not understand the difference between complex biological manufacturing and PPE procurement.”

Additional reporting by Press Association.

Humans increasingly living in their own little bubble – Owl 

Editorial www.theguardian.com 

There are probably fewer local newspapers in Britain now than at any time since the 18th century. More people get local news and information – or misinformation – from social media. A long-term decline has accelerated: more than 320 local titles closed between 2009 and 2019 as advertising revenues fell by about 70%. The pandemic was another blow. At least as serious as these disappearances is the hollowing out of titles that have seen staffing, resources and pagination slashed, and coverage thus diminished. It is harder to quantify when court reporting is replaced by write-ups of press releases, or generic national stories topped-and-tailed with a little local colour, but it is obvious to readers.

Publications are less and less likely to be owned by proprietors with a stake in their communities, and more and more by big conglomerates prioritising the extraction of cash. More than two-thirds of UK titles are held by the three largest publishers, leaving about 400 independents. Now production costs are rocketing and businesses are cutting back further on advertising. While individual reporters and organisations still do remarkable work, they do it against the odds.

This is a global problem. Newspapers in the US are closing at the rate of two a week. Local newspapers were never perfect: they could reflect community prejudices, or cosy up to authorities and businesses they should have challenged. But the social costs of losing coverage genuinely rooted in communities is profound, and “news deserts” – without a reliable source of local news – tend to be places deprived in other ways.

Local news organisations encourage people to use businesses, go to theatres or join campaigning groups. They inform people about rights and services. They promote accountability and democratic oversight – even more important when power is devolved. But they also sustain communities in less tangible ways. They make people feel part of society. They allow them to assess what they read in the context of their own experience, and encourage them to see news as a source of practical and helpful information, rather than a matter of theoretical discussion and emotional reaction. Margaret Sullivan, the US media critic (and now a Guardian US columnist) warns that their erosion is a danger to democracy itself. It allows disinformation and emotive political rhetoric detached from fact to flourish.

There is plenty of evidence that people value local news and its many benefits. There is less evidence that they will pay enough to make it sustainable. Some hope can be found in newer independents such as the Bristol Cable, a cooperative, Manchester’s the Mill and sister titles the Post (Liverpool) and the Tribune (Sheffield). Run on a shoestring, they provide a valuable service, but to relatively niche audiences. January’s report on the sustainability of local journalism from the Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee offered helpful suggestions. The local democracy reporting service – under which the BBC funds journalists at other regional organisations – has proved more effective than anticipated in pursuing public interest reporting, but could be expanded and given more bite.

The government’s new tech regulator, the Digital Markets Unit, should make sure that small publishers are fairly paid by the big digital platforms. And the pilot news information fund set up after the 2019 Cairncross review of the sustainability of journalism should be much expanded and made permanent. There is no single easy fix. But public funding is a crucial part of the mix.