“The only tax he was required to pay on £27m was £3.7m. That implies an average tax rate of less than 14%, lower than the rate for someone working full-time on the minimum wage.”

Arun Advani (an associate professor of economics at the University of Warwick and a research fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies) www.theguardian.com 

Nadhim Zahawi’s tax row reveals an even bigger scandal: the rich are getting a tax break that those on low incomes can only dream of.

While the revelation that the former Conservative chair had to pay a tax penalty was shocking, the bigger concern is that the only tax he was required to pay on £27m was £3.7m. That implies an average tax rate of less than 14%, lower than the rate for someone working full-time on the minimum wage.

Two weeks ago, the Guardian broke the story that Zahawi had been fined by HMRC for not taking reasonable care in his tax affairs. This “carelessness” meant he had not paid £3.7m in tax that he owed from the sale of £27m worth of shares in YouGov, the company he co-founded in 2000.

His belated payment of the tax bill, plus interest and a fine, while he was chancellor, led to a total payment of about £5m. The revelation ultimately led to the ethics investigation that was his downfall.

Assuming Zahawi’s bill was related to unpaid capital gains tax, his startlingly low rate was possible because capital gains are taxed at much lower rates than other income.

While the tax rate for someone earning a salary of £270,000 is 47%, made up of 45% income tax above £150,000 and 2% national insurance contributions above £50,000, someone taking home 100 times as much can pay the much lower 20% capital gains tax rate.

And some gains can qualify for either business asset disposal relief or investors’ relief, bringing the rate on those gains down to 10%, and further reducing the average rate.

These low tax rates tend to benefit the wealthiest in society, the asset-rich. Capital gains are the returns that someone makes on selling an asset that has grown in value – be it a property, shares or antique vase.

But most capital gains come not from the sale of second homes by the upper middle classes but from the sale or dissolution of businesses by individuals who both own and manage those businesses. And those gains are incredibly concentrated: half of all taxable gains in the entire country go to about 5,000 people, who each receive more than £1.5m in gains.

Perhaps this would be worth it if there was compelling evidence that these low rates had beneficial side-effects for growth and employment. But the current structure of capital gains tax is neither good for growth nor good for all of those who receive money in the form of gains.

It is bad for growth because the gap between capital gains tax and income tax rates encourages people who could be brilliant employees to instead be mediocre self-employed managers, contributing to the long “tail” of unproductive firms in the UK. Someone taking home £1m in gains would pay up to £370,000 less tax than if they were earning the same as a salaried employee.

It is also bad for those actually investing serious cash in companies, because in times of high inflation they can pay large amounts of tax on increases in the value of those investments, even if this increase doesn’t keep up with the price of ordinary goods and services.

So what is the answer? One not particularly radical solution would be to largely go back to the capital gains tax structure imposed by the Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson in 1988. Lawson taxed capital gains at the same rate as income, and provided an allowance for inflation. A move back in this direction, with also some “smoothing” to account for gains being received less frequently than income, would be eminently sensible.

As a bonus it would raise about £16bn. This could pay for quite a lot of wage increases for teachers, nurses and firefighters who are striking because their incomes are falling relative to the cost of living. Or for green investment. Or for the tax cuts the chancellor so desperately craves.

Example of a cash starved local council grappling with a balancing act – Owl

Rob Kershaw, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

Rent on council properties in East Devon will rise seven per cent in the next financial year, while its share of the council tax is increasing by £5 a year.

However, anyone in arrears can now receive up to £25 from East Devon District Council after it received a share of a £100 million government grant.

Just over £216,000 was given to the district, which decided last month that working age tax claimants in the lowest band of income will no longer need to pay council tax from 1 April this year.

East Devon is set to use £90,000 of that fund, with the rest aimed at providing further support for those in arrears, and helping those who hit financial trouble and need help paying their bills.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday [1 February], Cllr Paul Hayward (Independent East Devon Alliance, Yarty) said he is grateful for the support people in the district are receiving, but he criticised central government for continually putting pressure on local authorities.

“There are huge financial pressures on residents, and this is a welcome help,” he said. “It will enable us to help those in dire financial need.

“We, as an authority, are expected to do more with less,” he said. “And we manage admirably. We manage far better than other local authorities. But the pressure is always building, government keeps taking away, keeps giving more things for us to do, abrogating their responsibilities down through the tiers of local government.

“And we perform admirably. This is welcome, it would be lovely if the government stuck a nought on the end of that, because then we could do even more and help those people who need our help.”

Cllr Jack Rowland (Independent East Devon Alliance, Seaton) joined Cllr Hayward in thanking the council’s officers for “producing rabbits out of hats” in delivering the grant to East Devon at short notice.

“The government notified this council on 23 December and expected this to be in place to be able to issue with the annual bills issued next month,” he said. “So the time scales for getting this in place once again are a real challenge.”

Cllr Geoff Jung (Independent East Devon Alliance, Woodbury and Lympstone) is glad that those living in council-owned properties on increased rent can at least receive council tax support.

“I was reluctant to vote for an increase in rent and rates, it feels uneasy at this time,” he added. “But this goes someway to resolving the issue that was raised earlier about people who are less well-off and who sadly are finding it difficult, and this proposal seems to help my conscience on this that it will help people in this society.”

James O’Brein told LBC listeners “which of these three stories are true and which are false.”

Joe Connor www.spottednews.uk

It comes as Rishi Sunak insisted he can get the economy growing again “this year” as he urged people to “have hope” despite the bleak assessments of the UK’s finances.

However, the IMF predicted a day earlier the UK economy will be the only major economy – including sanction-hit Russia – to plunge into recession this year.

True or false?

Back to LBC and they shared the video and wrote: “James O’Brien tells stories about Liz Truss, Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, he asks listeners which one they think is true.”

Watch on twitter here.

The Green Party has won a tight by-election race in Bristol becoming the largest party on the city council with 25 councillors. Patrick McAllister was elected the new councillor for Hotwells and Harbourside in the by-election held on Thursday, February 2.

Conservatives get only 34 votes! – Owl

Alex Seabrook www.bristolpost.co.uk 

Greens took the seat from the Liberal Democrats in a fiercely fought battle, which could prove a good indicator of how national and local elections in Bristol might turn out next year. The next local elections will be held in May 2024, which could see the Greens take control of Bristol City Council.

The result was very close, with the Greens beating the Liberal Democrats by only 26 votes. Coincidentally, at the last council elections in 2021, the Liberal Democrats beat the Greens also by 26 votes. 24-year-old Cllr McAllister, who works in legal services, said his party was now preparing to take power in Bristol.

He said: “Successive Conservative-led governments and our Labour-run council have left our residents feeling frustrated — whether it’s through botched consultations on new developments, repair works to public throughways going on for years, the cladding crisis, or even threatening to take away our library.

“There’s never been a more vital time to speak up for our communities, and that is exactly what I’m going to do from now on. The Green Party is now the biggest group in the council, with 25 councillors, and I recognise the weight of that responsibility. As a team we are putting together our programme so we are ready to run this city from next year.

“In the meantime, I think that the city council’s current leadership has a responsibility as well — they have to now recognise the mandate that the Green Party has. I’m really looking forward to getting on with the job and representing this amazing community with the commitment and enthusiasm that it deserves.”

The vote was sparked in December after the previous councillor, Liberal Democrat Alex Hartley, resigned for mental health reasons. The results will most likely not change the balance of power in the council, with Labour Mayor Marvin Rees still in charge until May 2024.

The by-election result also boosts the Greens’ morale ahead of the next general election, expected either in spring or autumn next year. Councillor Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, is the parliamentary candidate for Bristol West.

Cllr Denyer said: “I’m really delighted to have Patrick joining our group of experienced and dedicated Green councillors on Bristol City Council. It means that in the parliamentary constituency of Bristol West, where I’m standing to be MP in the next general election, we now have at least one Green councillor in every single ward in the constituency.

“It’s fantastic to see that the people of Hotwells and Harbourside, and more broadly the people of Bristol, want to see more Green politics in the city and are ready to trust us with power.”

The result is an embarrassing loss for the Liberal Democrats, who have held the seat since its creation. They have now gone from having six councillors in the city council to just five. Their candidate, Stephen Williams, was a former councillor for the area, MP and government minister.

In third place was Labour candidate Eileen Means, a former councillor for Brislington, social worker, and campaigner on housing safety having been personally affected by the flammable cladding scandal. Conservative candidate Eliana Barbosa was a “paper candidate” and did not attend the hustings or election count.

Local journalist Martin Booth, editor of Bristol 24/7, initially ran as an independent candidate, before deciding halfway through the race to withdraw due to the potential of a perceived conflict of interest if he won.

Greens now have 25 councillors, while Labour has 24, Conservatives have 14, Liberal Democrats have five, and the Knowle Community Party has two. Labour will still hold political power however, with the mayor unlikely to give any Greens new cabinet positions.

The turnout was higher than expected, with 32.4% of the electorate in the ward voting. Of 3,860 eligible voters, 1,251 cast a ballot. The ward is only represented by one councillor.

The full results are:

• Patrick McAllister, Green, 537 votes
• Stephen Williams, Liberal Democrat, 511 votes
• Eileen Means, Labour, 153 votes
• Eliana Barbosa, Conservative, 34 votes
• Martin Booth, independent, 14 votes

A startling graphic from the Bank of England’s monetary policy report.

Not quite what we were promised by our Local Enterprise Partnership whose pitch in 2018 was to double our local economy in 20 years. Nor what Liz Truss’ and Kwarsi Kwarteng’s “Growth, growth, growth” agenda was promising last October.

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy-report/2023/february-2023

Ugly hoardings surrounding a derelict building site just a stone’s throw from some of Torbay’s best beaches must go, says the leader of Torbay Council.

Guy Henderson www.devonlive.com

The site of the old gasworks at Hollicombe – once dubbed “Chernobyl-on-Sea” – has been derelict for decades, and despite planning permission being granted for nearly 200 homes on the site as long ago as 2012, it has not been touched. It is one of the key “brownfield” sites for development in Torbay, where the need for land for housing has reached critical levels.

The large area, three acres in the valley between Tarraway Road and Mead Road, is now overgrown and strewn with battered fence panels and other debris. The wooden hoardings along the main Paignton to Torquay road, opposite the entrance to Hollicombe Park and the path to the beach, are cracked and peeling, with graffiti daubed across them. The graffiti includes an obscene message in spray paint – aimed at former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Cllr Steve Darling, leader of Torbay Council, said the state of the hoardings was “terrible”, and he has written to the owners of the site to urge them to act. He also wants them to move forward with development of the site, which was cleared and cleaned of toxic chemicals including arsenic and cyanide in 2015. The build – when it begins – is likely to take three years.

In a letter to site owners Vistry Partnerships, parent company of developers Linden Homes, Cllr Darling said: “This is a significant arterial route between Torquay and Paignton and residents and visitors alike can only be horrified at the poor state of this boarding. I would reiterate our desire to get them re-painted and smartened up as soon as possible.

“We remain very keen to see the approved development for this site commenced, or if revised, then an acceptable scheme brought forward as soon as possible.”

Hollicombe gasworks building site (Image: Guy Henderson)

The first plans for the site were shown to the public in June 2007, at which point the gasworks itself had been dormant for almost 40 years. Local residents fought an unsuccessful campaign for the area to be turned into a park.

Now-defunct Midas Homes submitted plans for 185 new homes, including a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, 44 of which would be affordable. There were more than 500 objections, mainly on the grounds of increased traffic. A Hollicombe Action Group was set up to fight the plans.

Councillors heard that a “full decontamination” would be needed, and one member of the planning committee branded it Chernobyl-on-Sea. By December 2010 council officers were recommending the go-ahead for 185 homes and a public park, and in February 2011 it was given the green light, as long as a giant “tent” was put over the site during digging to prevent toxic dust going into the air. But the whole project was “called in” by the Government in April 2011 so an environmental impact assessment could be completed.

Hollicombe gasworks building site (Image: Guy Henderson)

A year later it was said to be “back on track” and residents were told they had nothing to fear from the toxic chemicals left behind from the gasworks, which were successfully removed under the giant marquee in 2015.

Since then, however, the site has remained empty and no homes have been built. Maps show a road called Cudd Hill Road running through the site, but the road has never been built. Vistry Partnerships has been approached for a comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Further coast defence work has been agreed for Sidmouth after securing council cash, it was announced this week.

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk

Sidmouth’s coastal defences have been given a boost after almost £2 million was made available to protect the town from eroding cliffs and high tides, writes local democracy reporter Rob Kershaw.

In 2020, glass ‘splash walls’ were installed on the seafront to see how they would fare against the waves, however they were soon vandalised.

Now East Devon District Council (EDDC) has chosen a new scheme that involves installing a 120-metre rock groyne on the beach.

The cost of improving Sidmouth’s resilience against the elements has increased since plans were first brought forward – due to staff shortages and higher staff wages. And inflation has driven up prices for materials.

Work on sea defences is set to start in just over two years.

The council needs to spend £1.7 million to continue maintenance work on sea defences, but it is trying to find ways, in collaboration with the Environment Agency, to bring that figure down further with funds from central government.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday [1 February], Councillors agreed to its part of the cost.

Cllr Geoff Jung (Independent East Devon Alliance, Woodbury and Lympstone) said: “Thank goodness everyone in Sidmouth at the moment seems to be supporting this scheme.

“And I hope that, in the next four years, we’ll be able to see the design come through, we’ll be having large consultations on it, and then we’ll see the building of it.

“And then we’ll be protecting Sidmouth for many years to come.”

Cllr John Loudoun (Independent East Devon Alliance, Sidmouth Rural) believes that the cash injection will show residents that the council is committed to protecting the town.

“We have been through a large number of ups and downs,” he said. “I hope the fact that we are committing to putting just under £2 million into this will give reassurance to residents that we are serious about supporting this, taking this forward and making sure that it comes to fruition.”

Cllr Paul Hayward (Independent East Devon Alliance, Yarty) reasoned that spending money on sea defences now is better than paying a much larger price further down the line.

“You’ve only got to look at the picture that’s currently being provided here to see the erosion over a period of time,” explained Cllr Haward. “So that’s nigh-on 70 years. That’s an astonishing amount of erosion.

“In real terms, we owe as much to the residents of Sidmouth as we do to Axminster and Honiton and elsewhere to protect them from the elements. And this ultimately seems a pragmatic, appropriate spend to safeguard this issue. Because it’s not just residents who live near the cliff, it’s the fact that a flood event in Sidmouth would decimate business, as it would decimate any seaside town.

“And that could be billions. It could be hundreds of millions in lost businesses, lost revenue, lost jobs. So actually, to deal with it now, and to progress is very sensible.”

Community planting of thousands of trees begins this weekend at a new wood for East Devon in a bid to create a haven for wildlife.

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk

The Woodland Trust is inviting all along to its new Yonder Oak Wood near the Exe Estuary, at Lymsptone, with the ‘epic task’ of planting 13,000 trees.

Public planting days are being held from 10am until 3.30pm on Saturday February 4, and Sunday, February 5, and again on Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19. Those planning to attend must book.

The Woodland Trust hopes volunteers will donate a few hours of their time – or a whole day.

There is no parking on site, but the charity has arranged free minibuses from Exmouth.

The site of the new wood. Photo: The Woodland Trust.

Paul Allen, Woodland Trust site manager, said: “Creating a new wooded landscape that will host wildlife way beyond our lifetimes and be resilient to the changing climate is no mean feat.

“The mass tree planting is the first step in what will be a decades-long journey to bring wildlife back to this site.

“Trees are a great natural solution to the climate crisis, soaking up CO2 and delivering oxygen, and it’s great to see so many people wanting to step up and join this effort.”

Joining in the community tree-planting will be 400 youngsters from primary schools in Exmouth, Lympstone, Woodbury and Exeter.

The SongFishers, a group of musicians who live nearby, will serenade tree planters with adapted traditional folk songs to include the new wood, performing on Sunday 5 and Sunday 19 February, at 10.30am.

Rachel Harries, Woodland Trust engagement and communications officer, has been cleaning her stock of spades ready for the community days.

She said: “Planting 13,000 trees is an epic task but we’re finding that so many people are wanting to get involved in this project right from the very beginning – there’s a real sense of community coming together about it.

“With nature in crisis and climate change affecting both people and wildlife, planting trees is a way we can make a difference right on our doorstep.”

She added: “In a very short time, we expect to see more birds and butterflies, like willow warblers and spotted flycatchers – as well as butterflies such as the dingy skipper and ringlets.

“Imagine how exciting it will be – in five, or ten years’ time – to come back and say, ‘I planted this wood’.”

The new wood, which was named last year in a public vote, sits in a hidden valley two miles north of Exmouth.

Work has begun clearing the site of invasive laurel, and the hope is to create ‘open glades and wood pasture’ to attract wildlife.

The Woodland Trust bought the 54 hectares of land in East Devon in March 2022, thanks to a public appeal which raised £650,000.

Further funding was made available from Lloyds Bank, through the Government’s Landfill Communities Fund, and a Biffa Award of £750,000.

Devon and Cornwall Police have just received a scathing report:

Devon and Cornwall Police found to be ‘inadequate in several areas’ | ITV Newsitv.com

Including this:

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said: “I have concerns about Devon and Cornwall Police’s performance in keeping people safe and reducing crime.

“Particularly about the accuracy of its crime recording, its response to the public, and its management of sexual and violent offenders.

“The force doesn’t always record crimes against vulnerable victims, particularly violent or behavioural crimes, and anti-social behaviour.

“Failure to record a crime often results in victims not being properly safeguarded and no investigation taking place.

“Our inspection also found that the force is not adequately assessing or managing the risks posed by registered sexual and violent offenders.”

Little wonder Humphreys got away with it for so long.

All credit, in the circumstances, to police Sergeant Angela Galasso and her colleagues in the police and the cps who did eventually pick up and successfully bring this case to court.

So, where was our so-called Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez while all this was going on?.  You know – the person supposed to  hold our local police to account on our behalf. 

It is hard to know her exact salary but it seems it was around £88,600 plus expenses in 2016 and employs a large office staff including a Chief Executive who earns at least £113,000 and a Treasurer who earns at least £101,000 (2022 figures where her salary was specifically excluded from accounts).  Her office had at least 16.2 full-time-equivalent staff again some years ago. These historic figures are because her office’s website is very difficult to penetrate for more up-to-date figures. 

Police and Crime Commissioner Draft 2021-22 Statement of Accounts 2PDF Document · 2 MB

What was she doing while the Devon and Cornwall Police got such a poor report?  Well, we know she loves her photo opportunities and “meeting the public” especially when the public includes local or national Tory luminaries, though, of course, she has pledged to be neutral in her office.

Questions, questions – no clear answers …

 A new free-to join tourism network has launched to help businesses in East Devon prepare for the busy summer months.

Adam Manning www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

East Devon District Council, (EDDC) has been awarded the contract for the new East Devon Tourism Network (EDTN) to East Devon Excellence.

They hope the new strategy will ‘help businesses share expertise, fight climate change and offer the best product or service to customers.’

The new network is a key part of the East Devon Tourism Strategy, with aspirations for East Devon to become the leading, year-round tourism destination in Devon.

Cllr Nick Hookway, EDDC portfolio holder for tourism, leisure, sport and culture, said: “We are delighted to support this new East Devon-wide tourism network.  All tourism businesses are welcome to join to share ideas, find out about new opportunities and learn from best practice. By supporting the business community improve its offer, it will eventually drive more return visitors and attract new ones.”

The network will bring together key tourism representatives to address common challenges and improve operations with a heightened commitment to quality, showcasing a tourism community that can be a force for good.

The first network event will take place in March and businesses interested in joining the network to attend the event should email  tourismnetwork@eastdevonexcellence.co.uk

John Crouch, chair of East Devon Excellence, said: “We are delighted to deliver this contract to enhance local tourism.

“As a values-driven network with proven commitment to: promoting quality, working towards net zero, improved accessibility and collaboration, it will be a place where valuable information can be exchanged, and relevant opportunities explored to support businesses within the tourism sector.  We have an abundance of high-quality sustainable tourism businesses within an area of outstanding natural beauty that people can enjoy, and businesses should rightly be proud of.”

The network is supported by East Devon District Council and funded by The UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund.

The first network event will take place in March and businesses interested in joining the network to attend the event should email  tourismnetwork@eastdevonexcellence.co.uk. 

‘Ambitious’ plans for Honiton will not impact on people’s purses after the town announced a freeze on council tax to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

East Devon Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk

The town council said now was the ‘wrong time’ to heap extra burden on households, while announcing no increase on tax for 2023/24.

Honiton Town Council said its 2023/24 budget includes a total charge of £477,979 – which equates to a cost of £112.18 council tax on a Band D property – the same amount payable as in 2022/23.

The council said funds would still be available for recruitment of staff to care for the town’s maintenance, replacing another bus shelter, a new town entrance sign and supporting the market

Honiton’s celebrations for the King’s Coronation, Hot Pennies, Gate to Plate and Charter Day are also set to receive funding from the town council this year.

Councillor Serena Sexton, Honiton Town Council chairman, said: “Now would be the wrong time to increase household bills so the town council tax will not increase.”

The town council announcement to keep costs the same comes after members voted for a freeze at its January meeting.

It said the town could still expect council investment totalling thousands of pounds to benefit groups local to Honiton.

Although town charges are frozen for the next year, council tax could rise in Honiton if the district and county councils, police and fire service demand extra cash for services.

A Honiton Town Council spokeswoman said: “The town council recognises the burden of increasing household bills.

“So not to burden people with even more costs it decided 17 January 2023 not to increase its council tax for 2023/24.”

They added: “The budget reflects the public consultation December 2022.

“Nevertheless, the town council has an ambitious programme of work for the year including recruitment of staff to care for the town’s maintenance, replacing another bus shelter, new town entrance sign and supporting the market.”

The spokeswoman said: “The town council continues to support an active programme of events in Honiton during the year including the King’s Coronation, Hot Pennies, Gate to Plate and Charter Day.

“The town council plans a budget of £42,000 grant aid to local organisations.”

There are 3,791 Band D equivalent properties in Honiton, the town council said.

Households in England and Wales will see the largest increase to their water bills in almost 20 years from April when they rise to an average £448 a year. Industry body Water UK said the 7.5% increase would see customers pay around £1.23 per day on average – an increase of 8p per day or an average £31 more on last year’s charges.

[Average household water & sewerage bill in England and Wales 2020-2023, by company. South West Water customers had the highest annual combined water and sewerage bill in England and Wales for the year ended March 2022, at £503..29 Jul 2022]

Nathan Russell www.walesonline.co.uk

Consumer groups warned the rise could prove the tipping point for the one in five customers already struggling to pay. But Water UK argued that water bills remained lower in real terms than they were a decade ago and said this year’s increase reflected higher energy costs, with water firms using around 2% of the nation’s electricity.

Firms were set to invest a further £70 billion to “eliminate harm” from storm overflows and increase water supplies by building new reservoirs and national water transfer schemes, it said, adding that they were “acutely aware of the impact of price rises on lower income and vulnerable customers” and had recently increased the level of support they offered by more than £200 million.

Water UK director of policy Stuart Colville said: “With an average increase of around 60p a week, most customers will again see a below-inflation increase in their water bill. However, we know that any increase is unwelcome, particularly at the moment.

“That is why companies are also releasing an extra £200 million to help those that may be struggling. Anyone with worries should contact their water company or go to supportontap.org for advice, and it’s worth remembering that water companies will never cut anyone off, or make them use a prepayment meter.

“Next year’s bills will support what is already the highest level of investment on record, with a further £70 billion set to be spent over coming years on building new reservoirs and ending overflows into rivers.”

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) said regional variations and factors such as whether a customer is metered and how much water they use meant some households could face rises significantly above – or below – the average. And it said the postcode lottery of social tariff schemes meant many customers who cannot afford their bill “slip through the net”.

CCW chief executive Emma Clancy said: “Water is essential for all of us so no-one should be worried about being able to afford their bill. These increases will bring more uncertainty to struggling households at a time when they can’t be certain they will get the help they need. Low-income households need immediate relief and the long-term security of knowing their water bill will be affordable.

“It’s not fair that struggling households face a postcode lottery when it comes to getting help with their bill – that’s why we urgently need a new water affordability scheme that provides consistent support based on people’s needs.”

Jess Cook, water poverty lead at National Energy Action (NEA), said: “Social tariffs are essential for low-income households. Discounted water bills for those struggling to pay can stop the most vulnerable from cutting back or running up debt when they can ill afford to do so. But the current postcode lottery means where you live affects what you pay and what support you receive, and the Secretary of State, Therese Coffey, has suggested that fixing this is not one of her top priorities.

“With water bills rising 7.5% on average during this cost-of-living crisis, it’s more vital than ever that access to a social tariff should be made fairer, more consistent, and accessible to everyone who needs it, regardless of where they live.”

Ofwat chief executive David Black said: “We know times are tough and customers who are already struggling will be worried if they see their water bill increase, so companies should be doubling down to support those who need a helping hand. Kind words don’t mean anything unless they are backed up by action, which is why we were pleased to see the recent increase in support.”

But will the sewage system in the area cope? – Owl

An area just off the A30 close to Exeter Science Park will soon have 44 new homes and 6,000 metres of office space. East Devon District Council’s planning committee gave approval to the two schemes when they met on Tuesday.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

One scheme will see the office space built on land to the east of Anning Road/ Tithebarn Way, close to Junction 29 of the M5. The second will see the demolition of existing dwelling and outbuildings, in the nearby hamlet of Blackhouse for the construction of 44 homes, 22 of which will be affordable.

Both applications were recommended for approval by council officers at Tuesday’s meeting. Councillors backed both schemes.

Cllr Richard Lawrence (Conservative, Whimple and Rockbeare) backed the proposal for new housing. “What a refreshing application,” he said. “Fifty per cent affordable housing, a village green. I don’t know what else they can do to make this application better.”

But Cllr Mike Howe (Conservative, Clyst Valley) highlighted the sewage issues residents have been experiencing. He warned that, despite the quality of the application, it will only make that problem worse.

“Sewage treatment plants and the sewage stream run right into the River Clyst, and consequently right into the River Exe,” he explained, before calling on South West Water to help reduce the sewage in the area.

“South West Water are sticking their head in the sand and not doing their duty,” added Cllr Howe. “It is quite simple. We have factual evidence of sewage outflows into streets, blocking people’s toilets for weeks on end when they can’t have any facilities in the house to the extent where we have people with porta-potties now.”

Housing plans for Blackhorse

Cllr Steve Gazzard backed Cllr Howe and asked: “Can they [South West Water] pull their fingers out and come back with some way that they’re going to try and resolve the situation for residents?”

Cllr Olly Davey (Green, Exmouth Town) also supported the application, but wanted future plans to feature more traffic control measures.

“Village greens were not designed for large amounts of traffic,” said Cllr Davey. “And knowing the frequency with which people use motor vehicles, I suspect that at any given moment, there’s going to be a car moving around this site.

“Any traffic coming in off the A30 is going to travel up all the way past that green and park at the top. The amenity of the green is very much reduced by having traffic going past it. I’m not against this development, but I do feel that in future, we should be designing in low-traffic neighbourhoods.”

Both developments, for the housing and commercial properties, were approved.

Looks like many people will be turned away from voting in person in May. Does ID apply to postal votes?

A backwards step for democracy. – Owl

Peter Walker www.theguardian.com 

Only about 10,000 people in Great Britain have applied for a government-issued voter ID since the scheme opened, just 0.5% of the total who might need the document, the Guardian has learned.

The slow take-up, which could leave hundreds of thousands of people disfranchised at local elections in England on 4 May, will add to worries that the scheme is being rushed through and could cause chaos.

Subsequently, under the new scheme photo ID will need to be shown in England, Scotland and Wales for all parliamentary elections, and for police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales. Northern Ireland has a longstanding voter ID system, introduced owing to historic electoral abuse by sectarian groups.

As of last Friday, just over 10,000 people had used a central government portal to apply for one of the certificates, which are then issued for free by local councils, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities told election officials in a briefing on Tuesday.

This covered the first fortnight of the scheme to issue the so-called voter authority certificates, a period that included a major advertising campaign by the Electoral Commission to inform people about the new voting rules.

According to earlier government research, close to 2 million voters do not possess photo ID that has a recognisable picture of them, as is required under the new law. At the current rate it would take eight years to issue the documents to all those who could need them.

While the Electoral Commission has pledged to push ahead with public information efforts, the very low initial number suggests large numbers of people are ignorant about the new voting system and could be turned away from polling stations in the English local elections.

The Electoral Commission has previously written to the government saying the timetable meant the local elections could not be conducted in a “fully secure, accessible and workable” manner.

A 2021 study by the Electoral Commission found that the proportion of potential voters without usable ID was especially low among more disadvantaged groups, such as 11% for those who were unemployed, and 8% among people with a disability.

Alex Norris, the shadow minister for elections, said the rollout of the scheme was a “complete and utter shambles and reeks of government incompetence”. He added: “Not only is the Tory voter ID plan completely unworkable, it is unnecessary and set to lock millions of people out of voting.

“The Conservatives have got their priorities all wrong. During a cost of living crisis when people are struggling to make ends meet, it is an outrage that they would rather spend money on disenfranchising them.”

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said the initial statistics showed it was “encouraging that people are already aware of the voter authority certificate and are applying early”.

They added: “The commission is working closely with civil society organisations and local authorities to build awareness and support those more likely to need the free ID. The deadline for applying for free ID ahead of the May elections in England is 25 April, so there is still plenty of time, but we’re encouraging voters to check now if they need it so they can apply in good time.”

A government spokesperson said that the “vast majority of eligible voters” already had accepted ID, and that those without had until 25 April to apply. They added: “We are pleased that so many people have applied within the first two weeks and will continue to work with the Electoral Commission to ensure all voters are aware of the new requirement.”

Looks suspiciously like a rehash of old policies and unfunded new ones from a government whose approach to regulation is instinctively “light touch”. There are many reports with very mixed views. – Owl

Ministers have pledged that everyone will live no more than a 15 minute walk from a green space or water as part of a five-year environmental plan.

Sami Quadri www.standard.co.uk

The Government will also crack down on leaky lavatories and “confusing dual flush buttons” in a bid to meet targets for water, air and land.

Councils will be challenged to improve air quality more quickly and tackle major pollution hotspots. There is also a pledge to transform the management of 70 per cent of the countryside by incentivising farmers to adopt nature-friendly practices.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey is set to unveil the measures on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said protecting the environment was “fundamental to the health, economy and prosperity of our country”.

He added: “This plan provides the blueprint for how we will deliver our commitment to leave our environment in a better state than we found it, making sure we drive forward progress with renewed ambition and achieve our target of not just halting, but reversing the decline of nature.”

Ms Coffey said: “Nature is vital for our survival, crucial to our food security, clean air, and clean water as well as health and well-being benefits.

“We have already started the journey and we have seen improvements.

“We are transforming financial support for farmers and landowners to prioritise improving the environment, we are stepping up on tree planting, we have cleaner air, we have put a spotlight on water quality and rivers and are forcing industry to clean up its act. ”

However, environmentalists have condemned the plan as a “road map to the cliff edge”.

Dr Doug Parr, of Greenpeace UK, said: “If this is a road map, it’s a road map to the cliff edge.

“Here’s yet more paperwork containing a threadbare patchwork of policies that fail to tackle many of the real threats to our natural world. This won’t do.

“Ministers want to crack down on dual flush toilets while letting water firms pump tonnes of raw sewage into our rivers and seas.

“Until we see immediate action (from) this Parliament to ban industrial fishing in all our marine protected areas, reduce industrial meat and dairy farming and ramp up protections across a bigger network of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, we’re in real danger of UK nature going into freefall.”

Paul de Zylva, of Friends of the Earth, said that “on closer inspection it seems that many (of the measures) are just rehashed commitments the government is already late on delivering – and it’s unclear how others, such as ensuring everyone can live within a 15 minute walk of green space, will actually be met”.

He said: “There’s also a big emphasis on improving air quality which is completely at odds with the government’s £27bn road building agenda, raising serious questions over whether councils are being set up to fail.”

The plan includes a multi-million pound Species Survival Fund to protect rare species, from hedgehogs to red squirrels, is promised along with a pledge that Government support schemes will help 65 to 80 per cent of landowners and farmers to adopt nature friendly farming practices on at least 10 to 15 per cent of their land by 2030.

They are also to be helped to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2050.

The restoration of 400 miles of river through the first round of Landscape Recovery projects and establishing 3,000 hectares of new woodlands along England’s rivers is also promised.

Species decline over past 50 years graphically illustrated (from BBC)

People in Devon and Cornwall will see their council tax bill rise to provide extra money for the region’s police force. 

Remember about 12% of your council tax goes on the police, 7% on EDDC and 4% on town and parish.

Ms Hernandez has now raised the police precept five times since her first budget in 2017/18, the maximum permitted.

She is keeping a low profile so no selfie to share with you today. – Owl

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

Friday’s decision by the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel means a six per cent increase and will add £15 per year to the contribution from band D properties. 

Police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez said the cash will provide the police with a revenue budget of £384 million covering 3,600 officers and will ensure 23 front desks are open at police stations. 

The increased budget comes as the latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures show crime rose by 10.6 per cent in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly during the 12 months to September 2022.  However, the figure is lower than the nation figure of 12.3 per cent. 

In outlining the budget for 2023/24 Ms Hernandaz said consultations had shown “70 per cent of people agree that investment should be made to open more police stations to the public.

“86 per cent of respondents said they would like to use police stations as locations to report crime and 65 per cent said they would like to share information with the police about what’s going on in their communities.”   

Amid the ongoing inquest into the Keyham murders, the commissioner also outlined plans for £600,000 to improve checks for firearms’ licences in the region.  Devon and Cornwall currently has the highest number of legally held firearms in Great Britain. 

Members of the panel debated whether hard-pressed council taxpayers should always be responsible for funding the force’s operations in future.   

Conservative councillor in Cornwall, Martyn Alvey, said proposed measures in his area might be an example to follow. 

“We’ve already made a commitment to double council tax on the second homes, provided the legislation is in place,” he said. 

But Liberal Democrat councillor in Teignbridge, Alistair Dewhirst, insisted the lower-than-inflation increase in funding would still hit many people. 

He said: “This £15 increase is a massive dent in poor families’ budgets in my district and clearly it’s a day’s food for a family, and we would want to see real value for it.”

Labour councillor in Plymouth, Zoe Reilly, asked what the extra money would mean, particularly for women the city, with increased concerns following Keyham.  Cllr Reilly, who is also a caseworker for women affected by violence, suggested confidence in the police could be better.  

“Given the current situation, and misconduct publicly, particularly for women’s safety in Plymouth, I know that reporting crime for sexual abuse, sexual assault etc., isn’t actually considered to be that great.” 

However, the commissioner insisted the support services funded by the police were crucial in giving victims confidence. 

“One of the things that my office does is it funds those services for those women, children and men to access,” she said. “They don’t even have to go to the police if they’re too frightened, not confident, however they may feel they can go direct to Victim Support.

“And that service is one of the most empowering services that any victim of domestic violence can have because they can help you and support you through the reporting process.” 

The 2023/24 police budget and the precept [the money for the police service], was approved by the panel.

Ms Hernandez has now raised the police precept five times since her first budget in 2017/18, the maximum permitted.

In other debates, following concerns raised at the panel last November about the length of time people were waiting for the police to answer 999 and 101 calls, the commissioner said there had been considerable improvement and 90 per cent of emergency calls were now picked up within 10 seconds.

Campaigners are intervening to prevent new houses being occupied in several areas of England until sewage treatment works are upgraded to cope.

Meanwhile Owl has received reports that SWW have taken over a large part of the lime kiln car park in Budleigh Salterton in order to drill a new sewer outlet pipe under the Otter. The purpose is to replace the original Victorian pipe and give raw sewage discharge into the sea at the Otter Head a new lease of life.  Does this count as “upgrading sewage treatment”?

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

In Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds and in Cumbria, the failure of water companies to invest in sewage infrastructure means new homes would just add more sewage into treatment works that are at or beyond capacity, and increase pollution into rivers, they say.

The move comes as the regulator Ofwat continues its investigation into water companies for what it says are shocking failures in the way they run their treatment works and for potentially illegal dumping of raw sewage.

Charlie Maynard, a Liberal democrat councillor on West Oxfordshire district council, said: “The sewage treatment infrastructure owned by Thames Water is just not there to support existing housing let alone new developments.

“We have to do something, but at the moment there isn’t any serious plan nationally as to what we are going to do about this massive underinvestment by water companies in sewage treatment works.

“For 30 years there have been wonderful dividends for investors from water companies, but these dividends should have been invested in our sewage systems.”

As a result of pressure from Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (Wasp), councillors in West Oxfordshire have pushed for so-called Grampian conditions on developments, which state that they must not be occupied until Thames Water has invested to upgrade sewage treatment works to cope. A Grampian condition means a restriction is placed on a development until certain conditions have been met.

Thames Water has included a condition on the development of 150 new homes in Long Hanborough to state no development should be occupied until confirmation that all sewage work upgrades required are completed or there is a phasing plan agreed to allow the development to be occupied.

Another 40 homes in North Leigh will have a similar Grampian condition, which states that they must not be occupied until the Church Hanborough sewage treatment works is upgraded to cope.

The West Oxfordshire area has a government target to build more than 10,450 new homes by 2031. But Maynard said the sewage infrastructure was a “wasteland” – treatment works were unable to cope with the current population, and pipe networks desperately needed investment to stop groundwater ingressing into the system and further overloading it.

In Cumbria, local conservationist Matt Staniek is calling for a Grampian condition to be imposed to stop the occupancy of 40 new homes at Loughrigg until Ambleside sewage treatment works has been upgraded.

Staniek, who set up the Save Windermere campaign, argues the lake could become ecologically dead because of the amount of sewage being pumped into it.

Staniek said in his submission to the Lake District national park that without the upgrade of Ambleside treatment works to make sure it is operating legally within its environmental permit, granting consent for the development would endorse its intermittently illegal operation and increase the spilling of untreated and poorly treated sewage into the lake.

“In the last few years, I have observed the sharp and sudden degradation of our rivers and our lake,” said Staniek. “With dead fish floating in the lake, tributaries and algal blooms suffocating Windermere, it’s hard to ignore.

“I believe that the biggest contributor to the current decline of Windermere is the water company United Utilities, who service the local area.”

In 2021, there were more than 5,000 hours of raw sewage discharged from United Utilities’ wastewater treatment works into the Windermere catchment, according to data submitted by the water company to the Environment Agency.

Lake Windermere is judged to be at only moderate ecological status under the Water Framework directive, which measures pollution. Significant phosphate pollution from sewage discharges is cited as the reason for not achieving good status.

“The impact of this is being felt across Cumbria – from the businesses that rely on the tourism that our lakes and rivers encourage to the health implications that swimming in polluted water has on those seeking to use it,” said Staniek.

Ashley Smith from Wasp, which has made 13 submissions regarding sewage capacity and new developments in West Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, said: “The idea that new housing is routinely nodded through to join inadequate sewage works by planners and water companies will shock most people.

“That some of those works will even be operating illegally yet ignored by all of the authorities supposedly acting in the public interest is a step too far and that is why Wasp is working with local councillors to end this money-making scam on the public.

“We are not aiming to hold up housing – we are aiming to force water companies to spend money when they should, not hang on to it for years after it was due.”

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Over the last five years we have requested planning conditions for waste networks and/or waste treatment at 27 sites in West Oxfordshire. In addition, we are currently reviewing our advice on a small number of additional sites, at the council’s request.”

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “In 2020 we completed a multimillion pound upgrade at Ambleside WwTW [wastewater treatment works] which has raised the standard of treatment and ensures it has the capacity for growth from development and tourism up until 2036.”

The government becomes a laughing stock. – Owl

Pranksters erect ‘blue plaque’ commemorating Rishi Sunak’s seatbelt fine

Andy Gregory www.independent.co.uk

Pranksters have stuck a fake commemorative “blue plaque” to a lamppost on the street where Rishi Sunak was fined for not wearing a seatbelt.

The prime minister was reprimanded by police earlier this month after posting a promotional video to Instagram which inadvertently showed him failing to abide by the rules of the road.

A sticker intended to replicate the English Heritage-style plates has now appeared on Squires Gate Lane in Blackpool, which is on the route taken by Mr Sunak at the time of the infraction.

The ‘blue plaque’ commemorating Rishi Sunak’s Fixed Penalty Notice (Blackpool Gazette / SWNS)

It reads: “Rishi Sunak 19-1-2023. Received a fixed penalty notice for being filmed passing this spot in a car whilst not wearing a seatbelt.”

The clip went viral shortly after it was posted to Mr Sunak’s social media account, as viewers noticed Mr Sunak was missing his seatbelt while discussing the government’s levelling up programme in the back seat of a moving car en route to Morecambe.

Lancashire Police announced the day after the video was released that he would be fined.

It is the second fixed penalty notice Mr Sunak is known to have received while in office, having previously been fined while serving as chancellor alongside predecessor Boris Johnson over their attendance at a gathering in Downing Street which violated lockdown rules.

A Labour spokesperson said at the time: “Hapless Rishi Sunak’s levelling-up photo op has blown up in his face and turned him into a laughing stock.”

Downing Street said that Mr Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”, with a No 10 spokesperson adding: “He will of course comply with the fixed penalty.”

English Heritage blue plaques are typically used to commemorate the birthplaces and residents of famous people and achievements throughout history.

Additional reporting by SWNS

Apologies – Email subscribers will have lost the auto updates from sometime on Friday until this morning. Key posts you may have missed include:

Three reviewing the Devon County Council report on how it dealt with the John Humphreys and the part played by EDDC:

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2023/01/28/dcc-review-of-the-john-humphreys-case-owls-synopsis-comment-critique-and-list-of-unanswered-questions/

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2023/01/29/more-questions-on-eddcs-involvement-in-the-dcc-lado-meetings-regarding-john-humphreys/

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2023/01/30/tim-makes-a-considered-comment-on-eddcs-role-in-the-dcc-humphreys-review/

The latest news on sewage pollution:

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2023/01/30/spoof-blue-plaques-to-simon-jupp-unveiled/

And:

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2023/01/28/dartmoor-park-launches-attempt-to-appeal-against-wild-camping-ruling/

The UK is on course to be the world’s worst-performing big economy this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Who crashed the economy? – Owl

Mehreen Khan, Oliver Wright www.thetimes.co.uk

In an update to its growth outlook, the IMF delivered a hefty blow to Britain’s prospects despite brightening global conditions, with a 0.9 percentage point downgrade to the UK’s annual growth projection year.

It expects the economy to contract by 0.6 per cent in 2023, which would make Britain the slowest-growing big economy in the world. The Russian economy is expected to grow by 0.3 per cent this year after a 2.2 per cent contraction in 2022.

The IMF has upgraded its global growth forecasts in response to plummeting global energy prices and hopes that inflation will fall faster than expected. Britain is notable for being the only big economy expected to contract, according to the forecasts, while next year’s growth is expected to rise to 0.9 per cent, 0.3 percentage points up on the IMF’s last forecast in October.

Britain’s underperformance relative to its peers is the result of “tighter fiscal and monetary policies and financial conditions, and still-high energy retail prices weighing on household budgets”, the IMF said.

The outlook is a blow to the government before the spring statement in March, with Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, under pressure to provide relief to households as market energy costs reduce government borrowing needs.

Hunt pointed to comments by the governor of the Bank of England that any recession this year was likely to be “shallower than previously predicted”. But he added: “These figures confirm we are not immune to the pressures hitting nearly all advanced economies. The UK outperformed many forecasts last year, and if we stick to our plan to halve inflation, the UK is still predicted to grow faster than Germany and Japan over the coming years.”

The UK is the only economy in the G7 not to have reached its pre-pandemic size and has suffered the worst inflation rate of its peers in the past year. The economy is forecast to enter recession within months, with the downturn expected to last until the end of the year. The IMF said UK households were suffering from “stretched budgets” while high interest rates were raising borrowing costs and slowing down the housing market. The Bank of England is expected to raise rates again on Thursday to get a handle on high inflation.

Overall, the IMF raised its global growth forecast by 0.2 percentage points to 2.9 per cent this year after an expansion of 3.4 per cent last year. The upgrade is largely the result of China’s emergence from its Covid-19 lockdown and a fall in the record energy costs that plagued the world economy last year.

“Adverse risks have moderated since the October [forecast]”, the IMF said. “On the upside, a stronger boost from pent-up demand in numerous economies or a faster fall in inflation are plausible. On the downside severe health outcomes in China could hold back the recovery, Russia’s war in Ukraine could escalate and tighter global financing conditions could worsen debt distress.”

Europe and the US have recorded better than expected falls in inflation and signs of robust economic output at the end of last year. Global growth is expected to accelerate to 3.1 per cent next year, a slight downgrade from the IMF’s autumn projections.