Level of Government funding, children’s services and roads [Cllr. Stuart Hughes’ deteriorating assets] all came under attack from a North Devon councillor.

‘Pull your finger out of your derrieres’

Only being kicked out at elections is going to put our Tory friends out of their misery. – Owl

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

The government needs to “pull their fingers out of their derrieres” according to a Conservative county councillor.

Dermot McGeough, who represents Northam in North Devon, made the comment during a speech criticising his own party’s government and the county’s MPs at a full county council meeting on Thursday [16 February].

The ruling Conservative group’s budget for 2023/24 was approved at the meeting, but Cllr McGeough voted against it, saying responsibility for adult social care and children’s services should be given back to Westminster.

“Central government are failing us,” he said. “I’m a Conservative through and through. Never walked the floor, no intention to ever walk the floor. You cut me in half and I’m blue all the way through, which is a lot more than can be said for some people.

“We’re really, really struggling. It needs to be given back. Financially we cannot cope in Devon. Why should our residents suffer with such a huge burden on their taxes?

“Central government need to pull their fingers out of their derrieres and get it sorted for us,” Cllr McGeough added. “It’s not right. It’s not fair.”

He said the county’s children’s services, rated as inadequate by Ofsted but receiving an 18.4 per cent funding boost from April, is being “neglected” by central government.

“I want to see the best for the children of Devon. I’ve got a small child growing up. I want to see the best….I’m a Conservative. Is central government giving their best? No, they’re not giving their best.

“The MPs that are in Devon, I put this to you: ‘You wake up. Look at us. We need your help. Bloody help us.’”

He also criticised the county council’s highways department, one of a number of councillors at the meeting to lament the state of Devon’s roads.

“Highways needs a very good shake-up in my opinion,” Cllr McGeough said. “It’s not right that you leave roads in such disrepair … We’re being reactive. We’re not being proactive in anything.

“In the long run it’s going to cost this county tens and tens of millions of pounds to put right what we’re neglecting at the moment.”

In response, a spokesperson for Devon County Council, said: “Cllr McGeough’s comments were a part of a good and healthy debate on the budget at the full council meeting in which many members acknowledged the real challenges facing Devon and more widely across local government at this time.”

A government spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “Councils have access to more than £7 billion in the next financial year to provide social care.

“We always listen closely to what they require to deliver great services, which is why this year we have set out a two-year funding guarantee so they can plan for the long term with greater confidence and certainty.”

“….due to long term under investment in both maintenance and renewals our assets have deteriorated and become very fragile. ..” Cllr Stuart Hughes.

Who is responsible for your deteriorating assets Stuart? The Tory austerity programmes 1.0 and 2.0 or the Conservative Council cutting corners? – Owl

“Don’t forget, all Devon county councillors are up for election in May 2025 . Maybe if they haven’t done something about the state of our roads by then it’s time to vote the lot of them out.” Huw Thomas, Bideford

Devon Live www.devonlive.com

The number of potholes on Devon’s roads is on the up. Devon County Council saw more potholes recorded by January 20 this year than it did in the whole of January last year.

The council blamed consecutive freezing temperatures and rain, “the worst possible combination for our roads”. They said: “We are doing all we can to maintain the network in the best possible condition to keep Devon moving.”

While in 2022, the number of potholes recorded each month was well below the five year average. “However due to long term under investment in both maintenance and renewals our assets have deteriorated and become very fragile. The winter weather this year has highlighted the fragility of the network,” an answer given by Cllr Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highways, at Thursday’s Devon County Council meeting on the state of potholes said.

But one of our readers seems to have raised real concerns about the state of Devon’s roads The letter, sent into our sister print title the North Devon Journal, questions whether highways teams are even bothering trying to maintain the roads.

Read the full letter below

Do your readers think Devon County Council has given up trying to maintain our roads?

As more and more drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are finding out the hard way, the number and size of potholes in our roads seems to be expanding exponentially.

One Barnstaple resident, Graham Payne, has even set up a Facebook group to try and hold DCC to account.

The North Devon Pothole Community was only set up a few weeks ago but already has more than 1,000 members angry about the state of our roads.

I wrote to my county councillor about the general situation and a few specific examples around Bideford. I did get the good news that the “bottom half” of Manteo Way is to be resurfaced in April, though there is no date for repairs to the lower end of Clovelly Road.

I won’t hold my breath regarding Manteo Way either. That was due to be resurfaced previously but the work was postponed following budget cuts.

I realise DCC has many costs to juggle, including social care and education. But it also has a legal duty to maintain the safety of roads and pavements under the Highways Act 1980. Many would think DCC has not only failed in this duty but isn’t even really trying.

My councillor said the bad weather before Christmas had exacerbated the situation. This may be true but many of our roads have been in a dreadful, if not to say dangerous, state for years.

DCC does have a system for paying compensation to those whose cars have been damaged after hitting potholes but I’ve heard many stories of the excuses they find to avoid paying up.

I asked my councillor how many pothole damage claims DCC is facing and what this is costing the county (and its taxpayers). She said she didn’t have the information.

I could put in a Freedom Of Information request but she warned: “while highways officers are researching replies to your queries they are not getting on with the current work load”.

So, a bit of a Catch-22 situation. We can’t challenge the council because then their highways department will be able to achieve even less?

You’d think DCC would be fighting for more funding from national government. But when I raised this with my county councillor, she trotted out the tired excuse that when the Conservatives took power: “there was a note left for them saying that there was no money left”.

You’d think that after more than 13 years in power the Tories would stop blaming the lack of funding for county councils on how Labour coped with the worldwide financial crash of 2008. I seem to remember this was mainly caused by bankers, a number of whom later became Tory MPs and senior ministers.

Don’t forget, all Devon county councillors are up for election in May 2025 . Maybe if they haven’t done something about the state of our roads by then it’s time to vote the lot of them out.

Huw Thomas

Churchill Road, Bideford

With his home in Sidmouth and his office in Exmouth, which way will Simon Jupp jump when the new constituency boundaries come into effect ?

The new Honiton constituency provides continuity with the old Tiverton and Honiton one, comprising 66% of the voters from the old constituency and 22% of the old Devon East Jupp constituency. 

In contrast, the new East Exeter and Exmouth constituency adds 11% of Exeter voters to the residual 78% of Devon East creating a strange mixture of city and urban dormitory towns with the isolated seaside town of Budleigh Salterton.

Staying with Exmouth would seem to provide the greatest connection to his existing constituents but it is now regarded as one of 18 coastal marginal seats because of Tory failure to deal with the sewage scandal.

The waspish but astute Sasha Swire described him as: “Jumping Jupp flash”.

Whichever way he jumps and whatever the election result, it’s the beginning of a long goodbye from many of us.

Owl understands from multiple sources, the die is cast.

The 18 Tory seats where the sewage in rivers scandal could lead to Labour or Lib Dem victories

Richard Vaughan inews.co.uk

Tory MPs are in danger of losing their seats up and down the country due to a growing voter backlash against the Government’s handling of the river and seas sewage crisis.

i can reveal the target lists drawn up by the Liberal Democrats and Labour showing where the Conservatives are most vulnerable to being unseated at the next general election as a result of increasing anger over the dumping of raw sewage in the UK’s waterways.

Opposition parties have warned that the perceived failure of the Government to get a grip on the scandal is turning local businesses away from the Tories as they fear for their livelihoods, particularly in coastal towns.

The issue is being seized upon by local candidates hoping to peel off votes from Conservative MPs from Cumbria to East Sussex and the West Country.

The Lib Dems even have some major scalps in their sights, with Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Bath and North East Somerset an optimistic target, and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab’s Esher and Walton a far more achievable seat with its 2,743-vote majority.

Tory MPs in the so-called Blue Wall, which takes in much of the party’s southern heartlands, are being heavily targeted by the Liberal Democrats, which believe the growing anger over local water pollution can deliver them further votes in areas that are typically pro-Remain.

The party believes it is such a major issue on the doorstep that they have drawn up sewage dumping data by each seat on their list, with plans to hammer the message home to voters about the amount of pollution taking place in their area.

One such seat is Eastbourne on the south coast, where the incumbent MP is Conservative Caroline Ansell, who is sitting on a majority of just over 4,300.

More on Save Britain’s Rivers

Local Lib Dem candidate and local councillor, Josh Babarinde, said the issue of sewage was among the first to come up on the doorstep as it is an area that is highly reliant on the tourism trade, with one in three jobs linked to tourism and hospitality.

“People have been complaining about getting ill after swimming in our waters due to the pollution that is being poured onto our beaches. It is putting people off going into the water, and this is a major concern for local businesses who worry people will decide against visiting the area,” Mr Babarinde told i.

“When you speak to people on the doorstep, they don’t distinguish between local elections and general elections they are just appalled with what is happening. They’re saying enough is enough and want something to be done about it.”

The local council is seeking to force executives from Southern Water to appear at the town hall to give reasons for the sewage spills, while demonstrations are being planned by swimming and water sports associations to raise further awareness of the problem in the run up to the local elections.

In East Devon, where Simon Jupp sits on a less than commanding 6,708-vote majority, local campaigners erected fake blue plaques on the seafront, name-checking the local MP as failing to prevent raw sewage being dumped in the region’s rivers and seas. [Owl emphasis]

The Lib Dems are also increasingly confident of securing the seat of Hazel Grove near Stockport, where the current MP, William Wragg, is due to stand down. The party controls Stockport council and this week became the first local authority to launch an investigation into sewage discharges into the River Mersey. It comes after official figures showed United Utilities, which supplies the water in the region, pumped waste into the Mersey 977 times in 2022, amounting to more than 13,000 hours of discharges.

Tim Farron, the party’s environmental spokesman, said people were “waking up to the shocking sewage scandal this Conservative Government has aided and abetted and they are rightly furious”.

More on General Election

“Summer holidays have been ruined by beach pollution warnings, our magnificent Lake District rendered unusable as toxic algae blooms from the sewage contamination, and children have fallen sick from playing in rivers,” he added.

Labour is also viewing the sewage scandal as a potential wedge issue with the Tories, in particular highlighting the cost to businesses. The party believes the issue could deliver it votes in Conservative held areas from as far afield as Barrow and Furness in Cumbria, Hastings and Rye in East Sussex, and Camborne and Redruth in Cornwall.

A Government response to shadow Environment Secretary, Jim McMahon, revealed that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had made no assessment of the impact sewage spills were having on local businesses, despite it being raised as a major issue.

Mr McMahon said: “The Tories have turned their backs on coastal communities and businesses by allowing sewage pollution to hurt tourism. Coastal businesses regularly tell me of the damage to their livelihoods when the local beach has to close at short notice due to sewage pollution.

“You can’t claim to be on the side of business when you allow the places we care about to become open sewers.”

Tory MPs in such seats insist the opposition parties are being “disingenuous” over the issue of sewage in the country’s waterways, and believe the policies being put forward are unworkable.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “We were the first Government to have a plan to tackle this issue.

“Labour have made much noise about what they would do differently, but their alternatives so far amount to nothing more than billions in further uncosted policies or massive increases to people’s bills.

“Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have suggested little more than new taxes, a policy that at current rate would take 500 years to fix the problem.”

List of areas with corresponding water companies and MPs:

Mole Valley 

Thames

Paul Beresford 

Esher and Walton

Thames

Dominic Raab

Chelmsford

Anglian

Vicky Ford

East & Mid Devon

South West

Simon Jupp (East Devon), Mel Stride (constituency covers parts of Mid Devon included in sewage list)

Wokingham

Thames

Sir John Redwood 

Eastbourne

Southern

Caroline Ansell

Lewes

Southern

Maria Caulfield

East Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight

Cheadle and Hazel Grove (Stockport LA) 

United Utilities

Mary Robinson (Cheadle), William Wragg (Hazel Grove)

Woking

Thames

Jonathan Lord

North Norfolk

Anglian

Duncan Baker

East Cambridgeshire

Anglian

Lucy Frazer

Cheltenham

Severn Trent

Alex Chalk

Cotswold

Thames, Severn Trent and Wessex

Sir Geoffrey Clinton-Brown

Winchester

Southern

Steve Brine

Eastleigh

Southern

Paul Holmes

Bath and North East Somerset

Wessex

Jacob Rees-Mogg

North Devon

South West

Selaine Saxby

The inquiry into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over rule-breaking parties in Downing Street is homing in on a gathering in his private flat, the Observer understands.

Michael Savage www.theguardian.com 

Follow-up exchanges with witnesses working with the inquiry are now taking place as the privileges committee, led by Labour grandee Harriet Harman, works its way through a huge tranche of evidence handed to it by the government at the end of last year.

One of its focuses has become the so-called “Abba party” held in Johnson’s flat above 11 Downing Street on 13 November 2020, a gathering that included food, alcohol and music allegedly so loud that it could be heard downstairs in the press office. Johnson, the then prime minister, is known to have been present for at least part of the evening.

The gathering was not investigated by Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who examined reports of rule breaking during Covid lockdowns. Crucially, however, it is now central to the privileges probe because Johnson was asked about it directly in the House of Commons. His response, which he continues to stand by, was that “whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times”.

It is one of four specific denials of rule breaking Johnson gave to MPs that the committee is examining. At the time of the flat gathering, the second national lockdown was in place requiring people to stay at home. Indoor gatherings of two or more people from other households were prohibited except for permitted exceptions, including where it was “reasonably necessary … for work purposes”.

The gathering came in the hours after the departure of Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, two of Johnson’s most senior advisers, who left after losing a power struggle with Johnson’s then fiancee and now wife, Carrie Johnson.

Gray’s report stated that “a meeting was held” in the flat to discuss “the handling of their departure” and that five special advisers attended. Johnson joined them at about 8pm. However, Gray said she had only collected limited information because she had been interrupted by the start of the Metropolitan police’s own inquiries into rule breaking. Once the police had finished, Gray concluded it was “not appropriate or proportionate” to return to the incident.

Cummings, now an arch critic of Johnson and his wife, has since said he was baffled by the fact that the gathering was not probed sooner. “Dozens of people downstairs could hear it, so all the police had to do was interview any one of them,” he said in an interview. “You don’t have a work meeting, at the top of No 10, where the music is so loud that you can hear it in the fucking press office.”

Johnson’s denial that rules were broken in the flat that evening mean it is a key to the privileges committee’s work on whether MPs were misled. It has also emerged that all witnesses working with the inquiry have continued to cooperate, despite the fact that their identity may be passed on to the former prime minister when he is asked to respond to the claims against him. Names will only be omitted in “exceptional circumstances”, but it is understood that no witnesses have yet asked for their name to be redacted.

The committee is made up of seven MPs, including four Tories. While its report was commissioned in April, its investigation was transformed by the release of information by the government in November. Whatever its findings, the report will run into a clash in the Commons as MPs will have to vote on any sanction recommended.

It comes with the Met being urged to reopen its investigation into the Partygate scandal following the release of a podcast that raised questions about the force’s initial inquiry. The deputy chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee has written to the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, asking if he was “taking new information into account when making a decision regarding the reopening of the investigation” into the Downing Street lockdown parties.

Second home owners in the South Hams [Conservative] will have to pay double council tax, as soon as legislation allows. South Hams District Council unanimously voted to formally adopt the proposals at its full council meeting today. (Friday)

EDDC cabinet proposal to do the same goes before the full council this Tuesday 21 February .

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

The decision means that the Council will adopt a 100 per cent Council Tax Second Homes Premium as soon as legislation allows. It means second homeowners will have ‘to pay a fair share’ of Council Tax.

The Council declared a housing crisis in September 2021 and backed their declaration by a 12-point action plan. One of those actions included lobbying the Government to allow local councils to be able to charge 200 per cent Council Tax on second or holiday homes to ensure they contribute fairly towards the services they receive.

Their lobbying proved successful when in May 2022, the Government published the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which included proposals, aimed at addressing the negative impact of second homes on the supply of homes available to meet local housing needs.

The Bill proposes that councils will be allowed to introduce a Council Tax premium of up to 100 per cent in respect of second homes, meaning second homes would pay double the amount of Council Tax for an area. But the Bill is not likely to become law until April 1, 2024, at the earliest.

Cllr Judy Pearce, the Conservative Party leader of South Hams District Council, said : “I’m very pleased that we as a Council have adopted these proposals. It’s yet another objective on our Housing Crisis that we can tick off.

“The level of second home ownership in the South Hams has detrimentally affected the long-term viability of our communities. House prices are pushed upwards by the sheer quantity of second homes. Local residents can be denied a home as prices are pushed outside of what they can reasonably afford, a problem that is especially acute for the younger generation and first-time buyers.

“In November, I went to Westminster to speak to a House of Lords Select Committee to discuss the challenges around short-term lets and the impact that has in the South Hams. It’s truly concerning that with just under 4,000 second homes in the District, this means that nearly 1 in every 12 homes is a second home.

“We have taken this action to level the playing field for our local residents, making it easier for them to find somewhere to live, let alone somewhere to buy. It’s not an attack on second home owners, but us standing in solidarity with our residents, because they all have a right to have somewhere decent to live.”

Cllr Julian Brazil, Leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, said: “I’m delighted that the proposals have finally been agreed. On this issue, the entire Council speaks as one.

“This is absolutely the right way forward. It will make a massive difference to us. To people who say it is an attack on second homeowners, it is not. What it is, is asking them to pay a fair share to our communities. They’re in the lucky position to own not one, but two houses, when many of our local families here struggle to own just one.

“The fact that they pay a little bit more should be compared to the increase in value of their second homes. Before the latest hiccup in the economy, house prices in the South Hams increased by around 25 per cent in the last year. Increases of hundreds of thousands of pounds. We are asking them to pay a little bit extra to support the services that we struggle to deliver.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the Leader of the Council. She has worked incredibly hard lobbying MPs for them to understand the issues. I’ve been campaigning for this over 15 years – it’s the right decision.”

Council Tax is charged to households to help fund the services that the area’s local Town, District, County Council, Police, Fire service and Crime Commissioner provide. These services are essential for a community to function and are designed to improve the quality of life for the people who live in their communities.

A consultation has launched that could allow more street trading in towns across East Devon.

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

East Devon District Council (EDDC) wants your thoughts on the newly proposed draft street trading policy. The consultation deadline ends Sunday, February 26.

Some ideas planned include allowing Sidmouth Esplanade to become a ‘consent street’ – allowing traders, with EDDC’s permission, to sell products between May and September. It is currently restricted to one week during Sidmouth Folk Festival.

And the introduction of fees – a new consent or renewal application, as well as a block consent application (such as a mini food festival) will be £45 and it would be £25 to make a variation.

The majority of East Devon’s streets are already ‘consent’ streets allowing trading to take place, once an application has been submitted to and granted by EDDC.

Street trader stalls can include outdoor events and markets, street stalls, festivals and food vans at the roadside and in car parks. Or, anything where someone is selling goods on the streets, or outside in pedestrian areas or open spaces.

All approved applications will need to only sell items that are not ‘offered or directly competing with permanent services and businesses in the nearby area.’

Councillor Joe Whibley, the chair of EDDC’s licensing and enforcement committee, said:“One of our key aims, as part of the new policy, is to ensure the needs of traders, residents, businesses and visitors alike are all met.

“Which is why we want to hear from you. Ultimately, the aim is for us to have a street trading policy which complements the amazing businesses we have here in East Devon, while also being sensitive to the needs of our residents.

“The idea of street trading is to offer our residents and tourists a greater choice of products, attracting people to different towns and villages in East Devon, with the aim of improving the economic benefits for everybody.”

Honiton High Street and parts of Axminster town centre have ancient charters which allow weekly markets to take place.

Visit https://eastdevon.gov.uk/licensing/street-trading/street-trading-policy-consultation-2023/ to see the draft street trading policy proposed.

To have your say either email your views to licensing@eastdevon.gov.uk or send them in writing to Licensing, East Devon District Council, Blackdown House, Border Road, Heathpark Industrial Estate, Honiton, EX14 1EJ.

Maybe Selaine Saxby MP should speak to Simon Jupp MP, PPS to Secretary of State for Transport?

Too much to ask? – Owl

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

North Devon would ‘benefit considerably’ from the restoration of rail links to the region, the MP has said. The region currently only has the rail line that trundles down to Exeter, with no trains running at all in Torridge.

The area used to have far more rail links but the area was decimated by the Beeching Axe. Routes from Okehampton to Bude, Halwill Junction to Torrington, Barnstaple to Torrington, the Ilfracombe branch line, and the Exe Valley railway all disappeared.

But speaking in a Restoring Your Railway Fund debate last month, Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon, spoke passionately about the need for better rail links. She said that with thousands of new homes being built in the region, improved and revitalised railway links would be absolutely vital for the area.

She also added that the dream is also to see the service frequency from Exeter to North Devon doubled from hourly to half-hourly, as well as an additional express service connecting Exeter Central with Barnstaple in 50 minutes rather than the present 75 minutes.

She said: “In 1964, northern Devon lost the train line between Bideford and Barnstaple. The area now boasts the fantastic Tarka trail for walkers and cyclists. While the trail is a great resource for local communities and visitors alike, the distances across rural areas and the changeable weather mean that it is not a practical commute for all but the most hardy and fit commuters.

“Over the past few years, hundreds of homes have been built between Bideford and Barnstaple, with hundreds more planned. We absolutely need that housing, but it puts pressure on our infrastructure. In rural North Devon, our transport infrastructure is limited; for the ten-mile route between Bideford and Barnstaple, it essentially consists of the B3233 through Fremington or the single-carriageway A39.

“Without traffic, the journey should take 15 to 20 minutes by car or 29 minutes on the bus, but commuter traffic often pushes those times up to well over an hour, causing much frustration and clogging the roads on a daily basis. Bringing back a train connection between Bideford and Barnstaple would do much to prevent that congestion, and it would give communities affordable and environmentally friendly ways to reach Barnstaple and further afield by connecting the route all the way to Exeter.”

The nine mile railway from Barnstaple to Bideford closed to regular scheduled passenger services in October 1965. While the tracks remained until 1985 attempts were made to reopen the line, but campaigners say that with some relatively modest Tarka Line upgrading, a 70-minute journey time between Exeter Central and Bideford could be possible.

Barnstaple Town Council has previously unanimously backed calls to reinstate the town’s rail link with Bideford. The council voted to support the Tarka Rail Association and ACE Rail project.

Furthermore, campaigners are seeking a transformational rail service linking northern Devon with the county capital. They wish to see the service frequency doubled from hourly to half-hourly and increasing the speed of journeys to compete with cars. They also wish to see an additional limited-stop express service connecting Exeter Central with Barnstaple in 50 minutes rather than the present 75 minutes.

The MP added: “The difference that the development of the line would bring cannot be understated. While it would obviously lessen congestion, it would go further by connecting the area with opportunities that are currently out of reach. We already know that limited transport options limit rural productivity. If we support rural productivity and improve connections to these areas, we could add an estimated £43 billion to our economy.

“Due to the narrow nature of a few pinch points on the route, it would not be possible to maintain the Tarka trail as it is and to develop a new rail line. I am keen that, instead of sticking to the historical, mainly coastal route, we look at a different line that more directly links Barnstaple to Bideford.

“Having previously submitted a bid for Combe Rail, which would have connected Barnstaple to Braunton—sadly, that bid did not move forward—I know that there is huge support in North Devon for expanding our rail network. That previous bid lacked a viable connection to the main Barnstaple station, but the Bideford connection would directly join the two largest towns in northern Devon and go on to Exeter. We need to find ways to ensure that rural Britain’s connectivity does not lag even further behind our more urban constituencies.

“I hope that the Department considers reopening the restoring your railway fund to new bids. My North Devon constituency would benefit considerably from the route I mentioned. I hope that the Minister takes that ask seriously—he is also very welcome in North Devon, and I would always bring wellies—so that my community can reduce its reliance on cars and take advantage of the many benefits that the train line could bring.”

Journey numbers on the Dartmoor Line have passed 250,000 a year after re-opening to regular passenger trains. The line reopened on November 20, 2021, restoring a regular, year-round service for the first time in almost 50 years following more than £40m of Government investment.

The previously mothballed rail line, which runs between Okehampton and Exeter, was restored in just nine months and was the first former line to reopen under the Government’s £500m Restoring Your Railway programme.

Councillors on Monday will vote on whether to approve plans to build student flats and co-living blocks on the site of Exeter’s former Heavitree Road police station and magistrates court. Exeter City Council officers are recommending that the scheme – which was been refused once before – is this time given the go-ahead.

www.devonlive.com 

This latest student flats scheme consists of 646 units. There is also a co-living element of 381 units, both of which have been reduced from the originial iteration of the plans.

It is one of several schemes currently going through the planning process. At the end of last month, detailed plans for a huge student bed development on Streatham Campus for the University of Exeter were submitted.

The University’s plans for the development of the Clydesdale, Nash and Birks Grange Village Halls of Residence site off Stocker Road, could deliver an additional 1,250 bedrooms.

But it comes as no surprise that not everyone in Exeter is in favour of purpose built student accommodation, even if the plans are often designed to free up housing in the city centre for locals rather than students to live in. One letter writer into our sister print title the Express and Echo says that the increasing number of students in the city is leading to a housing crisis for locals.

Read the letter by Andrew Bovey below

“The current population of Exeter is approximately 133,000. Of that number, 30,000-plus are University of Exeter students, 23 per cent of the total population.

They occupy 75 per cent of the private rented sector in the city centre wards, in addition to a multitude of unfilled purpose-built student complexes we all know so well! They are exempt from council tax so in effect contribute net zero to the maintenance of local services.

The oversubscribed student occupancy in the private rented sector has pushed the demand and prices way beyond the pockets of ordinary working families and low-income households. Buying is simply not an option for so many these days and social housing placement in Exeter has been a bad joke since jurassic times.

More bizarrely, the situation is not treated as a housing crisis by either the council leaders or the university.Our MP, by his own admission, prefers ‘not to meddle in council affairs’ as it seemingly only reveals what it wants him to know on specific questions anyway.

It’s down to local people to make the leaders accountable for their actions, challenge untenable situations and make their voice heard for the greater good of others.

We are looking at a wholesale exclusion of the local renting workforce who are being forced out to an expensive and frustrating existence as commuters. Whole areas of the city have lost their sense of community and are being systematically replaced by a cohort of night revellers who fail to integrate and stand aloof (frequently knee deep in their bottles and takeaway wrappers).

Commercially students bring income to private landlords and retailers, yet socially the city’s infrastructure and local facilities – like health services and the new sports complex, funded by taxpayers – are overwhelmed and locals excluded by the sheer weight of numbers.”

Could elections be coming up, does Simon have designer boots?

But wait: Minette Batters, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, accused ministers of a “dereliction of duty” in failing to ensure food and other agricultural imports were safe. She said the government had failed to learn the lessons of the horsemeat scandal of 2013. 

Looks like an uphill battle for hearts and minds on this front. – Owl

East Devon MP seeks reassurances for farmers on seasonal worker scheme

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Assurances have been sought that seasonal workers will continue to find work in Devon beyond 2024.

East Devon MP, Simon Jupp spoke in Parliament, raising the question with Robert Jenrick MP, the Minister for Education. He asked: “East Devon’s farmers rely on a skilled domestic and foreign workforce to put their fantastic produce on our tables all year round. What reassurances can my right hon. Friend give that he will work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that the seasonal agricultural worker scheme will be extended beyond 2024?”

Mr Jenrick responded saying: “We review the seasonal agricultural worker scheme every year, working closely with DEFRA. We have extended it for this year, as my hon. Friend knows, and increased the numbers permitted under that scheme. That is quite right, but it is important to balance that against the need to ensure that British workers find their way into the workplace and are trained, and the need to invest in British farming, so that we do not need to reach in the first instance for foreign labour.”

As we go down the drain, does the government care a “SHIT”? 

The environment secretary has insisted that she does “give a shit” about water pollution. But the evidence speaks against. – Owl 

Sewage leak figures prompt warning over state of England’s hospitals

Andrew Gregory www.theguardian.com

Hospitals in England have recorded more than 450 sewage leaks in the last 12 months, data shows, putting patients and staff in danger and prompting warnings that the NHS estate is “falling apart” after a decade of underinvestment.

Freedom of information requests to NHS trusts by the Liberal Democrats found alarming examples of sewage leaking on to cancer wards, maternity units and A&E departments. The investigation also uncovered multiple cases of urine and faeces flowing into hospital rooms and on to general wards.

Health officials called the revelations shocking. In some instances, sewage leaks made entire hospital departments unsafe for patients and led to staff struggling to work because they felt nauseous and had headaches.

In total, there were 456 sewage leaks reported in the last year, although only 55 trusts responded, suggesting the true scale of the problem is much higher. It comes as the cost of overdue maintenance work on the NHS estate has soared to more than £10bn.

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “This is a national scandal. Our country’s hospitals are falling apart after years of underinvestment and neglect. Patients should not be treated in these conditions and heroic nurses should not have the indignity of mopping up foul sewage.”

He said there was still no sign of the 40 new hospitals promised by the government four years ago, and said the sewage leaks pointed to a wider neglect of the health service.

“At every turn, our treasured NHS is crumbling, from hospital buildings to dangerous ambulance wait times. The government needs to find urgent funds to fix hospitals overflowing with sewage. Patient and staff safety is a risk if ministers fail to act,” he said.

Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust reported the highest number of sewage leaks in the last year, at 105, followed by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS foundation trust, which recorded 80.

At the Princess Alexandra hospital NHS trust in Harlow, Essex, where 40 sewage leaks occurred, staff detailed cases in written data logs. “Raw sewage smell is still ongoing and staff are struggling to work in these conditions,” one report said. “They are all experiencing feeling nauseous, having headaches and feeling very tired.”

Another staff member raised the alarm that one part of the hospital had become unsafe as a result of a sewage leak, adding: “It was embarrassing to run a department that has sewage leaking everywhere and offensive odour.”

The cost of repairs and maintenance to NHS buildings that should have already been carried out – which does not include planned maintenance work – has reached £10.2bn, according to NHS Digital.

It has said £1.8bn needs to be spent on the “high-risk” backlog, classified as needed “in order to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services or deficiencies in safety liable to cause serious injury and/or prosecution”.

Rory Deighton, of the NHS Confederation, said: “Health leaders are clear that many of their hospitals are in desperate need of repair, as these shocking findings demonstrate further. No one working in the NHS wants this for their patients or staff.

“It is no wonder that nine in 10 of our members recently told us a lack of capital investment is undermining their efforts to reduce their waiting lists and is putting patient safety at risk. This has been building up over the last 12 years where UK capital funding has lagged behind peer countries, and the government needs to demonstrate it is gripping on to the problem as a matter of urgency.”

A spokesperson for Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust said: “As one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country, we have a huge estate spanning from Victorian to state-of-the-art – over 520,000 square metres and across seven hospital sites.

“While we have a comprehensive capital programme in place to ensure ongoing investment in our infrastructure, much of our estate is ageing. This causes a significant maintenance backlog, which inevitably leads to incidents such as leaks that require regular upkeep.”

Many of the leaks were minor, the spokesperson added, and a large proportion were caused by misuse, with inappropriate items being flushed into the system.

A spokesperson for the North Tees and Hartlepool trust said: “Staff reported 80 minor leaks to our estates and facilities team and there are no recorded major leaks to sewage.”

Michael Meredith, the director of strategy and estates at the Princess Alexandra hospital trust, said: “Sewage leaks occur across the site on a regular basis including below the ground, above the ground and in our basement. These are managed quickly and efficiently but they are unpleasant, especially where they occur in areas accessed by patients, our people or the public.”

He said the trust employs a 24-hour rapid response team to manage estate issues, and has a plan to deal with its maintenance backlog. “However, given the age and complexity of the estate and the delay in a decision around the funding for our new hospital, our backlog will continue to grow and will inevitably have an impact on service delivery.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “While individual NHS organisations are legally responsible for maintaining their estates, we are investing record sums to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care – including £4.2bn this year and £8.4bn over the next two years.

“More widely, we have invested £3.7bn for the first four years of the new hospital programme and remain committed to all schemes that have been announced as part of it.”

It would make more “effective and transparent decisions”

Mid Devon should scrap its cabinet system in order to make more “effective and transparent decisions,” a councillor says.

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

Cabinets are the most common form of governance on local councils. They are led by a leader who appoints a number of cabinet members – usually from the same party – to take charge of different departments.

The system favours a party that has a majority of council seats. However Mid Devon has been under no overall control since the last full elections in 2019.

As a result, it has been run by Independent-Lib Dem and Independent-Conservative coalitions, but was plunged into chaos last week when its Tory cabinet members left in a dispute over the council’s controversial 3 Rivers property development company.

Independent leader Bob Deed says he “fired” them, though Tory group leader Clive Eginton claims they resigned. It leaves the cabinet with just three members, meaning it cannot legally function.

Full council elections are due to be held in less than three months.

Cllr Deed says he will look to appoint replacement members in the coming days, but Cllr Eginton has submitted a motion to next week’s full council meeting calling for his removal as council leader with “immediate effect.”

The spat has led independent councillor Nikki Woollatt (Cullompton North), who served on Cllr Deed’s cabinet for a time, to call for a “modernised committee system to be implemented from the annual meeting of 2024.”

Under this system, according to the Local Government Association, councils are “divided into politically balanced committees that make decisions.”

It adds the system “does, inherently, give a louder voice to minority parties and Independents, since each committee is made up of members from all groups.”

Cllr Woollatt’s motion, submitted to next week’s meeting, states: “This council recognises that in order for taxpayers to have faith in the ability of Mid Devon District Council to make effective and transparent decisions … there has to be a fundamental change in the decision-making process.”

It also calls on councillors to “acknowledge that in a mature democracy there is a need for inclusive government which enables all members to make a valuable contribution in the running of the council.”

The motion will be debated at a full council meeting on Wednesday [22 February].

Liberal Democrats on Teignbridge District Council faced a raging attack by other councillors, including claims the leader was “corrupt” and members had “no f***ing clue” about the history and principles of their own party.

Philip Churm www.devonlive.com

It followed an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday, February 14, to debate the findings of a damning report by the local government watchdog.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said an investigation by TDC into the conduct of South Devon Alliance Group leader Cllr Richard Daws was flawed and “found fault with a number of aspects of the council’s investigation.”

Cllr Daws, who represents Ambrook, had been accused of acting contrary to the council’s code of conduct following remarks he made on social media in 2020.

The Ombudsman found fault in the investigation that followed because it was not triggered by a formal written complaint, as the law demands. The Ombudsman said the council should now apologise to Cllr Daws.

At the meeting, tempers flared and angry comments were made about the leadership. South Devon Alliance councillor for Haytor, Adrian Patch, spoke in support of his colleagues.

“This council has for so long been digging a hole for itself in the gutter and has finally leapt into the sewers where it is floundering in its own excrement,” he said.

After several interruptions Cllr Patch was ordered not to make any further comments in the debate.

Council leader and Lib Dem member for Kenton & Starcross, Alan Connett, said he accepted the findings of the report and he had apologised to Cllr Daws last month.

He also recommended that, in addition to him apologising to Cllr Daws personally, the managing director of the council should also apologise within seven working days.

Cllr Connett suggested “the council’s head of legal services writes to the secretary of state and the Local Government Association seeking further clarity” about the role of the Ombudsman and the duty of councils to protect employees.

Meanwhile, Cllr Daws, sporting a Che Guevara lapel badge, asked for his colleague, Liam Mullone – referred to in the report as “Councillor X” – to receive an apology too. He said the councillor for College ward had faced the same treatment as him.

“What my case demonstrates very clearly is that there are systemic failings within the standards procedures at this council,” he said. “None more clearly outlined than those of the injustice that was dealt out to ‘Cllr X’ – Councillor Liam Malone – who was tied up with me in an investigation.”

Councillors voted against an amendment to apologise directly to Cllr Mullone. Later, Cllr Mullone also launched a furious attack on the Lib Dems, who he suggested had dismissed the significance of the Ombudsman’s report.

“And I’ve seen all of you Lib Dems at the front nodding and going, ‘Yeah, it wasn’t really anything. Yeah, let’s ringfence it. Let’s pretend it’s just some administrative problem,’” he argued.

“I wish all the Lib Dems would go away and read Locke and John Stuart Mill and try and remember what your party is meant to be about because you’ve got no f***ing clue.”

He also hit out at chair of the council and Lib Dem councillor for Kenn Valley, Charles Nuttall, arguing he should not have been at the meeting.

“You were on the standards committee,” he shouted. And pointing to the monitoring officer, Paul Woodhead, he said: “You have been corrupt since the day you started.” Referring to Cllr Nuttall he added: “You should not be here.”

The council voted in favour of a motion to accept the findings of the report, apologise to Cllr Daws and for the standards committee to review its processes.

Discussions on Local Plan sites to wait while Government clarifies flexibility of housing targets

eastdevon.gov.uk 

Changes to planning, being consulted on by the Government, could give the council greater flexibility about the amount of house building needed in East Devon.

Concerns about the impacts the new developments would have on the environment and infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals were raised in the ten-week East Devon Local Plan consultation. These issues were acknowledged in this week’s Strategic Planning Committee. The Government may give councils more choice over the number of new homes being built, allowing East Devon District Council (EDDC) to address local concerns that have been raised.

EDDC leader, Councillor Paul Arnott, put forward a motion that no further discussions or decisions on potential sites take place until the Government makes its decision. EDDC’s Strategic Planning Committee agreed the motion, which means council officers will only continue technical work needed to support production of the Local Plan, such as water, sewerage and other environmental matters.

Councillor Paul Arnott, leader of the council, said:

“Last year, our council wrote to the Government calling for an urgent re-analysis of inflated housing need numbers imposed on the communities of East Devon.

“Pending any reply, we continued with the Local Plan consultation as required by law.

“This week – at the first opportunity to do so – I proposed that we put the sites aspect of the work on hold until what we hope will be confirmation that our housing numbers will be greatly reduced.

“I was very pleased that this won cross-party support. The ball is now in the Government’s court to deliver a new National Planning Policy Framework.”

Cranbrook’s district heating supplier E.ON is being criticised once more following a major heating outage in the East Devon town last year.

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

More than 400 households were left without heating for over a week becuase of a technical fault.

Some people had to leave their homes and live elsewhere during the outage which coincided with an extreme cold spell.

The heating Cranbrook receives is currently unregulated, although a council officer said that government legislation could change that in the next 18 months.

Just before Christmas, residents met with East Devon’s MP Simon Jupp, E.ON leadership and several councillors to explain what went wrong.

Cllr Eleanor Rylance (Liberal Democrat, Broadclyst) said at a strategic planning committee meeting on Tuesday [14 February] that she was not at all convinced about E.ON’s ability to provide its customers with the necessary service.

“Nothing I saw reassured me that the residents of Cranbrook were entirely safe in the hands of E.ON at this point,” she said. “So, E.ON seem to be very good at producing heat, and they seem to be very good at taking the money from the people they know about, but everything in between appears to leave something to be desired.

“I think customer services is very much the obvious one there. It takes many, many reports to E.ON to actually get any reaction from them, and I was not reassured at all at that meeting when the engineers explained about the valves sticking.”

Cllr Dan Ledger (Independent East Devon Alliance, Seaton) added that E.ON had no response when asked about a technical detail.

“One of the questions that was asked at the meeting was, if the valves were stuck on, why did it cut off all the heating?” he pondered. “Why wasn’t it set to the opposite of heat constantly running through rather than cutting it off? They had no answer.”

The district council will now set up forums between E.ON and Cranbrook residents. Cllr Mike Howe (Conservative, Clyst Valley) said that these meetings need to have “physical teeth,” to hold the company to account and a legally binding agreement should be established so it delivers what is asked of it.

Cllr Paul Hayward (Independent East Devon Alliance, Yarty) agreed that E.ON “need to up their game,” although he is pleased that residents have now been compensated.

“I am heartened by this report which says all effective households have received their financial compensation before Christmas, and that E.ON provided director level representation,” he said. “And that’s where I think my love for E.ON will end.”

Cllr Kevin Blakey (Independent, Cranbrook) added that E.ON’s customer service was “worse than awful,” and that “we need to ask E.ON to get their act together.”

Exmouth’s MP calls for more police enquiry desks to reopen

Conservative MP for East Devon Simon Jupp is calling for more police front desks to open in the district.

exmouth.nub.news 

Exmouth’s forthcoming new police station will have an enquiry desk.

Police stations in Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary and Honiton, however, remain closed to the public.

Simon Jupp MP said: “After the success of securing a new police station for Exmouth which will be open to the public, I want to make sure the east of the district also has access to a police station front desk.

“I would warmly welcome a front desk opening in either Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary or Honiton.

“Extra front desks, focusing on the needs of rural communities and market towns, would give people increased awareness and confidence in their local police force, especially during the tourist season.

“I know our Police & Crime Commissioner listens to communities and I hope she will consider re-opening another front desk in East Devon.”

Devon & Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez ran a recent survey asking which police stations the local community would like to have an open front desk. The survey closed on the 2 January.

Following its claim to be able to double the size of our economy in eighteen years from 2018, the Heart of the South West (HotSW) Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)seems to have been keeping a low profile, eclipsed by another unelected, unaccountable, pressure group calling itself “The Great South West”. 

This august body hosted a reception in the House of Lords last month.

Remember. the power behind the GSW economic strategy is none other than Pennon, the South West’s biggest employer and parent company of South West Water. So profit before investment – just what we need in the region! – Owl

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk 

The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has welcomed two new board members for 2023. 

The latest people to join the board are Helen Higgs, Head of Construction Workforce Capability at EDF Energy, and Mark Bolton, Principal and CEO at Yeovil College.

The Heart of the South West LEP’s Board works to improve economic development and prosperity in Devon.

The Board also oversees the LEP’s delivery of infrastructure, business support and skills projects, worth three-quarters of a billion pounds, being delivered by 2025.

Karl Tucker, Chair of the Heart of the South West LEP, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Helen and Mark to the Board, bringing with them a wealth of experience across education, clean energy, and skills.

“We look forward to working with our Board members this year as we continue to navigate the region’s challenges, and work with Government and local businesses to realise our area’s unique opportunities.”

Helen said: “I’m extremely pleased to have been invited to join the LEP Board. This is a great opportunity to support the collaborative skills initiatives that will face the future clean energy agenda for the region.

“I believe that there is great strength in the South West in this sector, which will deliver future employment pathways and be a natural legacy segway from my area of nuclear new build at Hinkley Point C.”

Mark said: “My colleague John Laramy from Exeter College held this position for the previous three years as the Further Education and Skills voice for the Heart of South West LEP, and I am delighted to represent the college, wider education and skills perspectives for the next term of office.

“It is a unique opportunity to ensure that the voice to inform future workforce needs is present in discussions which shape our future in the Heart of the South West.

“What our capable workforce can do has such a profound impact on the success and prosperity of our community, and it is a privilege to be in a position to make that contribution to inform the plan for our place.”

Find out about the Heart of the South West LEP’s board members: https://heartofswlep.co.uk/about-the-lep/our-board/

Mid Devon’s Liberal Democrats have attacked the “infighting” which has left the district council in a “shambolic situation” without a functioning cabinet.

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

Four Conservative councillors left their cabinet posts last week in a row over the council’s controversial property development company 3 Rivers. They supported a new business plan for the company but Mid Devon’s leader, Independent councillor Bob Deed, does not.

A scrutiny meeting on Monday [13 February] heard Cllr Deed say he had “fired” the quartet. However, Tory group leader Clive Eginton, who had been council deputy leader, claims they resigned.

It means the decision-making cabinet does not currently have enough members to legally function. A special meeting of the committee due to take place on Tuesday [14 February] was cancelled as a result.

Cllr Deed says he will look to appoint replacement cabinet members in the coming days, but Cllr Eginton has submitted a motion to next week’s full council meeting calling for his removal as council leader with “immediate effect.”

The opposition Lib Dem group, which also had councillors serve in the cabinet alongside Cllr Deed until he sacked them over a separate issue in 2020, say they are “concerned that local residents are being forgotten” over the dispute.

Cllr Luke Taylor (Lib Dem, Bradninch) said: “This infighting between local Conservative councillors and council leader Deed is taking us further away from finding solutions to the real problems for the council of the questionable 3Rivers Development experiment.

“Conservative councillors seem hell bent on investing more taxpayers’ money on this vanity project. The Liberal Democrats believe external expertise needs to be brought in to review the company and to find a solution that does not leave the local council taxpayers ‘picking up the tab’.

“At the same time as the Conservatives are trying to sink more money into this property company, the council is announcing absurd increases in parking charges, some over 100 per cent, that will cripple our High Streets. It’s simply not good enough.

“Drastic change is urgently needed within Mid Devon District Council. Local residents need to be the priority, they cannot be the ones to suffer from this shambolic situation.”

A full council meeting is expected to consider the 3 Rivers business plan again next week after the scrutiny committee voted not to support it in its current form.

Mid Devon is under no overall control with no party having enough seats to command a majority. Elections will be held in May.

Cllr Eginton has been approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Planning permission for a new block of toilets and single storey building on Exmouth seafront has been refused. 

Adam Manning www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

At a planning meeting at East Devon District Council on Janaury 31, officers met to discuss the planning application. The plans were refused contrary to ‘officer recommendation’.

The Sideshore development phase two involves a new small-scale flexible office/community hub and public toilets on a curtilage of the existing development. 

The meeting also heard objections from members of the public and councillors, who expressed concerns about the maintenance and cleaning of the toilets and how the new building might spoil the view of Exmouth seafront. 

Ian Cann from The Exmouth Civic Society said: “We object to this application on the grounds that only recently the application for the development of this site was agreed as a whole package and built as such.

“What we now see is creepage for more development on the site which regretfully in our view has only resulted in a development of small shops and a high class restaurant.

“We wonder what ever happened to ‘The Splash’ which we envisaged as fun space for children with water based activities on land. Now we are to have more development adding not a jot to its attraction as a tourist draw.”

Councillor Pauline Stott said: “I do believe that a toilet for the disabled should have the same amenities as the ones by changing places as the instigator of the Beach Disabled Wheelchairs.

“I feel that this would help a lot more disabled people enjoy our beach. Where they could go into a toilet that had a hoist a bed etc. as you have left so much space on the grass area not being used. So please can you consider this for all the disabled people that can now enjoy our beach.”

The planning statement said: “The proposed location for the new Hub will also provide an important, distinctive landmark building, announcing the western gateway to Sideshore when approached from the west.  

“The Hub would also be within a small cluster of existing kiosks and other seafront buildings and would therefore sit comfortably within its context.” 

Members considered that the proposal by virtue of its inappropriate design and siting on an open space would detract from the character of the area and would be detrimental to the openness and landscape of the seafront.

More focus needs to be put in affordable housing in East Devon, while there is not enough emphasis on the use of brownfield sites for developments.

Development strategy looks to be on hold until the government’s review of the  NPPF review is completed. – Owl

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

These were amongst the views put forward during an East Devon District Council strategic planning meeting on Tuesday [14 February].

In proposed changes to the national planning policy framework (NPPF), local authorities will no longer have to provide evidence of a five-year land supply.

Instead, if the change goes through, they will need to evidence that they have four years’ worth of development land, and it needs to be shown for two years after the new policy framework is published.

Cllr Eleanor Rylance (Liberal Democrat, Broadclyst) feels that affordable housing in the district is still beyond many people’s means.

“I’m not really assured by anything in our responses that we’re actually showing properly on the very real requirement for truly affordable housing,” she said. “And I’m just wondering whether, given the relatively low average income in East Devon, whether we shouldn’t put that forward as a reason for requesting truly affordable housing.

“The so-called affordable housing that’s being delivered at present is not affordable for too many people, so in my view, we need to be addressing some of our social housing shortage. And we know how many people are sitting on our social housing waiting list. The reason they are sitting there is because they cannot afford any other tenure.”

Cllr Richard Lawrence (Conservative, Whimple and Rockbeare) suggested the council should prioritise affordable housing when considering new developments.

“I wonder sometimes whether we’re being forceable enough when developments come forward to actually say ‘no, we want affordable housing’,” he said. “And proper affordable housing, stuff that people can afford.

“I don’t really think that we put enough emphasis when developers come to us with a planning application to say ‘no, this is what you’ve got to provide. This is what we need in the district, and you’ve got to find a way around it. It just seems a little bit odd that we let them [developers] get away with what I consider to be murder at the end of the day.”

Cllr Jess Bailey (Independent, West Hill and Aylesbeare) wants to see the authority make more effort to avoid building on greenfield sites.

“I still am dissatisfied with the efforts that this council has made to try and focus development in the existing towns,” she said. “And not in green fields, and not around our villages and subsuming some of our villages. So, I’m not satisfied at all that we’ve tried as hard as we possible could.”

Cllr Mike Howe (Conservative, Clyst Valley) added: “I want to agree with what Cllr Bailey in particular with what she said, particularly about brownfield sites.”

East Devon council will not allocate any sites for development until the new NPPF is completed by central government.

South West Water loses 127 million litres a day through leakage. It has proved difficult to relate this figure to the water customers draw from their taps (see Owl’s previous discussion on this). At best it is 27%, at worst 37%. Either figure is way too high.

Bear this in mind as you read this. – Owl

Zhara Simpson www.devonlive.com

Following the driest summer in nearly 30 years, experts are warning that another hot dry spell could see drought conditions return this year, despite winter rainfall replenishing most water levels across the country. Devon is still in drought due the lack of rainfall so far this year.

In a meeting held on February 10, The Environment Agency (EA) and National Drought Group (NDG) members discussed how risks to water resources remain, despite the significant improvements following five consecutive months of above average rainfall. Two of the Environment Agency’s areas that remain in ‘drought’ status include East Anglia and Devon, the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall.

Although the areas flagged are ‘recovering’, experts say there has only been seven percent rainfall this month. They said that water is ‘precious’ and are asking people not to ‘waste it’. It’s also reported that members are preparing for the ‘worst case scenario’ of another hot and dry summer which could lead to temporary use bans and taking additional water from the environment.

As of the beginning of February, total reservoir capacity across the country is at 88 percent. This compares with 49 percent at the end of September 2022, when reservoirs were at their lowest following the drought through summer.

The NDG, made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, the Met Office, water companies and key farming and environmental groups, said that despite taking winter readiness actions, increasing output and undertaking network improvements over winter, further steady rainfall will be needed to ensure the nation’s water reservoirs are in a good position ahead of the warmer, drier, summer months.

Members are planning for the worst case scenario of another hot, dry spell this summer and are managing water resources to reduce the risk of drought measures – such as temporary use bans and taking additional water from the environment – being required again this year.

The natural environment continues to take time to recuperate from the impacts of last summer and the Environment Agency is also focusing ongoing efforts on monitoring how well fish and invertebrates are recovering from drought.

The EA South West said on Twitter on February 14: “#Devon, #Cornwall and the #IslesofScilly are still in drought. The recent dry spell means that so far this month, rainfall is only 7% of long term average. Water is a precious resource – please don’t waste it.”

John Leyland, the EA Executive Director and NDG chair, said the low rainfall in recent weeks highlights the “importance of remaining vigilant” despite water levels returning to normal across parts of the country.

He said: “While most water levels have returned to normal across much of the country, low rainfall in recent weeks highlights the importance of remaining vigilant.

“We cannot rely on the weather alone, which is why the Environment Agency, water companies and our partners are taking action to ensure water resources are in the best possible position both for the summer and for future droughts”.

He added: “As ever, it is important that we all continue to use water carefully to protect not just our water resources; but our precious environment and the wildlife that depends on it”.

Members of the NDG heard that:

• Water companies, retailers and regulators must learn from the response to the 2022 drought and take forward improvements for managing and responding to future droughts.
• Water companies have continued to maximise opportunities to improve their water supplies over winter; identifying new sources of water; ensuring sources are operating as they should be and reducing leakage. The Environment Agency have determined additional drought permits to help refill reservoirs and improve water supplies ahead of spring.
• The farming sector is working to improve drought resilience, to ensure water availability for the short and long term, helping overall food security. The Environment Agency is working closely with the Rural Payments Agency to ensure abstraction licences associated with reservoir grant applications are determined on time.
• All sectors are now undertaking precautionary planning in the event that hot, dry weather returns in the summer, and continue to work closely together to support water supplies across the country.

England is experiencing more extreme weather more often. Over the last month, the EA has also been responding to flooding in parts of the country, following heavy rainfall over December and January. The EA is clear that planning for increasingly extreme weather is essential in order for everyone to be prepared for the impacts these events cause – both drought and flooding.