The New Economics Foundation says this decision is at odds with the 2021 Environment Act which commits the government to the principle that ‘the polluter pays’

Saphora Smith www.independent.co.uk 

The government is spending a billion pounds less on cutting domestic emissions than it is expected to raise through carbon taxes over the next 12 months, contradicting its own principle that “the polluter pays”, according to analysis.

The UK emissions trading scheme – which charges certain businesses for emitting greenhouse gases – is expected to raise £6.5bn this year, more than six times the £1bn it raised in 2021-2022, according to a study of carbon credit auction prices by the New Economics Foundation and Oxfam.

But despite the significant projected windfall, the government has only allocated £5.5bn to cutting carbon emissions domestically this year.

Alex Chapman, a senior researcher from NEF who conducted the analysis, says the gap is at odds with the 2021 Environment Act which commits the government to the notion that “the polluter pays”.

“We’re set to raise over £20bn over the next four years from our most polluting businesses but we’re not putting it to good use,” he said.

“This government has the opportunity to reinvest this money to cut our dangerous carbon emissions and repair some of the damage caused by the climate crisis,” he added.

Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, said the analysis showed that the government “isn’t even capable of following its own legislation”.

“Instead of polluters paying for their climate-wrecking emissions, the public is being forced to pay up instead,” she told The Independent.

“Ministers must urgently plug the gap in climate spending if their own Environment Act is worth the paper it’s written on.”

The UK government is spending the £5.5bn on a range of policies to cut emissions ranging from transport to energy efficiency, hydrogen, and offshore wind.

But the emissions trading scheme is not designed to pay for all of our climate action, and the Climate Change Committee has said that next year over £12bn of capital investment is needed to help decarbonise the buildings and surface transport sectors alone.

The scheme applies to energy-intensive industries, such as the power generation sector and aviation.

The industries are allocated a certain number of credits for free, but have to buy the majority through the scheme, in which the number of credits is capped.

The aim is to control the volume of emissions that can be emitted by the regulated sectors to ensure the UK meets its target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The reduction in the number of credits available – as well as a drop in free credits – has pushed up the price of the credit in recent years.

Over the past two years the average price of a tonne of carbon in the scheme has trebled from around £28 to around £80, according to NEF.

And yet this dramatic increase is not being reflected in this year’s core net zero budget to cut emissions from transport, buildings and the energy sector among others.

“Once again the Conservative government has shown they are not committed to climate action,” said Liberal Democrats climate change spokesperson, Wera Hobhouse.

Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said the analysis underscored “just how significantly the government is still underinvesting in the vital measures that will cut the UK’s carbon emissions.”

“With the energy crisis biting and millions of people shivering in their homes, there couldn’t be a more pressing need for the government to prioritise investment in a street-by-street insulation programme, starting with the most in-need neighbourhoods,” he said.

Other European countries are better at reinvesting revenue from their emissions trading schemes into climate action, according to the analysis. Germany, France, Portugal and Greece all invest between 90 and 100 per cent of emissions trading scheme revenues into reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

The analysis comes as a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) published on Friday found that increased investment to reach net zero is an “economic, environmental and political necessity” that could boost GDP by 2 per cent by 2030 and 3 per cent by 2050.

The government has repeatedly said it remains committed to reaching net zero by 2050, and that between 1990 and 2019 the economy grew by 76 per cent while the UK cut emissions by some 44 per cent, decarbonising faster than any other G7 nation.

Last month, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an extra £6bn to improve energy efficiency from 2025 to cut demand for expensive energy.

But the foundation recommends that the government invests an additional £8.75bn this parliament to insulate draughty homes, plus an extra £3.6bn to kick-start an emergency basic insulation programme this winter.

It also calls on the government to contribute to loss and damage funding to compensate vulnerable countries for damage caused by climate-fuelled extreme weather and slow onsets like rising sea levels.

The Independent approached the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for comment.

Avanti West Coast handed millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses

Avanti West Coast was handed millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses for a period in which it was Britain’s worst train operator for delays, Labour Party analysis shows.

Joseph Connor www.thelondoneconomic.com 

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh called the payments a “scandalous waste of taxpayers’ money” and a “symptom of a broken rail system”.

Labour analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) figures published on Thursday found Avanti West Coast was awarded the highest possible rating for “operational performance” and “customer satisfaction” between April 1 and September 18 last year.

That contributed to a bonus payout of £4.1 million.

This is despite Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures showing just 60.1% of stops at stations by Avanti West Coast trains were within a minute of the schedule between April and June 2021 – the worst figure for all operators.

Separate ORR data also revealed that the company had a higher rate of complaints per passenger than every operator except Caledonian Sleeper during that period.

Ms Haigh said: “Ministers have rewarded abject failure, handing over millions of pounds in performance bonuses and fees to this failing operator.

“Rather than hold operators to account for shambolic performance, ministers are doling out taxpayer-funded bonuses.

“This is a symptom of a broken rail system where passengers come last.

“The next Labour Government will bring our railways back into public ownership as contracts expire, ending the Tories’ failing system, and putting passengers back at the heart of our rail network.”

Ministers came under fire last month for renewing Avanti West Coast’s contract despite it slashing services in August to reduce short-notice cancellations.

A new timetable introduced earlier this month featured a 40% uplift in services, according to the company, which is a joint venture between FirstGroup (70%) and Italian state operator Trenitalia (30%).

A DfT spokesperson said: “This performance fee is based on data from before the current period of disruption. Avanti need to improve services on their network to ensure passengers can get the reliable, timely service that they deserve.

“We have put Avanti on a short term, six-month contract, as they roll out vital improvements and service upgrades and continue to monitor the situation closely.”

David Cameron first took aim at public sector workers in 2010. Continued Conservative policies have brought them to their knees.

“Contemporary Tory governments are singularly bad and unsympathetic employers”

Will Hutton www.theguardian.com 

The anger, despair, hardship and sense of being trapped that drove last week’s nurses’ strike, the first in the history of the Royal College of Nursing, with ambulance workers and other large parts of the NHS joining them this Wednesday, did not come out of a clear blue sky. They have been years in the making, as has the industrial action blighting rail, the tube and the post office and those planned in schools and the civil service early in the new year.

For contemporary Tory governments are singularly bad and unsympathetic employers. Although Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng have been dispatched, their libertarian hostility to the state, to taxes and to the very concept of public endeavour is shared, if less moronically, by Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt.

In their terms, the public sector workforce is an unfortunate evil, whose claim on the public purse is a residual one once prior ambitions to lower taxes and debt have been met – a far nobler and more moral aim for them than strong public services operated by motivated and reasonably paid staff. So it was in 2010, when David Cameron assumed office. It is the case today, too, but the capacity to run an undeclared pay policy that keeps public sector wages under continuous downward pressure has come apart with inflation running above 10%. The nurses are castigated for striking for an inflation increase plus 5%, which is seen as ”unreasonable”. But were it offered, their starting salaries in real terms would still be lower than they were in 2010. It is a similar story across the public sector.

It is a pay policy not openly acknowledged by ministers. Future public spending plans are set out in successive comprehensive spending reviews: public sector wages are budgeted to rise in cash terms for the next three years by never more than the assumed inflation rate. Varying parts of the public sector – there are eight pay review bodies, ranging from the NHS to education – may choose to offer more than the cash cap reflecting circumstances but, if so, the resources will have to be earned by “efficiency savings”. In the case of the NHS, those are assumed to be 2.2% a year.

In the immediate wake of the financial crisis, with economic activity depressed and inflation virtually nonexistent, public and private sector pay in real terms fell broadly in sync, but since 2015 the system has delivered an increasingly unfair and unbridgeable gap. In 2021, private sector pay finally climbed above its 2010 levels in real terms. Meanwhile, since 2015 public sector pay has risen a little, but not at the same pace – and from 2021 that widening has accelerated. In September, private sector pay in real terms (including bonuses) had grown cumulatively 5.5% since 2010, while in the public sector it had declined by 5.9%, with nearly half of that formidable 11.4% gulf opening up since January 2021. The government’s projected cash increases for wages have been eaten away by far higher than expected inflation. It’s been a hard time for everyone, but especially for those in the public sector. The core problem has been the productivity calamity, made worse in the public sector by even lower investment than in the resource-starved business sector. The figures are a disgrace. Since 2010, British capital spending on healthcare has consistently been the lowest of nine comparable European countries, plus the US and Canada; our stock of MRI and CT scanners per million people is the lowest, as are beds per 1,000 people. Worse, since Covid, one in seven of those hospital beds is occupied by a patient who could be discharged, but lack of care home capacity and social and community care has meant they are blocked in hospital. So despite more doctors, nurses and ambulance staff since 2019, the NHS is treating 12% fewer people from waiting lists and 14% fewer emergency admissions. These are not just barren statistics: accounts of patients needing emergency treatment but not receiving it because of system blockages are commonplace.

These are not acts of God. They are the results of policy choices. The coalition government took over an NHS in pretty good shape. But as the Institute of Government’s Giles Wilkes, sometime economic adviser to both Vince Cable and then Theresa May, candidly observed last week, its great error was not only to squeeze NHS spending too hard; it was obsessed with tax cuts – increasing personal allowances, cutting corporation tax, freezing fuel duties and capping council tax. As a result, he says, crucial “fiscal firepower for public services in future” was squandered. Then add Brexit, without which GDP would now be £120bn higher and tax revenues up some £50bn. Far from the £350m a week more for the NHS, we have £1bn a week less.

There is no honesty about any of this. Instead, the government twists and turns, making outlandish claims about the unaffordability of the pay claims and their contestable impact on inflation. It is one of the baleful results of post-Brexit Tory politics that Johnsonian half-truths and misrepresentation are now increasingly the currency of public life. The reality is that the government faces the consequences of the sins of its predecessors. Had successive generations of Tory ministers avoided stupid policies, there would have been the fiscal firepower to maintain public sector wages at levels that did not provoke strikes and by raising investment levels allow workers to do better jobs. Unions may need to accept that jobs and systems have to change to reflect technological change, but to work in public service should be properly rewarded.

In a sense, it is a civilisational battle. An NHS that cannot do its job properly means that more than half-a-million workers can’t enrol for work because they can’t get medical treatment. Worse gaps, delays, endemic shortages and bottlenecks are literally killing people. The vast majority of the electorate do not share the mania for state shrinking and tax cuts that animates the government. It wants properly resourced public services. The nurses are fighting to protect minimal living standards – but also for a stronger NHS, for better policy and, to an extent, for our civilisation itself. It is a cause we must support.

This post “A modern day Christmas Carol” has inspired Mike Temple to pen this poem

(may be sung to the tune of “Once in Royal David’s city…”)

Once in Little-Britain City
Lived a Tory known as Scrooge,
Stranger he to Truth and Pity
But his assets were quite huge.
His cash was tax-free, stashed offshore.
He didn’t care about the Poor.

He cut their benefits and “credit”,
Ignored the homeless at his door;
“Want” was “humbug” (yes, he said it).
His friends grew richer than before.
Bob Cratchit was this Tory’s stooge,
Kept on low pay by the said Scrooge.

Bob Cratchit on his low wage went
To nearby Food Banks every week.
He spent so much on heat and rent.
His prospects did look very bleak,
While for his son called Tiny Tim The future really did look grim.
At Xmas-time Scrooge went to bed
But didn’t sleep a wink at all;
He’d drunk a lot and was well fed
But saw a Ghost upon the wall
Who oped his cloak, and what Scrooge saw
Were kids called “Ignorant” and “Poor”.

This Ghost was from the Tory Past,
From just about three years ago;
The kids were mean, also low-classed
And marked with misery and woe.
They looked at Scrooge as if to say:
“Your policies turned out this way.”

Next night our Scrooge was sleeping when
The Ghost of the Time-Present came
Who showed the children once again –
It was indeed a crying shame:
The kids were hollow-eyed and thin
With little flesh, just bone and skin.

The third night’s Ghost from Future Time
Brought on the double-act once more,
Both skeletons – it was a crime
And done by those who’d made them poor.
The “Poor” kid was now Tiny Tim
And millions more were just like him.

Mike Temple

“The government and unions are engaged in a long, ideological brawl for which the traveller and taxpayer are mere bystanders.”

Simon Calder www.independent.co.uk

Imagine a business that, in the course of three years, has lost one in five of its customers. Revenue has shrunk even further, to just 71 per cent of where it was in 2019. That translates to taking £10m less per day than in 2019.

It gets worse. Three different bosses in seven weeks. A pricing policy so irrational and riddled with anomalies that an increasing number of customers make two or more purchases to obtain a single product, typically saving 40 per cent in the process. And bewildering working arrangements for staff.

In one unit of this business, the terms of employment depends on which side of a range of hills your job happens to be based. It is a seven-day-a-week operation, and the staff in the east could be rostered on any day. Yet those on the western side can work Sundays only when they feel like earning some overtime.

This is an organisation that clearly needs to be reconstructed from the ground up, with far lower costs, greater flexibility, sane pricing and fresh ideas. Yet to the contrary, the service is sliding downhill with toxic industrial relations and an apparent death wish: the company is recommending prospective customers to avoid it for much of the time in the next three weeks.

As you realise, I am describing the railways of Britain in the dying days of a chaotic year.

Those passenger and revenue figures (released this week for July to September 2022) spell out the scale of the slump since the coronavirus pandemic.

Mark Harper took over as transport secretary from Anne-Marie Trevelyan who replaced Grant Shapps, himself sacked by Liz Truss for supporting Rishi Sunak’s campaign for leadership. And all this during a long and bitter rail strike that has dragged on for six months and blights travel planning in the UK.

While you can point to a fragmented industry involving dozens of individual enterprises, many privately owned, the reality is that His Majesty’s secretary of state for transport calls the shots.

Some train operators are in the private sector and effectively pick up fees for running services as stipulated by the Department for Transport (DfT). Others are publicly run, such as Northern Trains – whose employment agreements are decided according to the worker’s position relative to the Pennines.

There are good arguments for a fully state-owned railway, and conversely for the present largely outsourced arrangements. But the notion that billions of pounds are exiting the industry to “foreign shareholders” and could simply be redirected to provide inflation-matching pay rises is preposterous. As things stand, the railway is haemorrhaging cash and the taxpayer is picking up the bill.

“Split ticketing,” whereby you legally exploit anomalies in the fare structure to cut the cost of rail travel, has moved into the mainstream. With ticket apps presenting you will ways to save, revenue is further depleted. Surely nobody ever buys a full-fare ticket from Bristol to London with the “Didcot Dodge” (buying one ticket to the Oxfordshire junction and another from there) cutting the cost by 40 per cent.

Everyone in the business realises the unappealing truth that much needs to change. Yet from most of those involved there is no sign of meaningful advances to improve services, cut costs and boost business. On the contrary, the government and unions are engaged in a long, ideological brawl for which the traveller and taxpayer are mere bystanders.

The RMT union, which is ending the year and starting 2023 with 12 days of strikes, believes that the government has a bottomless pit of cash and will eventually hand more of it over. Ministers, in contrast, believe that they can face down the strikers and set an example to other public-sector workers. A plague on both your platforms, say passengers as we book flights, hire cars or simply stay at home as the train firms urge. Every day that the disputes drag on and the fundamental problems of the railway remain unaddressed will dull the appetite for train travel and hasten the spiral of decline that both sides have chosen to back.

… by failing to meet asylum seekers’ essential living needs and protect them from destitution in the cost of living crisis

www.doughtystreet.co.uk (Extract)

The High Court has today ruled that the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has acted and is continuing to act unlawfully by failing in her legal duty to provide for the essential living needs of asylum seekers.  This follows evidence that she ignored advice from her officials, first issued on 31 August 2022 and repeated in September and November 2022, that she must increase the rate of weekly financial support paid to asylum seekers in order to avoid breaking the law. 

Under Act of Parliament, the Home Secretary is under a legal duty to review the rate of support for asylum seekers in order to ensure that it is sufficient to meet their basic subsistence needs such as food, drink, clothing, toiletries, travel and non-prescription medication.

Internal Home Office advice to the Minster, disclosed during the proceedings, revealed that the current rate of £40.85 per week is no longer sufficient to meet basic living neamieeds. Officials recommended repeatedly that in light of rising inflation the rate must be increased in order to protect asylum seekers from destitution. On 15 November 2022 stated categorically that the rate had to be increased immediately to £45 per week.  The Home Secretary again did not act on this advice. She provided no reasons or explanation to the Court for this failure, despite the court hearing having been listed for many months.

The legal ruling confirms that the Home Secretary is in breach of the law and is legally required to immediately increase the rate of weekly support.  A further judgment on whether the Secretary of State acted unlawfully by using a less accurate methodology for calculating the cost of meeting the essential living needs of asylum seekers is likely to be handed down in the next few weeks. In the event that the Home Secretary refuses to act in light of today’s ruling the Court is likely to have no choice but to order her to do so.

The case was brought by an asylum seeker, CB, whose name has been anonymized to protect her identity.

John Redwood, a thrice rejected candidate for the Tory leadership from the dying days of the Major era, has resurfaced. 

Here is the brilliant solution he tweeted yesterday: “short of beds. Why don’t managers put more in?”

Simples – Owl

Link to Tweet here

East Devon has been successful in securing a new £1.8 million pound Investment Plan.

“The primary goal of the Investment Plan is to support the transition to a net zero economy, build pride in towns and villages, support business development and improve opportunities for local people to grow their skills.”

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

The county will receive £1,796,363 in funding over three years from government, designed to replace European Union structural funds.

Following assessment of East Devon District Council’s Investment Plan for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has conditionally approved almost £1.8m funding for East Devon over the next three years.

The primary goal of the Investment Plan is to support the transition to a net zero economy, build pride in towns and villages, support business development and improve opportunities for local people to grow their skills.

Funding for year one (2022/23) is set at £218,005, funding for year two (2023/24) is set at £436,011 and funding for year three (2024/25) is expected to be £1,142,347. These funds are conditional on complying with the terms and conditions of the funding.

Cllr Paul Hayward, East Devon District Council’s portfolio holder for economy and assets, said: “This is fantastic news for East Devon! We’re delighted that our plan has been approved. It means we can progress our aims to transition to a net zero economy, improve skills to create a vibrant workforce and support culture and leisure.

“We had expected confirmation of the funds in October. This means we will need to work very quickly to allocate year 1 funding before 31st March 2023.

“We will be calling for grant applications from East Devon businesses for a new round of the Innovation and Resilience Fund and a new Culture, Leisure and Tourism Fund. Full details of the criteria for grants will be made available as soon as possible. In the meantime, interested businesses should sign up for the business newsletter to receive the latest information.”

The East Devon Investment Plan proposes funding for twelve interventions:Action on Poverty Fund, Active Travel Fund (starts 2024), Business Support Programme, Disability Employment Support Programme (starts 2024, East Devon Council for Voluntary Service, East Devon Culture Programme, East Devon Leisure Programme, East Devon Towns Feasibility Work, NEET Employment Support Programme (starts 2024), Net Zero Innovation Fund (delivered through the Innovation and Resilience Fund two), Retrofit Programme (starts 2024), Sustainable Tourism Fund (partly delivered through the Culture, Leisure and Tourism Fund)

Traces of a suspected class A drug were found at a government grace-and-favour home after parties attended by political allies of Liz Truss, the Guardian has been told.

Anna Isaac www.theguardian.com 

The white powder was discovered at the Chevening estate last summer in the days before Truss won the Tory leadership contest and became prime minister, according to sources.

A member of staff claimed they tested the powder using a swab which changes colour when it comes into contact with cocaine, and it indicated the drug was present.

Possession of cocaine is a criminal offence which can lead to imprisonment for up to seven years, or an unlimited fine.

In July, the government launched a new crackdown on casual drug users, saying their passports could be confiscated.

Separate sources have described finding similar deposits in the offices at No 10 Downing Street after two lockdown parties held when Boris Johnson was prime minister.

Staff working at Chevening claim on two occasions they found traces of white powder on a side-table in a games room with a snooker table, after nights where Truss was known to have entertained guests at the Kent country house, a retreat for foreign secretaries.

Truss, then foreign secretary, hosted a gathering at the 17th-century Grade I-listed home during the weekend of 19-21 August as her leadership campaign was in full swing. Another gathering took place during the weekend of 2-4 September. A range of political allies were in attendance for both weekends.

Chevening is a grace-and-favour home set in 3,000 acres. Use of the 115-room mansion is traditionally granted to the foreign secretary, and its upkeep is funded by a trust established by an act of parliament.

An insider said cocaine was widely used across Whitehall and the parliamentary estate, and claimed that some of Truss’s political allies used it.

There is no suggestion that Truss or Johnson themselves used the drug or that they would have been aware if drugs were used or present. The Guardian has not been told who was responsible for the alleged deposits of white powder.

Truss lasted just 45 days as prime minister. The mini-budget presented by her then chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, in late September sent UK government bond markets into freefall and forced the Bank of England to spend billions of pounds buying government debt to protect market stability.

Separately, sources who worked in No 10 during Johnson’s tenure claimed white powder residue was found after two parties held at the office complex despite Covid-19 restrictions.

Johnson is understood not to have been at either party.

White powder residue was found the morning after a party at No 10 on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral on 17 April 2021, sources said.

The Guardian has been told that cleaning staff found deposits of white powder in bathrooms and on a table in No 10 offices. Small plastic bags were said to have been discovered near the table on the floor next to the bin, together with tissues stained with spots of blood, and vomit.

Sources also said there was evidence of a smudged line of powder and a discarded Boots Advantage card on the same table. It is not known who the card belonged to.

Revelations about that party, held just hours before the Queen had to mourn alone at her husband’s funeral because of social distancing rules, caused outrage. They included reports that a suitcase of wine was wheeled to Downing Street and that a garden swing for the prime minister’s son was broken.

Traces of white powder and small plastic bags were also found on 19 December 2020, the morning after a Christmas party, in the bathrooms at No 10’s office complex, according to sources.

Staff suspected the material was likely to be traces of drugs as it was found amid wider evidence of partying including bottles, empty cans, and food wrappers.

A separate source with knowledge of the parties claimed they were aware of drug-taking at both events.

A senior civil servant, Sue Gray, was tasked with producing a report into lockdown-busting parties in No 10 and across Whitehall. There was no mention of drug-taking in her report.

The Guardian’s revelations come after evidence of cocaine use in toilets next to Johnson’s then parliamentary office and several other locations across the parliamentary estate was reported last year.

Johnson’s government put forward a drugs strategy that proposed that middle-class drug users could have their passports and driving licences confiscated, in order to “interfere” with their lives.

During her brief tenure as prime minister, Truss’s spokesperson said that “cracking down on illegal drugs” was a priority.

The Guardian put a series of questions to Truss about the claims regarding Chevening. She declined to comment in detail.

A spokesperson for her said in a one-line statement: “This is categorically untrue.”

After publication, her spokesperson added: “If there were evidence that this alleged activity had occurred during her use of Chevening, Ms Truss would have expected to have been informed and for the relevant authorities to have properly investigated the matter. As it is, the Guardian has produced no evidence to support these spurious claims.”

The Foreign Office declined to comment on the allegations about activities at Chevening.

A spokesperson for Boris Johnson said: “Boris Johnson is surprised by these allegations since he has not previously been made aware of any suggestions of drug use in 10 Downing Street and as far as he is aware no such claims were made to Sue Gray or to any other investigators.

“It was a feature of Mr Johnson’s premiership that he strongly campaigned against drug use, especially middle-class drug use. His government made huge investments in tougher policing to help roll up county lines drugs gangs, which cause so much misery. He repeatedly called for harsher punishments for the use and distribution of class A drugs.”

A spokesperson for No 10 said: “The Guardian has provided no evidence to support these claims. If there were substantive claims, we would expect these to be reported to the police.

“There was an independent investigation into the nature of the gatherings under a previous administration – and its findings were published. That information was also handed to the Metropolitan Police Service who conducted their own investigation at the time.”

Who worked so hard to reduce our local “Community” Hospitals? -Owl

www.bbc.co.uk  (Extract)

In a letter addressed to hospital bosses, NHS chiefs in England have called for patients who complete emergency medical care to be moved out of emergency departments.

This may involve the creation of “observation areas” and additional beds elsewhere in the hospital, Sir David Sloman, NHS England’s chief operating officer, wrote in the letter co-signed by national medical director for England Professor Sir Stephen Powis and chief nursing officer for England Dame Ruth May.

The aim is to free up beds to make it easier to move people through A&E and allow paramedics to get more quickly back on the road.

Some outpatient appointments could also be cut back to allow senior medical staff to be redeployed to emergency departments. But NHS chiefs say “every effort” should be made to maintain urgent cancer diagnostics or cancer treatment, with rescheduling to be considered as a last resort.

Measures should be put in place to ensure that patients arriving at hospitals in ambulances are handed over to A&E in less than 15 minutes, they said.

Ambulance handover delays in England have hit a new high, according to recent NHS data. Last week, one in six patients waited for more than an hour to be passed on to A&E teams.

And NHS Providers’ interim chief executive Saffron Cordery said reducing handover delays would be “incredibly difficult to implement” because of factors including staff absences and rising flu admissions.

Ms Cordery said: “We understand why ambulance staff have voted for industrial action but it’s vital that the government and unions talk urgently to find a way to prevent this and further strikes from happening.”

The letter sent to NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards said bosses should create and co-ordinate plans on how to handle strike days by 19 December.

Could we be entering a pre-election phase? 

Owl recalls some history:

The Environment Agency (EA) declared in 2015 that there is a ‘risk to life’ of the children attending the hub and that it must be rebuilt outside of the flood zone.

However, a  £3.5million bid to the Priority Schools Building Programme was rejected in the same year. (From this post)

Also Owl remembers that, in 2016, Hugo Swire banned Claire Wright from a meeting between him and the Chief Exec of the Environment Agency at the school (in Claire’s constituency) to discuss the flooding. She was excluded so as to “keep the meeting very small and focused”! (See here)

Read on with this in mind – owl

‘Local hero’ headteacher’s retirement gift – East Devon pupils to get new school free from the fear of floodwater

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk

Flood-hit Tipton St John Primary School, in East Devon, is to be replaced and built on a fresh site, the Department for Education has confirmed.

The new school for the village comes after successful campaigning by East Devon MP Simon Jupp, prompted by the current site repeatedly flooding, which the Environment Agency and government previously warned could pose a ‘risk to life’.

The next step will be to find a suitable location to build the new school, and set plans in motion to apply for permission to start construction work.

Colin Butler, Tipton St John Primary School executive headteacher, spoke of his ‘relief’ on hearing the news that his staff and pupils would soon be free from the dangers of floodwater.

He said the positive outcome had been the result of ‘many years’ of work, thanks to a ‘huge team effort’.

Mr Butler said: “This is wonderful news for the school and its long-term future.

“The children of Tipton and the surrounding area deserve a school building which is fit for purpose and provides a first class 21st century education.

“It is such a relief to know that staff and pupils will never need to worry for the safety of all every time there is heavy rain.

“We have been working for many years to find a deliverable solution in locating the school out of the flood-prone site.

“We are delighted that Tipton St John C of E Primary School has been included in the School Rebuilding Programme.

“It has been a huge team effort and I would like to thank everyone that has been part of the journey in securing a positive future for Tipton St John Primary School.”

Previous flooding next to Tipton St John Primary School. Image: Devon County Council

Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, said: “This is fantastic news and I’d like to thank everyone involved, particularly Devon County Council, the Diocese of Exeter, and Tipton St John’s headteacher Colin Butler, who retires this week.

“Colin is a local hero for all of his efforts to ensure children will finally get a new state-of-the-art school to replace Tipton St John Primary School.

“Pupil safety must be paramount as plans are developed to find the best site for the new school.”

Mr Jupp said he was ‘really pleased’ the Government had recognised the need to invest in education in East Devon, building a new school ‘to help meet growing local demand for school places’.

He said: “I’ll continue to work closely with the community as the plans develop.”

The current school site in Tipton St John has seen multiple incidents of flooding over the years.

The Environment Agency and Department for Education have previously warned of a risk to life.

Devon County Councillor Jessica Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley) said she had witnessed how the school had been forced to come up with an escape plan for pupils – safeguarding children as young as four from being swept away by floodwater.

She said: “It always seemed absurd to me that despite the established ‘risk to life’ from flooding, time and time again Tipton St John school was overlooked in previous funding rounds.”

She added: “I saw myself first-hand the risks of flooding in October 2021 when after heavy rain the school was surrounded by lakes of water – and water was lapping at the doors of the buildings.

“I have witnessed children as young as four and five practising their escape drill with a rope across the road to prevent children being swept away in the rising waters.”

Cllr Jess Bailey is seen here in the flooded playground. Photo: Jess Bailey.

The new state-of-the-art school, at a site yet to be decided, will help meet growing local demand for school places.

Cllr John Hart, Devon County Council leader, said: “I am delighted with the news today that this school is finally going to be rebuilt.

“It is long overdue and I pay tribute to all those involved in this project.

“I want to give a special thank you to Simon Jupp, the Member of Parliament for East Devon, for all of his hard work.

“He has lobbied tirelessly for this project since becoming the MP for the area, it is a great result for the school, staff, children and local community.”

• Additional reporting: Local Democracy Reporter, Rob Kershaw.

A support message to women worldwide was spotted in the sand on Exmouth beach when a faith group raised awareness of female hate crime.

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk

Swimmers from Exmouth Quakers braved freezing temperatures for a dip in the sea on Saturday (December 10) in a bid to raise awareness to end femicide, and violence against women across the world.

Show of support: Exmouth Quakers and members of Fear Less raise awareness of female hate crime. Photo: Devon and Cornwall Police.

The campaigners left their message in huge letters in the sand, spelling out #unacceptable.

The message won the support of the police in East Devon, who are working to stop violence against women.

Inspector Antonia Weeks, Exmouth sector, said: “We would like to congratulate those who turned out in the cold at Exmouth beach to support this important cause.

“Devon and Cornwall Police is working hard to reduce violence against women and girls – and local partners such as domestic abuse charities are key to helping us make a difference.”

Devon and Cornwall Police said the faith group was joined by members of Fear Less, a charity supporting women and children escaping domestic violence and abuse in Devon and across the South West.

The two groups went into the cold sea together, then warmed up over hot drinks and cake served on the beach.

The police said the Exmouth Quakers and Fear Less were supporting 16 Days of Action against Gender-Based Violence, an annual international campaign running from November 25 until December 10.

At a time when some town/parish councils struggle to find councillors, it is encouraging to see a local community keen to get involved in local democratic decision making. – Owl

Colyford is to get its own parish council to reflect its separate identity from Colyton. 

Philippa Davies www.midweekherald.co.uk 

Colyford Parish Council will legally come into being on April 1 2023 and seven parish councillors will be elected in May. 

The move, which was agreed at the authority’s full council meeting on Wednesday, December 7, will also see the number of Colyton Parish Council members reduced from 13 to 11. 

The new council is being set up after the Colyford Village Residents’ Association asked East Devon District Council to carry out a community governance review, which is the process for creating, merging or abolishing parishes.

A petition signed by 249 people said: “The community of Colyford has thus clearly expressed their wish for a village council to be set up, and this should be given considerable weight. We have shown that Colyford has its own identity and sense of place, and that community cohesion will be enhanced by having its own village council. We have shown that a village council for Colyford will be effective and convenient, and will provide strong and accountable local government and community leadership. We therefore respectfully request that EDDC exercise their powers under the Act and undertake a Community Governance Review and recommend the formation of a village council for Colyford.” 

Two statutory consultations were held this year prior to the boundary being drawn up for the new parish council. 

Councillor Sarah Jackson, EDDC’s portfolio holder for democracy, transparency and communications, said: “It is evident from the recent consultation that the residents of Colyford feel a sense of identity separate from that of Colyton, and a clear desire to be self-governed via the formation of a new parish council, and so I am pleased to see this decision which enables the communities of both Colyford and Colyton to move forward with complete autonomy.  

“I sincerely hope that both parish councils will work collaboratively where the need arises in the best interests of all of their residents. 

 “I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the consultations and governance review. I look forward to seeing the new parish councillors elected in May.” 

Why have the Conservatives got it in for people who work for a living? Why is Rishi Sunak so determined to force workers to accept increases of only 4 or 5 per cent – which with inflation at 11 per cent amounts to a serious pay cut – while pensioners and claimants will get inflation-matching rises next April?

Martin Shaw, Chair, East Devon Alliance www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

I’m old enough to remember when we clapped our hands each week for key workers. I even remember Mr Sunak joining in. How come that it’s now these very workers who must pay the price of the economic mess that the government has got us into?

They say that giving workers proper pay rises will keep push up inflation still further. But the government itself has just massively stoked inflation by raising electricity and gas prices by 27 per cent on 1st October, with 20 per cent more to come on 1st April. So why can’t workers have 10 per cent like everyone else, to keep pace with prices?

The government also says there is no more money left. But they’re still letting the ‘non-doms’ off their share of tax, they’ve just handed the banks a big tax rebate, and they’ve barely touched the energy firms’ huge windfall profits. Tory chair Nadim Zahawi even had the gall to say that workers are playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin, although it’s the Conservatives who’ve long flirted with Russian oligarchs.

Like everyone else, including I’m quite sure the workers themselves, I’d like to avoid the looming strikes. But fair-minded people will recognise that nurses, ambulance workers, teachers, post and railway workers have a right to take action, faced with huge price hikes and after a decade of austerity has eroded their living standards. It’s the government which needs to start listening, not only to their legitimate claims, but to the widespread support which they have from the general public.

The evidence, however, is that Mr Sunak only listens to his own MPs. Last week he ended his government’s block on onshore wind farms, a cheap and quickly built source of electricity, because enough Tory backbenchers had finally recognised the need for more renewables. But no sooner had he done that than he caved into other backbenchers who wanted a carbon-emitting coal mine in Cumbria. The UK’s green reputation is in tatters.

Sunak also gave into backbenchers over the government’s dictatorial housing targets for local councils. I’ve long opposed this system because it forces councils to allow developments of large detached houses in unsuitable semi-rural locations while doing little, if anything, to provide housing for rent on sustainable brownfield sites.

Although details are still to be confirmed, this shift should allow EDDC to revise the new Local Plan which is currently under consultation. Since even the government now accepts that community consent should be required for new developments, I hope that councillors will look again at some of the greenfield sites currently earmarked for housing.

The problem with Sunak’s U-turns is that there is no joined-up policy behind them. Wind farms are now allowed, but a large-scale programme to insulate homes and develop renewable energy, in ways that fit with the local environment in each area, is still nowhere to be seen. Housebuilding targets are no longer binding, but the problems caused by empty properties and second homes have barely been touched and there is no concerted campaign to provide the social housing which is the No. 1 need in Devon and across the country.

Will any Tory MPs now pick up these challenges, or have the guts to support workers’ legitimate pay demands? Don’t hold your breath – we seem set for two more years of drift and damage before we can finally remove this administration.

The scale of the increase varies by region. The number of beds occupied by Covid patients in the south-west rose from 466 to 726, a 56% increase.

Nicola Davis www.theguardian.com 

The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 in England has risen 22% in a week, the latest figures reveal.

There were 6,720 people in hospital with the virus on 14 December, up from 5,501 on 7 December, according to data released by NHS England.

The number of mechanical ventilation beds occupied by confirmed Covid patients rose from 129 to 150 over the same period.

The scale of the increase varies by region. The number of beds occupied by Covid patients in the south-west rose from 466 to 726, a 56% increase.

Prof David Strain of the University of Exeter Medical School, said most of those primarily being treated for Covid were eligible for an autumn booster vaccination but had not yet had the jab. “The hospitalisations are going up but there is also the knock on effect on staff,” he said.

Hospital admissions involving people with Covid have also risen. There were 5,250 in the seven days to 14 December, a 28% rise from the 4,113 in the previous week.

Some patients in hospital with Covid are likely to have been admitted for a different reason, but further data from NHS England reveals that the number of people primarily being treated for Covid in acute trusts increased by 17% between 6 and 13 December from 5,096 to 5,982.

The data chimes with figures from the Office for National Statistics that suggests Covid infection levels are on the rise in England again, with 1.73%, or 1 in 60, people in the community estimated to have the virus in the week ending 26 November, up from 1.60% the previous week.

The rise comes as the NHS is experiencing unprecedented industrial action, with nurses at many hospitals striking on 15 and 20 December and ambulance staff on 21 and 28 December.

Prof Mark Woolhouse, an expert on infectious diseases at Edinburgh University, said that while Covid cases were rising, the increase was “nothing like as explosive” as this time last year when the Omicron variant arrived, and that the obvious public health advice was to avoid others if you have symptoms of a cold.

“Some people are choosing to wear masks, which do offer some protection, particularly the medical grade variety. Some may choose to test themselves before meeting up with others, particularly others in the vulnerable category,” he said.

“So there is a lot we can do to reduce the risk to ourselves and those around us if we choose, with having the booster vaccination when offered at the top of the list.”

Strong support for the Conservatives in seaside towns has collapsed, new research has found, as Rishi Sunak was warned of a “red wave” on the coast.

Adam Forrest www.independent.co.uk

A new study by YouGov and the Fabian Society revealed a major slump in Tory support since 51 per cent of voters in “sea wall” seats backed Boris Johnson’s party in 2019.

Support for Rishi Sunak’s party is now on just 32 per cent – a 19-point fall – with Labour now ahead in seaside seats on 38 per cent.

“The tide has turned in the Tory-dominated sea wall,” said The Fabian Society’s Ben Cooper – who said Sir Keir Starmer should be aiming to make sure “a red wave becomes a tsunami” at the general election.

Researchers looked at a group of 108 coastal constituencies in England and Wales, with deprivation often higher than the national average and many voters saying they felt “left behind” by Westminster.

Despite Mr Johnson’s success in capitalising on the resentment, a clear majority of voters in coastal towns now believe the Tory party “does not understand people in their local area nor share their values”, according to Mr Cooper.

The senior researcher said Labour now has a 22-point lead in 54 especially important seaside seats – 24 which they must hold and 30 identified as winnable marginals.

“Labour is now on the path towards a broad national mandate at the next election. Coastal towns are often overlooked, but they will be a key part of Labour’s election-winning coalition,” he said.

Warning against complacency, Mr Cooper added: “Labour still has to work hard to secure the votes of key coastal towns at the next election.”

The demographics of sea-wall constituencies still pose a major challenge to Labour. They have a larger proportion of voters over 55 and non-graduates – voters who have moved away from the party in recent elections.

The Fabians said the party should appeal to financial security, stability and family to appeal to voters in the seaside constituencies, many of which voted by a large majority to leave the EU during the Brexit referendum.

Many people in coastal towns told pollsters that their area is now worse off on the affordability of housing and opportunities for young people, as well as healthcare and access to public transport.

“Labour needs a unifying, ‘one nation’ platform and must address specific concerns in coastal towns,” said Mr Cooper. “The good news is, it can do that without losing ground in other marginal seats across the country.”

The findings come as a major study by Savanta and Electoral Calculus forecast that Labour would win 482 seats and the Tories just 69, a massive 314-seat majority.

The Tories would lose all seats north of Lincolnshire – including Mr Sunak’s own Richmond constituency in Yorkshire – if current polling was replicated at the election.

Labour is up three on 48 per cent, the Tories down five on 28 per cent, and the Lib Dems up one at 11 per cent, the latest Savanta voting intention survey found.

It would mean the Tories facing an almost total wipeout in red-wall seats in the north of England and Midlands, while losing plenty of blue-wall seats in the south to the Lib Dems, according to detailed analysis of new poll findings.

East Devon District Council is calling for a postponement of the new photographic ID rules due to come into force in next May’s local elections. 

Philippa Davies www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

A motion opposing the introduction of photographic voter ID was carried at the full council meeting on Wednesday, December 7. 

The motion was tabled by Cllr Jess Bailey (Independent, West Hill and Aylesbeare), who described the new rules as ‘a sledgehammer to crack a non-existent nut’. She said despite millions of people going to the polls across England, Scotland and Wales in 2021, there was only one single case of ‘impersonation’.  

Cllr Bailey said the real reason behind the new rules was about ‘creating an uneven playing field designed to make it easier for Conservative candidates to win, whether in local elections or national elections’. 

Her motion, seconded by Cllr Joe Whibley (Independent, Exmouth Town) said the new rules would have the effect of ‘suppressing voter participation in the democratic process’ and would be particularly detrimental for younger voters. The acceptable forms of ID would include a passport, driving licence, biometric Immigration document, and various bus passes and travel documents issued to the over 60s. 

The motion said the voter ID requirement would also place a considerable burden on the officers presiding over the elections, and push up costs at a time when council budgets are under unprecedented pressure. 

The council agreed to ask the Local Government Association (LGA) and the District Councils Network (DCN) to raise its concerns with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and ask for voter ID not to be introduced ahead of the May elections. 

There was cross party support for the motion, although Conservatives Cllr Philip Skinner and Cllr Bruce de Sarum both voted against it. 

The LGA is already calling for the introduction of voter ID to be postponed. A spokesperson said: “While we accept that voter ID has now been legislated for, electoral administrators and returning officers should be given the appropriate time, resource, clarity and detailed guidance to implement any changes to the electoral process without risking access to the vote. 

“We support the Gould Principle whereby electoral law should not be changed within six months of an election that the change would impact.”