(Between 5pm and 7pm)

UK power prices hit record high amid cold snap and lack of wind power

The anticipated surge in power demand on Monday evening will coincide with a planned use of the National Grid’s demand flexibility service between 5pm and 7pm.

Alex Lawson www.theguardian.com 

UK power prices have hit record levels as an icy cold snap and a fall in supplies of electricity generated by wind power have combined to push up wholesale costs.

The day-ahead price for power for delivery on Monday reached a record £675 a megawatt-hour on the Epex Spot SE exchange. The price for power at 5-6pm, typically around the time of peak power demand each day, passed an all-time high of £2,586 a megawatt-hour.

Prices are surging as the weather forces Britons to increase their heating use, pushing up demand for energy, despite high bills.

Snow and ice have caused disruption as the cold weather looks set to continue into this week, with snow forecast for parts of east and south-east England, as well as Scotland.

The cold snap, which is expected to last for at least a week, comes as wind speeds reduced sharply, hitting power suppliers.

Live data from the National Grid’s Electricity System Operator showed that wind power was providing just 3% of Great Britain’s electricity generation on Sunday. Gas-fired power stations provided 59%, while nuclear power and electricity imports both accounted for about 15%.

The increase in power prices come amid jitters over energy supplies this winter. National Grid warned in October that a combination of factors such as a cold spell and a shortage of gas in Europe related to the war in Ukraine could lead to power cuts in the UK.

The anticipated surge in power demand on Monday evening will coincide with a planned use of the National Grid’s demand flexibility service between 5pm and 7pm. The scheme pays businesses and households to cut their consumption at peak times to reduce the strain on the grid.

The scheme has been used several times as part of a series of tests but is yet to be used as a result of electricity supply shortages. National Grid flirted with using it under these circumstances last month but did not do so.

Dr Agostinho Moreira de Sousa, a consultant in public health medicine at UK Health Security Agency, encouraged those with health conditions to heat their homes to a comfortable temperature. “In rooms you mostly use such as the living room or bedroom, try to heat them to at least 18C if you can. Keep your bedroom windows closed at night. Wearing several layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thicker layer,” he said.

German day-ahead power prices rose 33% to €434 (£373) a megawatt-hour, the highest since 13 September, while the French contract rose 40% to €465 a megawatt-hour, Bloomberg reported.

From a Budleigh correspondent:

Observation suggests that trenching is occurring between the Otter Head combined sewer outfall pipe, across the fields, to link up with the Ladram Bay treatment plant (covering the Ladram Bay holiday park).

I cannot find any report of the work being carried out on the SWW site In Your Area – supply interruptions and outages (southwestwater.co.uk)

It seems from the official SWW web site NO work is being carried out at Budleigh Salterton or Ladram Bay! People in Granary Lane, B.S. may not agree. (See https://eastdevonwatch.org/2022/12/09/why-are-budleigh-residents-getting-hammered-daily/)

Does this mean that the Ladram Bay pollution problems will, in future, be diverted to Budleigh Salterton by creating a super combined sewer outlet at the Otter Head?

Campers, please don’t all flush at once!

How can this be when we all know that sewage discharge into the sea and rivers continues at record levels? – Owl

Environment Agency www.gov.uk and see www.southwestwater.co.uk 

Most beaches met the highest international standards for water quality cleanliness where we bathe. Our beaches and coast helps define the fabulous South West.

Bruce Newport, Devon and Cornwall Area Environment Manager said:

“Our beaches are 100% compliant, so now the challenge is to work collaboratively with everyone to keep our healthy waters in an excellent state for people to enjoy. Our coastline is an incredible natural feature.

We have had relatively few reports of pollution on our beaches this summer which is a credit to everyone maintaining and improving our bathing waters. We would like to say thank you to those groups, communities and businesses which have gone above and beyond to keep pollution out of our water ways.

Bathers and surfers are using our online Swimfo app to make decisions on where to go for the best places to bathe in the summer. Just by looking at Swimfo on your mobile you can get up to date information on the water quality of many of our bathing beaches.”

This year 9 beaches in Devon and Cornwall have improved their bathing water classification, while 4 beaches have deteriorated – Teignmouth Town in Devon,  and Cornwall’s  Readymoney Cove, Porthminster and Swanpool.

Those improving from Good to Excellent are Ladram Bay, Croyde and Plymouth Hoe East in Devon, and Gorran Haven, Pendower, Porthwrinkle and Porthcurnick in Cornwall. Improving from Sufficient to Good are Par Sands in Cornwall and Combe Martin in North Devon.

The improvement this year from Sufficient to Good at Combe Martin is the result of a strong collaborative effort by the Environment Agency, local groups and businesses.

Where foul water is wrongly connected to drains leading to our beaches, poor quality normally follows – this year wrong connections have been identified, fixed and we continue to work with South West Water with this important work.

In North Devon, Croyde has improved from Good to Excellent.  Our scientists have used analytical tests to home in on pollution sources resulting in us working with farmers in the catchment to resolve potential pollution issues. We are committed to doing more in 2023.

In Cornwall, Par Sands has improved from Sufficient to Good, the result again of a collaborative effect by the Environment Agency with local people. We have carried out extensive monitoring in the catchment, investigated potential sources of pollution and ensured problems causing pollution have stopped.

At Teignmouth we continue to work with Teignbridge Council to improve water quality at Teignmouth Town.  We are carrying out investigations into the cause of elevated bacteria numbers in samples taken at Teignmouth in August.

The 9 beaches in Devon and Cornwall which have improved their bathing water classification are:

Devon: Ladram Bay, Croyde, Combe Martin, Plymouth Hoe East

Cornwall: Porthcurnick, Pendower, Gorran Haven Little Perhaver, Portwrinkle, Par Sands

Published 30 November 2022

Did Rishi Sunak with his “passive and prolonged” furlough scheme miss a trick? 

“With the Conservatives we’ve seen our economy grow, with rising wages and unemployment at a historic low.” www.conservatives.com Eh? – Owl

David Smith www.thetimes.co.uk (Extract)

…Brexit is one reason why the UK is an outlier when it comes to employment performance since Covid. But there may also be a contribution from other factors, including the policies designed to fight the pandemic.

The furlough scheme, a first for the UK, achieved its main aim of preventing what could have been a huge rise in unemployment. But there are growing suspicions that it may have contributed to the rise in economic inactivity.

This may have been by giving older workers, those most responsible for the rise in inactivity, a rehearsal for retirement. But also, as Tony Wilson, director of the IES, says, the furlough scheme was “passive and prolonged”.

Other countries, notably France, combined their pandemic job support with “active” measures to encourage workers to train or re-train, rather than just sit at home. Some tried to anticipate the changes in job demand. Most had previous experience with furlough-type schemes. For the UK, it was novel. As Wilson notes, people were “parked in furlough”, with few obligations on them or their employers.

Re-establishing the flow of EU migrants is not an option, at least in the short term. Getting the newly inactive (and some of those inactive longer term) into work, notably those not suffering from long-term ill health, must be a priority. Governments used to do this in response to high unemployment. Now they need to do it in response to rising inactivity, its 2022 equivalent. Both Wilson and Saunders emphasise that there is no shortage of potential “active” labour market measures, as recommended by international bodies.

The labour market needs some help, a necessary element of supply-side policy to boost long-run economic growth. Doing nothing is not an option……

A couple of articles over the weekend consider the background, whether the government’s stance is sustainable and the “affordability” of reducing it. – Owl

The rising pay gap

David Smith www.thetimes.co.uk (Extract)

…What can be done about our dysfunctional labour market? Starting with strikes, the root cause is similar. For public sector workers, and for those where the government stands behind employers, such as the railways, the biggest falls in real wages are happening.

A situation in which private sector pay is rising by nearly 7 per cent a year, against public sector pay growth of 2 per cent, would not be sustainable in any circumstances, let alone when inflation is in double figures.

A government that, admittedly under a different prime minister, was willing to announce big unfunded tax cuts will have to find more money for public sector pay settlements. A 19 per cent pay increase, demanded by England’s nurses, is impossible to justify. A 7.5 per cent increase, which the Scottish government has offered to its nurses — avoiding strike action — is not.

There is little danger that higher public sector pay settlements would trigger a wage-price spiral. Rather, it would be public sector pay catching up. The government wants to limit strike action by essential workers by legislating for minimum levels of service, but that is a long way down the track and of little relevance to the current disputes. The Treasury, of course, gets back some of the cost of higher public sector pay awards in tax and national insurance. Bigger public sector pay increases would flow directly into the economy in these recessionary times….

How much would a public sector pay rise really cost the UK government?

Rishi Sunak called out

Phillip Inman www.theguardian.com 

Rishi Sunak was called out last week for saying it would cost £28bn to prevent inflation eating into public sector wages. According to No 10, a 10% pay rise would cost Britain’s 28m households £1,000 a year in higher taxes.

Not according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which says the Treasury’s sums don’t add up. So how much would it cost to give public sector workers a pay rise?

A pay rise of 10%

Ben Zaranko, an economist for the thinktank, says that even using Sunak’s methodology, the figures are wrong. The total public sector pay bill in 2021/22 was £233bn. Using the 10.1% average figure for the consumer price index forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility, “the cost would be £23.5bn”.

The government has already agreed to finance a 3% rise, so the extra cost is only £18bn, he says. It could be as low as £13bn if the government’s fresh concessions for teachers and other groups are factored in as “already paid for”.

Ministers should also expect to get back about 30% of the extra spending from higher income tax and VAT receipts, reducing the bill to £8.5bn.

A pay rise of 7%

The RMT has called for a minimum of 7%, while some healthcare unions have suggested they would accept a similar amount. If all public sector workers were offered 7% rather than 10%, the total extra bill would come down from £18bn to nearer £12bn – about £9bn with extra concessions stripped out. About £4bn would flow back to the Treasury in higher tax receipts, leaving an extra £5bn bill.

Will a pay rise push up inflation?

A below-inflation public sector pay rise will not increase inflation, especially if lower-paid staff are the biggest beneficiaries of a deal. The public sector does not increase its charges to reflect higher staff pay, as private-sector firms might. The extra spending power given to public-sector workers pay is also likely to be spent on energy bills and food, which are costs dictated by global markets.

Would that include “East Devon Watch”? – (Owl imagines Simon Jupp is an avid reader).

FORMER Cabinet media minister and Nub News reader Sir John Whittingdale has called on the government to ensure it supports local online news platforms and uses their effectiveness as a way of informing communities.

honiton.nub.news 

Sir John, who represents Maldon in Essex, is regularly featured on the pages of his local Nub News site and is a keen advocate of ensuring the government recognises the value of online media.

The growing success of Nub News – which this week launched its latest platform serving Stoke – has seen the company grow since launching with just a few sites in 2018 to now publishing to more than 50 local communities across the UK, including our own Honiton Nub News.

Sir John says he has watched the company’s success with great interest and has spoken many times with company founder Karl Hancock and he is hoping to persuade the government to make more use of the Nub News sites and other locally founded and sourced news online news platforms.

In the House of Commons today (Thursday, 8 December) Sir John challenged fellow Essex MP and junior minister Alex Burghart about his view of locally-based publishers and asked: “What recent assessment have you made of the effectiveness of Government information campaigns in local media?”

Mr Burghart, MP for Brentwood and Ongar and the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office with responsibility for supporting the cabinet regarding the government’s communications service, responded by saying: “The government monitors the effectiveness of its communications campaigns and we recognise the enormous trust the public has in local media.

“And therefore the important role it plays in spreading our messages.

“As just one example, the recent press partnership on access to NHS services used local media to inform the public of where to seek medical advice. 67 per cent of readers said they trusted the articles – highlighting local print’s importance to the community.”

That prompted an immediate challenge from Sir John, who wanted an assurance that online media will get fair treatment.

He said: “My friend is absolutely right about the power of local media in getting across vital health messages.

“But will he look at ensuring that local online only publishers like Nub News are included in future campaigns as well as local print media?”

Mr Burghart responded: “I thank my honourable friend for his question, I know he knows a great deal about this subject. And I completely agree with him that, all in, all together in harness, the power of media was particularly effective at reaching specific audiences to spread vital information.

“Obviously as he will appreciate, sometimes we want a more targeted approach so that we get better, cost effectiveness but I should also say to him that we use OmniGov and should any local outlets online or otherwise wish to be part of that list they can do so by contacting OmniGov directly.”

OmniGov, which is owned by US agency giant Omnicom, has handled the government’s media services account since 2018 and in December last year retained the account for a second four-year term. The contract is one of the most valuable accounts in British advertising, with an annual spend of more than £200m.

However, not everyone is a fan of the agency, including Sir John who told Nub News that he has been expressing his concern about its effectiveness in reaching local communities and supporting smaller publishers for almost two years.

He said: “I have repeatedly pressed them to include online publications and was deeply frustrated that they were unwilling to do so.

“This is a significant issue and my questions today were just a part of it. Now I have raised it with Alex Burghart in the House, I will be following up with him to press this matter and seek change to support organisations like Nub News.”

Nub News founder Karl Hancock, welcomed Sir John’s support today and thanked him for raising the matter, which Mr Hancock has also previously raised direct when appearing before the government’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee alongside other leading media industry figures earlier this year.

He said: “I am grateful for the support and advice of Sir John. It is refreshing to see his passion to see a fairer and more level playing field in the media publishing world where the pressure from a few big players make market fairness and opportunity disproportionate.

“As I have said before, the current business model is broken. Something drastic has to happen. I’m not asking the Government for money, I’m asking for a level playing field.

“I look forward to seeing the outcome of Sir John’s challenge and questions today.”

Meanwhile the growth of Nub News which is committed to putting local news back at the top of the news agenda in towns across the UK continues apace.

The latest addition – and a new flagship site for the growing Crewe-based media company – is Stoke Nub News.

Edited by Stoke-born journalist Sarah Garner, Nub News’ latest site exemplifies the ethos of Nub News and our headline agenda of putting local news and community support first, while supporting and promoting local businesses, traders and entrepreneurs.

Mr Hancock added: “The group continues to seek to consolidate in its existing towns and grow them exponentially towards neighbouring towns and communities and there are more new town launches planned.

“As well as providing a regularly updated, easy-to-read news platform free from clickbait, pop-ups, and intrusive surveys we harness the power of social media, with easy-to-follow channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube. Millions of readers each month are visiting Nub News in all its formats.

“We hope that’s the message the government will be taking on board after today’s debate in the Commons.”

“Frustrated” pharmacists reporting a shortage of antibiotics have urged the government to act now – but health officials continue to insist there are no supply chain issues.

So who do you believe> – Owl

www.itv.com 

The conflicting messages have caused confusion at a time when the health service is tackling a Strep A outbreak, leading to the deaths of 16 children, during its most stretched time of year.

Pharmacists across the UK say they are struggling to get hold of some of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, such as penicillin and amoxicillin, which are used to treat Strep A.

The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMP), which represents around 4,000 pharmacies across the country, told ITV News that in some cases, patients have been forced to travel over 20 miles to get their prescribed medication.

But Health Secretary Steve Barclay earlier said checks within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have not revealed an issue with supply of the medicines, after the National Pharmacy Association earlier there were “blips” in the supply chain of liquid penicillin, which is often given to children.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society earlier said pharmacists are “under enormous pressure” and “struggling to get supplies” amid the outbreak.

AIMP Chief Executive Leyla Hannbeck said pharmacists have for some time seen a steady rise in the number of prescriptions for antibiotics, but since the beginning of this week it’s become “incredibly difficult” to get hold of them – urging the government to act now.

“We are concerned that the government are saying that there are no supply challenges when in fact there is and patients are coming in and we are unable to fulfil the prescriptions,” Dr Hannbeck told ITV News.

“Where is this supply that they’re talking about? Because it certainly isn’t finding its way to pharmacies,” she added.

“And this issue is across the country, it’s not just one area, everywhere is the same.

“Pharmacists simply get a message from suppliers saying that there is no stock availability. Sometimes some lines become available for a short period… but as soon as they come on, they go off again.”

She said this has led to antibiotic prices to “jump up” by several pounds per packet.

“We feel frustrated and as healthcare professionals. We don’t want to turn our patients away. Our teams are exhausted on the frontline,” added Dr Hannbeck.

But she urged the public not to panic and said protocols will be put in place if the government does not act within the coming days. In the meantime, she suggested patients keep trying alternative pharmacies.

Dr Hannbeck said pharmacists may also have to liaise with doctors to consider prescribing alternative antibiotics.

She says the DHSC should have planned better.

“We are constantly, as pharmacists, finding ourselves in this situation – as soon as there’s a little bit more demand, then supply falls flat,” she said.

She urged the department to meet with all groups in the antibiotics supply chain from manufacturers, to wholesalers, to pharmacists: “to identify what the issues are so we can all move forward, and offer solutions so that we don’t fall into this again.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said on Thursday: “There is no supplier shortage of antibiotics available to treat Strep A. As the Secretary of State said this morning, we sometimes have surges for products and increased demand means some pharmacies are having difficulties obtaining certain antibiotics.

“We are working urgently with manufactures and wholesalers to explore what can be done to expedite deliveries and bring forward stock they have to help ensure it gets to where it’s needed, to meet demand as quickly as possible and support access to these vital medicines.”

Rishi Sunak’s government is expected to accept most of a proposed new code of conduct for MPs after the Owen Paterson scandal but has rejected the idea that ministers should declare more details about free hospitality from lobbyists and companies.

Rowena Mason www.theguardian.com 

MPs will debate the proposals put forward by the standards committee on Monday, with Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, likely to accept 18 of the 20 recommendations. Key measures include tightening the rules on lobbying to stop MPs providing paid parliamentary advice, consultancy or strategy.

However, in a move that could trigger another standards row, the government is holding out against a proposal to ask ministers to register with parliament any hospitality provided by third parties worth more than £300 within 28 days, as is required for other MPs.

Instead, they are allowed to make transparency declarations through their departments, without citing a value for hospitality received, and these are often infrequent, delayed and patchy. It is thought Mordaunt may make some alternative proposals to improve their speed and accuracy.

The government is also not accepting the idea of adding a description to the seven principles of public life saying that MPs and other public servants should exemplify non-discriminatory attitudes in their behaviour, which ministers oppose on free speech grounds.

Sunak has promised a more ethical government than under Boris Johnson, but he has so far failed to find a candidate to be the new independent adviser on ministerial interests. This means the disclosure of financial interests of new cabinet ministers is already likely to be delayed from its six-monthly publication.

However, the new administration appears to be willing to accept more proposals than Liz Truss’s government, which issued its response in September rejecting more changes. It is understood the government plans to write to all MPs on Monday setting out its position before the debate.

Chris Bryant, the chair of the Commons standards committee, said it was “bonkers” that the government was refusing tougher disclosure standards for ministers. “It must surely be in the public interest that all MPs are treated equally and that all financial interests are accessible in a timely fashion and in a single place online,” he said.

“The commissioner for standards, the Institute for Government and the 1922 Committee all agree. But oh no, the government is holding out. Penny Mordaunt promises that she will do ‘something’ about this as leader of the house ‘by next summer’. But that won’t include ending the ministerial exemption as she insists on treating ministers differently.”

He added: “It perplexes me that the government thinks it can afford another row over parliamentary standards. I don’t think that is in parliament’s interests, let alone the government’s. Traditionally, the rules of the house are not a partisan matter and MPs are meant to be able to vote freely with their conscience on house business.”

He said that any attempt to whip the Commons on an MPs’ standards matter would “feel like Owen Paterson all over again and voters may conclude that the government has learned nothing at all. Far better to have an unanimous decision by the whole house without a vote to tighten the rules and put our house in order.”

The government’s support for most of the rest of the code means the changes are likely to go ahead on a cross-party basis. This will mean MPs will be banned from providing paid advice as a parliamentary consultant, strategist or adviser – although it stops short of time or earnings limits on second jobs.

However, if they do have a second job, MPs will now have contracts that specify they cannot lobby ministers or officials on behalf of their employer.

A government spokesperson said: “We have worked closely with the standards committee to strengthen our parliamentary standards and enhance our code of conduct. This is important ongoing work and necessary for public trust in democracy.

“We support 18 of the 20 committee recommendations, but this is ultimately for the house to decide.

“With regard to parity on ministerial and parliamentary interests our objectives to achieve parity on the timing of declarations align with the committees. However we do not agree that parliamentary resource, which is there to help the MP represent their constituents, should be used to administer what is a government responsibility, nor that separation of powers and responsibilities should be blurred. We think this has serious negative implications for all MPs. We think that would be unfair to MPs who are ministers or trade envoys.”

Powerful investors, including foreign wealth funds, are trying to derail plans to prevent sewage-dumping water firms from dishing out billions of pounds in dividends. 

Luke Barr www.dailymail.co.uk 

Regulator Ofwat wants firms which illegally dump tons of waste into our rivers and seas to stop funnelling huge sums to their shareholders. Instead, the watchdog believes they should use the cash to fix the UK’s antiquated water systems. In addition to despoiling waterways, firms have also been criticised for hosepipe bans after a heatwave left water supplies dwindling. 

Analysis by The Mail on Sunday revealed water companies had already paid their backers nearly £3billion in dividends in the first part of this year alone. 

That took the total since 2010 to £20billion, benefiting investors from countries including China, Abu Dhabi and Malaysia. Critics say the cash that was siphoned into investors’ coffers should have been invested in improving Britain’s ageing water infrastructure. Ofwat wants the power to halt the vast dividends when firms fail to meet official targets. 

But its chief executive David Black told the MoS he is facing ‘strong opposition’ to the proposal. 

He said companies argue the payments are important and claim that restricting them would make the water sector ‘less attractive’ to investors. Ofwat’s latest report has found poor performance is the norm. 

Black said: ‘Too many companies are performing too poorly in too many areas.’ He took particular aim at Thames Water and Southern Water, saying: ‘They have got a combination of poor finances and really poor operational performance.’ Between them, the pair have almost £20billion worth of debt. 

Over the past three years, bosses of the UK’s biggest water firms have been paid £50million, which includes significant bonuses. ‘We think the public is very frustrated by the perception that company executives are rewarded when performance is poor,’ said Black. He wants powers to compel shareholders to invest more in infrastructure. 

Ofwat has been accused of turning a blind eye to company failures. But Black said: ‘It is very easy to criticise the regulators but ultimately it is the companies that are responsible for delivering outcomes. That’s where the focus ought to be.’

Spring bulbs and pollinator plants in their thousands have been added to Exmouth seafront in a bid to attract wildlife and insects.

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk 

The Beach Gardens, on Exmouth seafront, is now home to more than 2,500 herbaceous perennials and around 3,000 bulbs, that will return year after year as they have been selected to survive harsh coastal weather conditions.

The planting was carried out over five days by Exmouth in Bloom with East Devon District Council (EDDC), and the displays will make up part of the town’s Britain in Bloom UK finals entry next summer.

Councillor Geoff Jung, EDDC portfolio holder for coast, country and environment, said: “It is brilliant to again see EDDC’s Streetscene operatives and Exmouth in Bloom volunteers working in unison to improve the seafront for everyone to enjoy.

“They all work tirelessly to make our green spaces look vibrant and beautiful, as well as ensuring our local wildlife and nature can thrive.”

EDDC promises a ‘sea of colour’ in the spring when the new bulbs and plants bloom at the Beach Gardens.

Bulbs such as Alllium, Daffodils and Sicilian Honey Garlic have been planted for their tolerance to the harsh coastal environment and their benefit to wildlife.

The district council said it aims to make its gardens and open spaces ‘more environmentally friendly while looking after delicate eco-systems’.

An EDDC spokesperson said: “The extended flowering periods, blooming right through from February to October, will make the plants key in providing pollinators with a steady source of nectar and pollen, at a time when flowers are scarce.

“Seed-heads and stems will also be left over the winter as an important food source and habitat for birds and insects.”

They added: “EDDC’s Streetscene teams, along with Exmouth in Bloom volunteers, have been working hard to complete the planting designs before winter frosts arrive – putting in five long days of work.

“The scheme will be another string in the bow of Exmouth as the town prepares for the Britain in Bloom UK Finals in summer 2023.”

Jenna Corderoy www.opendemocracy.net 

The government is taking openDemocracy to court to resist having to publish its secret “lessons learnt” review of the Covid pandemic.

Chiefs at the Department of Health and Social Care only last month agreed to publish the document, following an 18-month Freedom of Information battle that ended with a disclosure order by the independent watchdog.

But we were told today that the department had lodged an appeal against the order by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). It means an information tribunal is likely to be held next year.

Layla Moran, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, called it a “blatant attempt by the government to gloss over its cack-handed management of the pandemic” and “an insult to the British public”.

The news coincides with the launch and publication of former health secretary Matt Hancock’s pandemic diaries as a hardback book – and the same department’s refusal to hand over his official ministerial diaries covering the same period.

openDemocracy has a strong record of winning Freedom of Information cases – our most recent being against the Cabinet Office.  

The existence of the ‘lessons learnt’ review was revealed by HuffPost UK last year. But the DHSC refused to hand it over, claiming that its release would be “likely to undermine the safe space for experts and government officials to debate live policy issues”. 

It is thought to be the work of civil servants in the DHSC conducting internal assessments of what went wrong to improve best practice.

An independent inquiry into the UK’s response to the pandemic is already under way. Officially launched in July, the inquiry will examine how well prepared the UK was for a pandemic, as well as the decisions taken by the UK government once Covid arrived.

We rely on the backing of our readers to keep going. If you think it’s important that the government release documents like this, back our work here.

Low-tech “natural” flood management such as using natural materials to slow river flow and storing flood water on meadows will play a key role in preventing future floods, according to the chief executive of the Environment Agency.

[Don’t forget the Beavers. – Owl]

Patrick Barkham www.theguardian.com 

Sixty pilot natural flood management projects have helped protect 15,000 homes and create storage for up to 1.6m cubic metres of flood water, while also helping nature recovery on 380 miles (610km) of river and on 4,000 hectares of wetlands and woodlands.

Announcing the results of the four-year natural flood management pilots, Sir James Bevan, the chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: “The warning signs of the climate crisis are stark – and sadly devastating flooding is likely to become a more familiar sight over the next century. By harnessing the power of nature alongside our traditional flood defences, we can not only help to keep communities safer, but also create wildlife havens and tackle the climate emergency.”

Natural flood management helps to slow the flow of water across the landscape via measures such as restoring meanders to canalised rivers, recreating wetlands that store flood water, and planting trees and hedges by rivers that also help absorb water.

The £15m pilot projects included Cumbrian schemes whereby farmers removed compaction in their soils to reduce water runoff, more than 100 “leaky” wooden barriers built by the Forestry Commission on streams, and a drystone wall redesigned so that it could hold water.

In Warwickshire, the community-led Shipston Area Flood Action Group built 700 leaky barriers and ponds to slow the flow of water on the River Stour during heavy rainfall, reducing the flood risk to 17 villages and towns.

In Sutton, Greater London, sustainable urban drainage systems have been installed in six schools. These systems capture rainwater runoff from surfaces like roofs, roads and pavements, preventing the drainage network from becoming overwhelmed and filtering out contaminants before the water enters drains and ultimately flows into a river.

This scheme, including planters and rain gardens built on playgrounds, is now preventing more than four hectares of hard surfaces sending rainwater into the River Wandle, helping reduce pollution in this chalk stream.

Environment minister Rebecca Pow said: “We know that flooding can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, homes and livelihoods. That is why we are investing a record £5.2bn in flood and coastal defences to ensure more communities are better prepared – and nature-based solutions are a key component of this.

“The additional benefits of natural flood management for people and wildlife are vast – helping us reach our ambitious net zero targets, providing vital new habitats and creating areas of natural beauty for people to enjoy for generations to come.”

Each natural flood management scheme in the pilot cost an average of £250,000 – far less than conventional “hard” engineering such as flood walls. “That’s on a completely different scale to most flood projects,” said Julie Foley, the director of flood risk strategy at the Environment Agency. “For the benefits, given they are so wide-ranging, that’s incredibly good value for money.”

Foley confirmed that the Environment Agency would now spend more of the £5.2bn earmarked for flood management between 2021 and 2027 on “mainstreaming” natural flood management, with a target of doubling the schemes it supports.

There were 85 partners involved in the pilot, including the Rivers Trust, Wildlife Trusts, local authorities, universities and local businesses.

The pilot project report found that involving landowners and land managers was crucial because they are responsible for maintaining the natural defences in the future.

The government’s environmental land management schemes are set to include payments to help landowners provide the “public good” of flood alleviation via such natural solutions.

Sarah Fowler, the chief executive of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, one of the pilot partners, said: “Wetlands help us mitigate and adapt to the consequences of climate change, which is why WWT is calling for the restoration and creation of 100,00 hectares of wetlands in the UK.

“This report demonstrates the power of nature, and wetlands in particular, to tackle flooding. I look forward to WWT working with the Environment Agency, using our expertise in wetland science and wetland delivery, to build natural flood management solutions at scale to manage current and future flood risk.”

Devon families with children who receive free school meals are being given a £45 supermarket voucher to help buy food over the Christmas holidays. Devon County Council (DCC) says the lump sum also covers February half-term next year.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com 

The council has confirmed there has been a significant rise in the number of children from low-income families in receipt of free school meals a year with numbers now almost reaching 20,000 across Devon. Before the end of the current school term, each eligible child will automatically be sent a £45 supermarket voucher to replace the meals they would have had at school during the day.

It’s the equivalent of £15 per child per week of the two school holidays during the two-week Christmas break and the half-term in February. DCC says it is being distributed in one lump sum now to allow families some flexibility on how they spend the vouchers and try to help with the additional pressure the festive period puts on household budgets.

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for communities said: “With the cost of living crisis starting to bite, more families in Devon are eligible for free school meals for their children than ever before, with numbers continuing to soar to the highest levels on record. Around a further 1,000 children have become eligible for free school meals over the last year, rising to a total of approximately 19,500 pupils.

“It’s been a tough few years for some people, particularly financially with incomes changing suddenly as businesses struggle to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Food and energy prices have risen dramatically in the last few months and household budgets are stretched.

“Many people are finding it especially difficult now as we move into colder winter months, and the financial challenges faced by some families can be intensified during the school holiday because of increased costs such as food and reduced incomes due to childcare. We are concerned that some are being forced to make some very difficult decisions to put food on the table or heat their home.

“Thankfully the government’s decision to continue its household support fund, for now, means we’ve been able to buy nearly £900,000 worth of supermarket vouchers to support these families during the Christmas and February half-term holidays so their children don’t go hungry. We are continuing to work with our local government, voluntary and community sector partners to support people in Devon experiencing hardship and make sure we identify those who are struggling so we can make sure they get the help they need.”

For more details about the vouchers please visit freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk or call 0345 155 1019.

Hot air from Johnson a year ago. Gove takes us back to the future- Owl

Boris Jonson Cop26 Nov 2021 (Extract)

“while a red digital clock ticks down remorselessly to a detonation that will end human life as we know it

and we are in roughly the same position, my fellow global leaders, as James Bond today

except that the tragedy is that this is not a movie, and the doomsday device is real

and the clock is ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and turbines and furnaces and engines

with which we are pumping carbon into the air faster and faster- record outputs

and quilting the earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2

raising the temperature of the planet with a speed and an abruptness that is entirely manmade

and we know what the scientists tell us and we have learned not to ignore them

2 degrees more and we jeopardise the food supply for hundreds of millions of people

as crops wither, locusts swarm

3 degrees and you can add more wildfires and cyclones – twice as many of them, five times as many droughts and 36 times as many heatwaves

4 degrees and we say goodbye to whole cities – Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai – all lost beneath the waves

and the longer we fail to act

the worse it gets and the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act

because humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change.

It’s one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now.” 

His level of shock is difficult to describe in words, pictures seem to do a better job.- Owl

And

Letters www.theguardian.com

One implication of your editorial on housing (1 December) is that greater supply would make housing more affordable. That would mean developers increasing supply to the point where they’d have to drop prices, and then keep building as prices continued to fall. They won’t do it.

Average prices have gone from 3.6 times average earnings to nine times over the last 25 years – through cheap borrowing, inherited property wealth snowballing on a rising market and, latterly, George Osborne’s help-to-buy scheme, which saddled buyers with more debt than the banks thought they could afford.

In this low-wage economy, the need is for social housing, and the new-build emphasis should be on that. But for ordinary families to have any chance of buying, the market needs puncturing by further structural change. Surcharging and requiring planning consent for the use of any dwelling other than as the main home, owned or rented, would be a start.

Negative equity? Of course there would be, though in the shorter term that’s coming anyway. But the help-to-buy element of the debt at least could eventually be written off, because with more social housing, the saving in annual housing benefit, now running at £23.4bn, would cover it.

John Worrall

Cromer, Norfolk

Hidden in the small print of the autumn statement, the government announced that housing benefit for private sector tenants will be frozen for the third successive year. In social housing, rent can still be covered by universal credit or housing benefit, if the rules permit.

This of course exacerbates the private sector rents crisis that you report (Soaring rents making life ‘unaffordable’ for private UK tenants, research shows, 1 December). The government makes a decision on housing benefit based on data supplied every September by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The process is opaque. Nobody outside the government knows how much the VOA thinks rents have risen. Its data won’t be published until the end of January.

In Cornwall, the council has said that the private rental market has all but dried up. Emergency accommodation for the homeless is often offered in a hotel, sometimes miles away. Already the maximum housing benefit here can be £50 a month less than the VOA-recommended figure. The shortfall will be even greater now.

Philip Kerridge

Bodmin, Cornwall

While there are undoubtedly some social landlords who are providing a poor service to their tenants, one can’t help thinking that Michael Gove’s high-profile interventions in the last fortnight are designed to deflect attention from his inactivity regarding the dire state of the private rented sector. Moya Lothian-McLean’s article highlights the almost nonexistent protection from very poor quality housing, rent gouging and no-fault evictions in the private rented sector (Facing eviction, I’ve learned that relying on ‘good landlords’ is a feudal throwback, 2 December).

It’s all very well the government promising an end to the latter practice, but it’s more than three years since the original commitment was given. How cynical also that the levelling up spokesperson’s response was to pass the buck to councils, saying that it was their responsibility to ensure families are not homeless. Let’s have the same level of intervention in the private market as Gove has recently promised for social housing.

John Rigby

Much Wenlock, Shropshire

Plymouth Conservatives lose another councillor

Tory councillors are being left to defend “unpleasant” budget decisions made by “a collective few”, says Ham ward councillor Stephen Hulme who has quit the Conservative group

Carl Eve www.plymouthherald.co.uk

Plymouth City Council is once again on a political knife edge as yet another Conservative councillor has chosen to quit the group and go independent.

Cllr Stephen Hulme, who represents residents of Ham ward, took to his Facebook page last night to break the news to his constituents, saying “I have sadly had to leave the colour blue. “I am solely the voice of Ham ward and our magnificent Ocean City of Plymouth. You have the power of your votes, use it wisely”.

This follows hot on the heels of recent developments at the Conservative-led council – including the suspension of a Conservative councillor Maddi Bridgeman over alleged complaints which are being investigated, the resignations of two Conservative councillors who moved to Gloucester, and two by-elections for the vacated wards of Moor View and Plympton Chaddlewood on January 12, 2023.

As a result of the recent changes, an Independent group was formed by former Conservative leader Nick Kelly, former Conservative Terri Beer and former Labour councillor Chaz Singh.

As a result of the latest resignation, the council split is now 24 councillors apiece for the Conservatives and Labour, with the balance of power now sitting with the Independent group, two Green councillors and two independent councillors. The council was in this position in January this year with no single party holding the majority after Cllr Hulme left the Conservative group. However, this situation lasted mere hours after the Conservative group unexpectedly lifted the suspension it had placed on the then leader Nick Kelly – over comments he is alleged to have made during an interview with ITV, putting the Tories back as the majority party.

Cllr Hulme was elected for the Conservatives in May 2021 with a majority of just 285, snatching the seat from Labour. However, he left the Conservative group in January 2022 without giving exact reasons for his departure, saying only that it had been “a difficult journey since May 2021 for me as a new elected Conservative councillor”. He said at the time that he would sit as an independent councillor “holding Conservative values”.

He re-joined the Conservative group in May this year along with four other former Conservatives. The return of the five was purported to be down to the new leader of the council, Conservative group leader Richard Bingley.

At the time he won praise from Johnny Mercer, Plymouth Moor View MP who said Cllr Bingley had brought “stability” back to the Conservative group. Mr Mercer went on to state that it was “fundamental to my politics that politicians spend less time arguing amongst themselves and more time focused on delivering for the brilliant people of our city who deserve first-class leadership.”

However, in a statement released last night to PlymouthLive, councillor Stephen Hulme said: “Of late I have received many emails from the electorate, on the publication of the new plans on Armada Way, the diminishing bus services and removal of bus shelters, the increasing parking charges, the introduction of garden waste charges and the implementation of rubble charges and alike at the local tips, the two by-elections being actioned in January 2023 at a cost of around £50,000 or more to the council taxpayer.

“I get democracy – but with the cost of living crises, perhaps waiting till 2023 May would be more cost-effective to the public purse. It seems a collective few make decisions leaving others to defend the unpleasant decision, which I have found impossible.”

Cllr Hulme still has 15 months left of his council term before he must face the re-election process and he has said he will remain an independent until then. He claimed: “I don’t think the council listens to the people of Plymouth. They need to listen to the people of Plymouth.”

Reduce state intervention, free-up markets, unleash entrepreneurialism, privatise, privatise, privatise. What could possibly go wrong? – Owl 

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

Serious pollution by water companies has increased in the past year, the regulator has said in a damning report on the performance of the sector in England and Wales.

Ofwat said poor performance by some firms was embedded, and named Northumbrian Water, Southern Water, South West Water, Thames Water, Welsh Water and Yorkshire Water as lagging in the way they served customers and ran the system.

The regulator also analysed the financial resilience of the water firms, after a year in which three companies have been forced to inject capital to bolster their financial strength. Ofwat is taking a tough stance with water companies after criticism that for years the firms have not been properly regulated.

The body said most companies had failed to clearly explain the link between the dividends paid to shareholders and performance for customers. They said there had been improvements on leakage by water companies but more needed to be done to reduce leaks by 50% by 2050 from 2017-8 levels.

The Guardian revealed last week that the nine main water and sewerage companies had paid out £65.9bn in dividends in the last three decades. They have also taken on debts of £54bn.

Ofwat said Northumbrian Water and Portsmouth Water had paid dividends which were significantly higher than the regulator’s expectations and the companies’ financial resilience. Northumbrian dividends in the past year were £181.5m and Portsmouth Water paid £5.1m to shareholders.

David Black, the chief executive of Ofwat, said: “In too many areas, water and wastewater companies are falling short when it comes to looking after customers, the environment and their own financial resilience. We are clear; these companies need to address this unacceptable performance as a matter of urgency.

“For some companies poor performance has become the norm. This cannot go on. We are requiring the worst performers, including Thames Water and Southern Water, to return around £120m to customers.”

The performance report on 17 water companies said serious pollution had increased. “In 2021-22 the number of serious pollution incidents increased and there was a deterioration in the compliance of treatment works. Only four companies met the performance level to reduce sewage flooding in customers homes … Companies urgently need to improve their performance on this measure. There are cases of sustained poor performance over a number of years, such as South West Water.”

The report said, despite the poor performance, companies were not investing enough into treatment plants to reduce sewage discharges and to improve drought resilience.

Sewer flooding incidents in people’s homes were also highlighted as an area of concern. Southern Water and Thames Water have been told to cut sewer flooding by 56% and 61%, respectively, to meet the target of limiting incidents to 1.34 per 10,000 properties by 2024-25.

Ofwat said: “Companies have a duty to provide and maintain a sewerage system and should plan and invest to ensure they can cope with future pressures such as population growth and climate change.

“Some companies consider that storms and prolonged rainfall throughout 2021-22 contributed to an increase in the number of incidents they experienced. It is likely that with the impacts of climate change, the UK will continue to experience extreme weather events.”

Water companies are all being investigated by Ofwat and the Environment Agency over potentially illegal sewage discharges from their treatment plants.

Christine McGourty, chief executive of the industry body Water UK, said: “This report clearly shows there’s more to do for water and wastewater companies to meet the stretching targets of the regulators, as well as the high expectations of the public. It’s good to see that nearly every company has met its target on leakage reduction with an ambitious industry-wide plan in place to cut leaks by 50% by 2050.

“Water companies will continue to work with government and the regulators to ensure we enable the levels of investment needed to improve our infrastructure and protect the environment while maintaining value for money for customers.”

A study which looked at water quality in 48 freshwater sites in the UK has revealed that the River Dart in Devon is the only site of those tested which has ‘acceptable’ levels of pollution. The two other Devon rivers included in the study were found to have above acceptable levels of at least two pollutants.

Mary Stenson www.devonlive.com

In a people-powered study of pollutant levels in UK freshwater sites, the River Dart was the only one, out of 48, to pass all five parameters. The river runs 75km from Dartmoor and into the sea at Dartmouth.

Tests were carried out to determine whether water met acceptable levels of six different pollutants: nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, total coliform, pH and heavy metals. The pollutants have varying impacts on the environment, including harm to plants, aquatic life and insects. Coliforms, in particular, are a group of faecal bacteria which can cause serious illness such as diarrhoea and gastroenteritis.

98% of sites failed to meet acceptable criteria of at least one of five pollutants, including the River Axe. The river, which runs through East Devon and parts of Dorset and Somerset, was found to have above ‘acceptable’ levels of phosphate and coliforms.

Over half, 52%, of sites failed on three or more parameters. Among these was the River Exe, which runs through Exeter, and was found to have high levels of nitrate, phosphate and coliforms.

The study, overseen by environmental organisation Planet Patrol, was performed by 57 members of the public over the summer. They were each allocated to a testing site and gathered data every other week for 12 weeks, resulting in a total of 1,229 water quality readings. The findings have been laid out in Planet Patrol’s What Lies Beneath Report 2022.

Over 90% of the sites around the UK tested positive for total coliform bacteria and nearly 70% failed in the phosphate parameter. There are varying causes of these pollutants entering the water, including sewage contamination, urban development, farming practices, increased use of increased diversity of chemicals and pharmaceuticals and transport pollution.

The latest data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) shows that no progress has been made on a pledge made four years ago to ensure 75% of rivers and other bodies of water achieve a “good” ecological status by 2027. As of 2021 the figure was at 16%, the same as it was in 2017.

The Environment Agency has reportedly planned to amend the 75% target, prompting Planet Patrol to launch a petition calling Rt Hon Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Thérèse Coffey, to reject this proposal.

Lizzie Carr MBE, founder of Planet Patrol, says: “Through our growing community of citizen scientists we’ve started to uncover what lies beneath to highlight a stark reality: the widespread, poor condition of our freshwater environments. The results have been disturbing and distressing but only by building evidence to illustrate the true scale and extent of a problem, can it be accurately understood, communicated and acted upon.

“We urge the Government to honour its pledge to ensure that 75% of rivers and other bodies of water achieve a good ecological status by 2027. This target is both a major driver of public and private investment into cleaning up our waterways and a vital tool to hold industries with permits to pollute – which include much more than just water companies – to account over water pollution.”

Planet Patrol has also made the following policy recommendations:

• DEFRA to bring forward the enforcement date for the increase in Variable Monetary Penalties for polluting water companies to 1st February 2023
• DEFRA to strengthen the effectiveness of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP) – specifically, reduce the maximum achievement date on all SODRP targets to 2035 versus 2050, and prohibit water companies from increasing water bills to fund the critical infrastructure investment required
• The Environmental Agency to accelerate the speed at which citizen science is integrated into formal data collection activities for developing evidenced-based policies
• Use funds raised from the increase in Variable Monetary Penalties for polluting water companies to increase the criminal prosecution rates of those who damage water quality.

Dr Thomas Stanton, a freshwater scientist from Loughborough University who analysed the data, says: “UK waterways are vulnerable to a number of societal pressures, including pollution, water abstraction, and modifications to river courses. But they are also compromised by weak policy and legislation.

“Despite its political greenwashing, the environment continues to be an issue that the UK government does not take seriously.

“Nature is in crisis, but current efforts to fully understand the extent of this are shackled by politicians whose short-sighted priorities lie elsewhere, and who fail to recognise the significance of environmental action today for the lives of those who will outlive their political tenure.”

The full What Lies Beneath Report 2022 can be found here.

Experts have urged ministers to use a 12-year-old law to ensure that homebuilders in England provide more green spaces to curb the risk of flooding and sewage pollution.

Successive ministers have resisted the move, fearing it would hinder meeting targets for homes and end a builder’s right to connect to existing sewers.

Adam Vaughan www.thetimes.co.uk 

Forty planning, engineering and environment groups have written to the prime minister, urging him to implement schedule three of the 2010 Flood and Water Management Act.

This would mean companies building and maintaining “sustainable drainage systems” (SuDs), such as ponds, planters and permeable paving, so drains were not swamped during heavy rain. “Implementation is essential to address growing surface water flood risk [and] tackling the sewage pollution problem,” the signatories, including the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Town and Country Planning Association and Water UK, the trade body, said. The government has been reviewing the issue, and a decision was initially due in October.

The Times understands the advisory group on the review is in favour of implementing schedule three.

“Backward thinking and policies mean 1.5 million homes have been built in a way that doesn’t manage water well. Climate change-driven extreme weather advances and sewers are full to overflowing,” Terry Fuller, chief executive of The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, which organised the letter, said.

The groups behind the letter say that while some developers perceive SuDs as “difficult and expensive”, that was not true and they could even be cheaper than conventional drainage.

The National Federation of Builders said: “There is a likelihood that schedule three becomes the 12th tax on industry in the last two years.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “The government is reviewing the case for implementing schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. This would introduce standards for most new drainage systems and would make it compulsory that systems gain regulatory approval before any construction work commences.”