Labour dig a Heffalump trap in plain sight.

What do the Heffalumps do? 

Walk straight into it.

(Careerist Jupp does his duty). – Owl

Peter Walker www.theguardian.com 

A crunch Commons vote on the future of fracking has descended into mayhem after more than 40 Conservative MPs failed to back Liz Truss’s government, with MPs alleging ministers physically pulled some wavering Tories into the voting lobbies. [The chaos was great that even the voting numbers remain unclear Pippa Crerar now writes: Initially it looked like Liz Truss herself had missed the vote, but we’re told she did in fact vote… just forgot to swipe her pass.

Shortly after the vote, there were reports that the chief whip, Wendy Morton, and her deputy, Craig Whittaker, had lost their jobs. However, Downing Street later cleared up the rumours by saying the pair “remain in post”.

The government victory, by 326 votes opposing the Labour motion to 230 backing it, was marred by claims of intimidation and bullying on a turbulent night in the Commons.

While ministers successfully defeated the Labour motion, which sought to set up a vote which would formally ban drilling for shale gas in England, a total of 40 Tory MPs failed to support the government.

While some, like Boris Johnson, are simply away, the rebels included Tory MPs who had promised to defy a three-line whip, including Chris Skidmore, the former minister who heads up Truss’s review into net zero policies.

Other confirmed rebels included another former minister Tracey Crouch and MPs including William Wragg and Angela Richardson. No Tories voted directly with Labour.

Tory whips had written to MPs in the morning to warn that the vote was being seen as confidence measure, meaning the government would collapse if it lost and rebels would lose the whip.

However, near the end of the debate, with several MPs saying they would risk losing the whip, the climate minister, Graham Stuart, told the Commons: “Quite clearly this is not a confidence vote.”

Shortly after the vote, the Labour MP Chris Bryant used a point of order to tell the Commons that he saw Tory MPs being “physically manhandled” into the government voting lobby. He asked for a formal investigation.

In the wake of the chaos, Penny Mordaunt, the Commons leader, was seen trying to calm a group of mostly female MPs who had gathered to discuss what they witnessed. Mordaunt was seen encouraging witnesses to send her evidence or further details on WhatsApp.

One Tory backbencher said it was “the most bullying, screaming and shouting” they had seen in the voting lobbies, with Morton and Whittaker being engaged in a “full-blown shouting match”.

Another said Whittaker had been seen telling colleagues: “I am fucking furious and I don’t give a fuck any more.”

Afterwards, whips were said to have been gathered for an urgent meeting, with several parliamentary private secretaries deciding they would tell Morton and Whittaker to go.

Veteran Tory backbencher Charles Walker, who is due to step down as an MP at the next election, said the scenes on Wednesday were “inexcusable”. “I think it’s a shambles and a disgrace,” a visibly shaken Walker told the BBC, before railing at the “talentless” people in the cabinet.

He added: “I’m livid and I really shouldn’t say this but all those people that put Liz Truss in No 10, I hope it was worth it, it was worth it for the ministerial red box, as it was worth it to sit round the cabinet table, because the damage they have done to our party is extraordinary.”

However, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business and energy secretary, disputed this, pointing to the government’s majority in the vote. He said: “This is a government that is functioning well.”

The bedlam risks obscuring a potentially even more significant Tory fracture over the disquiet of many government MPs about Truss’s decision to overturn the moratorium on fracking in England.

Skidmore, a leading voice of green Tories, said earlier he was willing to “face the consequences of my decision” to not back the government, even if this meant losing the whip.

“As the former energy minister who signed net zero into law, for the sake of our environment and climate I cannot personally vote tonight to support fracking and undermine the pledges I made at the 2019 general election,” he tweeted.

Crouch retweeted Skidmore’s message with the added word, “Ditto”, as did Richardson.

Despite efforts by Rees-Mogg to quell MPs’ fury by setting up a public consultation on fracking, a series of other Tories had told the debate that they were furious about the change of policy.

A number said they would only support the government because they felt Labour were trying to “play politics” with a motion that would give the opposition control of the order paper.

Ruth Edwards, the Rushcliffe MP, castigated the Tory frontbench for, she said, forcing her and colleagues “to choose between voting against our manifesto and voting to lose the whip”.

She added: “They should take a look at the faces of colleagues behind them, colleagues who have fracking sites in their constituencies, and they should hang their heads in shame. A Conservative government will always have my confidence, but its leadership today has severely tested my trust and the trust of many colleagues and I would advise them not to do so again.”

Simon Hoare, the North Dorset MP, said he would have rebelled but wanted to keep his “voice and vote” as a Tory. He warned, however, that fracking was doomed as a project. “It’s not going to happen. These are bald men fighting over a comb. No local community is going to grant consent,” he said.

Ed Miliband, the shadow climate and net zero secretary, said the government was pursuing a “frack me or sack me strategy”, saying fracking was “one of the most unpopular causes in the country”.

He added: “In normal times such an idiotic idea would have been dismissed out of hand but these are not normal times. But I say to the house and I say to members opposite, they all know that the prime minister will be gone in a matter of weeks, if not days, if not hours.”

The Conservatives’ 2019 manifesto promised to maintain a moratorium on fracking unless there was new evidence on the risk of earthquakes from the practice. But Truss’s government changed this last month.

In a message to all MPs on Wednesday morning, Whittaker had said: “The second debate is the main event today and it is a 100% hard three-line whip. This is not a motion on fracking. This is a confidence motion in the government.”

Labour sources said Tory whips had walked into a trap set for them, and that although they did not expect to win the vote, the opposition had online adverts ready to go targeting every Tory MP who backed fracking.

It has been widely reported (BBC and Telegraph) that Liz Truss held a meeting with her “parliamentary private secretaries” (PPSs) on Tuesday morning, one indicating that it was billed as a “breakfast meeting” and only involved 20.

In the dying days of Boris Johnson’s premiership, a large number of PPSs resigned, hastening his departure. So keeping them “on side” in Team Truss would be vital. Could this be the reason for the meeting?

Many of these PPSs were first elected in 2019 and could be under serious threat of losing their seats the next time the UK goes to the polls.

Another source, London Playbook on Wednesday, claimed a senior Tory set out pretty much the worst kind of intel that No. 10 could hope to hear. “Every single MP I’ve spoken to basically says she’s got to go, apart from fanatics and the careerists,” they said. Even some moderates who had accepted jobs under Truss are “schmoozing up to colleagues all of a sudden because they know which way the wind is blowing.” Outreach in the party was summed up as “mega shit” and whipping in the division lobbies “invisible.”

Although the role of PPS is unpaid, it’s considered an important stepping stone for ambitious MPs.

So is Simon a plotter, fanatic or careerist?

Last night we learned that he is a “fracker” so we can rule out the first possibility. – Owl

Chair, East Devon Alliance, writes in the Herald:

As the Conservative government disintegrates, they are bringing the country down with them. The shambolic failures of Liz Truss, like Boris Johnson’s lying and cheating, will have serious consequences for people in Devon. Whether or not Truss is still in office when you read this – she is so obviously a disaster that many MPs are actively trying to get rid of her – if this government clings on, we face a grim two years.

The appointment of Jeremy Hunt fills me with foreboding. As Health Secretary, he presided over a long decline in the NHS. It was Hunt’s cuts that led Devon health bosses to close community hospital beds in Axminster, Honiton, Ottery and Seaton, the folly of which became apparent when there was nowhere to send patients when the main hospitals overflowed in the pandemic (and Hunt had shelved the UK’s pandemic plans). Hunt’s aim of selling off ‘surplus’ NHS buildings encouraged managers to dispose of some of the sites, and only community protests stopped this happening.

Hunt’s warning of a new round of ‘efficiency savings’ (spending cuts to you and me) confirms that, as Chancellor, he will be Mr Austerity once again. It is not just the NHS, with chronic staff shortages, a failing ambulance service and 7 million people waiting for operations, which simply cannot be allowed to face new cuts. The vulnerable cannot live without an inflation-matching rise in benefits. Hard-pressed schools cannot cope with declining real funding. Councils desperately need real increases to look after vulnerable children and old people.

Hunt will tell us that there is no alternative (after Truss’s budget has made government borrowing more expensive). But Britain is still a rich country and new resources can be found: close down tax havens; end ‘non-dom’ status; introduce a proper windfall tax on oil and gas firms; tax wealth as well as income; and raise tax well above 45 per cent for the bankers with their bumper bonuses and the other people who receive hundreds of thousands or millions each year.

The truth is that cuts are a political choice from a government which is in denial about the damage it has done. Truss or her successor may drone on about ‘growth’, but she and Hunt have each been ministers while Britain has stagnated over the last 12 years. George Osborne’s austerity took the wind out of the recovery from the financial crisis, just as

Hunt’s threatens to end the UK’s recovery from the pandemic.

The biggest harm has come from Brexit, the red-tape bonanza which has strangled trade with the UK’s largest market, sacrificed our farmers, and deprived our NHS of European doctors and nurses. Even some Daily Telegraph writers now accept that the warnings against Brexit were right, but Brexit ideology – of which Truss’s ‘trickle-down’ economics is a part – is now the religion of the Conservative Party. They seem more likely to abolish the monarchy than abandon this failed experiment.

Despite all this, Devon Tories remain in thrall to their leaders. Last week Hugo Swire, the former East Devon MP who bailed out rather than face Claire Wright at the last election, jumped back on the gravy train by taking a seat in the Lords (courtesy of Boris Johnson’s resignation ‘honours’ list), while his successor Simon Jupp accepted a bag-carrier role in Truss’s government. I thought rats were supposed to leave sinking ships!

In this situation, it’s timely that Richard Foord, the Liberal Democrat who won June’s by-election, is speaking about his first months as an MP at an open meeting in Axminster Guildhall this Saturday (22nd) at 10.30 am. He will be interviewed by my fellow-columnist Paul Arnott, the Independent East Devon Alliance leader of East Devon District Council. This will be a valuable opportunity for us to discuss the future without Conservative rule, and I very much hope to see readers there.

A few weeks ago, in his weekly news column, Simon was promoting Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss’ unfunded, tax cutting, “growth” “mini-budget.

In this week’s Exmouth Journal, published today, he rides on the coat-tails of EDDC’s announcement of its successful bid for £500K to help support the homeless and returns to his recent attack on EDDC for continuing to hold virtual meetings.

No mention of the fact that the budget he supported a few weeks ago has been scrapped and the country plunged into austerity 2.0 by one of the architects of austerity 1.0 and by the reckless actions of the government in which he plays a minor part. Obviously no apology either.

Today inflation has risen to levels not seen for 40 years, driven by increases in food prices. People are yet to feel the increases in mortgage rates coming down the tracks.

What’s the point of an MP who is “not free to speak” and “not free to act”?

Can someone give him sight of a newspaper? – Owl

Figure returns to double digits in September, with households under pressure from cost of living crisis

(The September figures are the ones normally used for the inflation uplift to pensions and benefits, though Liz Truss is flip flopping on this manifesto pledge – Owl)

Richard Partington www.theguardian.com 

Inflation in the UK has risen above 10% for the second time this year as households come under mounting pressure from sky-high energy bills and rising food prices amid the cost of living crisis.

The Office for National Statistics said the consumer prices index rose to 10.1% in September, returning to double digits after a slight dip to 9.9% in August. The figure was last higher in 1982.

City economists had forecast a modest increase to 10%.

Ambulances in the South West operated by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) took an average of 11 minutes and 10 seconds to respond to category one calls during September.

From today’s Western Morning News

Such calls are the most serious, for life-threatening conditions and injuries. The average was down from 11 minutes and 27 seconds in August, but was far longer than the target of seven minutes set by the NHS. It is also the longest wait for category one calls of any ambulance service in England.

Category two calls, which cover conditions like strokes, were responded to by SWASFT in an average of one hour eight minutes, well short of the 18 minute target and up from 59 minutes and 45 seconds the month before. It is the second-longest wait across England.

Category three calls, meanwhile, were responded to by SWASFT in an average of two hours 50 minutes, compared to a target of two hours, and category four calls were responded to within an average of three hours 22 minutes, compared to a target of three hours.

Response times vary across England. While SWASFT had the slowest response to category one calls, in London they were responded to in an average of seven minutes and 14 seconds.

A spokesperson for SWASFT said: “Our ambulance clinicians strive every day to give their best to patients, but our performance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to handover delays at emergency departments.

“Health and social care services are under enormous pressure. We are working with our partners to ensure our ambulance clinicians can get back out on the road as quickly as possible, to respond to other 999 calls within the community.”

For category one incidents, the average response time across England is nine minutes, 19 seconds. The best performing region is the North East, at seven minutes 14 seconds, and the worst is the South West, at 11 minutes 10 seconds.

East of England Ambulance service has the worst record for category two calls. Those calls should be responded to within 18 minutes, but in the east they take an average of one hour and 14 minutes. SWASFT had the second-longest wait time, at one hour, eight minutes and 53 seconds.

The England average was just under 48 minutes for a category two call. The East Midlands arrived in 53 minutes and four seconds, East of England in one hour 14 minutes and 12 seconds, with London, the North East, North West, South Central and South East Coast all around 40 minutes. 

A grant for more than half a million pounds has been awarded to help tackle rough sleeping across East Devon has been.

eastdevon.gov.uk 

East Devon District Council (EDDC) has successfully bid for funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities through the Rough Sleeper Initiative.

A total of £568,074 has been given to the district to tackle rough sleeping and contribute towards EDDC’s ambition to end rough sleeping in the district, over the next three years.

The money has helped to provide a more stable platform allowing EDDC to finance and hire officers in the following posts:

• Two ‘Rough Sleeper Navigators’ who undertake outreach sessions to follow up new reports of rough sleepers and work with existing rough sleepers with the aim of helping them to obtain suitable accommodation options.
• One ‘Housing Officer’ dedicated to providing wraparound support to former rough sleepers accommodated through the ‘Housing First’ programme.
• One ‘Private Sector Liaison Officer’ working with homeless applicants, and former rough sleepers, to access accommodation within the private sector through the council’s rent deposit and bond scheme.

Several positive outcomes for former rough sleepers have been achieved over the past few years, within a very challenging housing environment, through this funding stream which has played a major part in enabling the council to work towards its aim to end rough sleeping in the district.

There were 159 reports of new rough sleepers within the district in 2021/22, and a further 122 over the last six months between April and September, 2022/23.

In the past 12 months, between September 2021 and September 2022, the number of verified rough sleepers at any one time in East Devon has varied from three to 14 – with August, September and October seeing the highest numbers (between 11 and 14) and February, March and April seeing the lowest numbers (with three).

Councillor Dan Ledger, EDDC’s portfolio holder sustainable homes and communities, said:

With the cost-of-living crisis that we are currently facing as well as other winter pressures on the horizon, this funding is really welcomed.

We acknowledge that some of our residents will struggle in the coming months and as a Council we wish to help wherever possible.

These additional posts will ensure that the council is able to offer full assistance to anyone requiring it, giving timely help, advice and support to our residents who need it most.

This will hopefully keep as many people as possible off our streets over the next few years and help to achieve positive outcomes in securing long term sustainable accommodation for those individuals and families.

• Proposed single storey rear extension and alterations to rear access and parking area. 3 Townsend Avenue Seaton EX12 2AZRef. No: 22/2224/FUL | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of external condensing unit Victory Hall Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3EERef. No: 22/2228/FUL | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of an agricultural building acting as dairy cows accommodation to include site filling and associated works. Rookery Farm Upottery Devon EX14 9PFRef. No: 22/2230/MFUL | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior approval for change of use of agricultural building to residential dwelling (use class C3) with associated works Agricultural Land And Building 1 West Of Upcott Farm Upcott Broadhembury Honiton EX14 3LPRef. No: 22/2226/PDQ | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of a battery energy storage system with associated infrastructure and works. Pound Road BESS Land North East Of Axminster National Grid Substation Pound Road HawkchurchRef. No: 22/2216/MFUL | Validated: Wed 05 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Magnolia : The height is to be reduced by approximately 1.5 – 2 metres, The North, South, and West spreads are to be reduced by approximately 1 metre, the laterally extended eastern branch being reduced by approximately 1.5 – 2 metres Stepsway Market Square Axminster EX13 5NJRef. No: 22/2219/TCA | Validated: Wed 05 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of Lawful Development for a Proposed conversion of the existing garage to provide a bedroom and ensuite.3 Maple Close Honiton Devon EX14 2XWRef. No: 22/2212/CPL | Validated: Tue 04 Oct 2022 | Status: Approved
• T267 – Cherry: fell. Street Record Church Stile Lane Woodbury EX5 1HNRef. No: 22/2213/TCA | Validated: Wed 05 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of existing conservatory and proposed single story rear extension. Flintstone Lodge Fore Street Otterton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7HBRef. No: 22/2211/FUL | Validated: Tue 04 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of roof space to habitable use to include a front dormer, replacement side extension, conversion of side extension from store to home office, alterations to fenestration and associated works Claywell New Street Honiton Devon EX14 1BURef. No: 22/2210/LBC | Validated: Tue 04 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of roof space to habitable use to include a front dormer, replacement side extension, conversion of side extension from store to home office, alterations to fenestration and associated works Claywell New Street Honiton Devon EX14 1BURef. No: 22/2209/FUL | Validated: Tue 04 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of roof space to habitable use to include a rear dormer, 3 x roof lights and rear roof extension. Replacement front porch extension, single storey side extension and single storey rear extension to include demolition of an outbuilding and rear conservatory. 43 Glebelands Lympstone Devon EX8 5JDRef. No: 22/2204/FUL | Validated: Thu 06 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 2 willows : Pollard to 6 -7m Mdc 30cm length 10m maximum Reason : To bring off highway pavement and driveway clear road signs and lamp posts to give clearance from house and driveway, to control future growth and to stop broken branches which has been a regular occurance 18 Upland Chase Honiton EX14 2FTRef. No: 22/2192/TRE | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed two storey rear extension following demolition of existing conservatory 35 Brixington Lane Exmouth EX8 4JGRef. No: 22/2198/FUL | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Purpose built agricultural barn for the storage of tractors and machinery Chadstone Farm Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3XPRef. No: 22/2196/AGR | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Mature beech located on N/E boundary towards north corner of plot, completely overhanging outbuilding, partially overhanging main house. Applying to raise crown clear of buildings/phone line from 3 metres to approximately 5.5 metres (measured from patio) by removing 2 x primary limbs measuring 18 centimeters and one of 4 centimeters, all of which are the lowest limbs on the trunk, one above the other on the south side (nearest corner of main house). Work to be done winter if agreed to. 10 Little Knowle Budleigh Salterton EX9 6QSRef. No: 22/2189/TCA | Validated: Wed 05 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side extension, single storey rear extension, demolition of conservatory, kitchen and store room. 31 Withycombe Road Exmouth EX8 1TFRef. No: 22/2195/FUL | Validated: Wed 05 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of Lawful Development for the proposed use of a C3 Dwelling House as a C2 Residential Institution (Childrens Home) without a change to the use class of the premises.Blue Anchor Payhembury EX14 3HGRef. No: 22/2181/CPL | Validated: Thu 06 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension with alteration to fenestration, installation and extension of balustrade on ground floor balcony, installation of render, proposed rear roof solar panels. 19 Upper Churston Rise Seaton EX12 2HDRef. No: 22/2179/FUL | Validated: Tue 04 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Field Maple trees – cut back all of the over hanging branches by 2.5m, encroaching onto the pavement. They will carry out tree works by removing limbs, raising canopies and reducing tree heights by 2m. Complaints from the local community that the trees are overhanging roadside pavement along side of the store. Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd Hind Street Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1BWRef. No: 22/2184/TCA | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Barn conversion and associated works to form 2no. holiday units. Pale Farm Upexe Devon EX5 5NDRef. No: 22/2186/LBC | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Barn conversion and associated works to form 2no. holiday units Pale Farm Upexe Devon EX5 5NDRef. No: 22/2185/FUL | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of replacement gate. Asas Fee Dolphin Street Colyton EX24 6NARef. No: 22/2188/FUL | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed change of use from agricultural to use class E(g)(i) Spurtham Farm New Road Upottery Devon EX14 9QDRef. No: 22/2167/PDR | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Completion of an outdoor menage and the surfacing of the existing driveway utilising an existing vehicular access The Oaks Aylesbeare Exeter EX5 2DERef. No: 22/2166/FUL | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Cedrus atlantica Glauca : Reduce extended branches by up to 2 metres ( maximum) to eleviate stress on previously pruned branches; formative prune tree to restore the specimens natural form / shape after historical pruning; crown raise over the neighbouring property to give a 3 metre clearance from the roof; the works aim to prevent further failure and will not have a negative impact on the trees visual amenities 19 Cyprus Gardens Exmouth EX8 2DPRef. No: 22/2139/TRE | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension. 36 Brooks Warren Cranbrook Exeter EX5 7AJRef. No: 22/2136/FUL | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a 20m x 5 driveway 2 New Cottages Weston Devon EX14 3NZRef. No: 22/2117/FUL | Validated: Tue 04 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Renewal of full planning permission to construct an office building [Class E(g)(i) Office Use] including the demolition of an existing single storey garage block North Corner Country House Estate London Road Strete Ralegh Whimple EX5 2PTRef. No: 22/2107/FUL | Validated: Fri 07 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior approval application for the change of use from agricultural building (Barn 1) to dwellinghouse Bridge Farm Stoke Hill Stoke Canon EX5 4EERef. No: 22/2068/PDQ | Validated: Thu 06 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior approval application for the change of use from agricultural building (Barn 2) to dwellinghouse Bridge Farm Stoke Hill Stoke Canon Exeter EX5 4EERef. No: 22/2069/PDQ | Validated: Thu 06 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace existing 600mm chimney pot with 900mm chimney pot with the addition of a 125mm cowl on top Little Thatch Beacon Luppitt Honiton EX14 4TTRef. No: 22/2042/LBC | Validated: Tue 04 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Retention of mixed use premises for childminding and residential purposes. 9 Cooks Mead Uplyme DT7 3XJRef. No: 22/1979/FUL | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Division of existing dwelling to create 1 additional dwelling for use as a holiday let and demolition of existing conservatory, lean to extension, glazed seating area and grey flat roof building (shower room) The Old Stores Lyme Road Uplyme DT7 3THRef. No: 22/1870/FUL | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Partial reserved matters application (layout, scale, appearance and landscaping) pursuant to outline planning permission 14/0330/MOUT for 32 houses, 23 apartments (with bin and cycle stores), a fibre cabinet associated roads and parking Goodmores Farm Dinan Way ExmouthRef. No: 22/1839/MRES | Validated: Wed 05 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Install 12no. photovoltaic panels on rear north east elevation 1 Knowle Mews Dalditch Lane Budleigh Salterton EX9 7AHRef. No: 22/1776/LBC | Validated: Mon 03 Oct 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

Hardship and heartbreak as Devon families lose homes to Airbnb lets.

Some of those who have been evicted are living in camper vans, caravans, even on boats. There are families who have been booted out of their homes crammed together in holiday park chalets or single rooms while others have had no choice but to give up and leave the area completely.

Steven Morris www.theguardian.com 

The dramatic rise of short-term holiday lets in Woolacombe and neighbouring villages and towns in north Devon is causing hardship, heartache and anger as landlords and investors cash in and local people are squeezed out.

“It’s really dire,” said Emma Hookway, a founder of the North Devon and Torridge Housing Crisis campaign group. “I constantly come across people in tears after they have been kicked out of rented accommodation because landlords want to turn places into holiday lets.”

Hookway, a 43-year-old cleaner, began the group after she and her young son were forced to leave their rented house. They eventually found a flat above a working men’s club. “It felt soul-destroying moving back into a small flat in my 40s. But I had to suck it up and now I realise that, actually, we are the lucky ones.

“Tourism here has boomed, especially since Covid. Landlords who were making £1,000 a month renting to a tenant can make that in a week now and investors are snapping up properties to make money out of them. It’s easy money for them.”

Renting out through Airbnb in the area is lucrative. Two-bedroom flats in the modern Oceanpoint and Narracott developments in Woolacombe will cost about £1,200 a week this autumn. A small studio above the Tides Inn is almost £100 a night.

But there is, undoubtedly, a price to pay for the community.

Another member of the campaign group, Graham Bell, who works at a local hospital, said key workers were being forced out. “We lose nurses and teachers who grew up here because they can’t find anywhere to live. They move to Exeter, Bristol or further afield. Families are being pushed into holiday parks, hotels, B&Bs. Children are having to sit their exams while living in caravan parks. Education and life chances are being affected.”

One emergency worker in his 30s, who asked not to be named, described how he and his partner were evicted from their flat in Woolacombe and now lived in a van on a campsite. “We’re making that work for now but it’s not ideal. It’s not what we want long term. It feels like a downward spiral for the area. How are they going to find people to staff the hospitals, the fire station, the shops if nothing is done?”

A woman with a small child who is being compelled to move out of her Woolacombe home this winter after almost a decade summed up her feelings as “heartbroken, scared and helpless”. Another parent who has been given notice to leave said she was “genuinely terrified” at the prospect of becoming homeless.

Dan Stokes, 40, who works as a chef in Woolacombe, has struggled to find stable accommodation. “There are dozens of applications for every rented place.” It means there are acute staff shortages in hospitality. “Probably most businesses have 60 or 70% of the staff they need because there’s nowhere for them to live.”

Stokes said he knew of a hospitality worker who lived in a camper van in Woolacombe and a family of three – two parents and a grownup son – who shared one room. “Something has got to be done.”

The feel of the place is changing. Locals say they cannot afford the “London prices” charged in many pubs, bars and restaurants and there are frequently complaints about the behaviour of short-let visitors – loud music, excessive drinking, antisocial behaviour (often when hot tubs are involved).

According to North Devon council’s figures, 47% of places in the Mortehoe parish, which includes Woolacombe, are second homes or holiday lets. The figure for the nearby village of Georgeham is 45%. In 2020-21, the number of section 21 eviction notices issued by landlords to tenants in north Devon was 39; in 2021-22 it was 103.

The council’s chief executive, Ken Miles, has been busy drafting a report in response to the UK government’s call for evidence on holiday lets. The draft report says the council is “particularly concerned about community cohesion in areas where there is a high intensity of short-term holiday lets”.

Examples Miles cites include a primary school struggling to maintain enough pupil numbers to remain viable and he points out a road in Georgeham where only one dwelling is occupied in the winter. “Communities cannot be sustained with that level of holiday use,” the draft report says.

It goes on to highlight the case of a senior college worker in north Devon who has to live 40 miles away and an employee of a local care home who had to give up her job when she was evicted.

The report says that in recent years “the nature of the tourist accommodation offer has changed with the rise in prominence of sites such as Airbnb”. It suggests consideration of a licensing scheme for holiday lets and perhaps the requirement to apply for planning consent for change of use where residential premises are converted to holiday lets to allow more control.

Malcolm Wilkinson, the council’s lead member for coastal communities and a resident of Woolacombe for half a century, said there was some good news. A community land trust has been formed to build 21 affordable homes for local people next to the village hall. “We hope that will help a little,” he said.

Tensions are surfacing. One second-home owner, who rents her place out when she and her partner are not there, said a guest recently left early because they did not feel welcome by local people. “They were told that tourists weren’t wanted,” she said.

The owner, who asked not to be named, said she did not make huge profits and employed a local cleaner and used local companies for laundry and building work.

She argued that Woolacombe had long been a tourist destination. “Our guests use local attractions, cafes, restaurants and shops. I don’t know what would happen to the place if there weren’t any visitors.”

A sharp rise in the number of Airbnb listings in coastal areas of England and Wales has prompted fears that some seaside areas will become “theme parks for the wealthy”.

(This articles linked to one describing the particular problems in Devon: Hardship and heartbreak as Devon families lose homes to Airbnb lets)

David Blood www.theguardian.com 

The number of “entire places” for rent in coastal spots in England and Wales increased by 56% between 2019 and 2022, compared with 15% in non-coastal areas, according to analysis.

The rise means coastal areas now have three times the rate of Airbnb listings per dwelling than in non-coastal areas, up from twice the rate pre-pandemic.

Housing campaigners say the trend indicates that landlords in popular seaside towns and quiet coastal getaways may be favouring tourists over tenants at a time when many such communities are being hit by rising living costs, mortgage and house prices.

“Tourists don’t want to visit ghost towns. And most people can’t afford to live in a theme park designed for wealthier visitors,” said Will McMahon, the director of the charity Action on Empty Homes, who coordinated the Action on Short Lets campaign.

He added that the current situation “ultimately kills the very communities that were once considered to be part of the attraction to visitors”.

The analysis, which calculates the number of Airbnb listings advertised as an “entire place” for rent – as opposed to a room in a house or a shared room – as a rate of local housing stock in statistical reporting regions known as middle-layer super output areas, found that in May 2019, one in every 105 dwellings in coastal areas in England and Wales were advertised as an Airbnb.

In May 2022 it was one in every 67 coastal dwellings, while in inland locations it was one in every 196 properties, according to Inside Airbnb, a non-commercial project that aims to highlight the impact of the service on residential housing markets.

Data also showed that some seaside locations had a far greater proportion of Airbnb listings.

One in four houses and flats in Woolacombe, Georgeham & Croyde in north Devon were listed on Airbnb in May this year, up from one in six in 2019, as were homes in the Scores, overlooking the sea in St Andrews, Scotland. And one in five dwellings in St Ives & Halsetown in Cornwall were listed while one in six properties in the Cornish town of Newquay and Whitby in North Yorkshire were advertised on the site.

Dan Wilson Craw, the deputy director of Generation Rent, said one of the driving forces behind the rise in Airbnb listings was a lack of tax and regulation for holiday lets.

“In the past seven years, the government has withdrawn mortgage interest tax relief from residential landlords but left the holiday let sector untouched. That has encouraged landlords in holiday hotspots to switch their properties from tenants to tourists. As a result there are fewer listings on the rental market and rents have soared, pushing people out of the towns and villages they grew up in.”

The rate of Airbnb listings in coastal areas across Great Britain grew by 40% in the three-year period compared with 17% in inland locations. Of the 50 areas with the highest proportion of Airbnb listings per dwelling, two-thirds were in coastal areas although coastal locations make up just one quarter of the small areas covered by the analysis.

The analysis looked only at Airbnb listings advertised as an “entire place” for rent, as opposed to a room in a house or a shared room, and did not distinguish between properties let out full-time, and included caravans, pods and manor houses, which make up a fraction of listings.

Airbnb questioned the accuracy of the findings, emphasising that unusual listings such as caravans or large manor houses, used for events, may not affect the local housing stock.

A spokesperson said: “The pandemic changed the way we travel and moved demand from densely populated cities to coastal and countryside communities, which created new economic opportunities for local families to boost their income by occasionally renting their home.

“The typical UK host rents their own home for just a couple of nights a month to boost their income, and over a third say the additional income helps them afford rising living costs. Airbnb welcomes new rules and we proposed a host register to the UK government, and we continue to support its consultation on the matter.”

McMahon pointed to potential solutions in other countries: “In Scotland councils are empowered to limit short lets, in Wales new powers are coming in to make short lets and second homes separate planning classes from homes in normal residential use.

“It is time we ensured a decent supply of affordable housing for local people is maintained and that means ensuring that all the local housing isn’t snapped up by investors with deeper pockets who then just rent it on Airbnb for huge profits.”

Nationally Conservatives are disintegrating, now it looks like the same is happening locally. – Owl

Plymouth City Council’s Conservative group is set to undergo yet more losses following on from the suspension – and deselection – of its former leader, Nick Kelly. Saturday night saw news that the former leader of the council – who was ousted from his position in March this year following a vote of no confidence – had been suspended by his own group following claims of “several serious and different complaints and allegations”.

Carl Eve www.plymouthherald.co.uk 

The Plymouth Conservative Group released a statement saying that allegations had been made formally to its Group Executive team and it confirmed Cllr Kelly, who represents Compton ward, had been “suspended from Plymouth City Council Conservative Group, pending all necessary investigations.”

However, Cllr Kelly took to his Facebook page to reveal that he had undergone the selection interview process with the Approvals Panel on Saturday and had been informed that he would not be selected to stand as a Conservative in his own ward at the next local election in May 2023. Cllr Kelly said he was “extremely disappointed that the local Conservative Party have deemed that I am not fit to represent the party” at the forthcoming election.

Read next: PM Liz Truss ‘laughed’ as she sacked Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer

PlymouthLive has learned that Cllr Kelly wrote to the Conservative group following his ‘deselection’ and then suspension, saying he was resigning his position. Since then there have been a number of claims circulating which suggest he is looking to create an ‘Independent Alliance’ with other Independent Plymouth councillors. Sources have told PlymouthLive at least three councillors are in talks about forming a new group.

In addition, PlymouthLive has now heard from three sources who have stated that a second Conservative councillor – Cllr Patrick Nicholson – who represents the Plympton St Mary ward – has also not been selected to run as a Conservative at the next election. It is understood that Cllr Nicholson aims to appeal the decision.

Mr Nicholson has been contacted to confirm this information.

PlymouthLive has also had sight of an emailed response from Cllr Kelly to Conservative Group Chief Whip Cllr Pat Patel, (St Budeaux ward) who had informed the former leader he was being suspended pending an investigation over “a number of complaints”. In his strongly worded reply, Cllr Kelly wrote asking him him to explain under which rule of the “Plymouth City Council Conservative Group Rules” he had been suspended and “the specific reason/s for this suspension.”

He argued that in his opinion the “professional way to conduct such an act” would have been to adhere the the group rules, ensuring that it was only the “Group Leader who has the ability to suspend a member.”

He added: “To make unfounded allegations, without any specific details, and circulate these to the media is quite dangerous from a defamation point of view.”

He went on to make a number of allegations regarding Cllr Patel and pointed out that he “formally resigned from the Conservative Group on the 15th October 2022.”

Cllr Kelly’s deselection and suspension has drawn the ire of other former councillors who were themselves told they would not be selected to represent the party at the next local election..

Dave Downie wrote on Cllr Kelly’s official Facebook page: “The best most forward-thinking and innovative leader this council has had for a long time. Stabbed in the back by a clique who will not have the courage to explain why this decision was taken. A complete disgrace. Conservative politics in Plymouth are being dictated by a group of non-accountable, unelectable idiots who are not acting in the best interests of the city. They only want ‘their people’ front and centre. If you dare challenge them, you are not approved to stand for election again. Things must change. Party politics is over.”

Similarly, former Lord Mayor Cllr Terri Beer, who left the Conservative group earlier this year but who has continued her role as ward councillor for Plympton Erle Ward as an independent, wrote: “You are such an amazing Councillor Nick. This is what unelected people do to hardworking councillors. Conservatives self-destruction. Vote Independent in May.”

Amongst the mini budget reversals announced in the emergence statement, Jeremy Hunt cut the previously announced freeze on alcohol duty.

We all know that Simon Jupp’s great cause is helping the hospitality sector. So he must be disappointed that his recent acceptance of an “insider” job as a parliamentary private secretary to Simon Clarke, an uber Truss loyalist, (S of S Levelling up, housing and communities) has had so little impact or recognition. 

Worse, he will have to support and argue the merits of this change next time he goes to the pub.

Cheers – Owl

For the May 2021 local elections in England, the government temporarily changed the law so that council candidates only had to get two, rather than ten, nomination signatures to stand. This was in line with what’s already the norm in Scotland, but was only a temporary measure to reduce the need for signature gathering during a COVID-19 crunch.

Could the Tories be finding it difficult to muster 10 signatures for a candidate? With current poll ratings that seems quite possible for the pariah party. – Owl

Mark Pack www.markpack.org.uk

The rules then reverted to normal, but now the government has consulted the Electoral Commission on draft legislation that would permanently reduce the number of subscribers required on a nomination paper for principal area elections in England from ten to two.

Under this plan, the change would come into effect for elections and by-elections on or after 4 May 2023, i.e. including the normal May 2023 local elections.

As well as being good for democracy in general, this would also be beneficial for the Liberal Democrats, given the importance of upping our candidate numbers.

As I’ve written on that topic before:

There are … huge benefits [to the party] in standing even in wards that we are not likely to win for a very long time yet (if ever).

One set of benefits comes from the opportunity to practice, train and learn. Winning elections isn’t easy and some of the skills required are very hard to pick up outside politics.

So we should be using every opportunity to add to our experience, try out things and get better.

Even if we don’t do very much, or any, campaigning, there is still the chance for a new election agent to practice getting the paperwork right. Or to take a new person out on their very first canvassing session. Steps such as those are if anything easier in a ‘no hope’ by-election as the pressure is much less and so you can concentrate on the learning.

Those benefits are specific to by-elections on their own. There are other benefits too, which apply even if you’ve got other elections on the same day – and to non-target wards in the usual run of elections…

One of the biggest challenges the Liberal Democrats face is to build up a large group of loyal supporters who persistently support us. Our core support is much smaller than that of our main rivals – and we suffer for it. It makes us more vulnerable to bad times. It means we have further to go and harder to work to get to the winning post than rival parties with larger core votes.

Yet the one sure way to ensure people don’t become persistent supporters is to insist that they should not be allowed to vote for us thanks to not putting up a candidate. No Liberal Democrat on the ballot paper means us saying to voters: ‘we refuse to let you be loyal supporters of us’.

Standing also helps the party identify better where its support currently is, and isn’t. Having a full slate of candidates across the board helps spot areas that can be promising to target and try to win in the future.

Although the legal change isn’t yet 100% confirmed, it’s very likely. So if you have local elections next May, now is a great time to be planning how to either stand a full slate or, if we’ve not managed that before, our best-ever tally of candidates.

Remember too that if we don’t make good use of this opportunity, others may do so – and so may use it to sideline the Lib Dems in the eyes of local voters unless we match or beat their candidate numbers.

Lest we forget!

A good resume of the life a well connected Tory leads.

But what did Hugo Swire ever do for East Devon?  – Owl

Edward Oldfield www.devonlive.com 

A former East Devon Conservative MP Hugo Swire who was caught up in the parliamentary expenses row has been given a place in the House of Lords in the list of political peerages recommended by Boris Johnson. Sir Hugo, 62, represented the East Devon constituency from 2001 to 2019, when he stepped down at the General Election and was replaced by Tory Simon Jupp.

The Eton-educated former Grenadier Guard, who worked as a financial consultant and director of the auction house Sotheby’s, was a close ally of Tory leader David Cameron. In his bachelor days he dated the model Jerry Hall, who later married Rolling Stone Mick Jagger.

His wife Sasha is the daughter of Sir John Nott, the Conservative Defence Secretary during the Falklands War. She was Sir Hugo’s parliamentary assistant for 18 years, and caused a stir in 2020 with the publication of her memoir Diary of an MP’s Wife. It gave an insight into life at the top of Tory party, with less than flattering descriptions of senior politicians including Mr Cameron as ‘drunken Dave’, Boris Johnson as ‘calculating’ and Theresa May as a ‘glumbucket’.

Sir Hugo featured in leaked footage from a Conservative Party fundraising auction in 2015 when he joked about people on benefits and buying luxury cars on MPs’ expense. In 2009, after controversy over MPs’ expenses hit the headlines, Sir Hugo revealed he had voluntarily paid back £395 he claimed for a leather Mulberry laptop bag, which he said he used every day. He said after reviewing his expenses, he decided it could be considered ‘extravagant’.

He also came under media scrutiny in 2010 for claiming £23,000 a year to rent his family home in his East Devon constituency, while living in a London property owned by his wife, according to the Mail Online . His claim was said to have been cut to £10,000, the equivalent of a one-bedroom flat, but he appealed arguing that the decision was unfair on MPs needing to rent a home in their constituencies. Details emerged after he was told to repay £788 claimed in expenses for a gardener at his constituency home. Sir Hugo said he had been unaware that there was a guideline price.

In 2013, the Sunday Mirror reported he had claimed £3,198.61 for oil and gas in the year to March – the eighth-highest amount for any MP. In response, his office told a local newspaper in a statement that he had followed Parliamentary rules and was working to reduce his expenses claims. He earlier justified employing his wife as an assistant, telling an East Devon newspaper in 2009 she was a “highly qualified journalist” who ran his website and produced his press releases, and “has an extraordinary knowledge of the constituency”.

Sir Hugo Swire, pictured with his wife Sasha, represented East Devon from 2001 to 2019 (Image: Express & Echo/Gareth Willians)

A close ally of Conservative prime minister David Cameron, in 2010 he was appointed as Minister of State for Northern Ireland in the newly-elected Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government. He was then given the job as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas in 2012. He resigned in July 2016 alongside other ministers close to Mr Cameron, after the prime minister quit following the Brexit referendum. He was knighted in the prime minister’s resignation honours list.

Sir Hugo tweeted on Friday, when the list of life peerages was published: “Honoured and delighted to be going to the House of Lords”.

Mid Devon has been accused of losing thousands of pounds of money from its agreements with developers. At a Cullompton Town Council meeting on Thursday, September 29, the Cullompton Community Association (CCA) requested funds from S106 agreement funds, which developers provide when they build in the town. The CCA requested money to renew the play equipment at the CCA Fields.

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Councillor Matthew Dale said: “I think we should support this because the equipment down there is getting old and it does get well used after school by children with their parents. I think we ought to look at developer contributions from future projects towards it.”

Councillor Gordon Guest added: “There are various S106 pots. Mid Devon has always been very slow in administering these concerning Cullompton. I can think of at least two occasions where several thousand pounds had to be returned from the S106 box to the developer because Mid Devon had been too slow in spending them in the time provided. My response to this request would be to approve anything that gets hold of S106 money for any project. We should be taking it as quickly as we can. Even if we say yes, it might take Mid Devon a long time to process. Their track record is abysmal in relation to Cullompton Town Council, so I strongly suggest we support this request.”

Councillor Mike Thompson said: “We’ve got several play areas in town. Over the last ten years, this town council has put considerable money into costly play equipment. Most of the play areas we’ve leased or taken on from Mid Devon are costing us a small fortune. I’ve nothing against the CCA and what it represents, but as they’re a charity, have they done sufficient lobbying to raise money for various sources so they can replace this equipment themselves? It is not a town council play area.”

However, Councillor James Buczkowski added: “There are a number of S106 pots held by Mid Devon that are available for the community. Some of them are allocated. There is also an unallocated part, and this is for the purchase of new equipment. The request from the CCA was that the council supports the CCA charity accessing the unallocated pot of money that’s already been taken from developers and is sat at Mid Devon doing nothing and has been for some years. It’s not the town council’s money that will be paid, and it won’t affect our precept or budget.”

The candidates for a by-election to be held next month in East Devon have been announced. Voters in the Newton Poppleford and Harpford ward will go to the polls on Thursday, November 10 – in what could be a real test of the Conservatives’ popularity.

The best memorial for Val is for the people of Newton Pop to vote for who will best represent the interests of their community – should be a “no brainer”. – Owl

Daniel ClarkContent Editor & Politics Reporter www.devonlive.com

The by-election has been called following the death of former councillor Val Ranger. The Independent councillor died in August after a battle with cancer.

Three candidates have been nominated to stand in the election as her replacement. The Conservatives, the Labour Party, and an Independent will stand.

The candidates are:

Chris Burhop (Independent)

Paul Carter (Conservatives)

Caleb Early (Labour)

The Conservatives are facing a near-wipeout in a general election as Liz Truss’s government continues to implode, a new poll suggests.

Based on these latest polls the Scottish National Party would form His Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition not the Tories!

How bad can this get for the Tories? Hang in there Liz, spin out the drama! – Owl

Jon Stone www.independent.co.uk

The survey released on Monday afternoon is the worst yet for the Tories, with Labour now a vast 36 points ahead of the governing party – the highest lead ever recorded by any pollster for any party.

If replicated at a general election the results would likely see the Scottish National Party become the official opposition at Westminster with the Tories reduced to a small rump of MPs.

The release of the Redfield & Wilton survey comes after Ms Truss tried to firefight the reaction to her tax-cutting budget by firing her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and U-turning on a whole slate of policies.

The exact number of seats the Tories would be left with would depend on where votes were cast – but on a uniform national swing they could be left with just one MP, according to the Electoral Calculus website.

Other predictions based on the data suggest they would be left with around 20 seats, still fewer than the Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats would be expected to win.

Labour would win 56 per cent of the vote, up three on the previous survey, and the Tories just 20 per cent, down 4 per cent on last week. The Lib Dems would win 11 per cent, the Green 5 per cent and SNP 4 per cent.

The results follow another similar survey by Deltapoll, which earlier today showed the Conservative 32 points behind Labour, also losing ground on previous polls.

There is some variations between different pollsters, but virtually are now showing vast Labour leads of at least 20 points, with many over 30 per cent.

Ms Truss skipped a parliamentary scrutiny session on Monday with Labour leader Keir Starmer and instead send out Commons leader Penny Mordaunt to answer questions about the government’s record.

Essential kit in the deep blue sea includes one of these. – Owl

Jeremy Hunt, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Thérèse Coffey are among 10 cabinet ministers who face losing their seats, according to a poll which found the Conservatives are on course for a general election wipeout.

Thomas Kingsley www.independent.co.uk

The poll by Opinium, using the MRP method to estimate constituency-level results, projected a 1997-style landslide for Labour, with the party winning 411 seats.

The research, commisioned by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), indicated the Conservatives would lose 219 seats to end up on 137, with the Liberal Democrats on 39 seats and SNP on 37. It projected a vote share for Labour of 43 per cent, with the Conservatives on 28 per cent, the Lib Dems on 13 per cent, Greens on 7 per cent, and SNP on 4 per cent.

Those results would be the Tory party’s worst election performance since 1906, when it secured 156 seats.

The poll was carried out with more than 10,000 adults from 26 to 30 September – two weeks before Liz Truss scrapped large parts of her mini-Budget and sacked her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng. Polling since then suggests her government has sunk further in popularity.

Among those whose seats were projected to be lost by the Tories were the new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, Simon Clarke, the levelling-up secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, Thérèse Coffey, the health secretary and deputy prime minister, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the transport secretary, Chloe Smith, the work and pensions secretary, Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, Jake Berry, the Tory party chair, and Robert Buckland, the Wales secretary.

Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, is also on course to lose his seat, according to the poll, and the Conservatives would lose all 45 out of 45 so-called red wall seats in the north of England.

The poll also asked voters about their support for EU-derived workers’ rights, such as paid leave and limits on working times, which are under threat from the Conservatives’ legislation scrapping laws and regulations that originated in Brussels.

Overall, 71 per cent of voters support retaining EU-derived workers’ rights such as holiday pay, safe limits on working times and rest breaks. They received overwhelming backing even in the seats of Mr Rees-Mogg, where 72 per cent supported them, and Liz Truss, where there was a backing of 63 per cent.

Head of political polling at Opinium Chris Curtis said: “Voters are convinced that the Conservatives are on the side of the wealthy rather than workers. If they want to avoid a wipeout at the next election they need to turn this around. One way they could do this is reverse their position on workers’ rights.”

Ms Truss has already watered down her leadership campaign pledge to scrap all remaining EU laws by the end of 2023 – allowing some to remain in place until 2026.

A new bill will aim to axe up to 1,500 items of so-called retained law – on workers’ rights, the environment, data privacy, road standards and much more – in just 15 months’ time.

But the government has given itself a get-out clause, after warnings that the accelerated timetable was a recipe for “chaos” and further damaging disruption for business.

A statement from Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, said: “The bill includes an extension mechanism for the sunset of specified pieces of retained EU law until 2026.”

In contrast, in July, as she campaigned for the Tory leadership, Ms Truss sought to outflank her rival Rishi Sunak by pledging “to scrap all EU regulation by the end of 2023”.

Nevertheless, huge concerns remain over the bonfire of EU laws – even on a slower timetable – because it will be carried out through regulations, behind MPs’ backs.

A former government lawyer warned “human review” of decisions made by computer algorithms will be quietly axed, risking a repeat of the 2020 “A-levels fiasco”.

Tearing up protections could also come at a price, if divergence triggers disputes under the Brexit trade deal – potentially allowing Brussels to curb access to EU markets for British firms.

Responsibility for the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill remains with Mr Rees-Mogg – who once suggested cutting EU safety standards to levels in India – after his switch from the Cabinet Office to the business department.

Liverpool Council’s house building company – which once promised to build 10,000 new homes across the city – is to be liquidated after developing just 18 properties.

A Case Study – Owl

Liam Thorp www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

In early 2018, Liverpool Council announced the launch of a flagship new housing company that it said would ‘radically reshape Liverpool’s housing market.’

In a major launch, then Mayor Joe Anderson said the new ‘ Foundations’ company would deliver 10,000 properties across the city, fuelled by an estimated £500m investment programme. There would be a focus on building homes for foster families, the elderly, people with disabilities and the homeless as part of an ‘ethical’ housing company.

Since that point, Foundations has built and taken ownership of just 18 properties – none of them at social rent – and will now be wound down.

The launch of Foundations was a big deal for the council. Mayor Anderson described it at the time as the most exciting policy of his time in office. The announcement garnered national headlines and was seen as a radical and forward thinking approach to tackling the housing crisis in the city.

An impressive team was put in place to lead the company, with former Liverpool Councillor and Housing cabinet member Frank Hont as Chairman.

Other board members included Andrea Titterington former chief executive of Regenda and chartered surveyors boss Maggi Howard.

Mark Kitts, the council’s Assistant Director for Regeneration was installed as Chief Executive while company records show that his boss, the now suspended Nick Kavanagh, was also a director of the company for a short period.

Other experienced staff were recruited for areas like business development and finance. Following its inception, the first big announcement regarding new homes came in March 2018.

The council announced that the first phase of Foundations would see £50m spent on building 500 houses within an 18 month time period. But around a year later another major council announcement would change the direction that the local authority’s housing plans would go in.

In May 2019, the city council announced that it was to start building council homes for the first time in 30 years. Mayor Anderson said this had become possible after weeks of negotiations with central government had ended with an agreement to wipe off hundreds of millions of pounds of debt that had kept the city’s Housing Revenue Account locked for many years.

So Foundations was no longer the big story for the council as it could now start looking at building its own homes directly – rather than through a separate company.

In July 2020 the council announced a new strategic housing delivery team that would bring forward a viable portfolio of sites for development in a bid to contribute to the city’s need to develop 30,000 new homes. It was around this time that four staff members from Foundations left their employment on the basis of a settlement agreement.

In a press announcement in July 2020, the council said Foundations would continue to operate as a stock holding company owned by the city council and would retain its existing responsibilities as an operational landlord for properties it had already built.

The release also stated that Frank Hont would remain as the chairman of Foundations – although company records show that he resigned just two months later on September 30. He wasn’t the only one.

Board members Andrea Titterington and Margaret Gilkes resigned on the same day, while Darrell Mercer left his position at the end of December and Angela Forshaw resigned from her role on the board on January 31. Former senior council officers Nick Kavanagh and Mark Kitts have also previously resigned from the company.

Currently, the only director of foundations remaining is Andrew Buck. But that won’t be for long.

A report to next week’s council cabinet is recommending the closure of the council’s wholly owned housing company, Liverpool Foundation Homes Limited, with councillors set to agree that it is placed into voluntary liquidation.

If agreed by the cabinet next week, Foundations will market and dispose of its assets to all registered providers of social housing on their current tenure as rent to buy products.

Over the past 18 months, Foundations’ operations have been wound down with all employees leaving or returning to the City Council in April 2021. Following a review, Foundations will now look to dispose of the properties in its portfolio to a registered provider of social housing. Current tenants will be able to remain in the properties with their existing arrangements safeguarded.

Once assets have been transferred, Foundations will enter into voluntary liquidation. The cabinet report states: “Closing the company will reduce the burden it places on the city council in terms of costs and administration, allowing officers to dedicate their time towards delivering a housing strategy which enables housing development in the city.”

“Once this has been done, the company will need to be closed. This will need to be undertaken by way of liquidation which is the formal manner in which Foundations’ affairs are wound down and the company is ultimately dissolved.”

Once a liquidator is appointed, they will take over the management of the company with the aim of winding down the business and dissolving the company.

The report states that council officers have started a “detailed lessons learnt exercise” to assess whether the Foundations venture “represented value for money alongside other options the council could have pursed in respect of the building and managing of housing.”

As far as the council’s opposition leader is concerned, it was a waste of time and money. Cllr Richard Kemp said: “The news that the Labour Cabinet in Liverpool has finally drawn the line on Joe Anderson’s house building ambitions comes as no surprise. Labour’s dream of changing the housing market in the city by building 10,000 new homes has finally been laid to rest with the final tally being 18 new homes which are owned by its Foundations Company. Each of those houses cost us £45,000 in administrative costs alone.”

Councillor Sarah Doyle, Liverpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Development and Housing, said: “Liverpool City Council has been reviewing all of the companies it has established over the years to examine their role and function and to consider whether they are delivering best value for the taxpayer. Foundations was established to deliver thousands of new homes across the city, but it has become apparent that this is no longer a viable proposition.

“A small number of properties are currently under the management of Foundations and these tenancies and properties will now be transferred following a tender exercise.

“The city council has recently endorsed the Local Plan which sets out a new vision to attract investment for new housing and provide the guidelines to ensure developers build quality, sustainable homes.

“Various workstreams are underway to unlock priority housing sites and ensure delivery of decent, affordable homes in partnership with our local housing associations. As Cabinet member I regularly chair a meeting whereby council officers meet with Registered Providers to work through key issues such, homelessness, neighbourhood investment and priority sites.

“These meetings are proving to be really productive. Registered Providers are also supporting our community-led housing programme and have collectively set aside funding to support Breaking Ground, a community led housing hub.

“Officers and members are currently engaged in drafting a new housing strategy to help underpin that ambition. And we are assembling a housing team to implement our plans.”