NHS and social care workers in England will pay an estimated £390m extra to subsidise their own services when the National Insurance rise comes into effect in April, exclusive analysis by openDemocracy has revealed.

Adam Bychawski www.opendemocracy.net 

Nurses will take a £275-a-year pay cut on average as a result of the rise – despite Boris Johnson saying the money was needed to “pay good wages for the 50,000 nurses” that he pledged to recruit by 2025 when the plans were announced in September.

Social care workers will take an average cut of £129 a year.

The National Insurance rise will fund ‘the NHS and equivalent bodies’ and will be replaced by a formal ‘health and social care levy’ of the same value from 2023.

“Our crumbling social care system desperately needs more cash – we all know that. But a regressive tax which takes money from the pockets of the lowest-paid workers is not the way to do it,” said Rachel Harrison, national officer for the GMB trade union, which represents NHS and care workers.

“The Conservatives’ National Insurance hike will snatch hundreds of millions from the pockets of carers and NHS workers. It’s a completely backwards way of raising the money and it will ultimately be self-defeating.”

The lowest-paid NHS and social care staff – those earning £24,000 or less – will lose £66m in total from their pay cheques, calling into question the prime minister’s promise that the money “will go straight to the front line” of the health service.

Of that figure, £47m will come from the lowest-paid NHS staff and £19m from the lowest-paid social care staff.

The government has said that the manifesto-breaking tax rise, which is expected to raise £12.4bn a year, will be spent on tackling the backlog of patients waiting for treatments caused by the pandemic and fixing long-term problems with social care.

NHS workers will lose £327m while workers in the social care sector will lose £61m in total.

Care workers will lose £4.4m a year from their pay, despite 71% already being paid below the real living wage of £9.50 in the UK and £10.85 in London, according to Skills for Care.

NHS staff in England have suffered real-term salary falls of up to £2,949 over the past decade, according to analysis by the Health Foundation published last year.

Last year, English NHS staff received a 3% pay rise following an independent pay review. However, junior doctors will lose on average £193 from their annual pay after the tax rise.

“Over the last decade we’ve seen doctors hit by repeated real-terms pay cuts, while they have been asked to work harder and go above and beyond during the pandemic,” a British Medical Association spokesperson said.

“Upcoming tax changes will further erode doctors’ take-home pay, which is why we are calling for a pay increase that reflects cost of living increases.”

The 1.25 percentage points rise in National Insurance comes as households are already struggling with a worsening cost of living crisis.

Inflation is already at its highest level for three decades and the Bank of England expects it will peak at 7% when the increase comes into effect in April.

Last month, 14 unions, representing 1.2 million health staff in England, called on the government to raise NHS pay and raised fears of a “growing exodus of exhausted staff”.

The NHS said that staff shortages were “the single biggest and most urgent we need to address” in its 2019 recruitment plan. One in eight nursing posts and around one in 11 care worker roles are currently unfilled, with demand for the positions set to rise in line with the UK’s ageing population.

The health service’s staffing shortfall of 100,000 could reach a quarter of a million by the end of the next decade, according to research by the King’s Fund think tank.

openDemocracy estimated the figures using the latest NHS Digital data on the mean full-time equivalent (FTE) annual pay of staff by job title, cross-referenced with the most recent data on the number of FTE staff in each role.

Social care statistics were estimated using data from Skills For Care’s workforce estimates by cross-referencing the number of public, private and independent FTE jobs in the social care sector against Skills For Care’s estimates for mean FTE annual pay.

The National Insurance increases were estimated by running mean FTE salaries through Which?’s National Insurance calculator for 2021-22 and 2022-23.

A Treasury spokesperson said: “We’ve taken decisive and historic action, with our Health and Social Care Levy due to raise around £13bn a year for the NHS and social care. It is a progressive tax with those earning more paying more. We rightly funded a 3% pay-rise for NHS staff this year, increasing nurses pay by £1,000 a year on average, and have committed to pay rises next year.

The Health and Social Care Levy will benefit people up and down the country, including by tackling the backlog that the pandemic has created on NHS operations and procedures strengthening the adult social care system so that people do not have to bear the financial risks of catastrophic care costs themselves.”

Funding for rural councils cut by £480m. Biggest cut of £100.7m over two years in South West local authorities. 

In contrast, Cities and Urban areas benefit from £5.7bn road and transport fund over three years.

Where is the outcry from our County leaders and MPs? – Owl

Ben Clatworthy www.thetimes.co.uk

More than 11 million potholes will go unfilled from April when funding for rural councils is cut by £480 million.

Councils outside England’s major urban areas say they will be forced to cancel or drastically scale back road maintenance work as a result. They are to receive £727 million for road maintenance funding in the next financial year, compared with £1.2 billion two years ago.

Critics accused the Conservatives of breaking a manifesto pledge to earmark an extra £500 million a year for potholes. The budgets of England’s largest county and rural councils are being cut.

The County Councils Network (CCN), which represents the councils and carried out the analysis, said the cuts would leave local authorities with little choice but to cancel planned works, despite the worsening condition of England’s roads.

County leaders said they had welcomed the 2019 pledge of “the biggest-ever pothole filling programme”, which included £2.5 billion in additional funding to councils over the course of the parliament, but they were now receiving 40 per cent less than they did two years ago.

“A £479 million drop in funding between 2021 and 2023 is hugely significant,” Martin Hill, the CCN devolution spokesman, said. “With the government making such a clear announcement that it was increasing pothole funding in 2019, we are left grappling with the public’s expectation that we are able to continue to invest in our road network.

“Unless this reduction is reversed, and the government provides an urgent injection of resources to match the level it distributed in 2020-21, then we will have little choice but to cancel planned works. This would represent a major scaling back of our ambitions.”

In contrast England’s major cities and urban areas will benefit from significant investment in road and transport infrastructure through a new dedicated £5.7 billion fund over the next three years.

Last year the RAC dealt with more than 10,000 pothole-related breakdowns, which worked out as 27 every day and was the highest total since 2018.

The CCN said that 13,000 miles of rural roads in the 36 affected county areas were identified as requiring maintenance last year, equating to 9 per cent of the total road network.

In 2020-21, when councils were allocated the first tranche of the pothole fund, budgets rose to £1.2 billion for those councils, although there were immediate reductions in the 2021-22 budget. For the next financial year the amount will be £727 million.

Local authorities in southwest England will have the biggest reduction in funding over the two years. Their budgets will fall by £100.7 million, which would pay for 2.4 million potholes to be filled.

Counties in the southeast lose out on £87.1 million of funding, the equivalent to two million potholes, while those in east of the country lose out on £71.4 million, which could have filled 1.7 million potholes.

The latest research by the Asphalt Industry Alliance found that average pothole repair cost an average of £41.61. This means that the funding shortfall will result in 11.5 million potholes not being dealt with.

Is the District Heating system for Cranbrook capped or uncapped? – Owl

www.independent.co.uk

Residents in blocks of flats up and down the country are being hit with energy bill increases of as much as 700 per cent because they are not protected by Ofgem’s price cap.

The cap will rise by a record 54 per cent in April, but an estimated 800,000 homeowners and tenants are on communal networks that heat large buildings. The contracts are negotiated for all residents collectively by freeholders and managing agents. Because the contracts are classed as commercial, not domestic, residents have no protection from rising prices.

Many more flat owners and tenants will also be hit with increases to electricity bills to cover communal lighting and the energy used to pump water to higher levels of buildings, campaigners have warned.

The government has confirmed that while the “vast majority” of leaseholders will qualify for a £200 discount on bills – a measure announced by Rishi Sunak last week – some will not.

Residents of the Pan Peninsula development near Canary Wharf in London received a letter in December quoting a 1,000 per cent increase in the unit price for gas used in their communal heating system. The quote was reduced after wholesale prices decreased in January, but tenants and leaseholders are still facing a 450 per cent increase in their gas bills.

“People are seeing some shocking increases to their bills,” said Andy, a member of the residents’ management committee for the development. He counts himself as “fortunate” because his flat is on the 33rd floor and benefits from heat rising from lower floors. The heating contract is negotiated by the owner of the building, which means residents have little say.

Adding to consumers’ woes, many heat networks are inefficient, unreliable, and use much more energy than they would if they were well designed.

“There are no technical standards for heat networks. A lot of contractors that install them don’t have the right expertise,” said Stephen Knight, director of the Heat Trust, a voluntary body that oversees the sector.

“If your system is using 10 kW of power to generate 5 kW of heat – as many networks do – you end up paying for twice as much energy as you need to.”

Mr Knight said that without government intervention, almost all of the estimated 800,000 customers on communal heat networks will see increases of around 400 per cent in the coming weeks and months as contracts come up for renewal.

“This is a sector that is crying out for regulation,” he said. “There really is not good news here.”

For years, the government has promised statutory regulation of the sector, but it has failed to deliver.

A government spokesperson said: “We recognise that leaseholders and heat network customers are currently only protected by the energy price cap for the gas and electricity they buy directly from an energy supplier, which is why we are giving Ofgem new powers to regulate prices in this sector in the future.

They said that the “vast majority” of leaseholders would receive a £200 loan to reduce their energy bills in October, and a further £150 council tax rebate in April.

It is not just communal heating networks that are being hit with price-cap-busting bill increases.

In Birmingham, Ray Illingworth has just received notification that his communal electricity bill will more than quadruple, from 15p per unit to 65p. That’s more than double the Ofgem price cap amount of 27p.

Mr Illingworth estimates that it will cost him and other residents between £600 and £1,000 extra per year. The cost comes on top of thousands of pounds that they have been forced to pay to fix dangerous cladding and other fire safety defects.

To make matters worse, he has recorded temperatures below 12C inside his flat, because cladding and insulation has been removed and is yet to be replaced.

“Anyone in a building over four storeys tall is going to be hammered by these bill increases. It’s pretty awful,” he said.

“Why should these residential blocks be charged commercial rates? It doesn’t make sense other than to allow people to make more money out of us again.”

Martin Boyd, chair of campaigning charity Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, said consumers have no control over what their freeholder landlord decides.

He added: “There is also no Ofgem price cap to protect them from soaring costs, and so many are currently facing gigantic price hikes due to providers passing on runaway wholesale gas costs in full against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine standoff and a Europe-wide gas crisis.

“At LKP, we’re seeing flat leaseholders come to us concerned that their freeholder or freeholder-appointed managing agent has dumped commercial-rate VAT and the climate levy onto their utility bills, which should not be happening. As with everything leasehold, the flat owners pay but have no say.”

“I did not come into politics to lie to people, and I did not come into politics to be lied to by colleagues.”

Guy Henderson www.devonlive.com

Devon MP Anthony Mangnall, who submitted a letter of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, has admitted he is “terrified” for his political future as a result.

But, he said: “I did not come into politics to lie to people, and I did not come into politics to be lied to by colleagues.”

The Conservative MP for Totnes and South Devon, whose constituency covers Brixham and parts of Torbay, was speaking on the Telegraph’s “Chopper’s Politics” podcast.

He became the 12th Conservative MP to submit a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister to the influential 1922 Committee.

It takes 54 letters to trigger a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister, whose position is becoming increasingly fragile in the midst of claims of parties being held in Downing Street while the rest of the country was in lockdown.

Mr Mangnall announced his decision in a Tweet which said: “At this time I can no longer support the PM.

“His actions and mistruths are overshadowing the extraordinary work of so many excellent ministers and colleagues.”

A report into the so-called “Partygate” by senior civil servant Sue Grey pinpointed “serious failures of leadership and judgement” from the Prime Minister.

South West Devon Conservative MP Sir Gary Streeter has also penned a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson. The actions of the Devon MPs have been dubbed the “Cream Tea Coup”

Mr Mangnall told the podcast: “I think we have to have a real conversation about standards in public life, about making sure our elected representatives are not just adhering to the rules but actually leading by example.

“Unfortunately I don’t see that to be the case at the moment.”

He said Mr Johnson’s handling of the Sue Grey report had been “below par”, and had been the latest in a series of problems to come out of 10 Downing Street.

He said he supported the Government and was a “Conservative through and through”, but the catalogue of problems around the leadership could not continue.

“It’s a question of the Prime Minister’s judgement, and whether he is the right man to be leading this, and I’m not sure that he is,” he said.

“I’m not questioning my place within the Conservative Party. I’m questioning how we are led.”

The Totnes MP admitted he was “terrified” and “incredibly emotional” about what his action might mean for his own political future, but added: “It is not about me. It’s about how we govern in this country.

“I’m sorry to him personally, but I’m not sorry for the course of action I have decided to take, because my party and my country matter.”

Mr Mangnall is one of the so-called “Class of 2019” who won their seats in the last General Election. He took over the reins at Totnes from another controversial MP, Dr Sarah Wollaston, whose strong opinions on Brexit led her to leave the Conservatives, stand briefly as an independent and then join the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Mangnall took the seat from her with a majority of almost 13,000 votes.

Any local Tory got the moral compass, empathy with real people or guts to follow suit? – Owl

planetradio.co.uk 

Cllr Bell follows Cllr Owen Martin who resigned from the Allerdale Conservative Group last week

Another councillor has defected from the Conservative Party over the Downing Street parties scandal and the Prime Minister’s controversial comments about the leader of the opposition.

Councillor Carmell Bell, who represents Crummock and Derwent Valley, has left the Conservative Party but will remain on Allerdale Borough Council as an Independent.

Cllr Bell feels she can not remain in the Conservative Party due to the recent actions of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Evidence has emerged recently that Downing Street hosted a number of parties, seemingly breaching the Government’s own lockdown rules.

Cllr Bell follows Cllr Owen Martin who resigned from the Allerdale Conservative Group last week.

Councillor Bell said “For some time now I have been unhappy in the Conservative Party. The recent behaviour of the Prime Minister and the unapologetic defence of his position by many within the party has convinced me it is time to leave.”

Mr Johnson has been under further scrutiny recently after making controversial comments at the despatch box, suggesting that Labour leader Kier Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile.

Cllr Bell said: “During the pandemic I was employed as a housing support officer for a housing charity. It was my job to work with vulnerable people at risk of homelessness. This was a difficult time for many and I saw first hand the impact that lack of resources and cuts has had, not least on our stretched police and mental health services within Cumbria.

“I don’t believe the government has a handle on this situation and hearing the stories coming from Downing Street, I’m not sure they care.

“I wish my colleagues in the Allerdale Conservative group well and look forward to representing my ward as an independent over the coming months”.

A pensioner has decided to fund his local bus service out his own pocket after a transport company axed Sundays routes through the winter.

Sam Greasley-Machin www.dorsetecho.co.uk

Alan Williams, 78, previously financed First’s X53 service between Bridport and Weymouth in 2019 and has chosen to do so again.

This year, he has arranged for the service to be extended to Lyme Regis because he believes the route is ‘important’ to people who use it.

The amount he has paid First has not been disclosed.

Mr Williams said: “I just want to give the community their bus service and to encourage people to use it more.

“I hope it also encourages bus companies to keep such services.”

He added: “People still need to travel on Sundays. Some people have got places to be or they have to work and don’t have cars so this service is a lifeline.”

Operator First had been running four services on Sundays but these were stopped for the winter on January 16 with the service resuming in March when the summer timetable launches.

Mr Williams opted to step up and fund the service to fill the gap out his own pocket. Two services are now running each Sunday until March.

Mr Williams said: “I have seen the regulars still using the service now as well as new people.

“Public transport in general needs to be improved to get around especially now with the train timetable changes and the issues it causes with buses.

“The company have indicated they would start running the services from the March when their summer timetable starts.”

Transport lobby group West Dorset Western Area Transport Action Group (WATAG) welcomed the move.

WATAG chairman Bob Driscoll said: “The Sunday service X53 will continue, but reduced from four to two round trip journeys between Weymouth and Lyme Regis, as a result of Mr Alan Williams agreeing to support this service financially.

“First Wessex intended to withdraw the Sunday service last September with the introduction of the winter timetable.

“Mr Williams suggested that if they did he would support a service between Bridport and Weymouth as he did in 2019.

“Subsequently, First Wessex decided to run the four services until 16 January, when the service would cease.”

Mr Driscoll added: “I hope as many people as possible will use the service for a day out, thereby helping us prove the need for a bus service seven days a week all year round.”

A spokesperson for First said: “We can confirm a west Dorset resident funds a limited Sunday X53 service between January and March.

“We fund the service for the rest of the week and year. On the rare occasions where we are unable to run a service, we are always happy to work with members of local communities to find solutions to meet a community’s needs.’”

Nadine lost her no claim discount weeks ago, but she is still on the road. – Owl

Now Michael Spicer gives Nadine Dorries’ car crash interview The Room Next Door treatment

www.indy100.com

Nadine Dorries refuses to say how much she speaks to Boris Johnson …

The culture secretary has had The Room Next Door treatment from comedian Michael Spicer after her painfully awkward BBC interview went viral.

Nadine Dorries last week bookended a disastrous string of media interviews with a bizarre appearance on BBC Breakfast. Her combative attitude towards host Charlie Stayt was amongst the several cringe-inducing car-crash interviews she participated in last week as Whitehall grappled with the fallout of the interim Sue Gray report, several Number 10 aides throwing in the towel, and Boris Johnson’s controversial Jimmy Savile comment.

Naturally, Dorries’s interviews have inspired their fair share of jokes and parodies, with The Room Next Door creator Michael Spicer also weighing in.

In a new skit uploaded this morning, funnyman Spicer pretends to guide Dorries through the embarrassing interview from the room next door.

The original tweet can be found here

“Lesley Horn, who worked in the the Future Inn hotel in Plymouth for two months told the Guardian she feared people were being “warehoused” in temporary care hotels, which health officials have been instructed to use amid an acute shortage of care packages.”

Robert Booth www.theguardian.com

A care worker at a hotel used to relieve pressure on NHS beds has claimed vulnerable people have been “failed”, with problems including stinking clinical waste being stored in a bathtub and a lack of accessible showers.

Lesley Horn, who worked in the the Future Inn hotel in Plymouth for two months told the Guardian she feared people were being “warehoused” in temporary care hotels, which health officials have been instructed to use amid an acute shortage of care packages.

More than 500 care homes are closed to new admissions because of outbreaks of Covid among residents and many more closed because of staff testing positive. There are also shortages of homecare workers so “care hotels” have been set up in places including Bristol, Norwich and Newquay. But there are rising concerns about their suitability.

Horn said a bathroom on the residents’ floor was periodically used as an overflow for clinical waste with bin bags filled with faeces and urine-soiled materials stacked up.

“You can imagine – you open the door and it was oh, my God, you are kidding me?” she said. “The smell. And this was not according to the infection control guidelines. It’s not on.”

Current NHS England guidance states that care hotels are supposed to be used for “days, rather than weeks” but Horn, who worked at the Plymouth hotel from late October to early January, said some residents stayed as long as two months. Care hotels are not regulated as care homes by the Care Quality Commission regulator, but they are recorded as locations where domiciliary care is being provided. CQC is currently undertaking a risk-based inspection of the Plymouth hotel.

Horn said there were only two walk-in showers for more than 30 of the residents and these were located on a different floor to their rooms. She alleged there were not always enough hospital-style beds and there was sometimes a lack of appropriate equipment such as commodes.

Devon NHS clinical commissioning group, Plymouth city council and the private operator, Abicare, defended the arrangements, said they did not agree with some of Horn’s claims and said “safety and quality of care are always our main priorities”.

They conceded there had been issues with a waste contractor, but said these were now solved and patient care was unaffected. They denied equipment shortages and said it was normal for hospital patients to walk a short distance to access a shower. Long stays were only in a very few cases where, because of homelessness or safeguarding concerns, discharge was difficult.

“Feedback from the people who have used the centre has been overwhelmingly positive and staff have been touched by the many cards and messages,” said Darryn Allcorn, Devon’s lead chief nurse, and Craig McArdle, strategic director for people at the council.

“The care hotel is just one of the many measures health and care partners have put in place to support the city’s main hospital during a period of unprecedented pressure when capacity in the care sector is challenged by the effects of the pandemic.”

The need to accelerate the discharge of hospital patients has been acute. Derriford hospital in Plymouth recently declared a level 4 alert, which means patient safety could be compromised.

But domiciliary care operators have warned that “care hotels … may not be equipped to meet [the] needs” of older and disabled people.

“It should never have come to this,” said Jane Townson, the chief executive of the Homecare Association. “We call on the government to invest properly in home-based support and care, so we can enable people to live well at home … take pressure off the NHS and reduce costs for the health and care system.”

Last month the daughter of a resident at a care hotel in Bristol complained her father hadn’t been seen by a nurse for a week. Linda Slade told the BBC: “He has a stoma bag, they didn’t know anything about stoma bags or what to do.”

Kate Terroni, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care said the regulator would “engage providers to ensure high quality care for people in these settings” and “inspect in response to concerns”.

Horn, who has worked in healthcare for 40 years, said conditions of some residents being discharged were worse than she would usually see in care settings. Health officials countered that all discharges had been deemed medically appropriate.

Horn said it felt as though people were being “warehoused” and said: “They are put in our hands to give them the best care we can and this is where I feel we were put in a corner … It was difficult for us.”

The providers said these were the opinions of one person but that they strongly disagreed with them.

Most rooms had conventional baths, which are not accessible to many people in care settings, but there were two walk-in showers on the fourth floor, one in a room stacked so high with furniture that it was impossible to turn the main light on, Horn said. It required care staff to take residents up in a lift, usher them through the darkened room and give them a shower.

“It’s horrible,” Horn said. “This isn’t the type of environment you take somebody in.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said it had made £3.3bn available to assist timely hospital discharge since the pandemic began, with funding due to continue until March.

On the same day that Michael Gove published his “Levelling Up” paper, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its first attempt at developing statistical indicators to help understand the strengths and weaknesses in local communities. 

This first iteration covers a core set of indicators grouped in three broad categories (boosting living standards, spreading opportunity and improving public services, and restoring local pride). This aligns with some of the metrics selected to measure the progress of levelling-up, where data is available.

From the interactive tool, East Devon has three significant weaknesses which are interesting in the light of the article below: 

New greenfield housing forcing people to use cars, report finds

Laura Laker www.theguardian.com 

New greenfield housing developments are locking residents into car dependency, making everyday journeys impossible without a vehicle, a new report has found. Meanwhile, pledges for walking, cycling and public transport are often left unfulfilled.

The group Transport for New Homes (TfNH) visited 20 new housing developments in England, finding that while those on urban brownfield sites generally lived up to sustainable transport pledges, greenfield sites were often far from shops and amenities, without public transport, cycling links or even pavements, and the homes themselves were seemingly designed around car parking.

Surface transport is responsible for 22% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the Climate Change Committee says reducing demand for car travel is key to meeting emission reduction targets. Campaigners say housing pledges in the “levelling up” white paper, launched last week, will do little to achieve this and that planning reform is urgently needed. The government aims to build 300,000 new homes a year to meet growing demand.

The report, Building Car Dependency, which follows research from 2018, says greenfield housing “has become even more car-based” in recent years, adding hundreds of thousands of additional car journeys to our roads.

Steve Chambers, a campaigner at TfNH, told the Guardian: “We have found places where you can’t do anything without getting into a car; you literally cannot do anything. There is nothing within walking distance, there’s nothing within safe cycling distance, and for work, for going to the shop; for everything you can imagine, you need to get in the car.

“The impact of that is that houses are being designed around two and three parking spaces with tiny back gardens, no front gardens whatsoever, and that poor design obviously crowds out walking, cycling, and basically good homes.”

“There isn’t even the most basic public transport in a lot of places. There isn’t even a bus route, which is clearly an issue.”

The report did identify a few cases of greenfield developments with sustainable transport links, such as Hampton Park in Peterborough, Poundbury in Dorset and Derwenthorpe in York, but otherwise found “the internal road layout, the car access on to major roads with bigger junctions to take the traffic, the sheer quantity of residential car parking, all told the story”.

During the pandemic, residents of such estates reported being unable to walk anywhere because the surrounding roads lacked footpaths.

While car access was built first, TfNH say walkable elements such as a high street, a children’s centre or community facilities arrived after driving habits were formed. At Chapelford Urban Village, on a former RAF site north-west of Warrington, a new railway station finally opened in 2019, 15 years after the first homes were sold.

“Quick wins” such as footpaths to nearby shops or park-and-rides failed to link up or led nowhere. In one case, shops adjacent to a retirement home were rendered inaccessible to less mobile residents by an ankle-high fence. Some front doors opened directly on to car parking spaces. In Cranbrook New Town, near Exeter, a road was too narrow for buses to reach a new bus stop.

Exceptions were at brownfield sites like Bath Riverside and Trumpington Meadows in Cambridge, the former where “the public realm is shaped around walking” with car parking “limited and mostly out of sight”.

Steve Gooding, chair of the steering group for Transport for New Homes, told the Guardian: “There’s no evidence coming through in the report that at scale we’re managing to deploy new housing in a way that really promotes the government’s parallel objectives of promoting active travel, public transport and alternatives to the private car. And unless we do that, then it shouldn’t surprise any of us that the car is going to be the default choice for the vast majority of trips that people make.”

Among the report’s recommendations are that new housing is “recast around sustainable travel”, with compact, mixed-use developments such as European-style apartments above business premises. In addition, less parking per home would reduce sprawl and make use for pavements, green space and a network of Dutch-style cycle routes. Authors also want devolved powers for things like local rail and bus rapid transit systems, with funding diverted from road-building to provide walking and cycling links.

Chambers added: “We’ve found everything from developers planning applications, through to the local plans of local authorities, right up to the National Planning Policy Framework have incredibly warm words about walking, cycling, public transport, and ‘creating vibrant walkable places’, and what we have shown through our visits and our documentary evidence, hundreds of photographs, it simply isn’t being delivered.

“There’s no reason to believe that what’s presented in the levelling up white paper – which make no changes to the planning system, and crucially includes no new funding whatsoever – will have different outcomes.”

Rosie Pearson, chair of the Community Planning Alliance, said: “Developers are building in the wrong place, with the wrong design and the wrong layout. This locks in car dependency from the outset, leading to persistent traffic jams, dangerous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, and air pollution. It’s time for change.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “We welcome this report and agree that new development should be less dependent on cars. By 2030, we want half of all journeys in towns and cities to be walked or cycled and are investing £3bn into bus services.

“National Planning Policy is clear that significant development should give priority to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, and we will be updating guidance later this year to promote street design that favours walkways and cycle paths over motor traffic.”

Colyford, between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis, could soon have its own parish council.

Paul Jones www.midweekherald.co.uk

A review is being carried out by East Devon District Council (EDDC) on how the people of Colyford are represented.

And it could see the village gain its own parish council, which would have the power to collect money from the council tax to spend on local schemes. 

Now, anyone living in the area covered by Colyton Parish Council is being asked to share their views on the draft proposals before a deadline of 5pm on May 4.

The aim of the ‘Community Governance Review’, which was requested by the Colyford Village Residents Association, is to find the most suitable arrangement to represent the village. 

Once EDDC has received responses, it will consider the results of the consultation and publish a proposal in spring 2022, which will then be subject to further consultation.

If a separate parish council is set up for Colyford the aim is that it would be in place in time for elections to take place in May 2023.

Councillor Sarah Jackson, EDDC’s portfolio holder for democracy, transparency and communications, said: “It is important that different communities are able to operate with autonomy to decide how best to make use of their resident’s council tax and ensure that decision making is both democratic and in the interest of their particular community.

“It is important that you feel properly represented by the parish you live within. In this instance, Colyford may well have a different set of requirements and separate identity from Colyton.

“Separating the area into two parishes could well be in the best interest of both communities, but we need to hear from you first to understand if this is indeed the prevailing view. 

“If you are a resident living in Colyton Parish I encourage you to engage with the consultation and to take this opportunity to tell EDDC what you think.”

Town and parish councils are the most local tier of government and have two roles; community representation and local administration.

People registered to vote within the Colyton Parish Council area will soon receive a consultation pack in the post, including a short questionnaire inviting residents to have their say.

If you live in the Colyton Parish Council area and aren’t on the electoral register you can find out more information and complete the questionnaire online at http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/community-engagement/colyford-community-governance-review.

If you’re not on the electoral register and need a copy of the consultation on paper or in any other format email colyford@eastdevon.gov.uk or call 01395 517569.

Another week begins – Owl

End the ‘psychodrama’ around Boris Johnson, says Tom Tugendhat (Lt. Colonel) 

David Bond www.standard.co.uk 

Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, is one of a growing list of Tory MPs who have criticised Mr Johnson as he has battled claims of lockdown busting parties in Downing Street. At the end of last month he became the first Tory MP to declare publicly he would be throw his hat in the ring for the leadership of the party if Mr Johnson was ousted or stepped down.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement over the weekend that Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay had been appointed his new chief of staff and Guto Harri would take up the role of Director of Communications, the MP for Tonbridge and Malling said he should be given time to see “what the changes are”.

But, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he added: “The last two and a half years….have been really really difficult on many, many people and we need to be offering a vision of the future that gives people options to rebuild their lives and to restart in new ways.

“This is a time when we need to be really focused on what politics is actually here for and that is serving others and not getting into some sort of personal psychodrama.”

Asked whether the easiest way to end that would be to remove Mr Johnson from office, he replied: “It depends how the reset goes…because going into a leadership election is hardly ending a psychodrama. He has just appointed a whole new team, let’s see how he gets on and I’m very much hoping that what we are going to see is the kind of Conservative administration that people voted for in 2019.”

Despite his attempts to reset his team at No 10, Mr Johnson could still be in danger if the chairman of the 1922 backbench committee Sir Graham Brady receives 54 letters from Tory MPs calling for a vote of no confidence.

Mr Tugendhat said: “The Prime Minister has just done his reset, let’s see what No 10 brings out. There’s an awful lot of talent going in, there’s a lot of talent coming out. Let’s see what the changes are.

“This is a decision for 360 or so members of Parliament and let’s see where it goes to. I think the point remains we have got to be looking at the future, we’ve got to be looking at what’s best for the British people and focused on how we achieve the results that we really need for this country.”

In a move which may help win support among colleagues in a future leadership contest, Mr Tugendhat also argued for the Prime Minister to rethink the looming National Insurance rise which will raise £36billion over the next three years to clear the NHS backlog and help reform social care.

Many Tory MPs oppose the 1.25 percentage point tax hike, insisting it is ‘un-Conservative’ and will place struggling households under even greater pressure as they face soaring inflation and a spike in energy bills from April.

As an alternative Mr Tugendhat said the Government should encourage the development of a private insurance market which could help people cover the cost of social care.

He said: “What we are seeing now is the state subsidising areas through taxing and spending. That’s a perfectly reasonable way of doing it but my suggestion is to look at other ways of doing it. We are relying an awful lot on today’s taxpayers to pay for today’s social care needs and the reality is on one level it’s fantastic we should be focused on that…what I am concerned about is that there are an awful lot of parts of the country – particularly those areas where we talk about levelling up – which are likely to find themselves paying the tax but not getting the benefit.”

“There are many ways in which the state can provide assistance to the private sector…there’s various ways in which you can create a market under which the insurance company, the insurance market to grow in and cover the risk.”

• Proposed erection of single storey rear extension4 Old Home Farm Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3YLRef. No: 22/0193/CPL | Validated: Fri 28 Jan 2022 | Status: Withdrawn
• Single storey rear extension 11 St Andrews Close Feniton Honiton EX14 3DZRef. No: 22/0190/FUL | Validated: Fri 28 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of barn for residential use. Fawnsmoor Farm Lyme Road Axminster EX13 5SWRef. No: 22/0197/FUL | Validated: Fri 28 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed 2 storey side extension and single storey rear extension. 10 Wordsworth Close Exmouth EX8 5SQRef. No: 22/0188/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension.2 Parkfield Cottages Pink House Corner Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5AHRef. No: 22/0187/CPL | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Approved
• Retention of storage container for storage of tools, machinery and equipment used in association with boatbuilding business. Land And Barn North Of Summerway Farm NorthleighRef. No: 22/0175/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Application for a Lawful Development Certificate (CLUED) for the use of the barn and surrounding land for boatbuilding and the storage of boats. Land And Barn North Of Summerway Farm NorthleighRef. No: 22/0174/CPE | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed front porch extension. 41 East Budleigh Road Budleigh Salterton EX9 6EWRef. No: 22/0160/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear and front extension. Highfield 12 Underhill Close Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5JERef. No: 22/0161/FUL | Validated: Fri 28 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T431, Birch : Fell T432, Scots Pine : Reduce crown height by 2 metres from existing 25 metres; maximum diameter cuts approximately 100mm Reason for Works: T431, Birch – Low quality stem within larger group showing areas of dysfunction and decay. T432, Scots Pine – To reduce risk of harm to neighbouring property. The Quest Bendarroch Road West Hill Ottery St Mary EX11 1TSRef. No: 22/0171/TRE | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Improvements to and resurfacing of existing parking area associated with Axe Cliff Golf Course and provision of building for a mixed use ancillary to the golf course. Axecliff Golf Club Axmouth Seaton EX12 4ABRef. No: 22/0170/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey front extension and single storey side extension. 16 Springfield Road Exmouth EX8 3JXRef. No: 22/0167/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• The application is to extend the existing bungalow to the front, side and first floor to provide additional habitable accommodation in the form of a modern building. 16 Grange Avenue Exmouth EX8 3HURef. No: 22/0166/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Medium ash with heavy lean towards highway and property – it is requested that this tree be removed. Reason : limbs have fallen onto Mr Trail’s land. 34 Port Mer Close Exmouth EX8 5RFRef. No: 22/0159/TRE | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed side and rear extension and erection of an entrance porch 27 Summerfield Woodbury Exeter EX5 1JFRef. No: 22/0149/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Yew (T1) Prune branch on southern side of tree at approximately 5m height back to edge of property. Reason; to prevent it from hitting the property during high winds. 5 Widworthy Court Wilmington Honiton EX14 9JNRef. No: 22/0154/TRE | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of 31m section of hedgerowChelsea Farm Feniton Honiton EX14 3BERef. No: 22/0152/HRN | Validated: Tue 25 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single story rear extension to replace existing conservatory 4 Mayfield Drive Exmouth EX8 2HDRef. No: 22/0156/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over livestock yard area. Road Green Farm Colyton EX24 6DSRef. No: 22/0151/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Commencement of development by excavation of sewage trench in accordance with approved drawings. Hatway Stables Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0QRRef. No: 22/0147/CPE | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Construction of external raised terrace to southeast elevation of hall The Manor Room Upottery Honiton EX14 9PLRef. No: 22/0141/FUL | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed side and rear single storey extension. 16 Claremont Field Ottery St Mary EX11 1NPRef. No: 22/0135/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of rear elevations ground floor windows, rear roofslope rooflight, masonry terrace and steps with metal railings to replace decking, steps and handrail, masonry wall with pantile coping to replace timber fence panels 11B Silver Street Ottery St Mary EX11 1DBRef. No: 22/0133/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rear porch canopy, internal alterations, and installation of fire escape to first floor of garage The Old Vicarage Salcombe Regis Sidmouth EX10 0JHRef. No: 22/0132/LBC | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• The provision of 4 Mobile Homes, 2 Day Rooms and associated works for gypsies & travellers 2 Cherry Trees Greendale Lane Clyst St Mary EX5 1AWRef. No: 22/0140/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use from veterinary clinic to residential house. 64 Mill Street Ottery St Mary EX11 1AFRef. No: 22/0144/FUL | Validated: Fri 28 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of rear elevations ground floor windows, rear roofslope rooflight, masonry terrace and steps with metal railings to replace decking, steps and handrail, masonry wall with pantile coping to replace timber fence panels 11B Silver Street Ottery St Mary EX11 1DBRef. No: 22/0134/LBC | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rear porch canopy, internal alterations, and installation of fire escape to first floor of garage The Old Vicarage Salcombe Regis Sidmouth EX10 0JHRef. No: 22/0131/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Prior notification for the flexible change of use from agricultural use to use classes B8 (storage) and E (business) under Schedule 2, Part 3, Class R of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 Devon Mushroom Farm AlfingtonRef. No: 22/0138/PDR | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Loft conversion to a habitable use, Changes to external elevation finishes with alteration to fenestration, Replacement of existing conservatory with a garden room and alterations to Garden Annex with front extension and relocation of front door. 3 Trefusis Place Exmouth EX8 2ARRef. No: 22/0120/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Erection of a new Garden Shed Mulberry Cottage Sid Lane Sidmouth EX10 9AWRef. No: 22/0116/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Extension to existing Machinery Store Blamphayne Sawmill Gittisham Honiton EX14 3ANRef. No: 22/0107/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a single storey rear extension, which would extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by 5 metres, for which the maximum height would be 3.8 metres, and for which the height of the eaves would be 2.7 metres. 51 Clyst Valley Road Clyst St Mary Exeter EX5 1DDRef. No: 22/0114/GPD | Validated: Thu 27 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Tree 1 Sycamore – remove the lowest branch that originates at 2m on the SE side of the stem. North East Edge Of Plot 84 Mountbatten Mews Ottery Moor Lane HonitonRef. No: 22/0113/TRE | Validated: Tue 25 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Infill to yard area outside of existing kitchen and bedroom 2 to extend the kitchen and dining space using a brick and glass structure 13A Waverley Road Exmouth EX8 3HLRef. No: 22/0110/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of air source heat pump to new dwelling Tichka 2A Raddenstile Lane Exmouth EX8 2JHRef. No: 22/0103/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of garages into accommodation, with alterations to fenestration. Riverside Willhay Lane Axminster EX13 5RWRef. No: 22/0085/FUL | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension measuring 6m beyond original rear wall, 3m to the eaves and 3.45m in total height. 12 Broadpark Sandy Lane Brampford Speke Exeter EX5 5HPRef. No: 22/0084/GPD | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of render from front and side (east) elevation Money Glass Cottage Colestocks Honiton Devon EX14 3JRRef. No: 22/0087/LBC | Validated: Mon 24 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a raised patio 4 Albert Close Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1GRRef. No: 22/0056/FUL | Validated: Tue 25 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Siting of temporary rural workers dwelling (mobile home) in support of rural business (retrospective) Land North Of Clyst William Cross Plymtree Cullompton EX15 2LQRef. No: 21/3257/FUL | Validated: Wed 26 Jan 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

Shows how out of touch the “Conservative” EDDC “Old Guard” really was! – Owl

Robert Booth www.theguardian.com 

A majority of Conservative voters want their party to deliver more affordable housing and let councils buy up empty properties, according to new polling which suggests that public frustration with the housing crisis is now more evenly spread across the political divide.

Two-thirds of Tories in the UK want new-build developments to include more affordable homes and 68% want higher taxes on second homes and empty properties, according to YouGov polling shared with the Guardian.

The research comes after the levelling up white paper disappointed some housing campaigners in England by failing to set targets for increasing the supply of low-rent homes, which is seen by many as a key weapon in the fight against the cost of living crisis.

A large minority of Conservative voters – 39% – support giving private renters indefinite tenancies which can only be ended when a tenant wants to move or in cases of criminal damage or severe rent arrears. Such a policy would go much further than the ban on no-fault evictions that Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, last week said he would deliver.

Matt Downie, the chief executive of Crisis, a charity for homeless people, said: “If there is clear cross-party support for making sure that people on lower or no incomes have somewhere stable to live, we’d urge the government to take action on that and start to unravel the enormous housing crisis facing this country.

“One of the most obvious ways we can tackle the cost of living crisis is to bring down housing costs.”

A study by Heriot-Watt University estimated that 90,000 more social homes needed to be built in England every year to meet demand.

But in the year 2020-21, housing associations built 26,010 new homes in England, which was the lowest level since 2016-17, while only 1,650 council homes were built – the fewest since 2014-15. The official figures mean affordable homes accounted for just 18% of new housebuilding. Home ownership among 25- to 34-year-olds has fallen from 51% in 1989 to 28% in 2019, according to the Resolution Foundation.

Downie said it was “heartening” that there was such support for increasing the amount of social housing built as part of new developments, which he said was “shockingly low despite there being an obligation [on developers] in theory”.

Many developers are able to argue that their schemes would not be financially viable if they had to build large numbers of affordable homes, meaning that local authorities are obliged to dilute their targets for cheap housing.

“There is support among both Labour and Conservative voters for almost all the policies we asked about,” said a spokesperson for YouGov. “While Labour voters tend to be more strongly in favour of these policies, foreign investment in the UK house market is more unpopular with Conservatives – 56% of Tory voters would support an end to non-domiciled property ownership, compared with 45% of Labour voters.”

Owl has been looking into the incentive scheme Ofwat has devised for water companies, or “Outcome Delivery Incentives”, as it’s called. This is a scheme whereby water companies are fined or paid a bonus for meeting targets.

It leaves Owl worrying about the prospect of the triple whammy as water companies charge us more to meet the targets and “guess who” underwrites Ofwat’s handouts for meeting them; justifying even greater Bosses’ Bonuses to boot.

It will need careful adjustment of the scheme to avoid this. But in a monopoly market you have to ask whether such schemes are ever likely to work to the consumers’ advantage.

The latest figures show Ofwat “in profit” to the tune of £67m to be applied during 2022 – 2023. This covers the 17 water and waste companies in England and Wales.

The biggest bonus payment is to United Utilities (operating in the North West) £20.5m, followed by Anglian Water £11.7m. The three biggest losers are: Thames Water -£53.2m, Southern Water -£46.0m and South West Water -£15.4m

Details of the scheme can be found here In-period ODI determinations.

Another example of a council not buckling under challenge from a developer to relax a Section 106 agreement – Owl

Amy Fenton www.lancs.live

A housing developer has been knocked back after trying to remove a condition requiring 78 new homes to be sold to the over 55s.

Taylor Wimpey was granted permission back in 2016 to build 1,040 new homes on land to the east of Clitheroe off Pendle Road.

One of the conditions in granting planning permission required 7.5 per cent of the new homes – 78, to be sold to the over 55s but the developer submitted an application to Ribble Valley Borough Council in November requesting that the condition, known as a Section 106, be varied.

The application has now been rejected with council officers stating Taylor Wimpey’s argument is “not acceptable”.

In a report explaining its decision the council said: “The applicant has explained that they have consulted with local market experts and when mortgage lenders take into consideration affordability they will consider the applicants age and the term that the mortgage can be taken out over. They consider that in the current climate the over 55s clause will severely limit the number of lenders willing to lend on the properties and the saleability of them.

This is not considered to be an acceptable argument. There is a clear need for over 55s housing in the borough and this strategic site is expected to make a significant contribution to this.

“This argument would suggest that persons over 55 would find it difficult to purchase a property in any scenario. Furthermore, the proposal seeks to remove the requirement to build homes to a lifetime standard which would also remove a contribution of this type of home to housing supply in the borough.

“The amendments proposed will affect the delivery of a significant number of lifetime homes and homes restricted to over 55s for which there is a demonstrated need in the borough. The justification offered is not considered to be convincing and as such the modifications are considered unacceptable.

“The proposal would be contrary to policies H2 and H3 of the Core Strategy, which aim to ensure that there is a suitable mix of housing to meet the housing needs and demands for the borough and ensure that properties are available to accommodate the changing needs of occupants. Therefore it is recommended accordingly.”

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said the developer “understood” the council’s decision.

“We recognise there is a need for housing for the over 55s in the area and we are committed to delivering new homes that meet local requirements,” the spokesperson said.

“We understand and accept the council’s decision regarding our proposed S106 amendment and will continue to deliver homes in line with the approved planning documents.”

Recent funding increases have not undone £15bn of cuts in central government grants to local authorities between 2010 and 2020.

Chaminda Jayanetti www.theguardian.com 

Levelling up secretary Michael Gove last week unveiled the government’s long-delayed plans to address regional and social inequalities, but cash-strapped councils across England are having to plan heavy cuts to frontline services after more than a decade of ongoing austerity. Recent funding increases have not undone £15bn of cuts in central government grants to local authorities between 2010 and 2020, and councils wrestling with the impact of Covid are set to pass a succession of savings measures plus widespread council tax increases. Several local authorities are facing votes on service cuts in the coming weeks.

Nottingham is planning cuts to youth services, with all play schemes axed and a move toward targeted rather than universal provision. Its Early Help service would see a reduction in staffing and early intervention for families. Funding for its Base 51 youth centre, which provides services including counselling and crisis support, would be axed. Six of the city’s nine children’s centres would close from 2023.

Sandwell in the West Midlands is reviewing the respite support it provides, to allow unpaid carers such as family members a much-needed break while the person they care for is looked after by someone else. Sandwell plans to halve this from 56 days a year to 28, which the council admits “will reduce the level of service offered”. It is also planning to increase the amount adult care users pay for non-residential care.

Kent is planning to cut more than £2m from subsidised bus services, with some contracts potentially terminating. The cost of a school bus discount pass will rise by £80 a year, and by £30 for children receiving free school meals. The council is also planning to cut travel concessions for those accompanying disabled people.

Liverpool is planning to cut funding for community organisations that run three libraries: they took these over from the council in 2015 to save them from closure.

Hartlepool is planning to end free home-to-school transport for 16- to 19-year-olds with special education needs and disabilities (Send). Support may be axed for current students or perhaps just for new starters.

Croydon is planning to save more than £1m a year through reviews of care packages for disabled and elderly people and those with mental health needs. Other councils are explicitly looking to save money by reviewing high-cost care packages.

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the government was increasing councils’ “core spending power” by 4% and “providing the largest cash-terms increase in grant funding in 10 years”.

Boris’ wasted call, the “Cream Tea Plot” looks to have gone full “Doom Bar” as Johnny Mercer gives his enthusiastic support to the hospitality sector. – Owl

www.independent.co.uk

Johnny Mercer had spent afternoon watching FA Cup and Six Nations contests, according to his partner

A Tory MP was “so p****d” following an afternoon watching sport he “couldn’t remember what was said” when Boris Johnson called him on the phone, according to his wife.

Felicity Cornelius-Mercer shared a photo on social media on Saturday of her husband, Plymouth Moor View MP Johnny Mercer, sitting on a sofa with his head thrown back, apparently in a deep sleep.

She said the prime minister had called Mr Mercer after he had spent the day following his local side Plymouth Argyle’s narrow defeat to Premier League side Chelsea and England’s rugby team loss to Scotland in the Six Nations.

“So..funny story…the Prime Minister rang tonight directly after an afternoon of FA Cup football and England rugby..and @JohnnyMercerUK was so p****d he can’t remember what was said,” Ms Cornelius-Mercer wrote.

She joked that she was thinking of “winding him up” the next day, and asked her Twitter followers for suggestions of what to tell him he had discussed with the PM.

Some people suggested that she should tell her husband he had agreed to do an early-morning round of media interviews.

Others suggested she say that Mr Johnson offered him a new job, whether in Downing Street or his Cabinet.

Earlier in the evening, Mr Mercer quote-tweeted Plymouth Argyle’s tweet about the match and wrote: “Heartbreak. So proud – of fans and team.”

A number of crises have embroiled the prime minister recently, but Mr Mercer has not said whether he would submit a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson or not, according to PlymouthLive.

When asked by the local news outlet if he had plans to submit a letter of no confidence, Mr Mercer said he would not comment– and when asked why he would not comment, he replied: “Ha Ha.”

The “Levelling Up” White Paper puts great emphasis on recreating a modern day “Renaissance”.

 Owl quotes from the paper (page xiv):

“The Renaissance flourished in Italian city states that combined innovation in finance with technological breakthroughs, the cultivation of learning, ground-breaking artistic endeavour, a beautiful built environment and strong civic leadership. And the first Industrial Revolution in Britain came about through the interplay of innovative financial instruments, sharper rewards for enterprise, new institutions of learning, improvements in transportation and rivalrous emulation between local leaders and entrepreneurs. Those same concerted forces are needed to drive productivity, innovation and growth across the UK today. 

This contemporary Medici model, our twenty-first century recipe for a new Industrial Revolution, depends on harnessing an array of interventions and catalysing a range of sectors. Levelling up will require us to:

a. boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging; 

b. spread opportunities and improve public services, especially in those places where they are weakest; 

c. restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost; and 

d. empower local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency.”

Here are members of the Great South West Team presenting a regional growth prospectus to the Minister for Local Growth, Rt Hon Jake Berry MP, in January 2020. They then briefed him on ambitions to deliver £45 billion of economic benefit and 190,000 new jobs over the next 15 years. We’ve not heard much since.

Who, if any,  of our local leaders deserves the accolade of a contemporary Medici?

Here’s what you are looking for:

The role models: Cosimo and Lorenzo de Medici

Could it be Devon County Council Leader John Hart?

Devon County Council (DCC) has revealed that out of the 317 care homes in the county, currently around half have two or more linked cases of Covid among staff and residents.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com 

Last month, Devon Live reported how Covid outbreaks in Devon’s care homes had reached their highest level since the pandemic began.

Figures presented to the county council’s health and adult care scrutiny committee revealed that, as of 10 January, there were 160 such outbreaks in care settings across Devon.

The number was far higher than the previous peak of just over 90 a year ago, with the total number of active outbreaks tripling in less than a month.

Sadly the situation has not improved going into February. DCC has assured care homes are working hard to manage infection, mitigate risk, and to protect their residents and staff from coronavirus.

Where there are outbreaks – two or more linked positive cases – those care homes are said to be working even more closely with Public Health Devon to follow temporary additional measures to reduce risk.

Recently the government has changed its guidance over care home visiting rules to allow more visits.

Due to the high Covid numbers currently affecting Devon’s care homes, the relaxation of the rules is causing great concern to many care home providers in the region. It is feared that opening up to visitors right now will put residents and staff at greater risk of infection.

Under the new national rules, care home visitors are asked to make arrangements with care homes in advance of their visit, so that care home providers can manage the number of people attending at any one time, to ensure safety for residents and staff.

Steve Brown, Devon’s director of public health, said: “Visiting loved ones and friends who live in care homes is vitally important to the resident’s wellbeing.

“We want there to come a time soon when additional restrictions will not be needed, but while cases in Devon care homes remain high, we ask visitors to make arrangements with their care home in advance of their visit, so that the care home can manage risk of infection to residents and staff.

“We also ask that visitors follow the care home’s own policy, through careful hand hygiene, wearing of appropriate personal protective equipment, and using lateral flow device tests prior to visiting.”

“..lessons from previous efforts are not being learnt, claim critics. And the focus should be on people rather than “shiny new buildings”, says the former head of a flagship scheme in Newcastle.”

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk /news/uk-60154310

This week the government published its eagerly awaited White Paper, setting out plans to reduce regional inequality. Levelling up aims to revitalise communities in places like Rhyl, where BBC News has been tracking progress of this key policy.

But lessons from previous efforts are not being learnt, claim critics. And the focus should be on people rather than “shiny new buildings”, says the former head of a flagship scheme in Newcastle.

Florist Carol Parr clips the ends of flower stems on a bouquet as she explains the dilemma she faced. “I had a little battle with myself. Do I stay? Do I commit to Rhyl?” she says. “Not many people say good things about Rhyl, which I can understand based on crime, there’s a lot of trouble.”

Despite that, Carol opted to move into a larger shop on the high street three years ago. “I’m very optimistic and over the last two or three years I have seen a change in Rhyl. I think it’s an up-and-coming town again.”

Such optimism is not always evident in the seaside town, which was struggling long before its economy was pounded by the pandemic. But Carol’s act of faith may be repaid.

The local MP and the county council want to transform the town centre and recently prepared a £10m bid from the UK government’s levelling up fund.

Money from the £4.8bn fund aims to narrow the gap between richer and poorer parts of the UK. It will allow overlooked and undervalued communities to take back control of their destiny, the levelling up minister, Michael Gove, told parliament on Wednesday. But there are concerns that vital lessons from the past are being ignored.

Lessons from Newcastle

A generation ago, West Newcastle was undergoing a radical plan for change. It was one of 39 English communities that received funds under Labour’s New Deal for Communities (NDC). Within a few years levels of deprivation fell.

Graeme Williams ran the scheme and on a freezing cold January afternoon he gives us a tour of the area. We walk in shadows cast by the tower blocks of Cruddas Park, not far from the city centre. Twenty years ago “they looked awful”, says Mr Williams. “They were awful.”

Some of the blocks were refurbished, others demolished as part of the £55m spent in West Newcastle during a decade of regeneration. But most of the money didn’t go on capital projects, such as buildings.

His team appointed eight people who knew the area well to work with residents to prioritise what changes were needed. Decisions were taken by a management board made up mostly of residents.

The emphasis was “around training, education and supporting people to move into employment”, says Mr Williams. “People recognised they had agency where they could actually generate change.” It gave them hope.

An independent assessment of the New Deal for Communities by academics at Sheffield Hallam University concluded “in many respects these neighbourhoods have been transformed”. It said: “The biggest improvements were for indicators of people’s feelings about their neighbourhoods.”

Mr Williams still works in the city. He is now a director of the Centre West charity. And while proud of some of his achievements, he says a lot of work was “undone by austerity” which “hammered areas like the west end of Newcastle”.

“It’s massively disheartening and incredibly frustrating because we seem to take two steps forward and then two or three steps back as far as urban regeneration is concerned,” he says. “There’s an awful lot of really good evaluation work that’s been done to identify what works and how we can do things better and it’s not being used. “

Levelling up “might produce some nice shiny new buildings. But I don’t think it will necessarily improve the lives and prospects of people living in them communities”.

Supporters of what the Labour government policy achieved include a former Tory speech writer for Theresa May. Will Tanner, now director of the Onward think tank, assessed 60 years of regeneration projects by previous governments. “This isn’t a party-political point. This is just about the right policy based on the evidence,” he says.

He said putting power in the hands of communities worked best, “so they are pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps, rather than relying on a top-down government programme”.

He says the government is right to want to change the economic geography of the UK and is supportive of its plans. But adds: “The most important thing for the levelling up fund to do is to let go of power from Whitehall and to empower community organisations right down at the hyper-local level.”

The White Paper acknowledges the importance of local decision-making and promises more regional mayors. It isn’t yet clear what role will be played by people at a neighbourhood level.

Bricks and mortar

Back in Rhyl, we stroll around the town centre with Conservative MP James Davies, walking past boarded up and shuttered shops. He agrees. “Just building things, bricks and mortar is not the answer. It needs to be a cleverly thought through scheme that’s going to boost economic activity.”

We pause outside the derelict Queen’s Market, which is being bulldozed. It’s hoped a new food hall with flats and offices will be developed on the site through a mix of funding from the Welsh government, Denbighshire County Council, the levelling up fund and private businesses.

The plans would also see the town reconnected to the seafront. Incredibly, though an expansive sandy beach is just yards away, you can’t see it from the high street. Mr Davies says there is local backing. A master plan went out to consultation and has “the support of local councils, residents, businesses”.

But a potential obstacle is the number of high street shops owned by absentee landlords. A sample of Land Registry documents seen by BBC News show only five out of 25 High Street properties are owned by people local to Rhyl.

“That’s a real challenge,” Mr Davies acknowledges. “All you can do is invest in the areas that the local authority and willing partners own as a priority. And then you hope that economic activity will encourage others to follow over time.”

How do locals out and about on a beautiful, bright winter’s morning feel about their town centre and the plans to regenerate it?

“I’m not quite sure how to put this. It’s appalling,” says a man who moved to Rhyl seven years ago. “Shops closing, shutting arcades. Rhyl just isn’t what it used to be. I don’t think it will ever come back.”

But octogenarian former mayor, Diana Hannan, out on her mobility scooter, loves the town so much she moved back after emigrating to Australia. “We’ve got the best seaside resort in Wales,” she says.

“We get all this negative press about drugs and alcohol and all the rest of it, but we’ve got a lovely community living here. Rhyl is going to boom. You wait until all of these stores go up.”

On the road out of town we stop off at a food bank run out of the back of the Wellspring church. Amid shelves straining under the weight of tins of baked beans, pastor Mark Jones explains how Rhyl is full of “fabulous people”. But he says “there’s a lack of energy, a lack of enthusiasm”. “There’s this sense of hopelessness amongst the people. If you walk down the high street, you can just see it in people’s eyes.”

Mr Jones, who has lived in the town for more than 40 years, supports the levelling up plans but says the proposals “need to show the people of Rhyl that there is a hope and a future for them”.

“It’s OK to invest,” he says. “But you also need to inspire.”