A flurry of fallout continues around the world days after ICIJ and global media partners begin to publish findings from the biggest offshore leak in history.

No mention of UK taking swift action despite more than one in four of the individuals named in the Pandora leaks are UK citizens.

us15.campaign-archive.com /

Lawmakers, officials and regulators from more than a dozen countries have responded to the Pandora Papers with calls for inquiries and promises of swift action to plug loopholes that have allowed secrecy to flourish in the financial system. Here are some highlights so far:

• In the U.S., lawmakers said they will respond to the Pandora Papers with new legislation targeting financial professionals and other businesses that move dirty money for corrupt clients;
• The European Commission’s head of taxation said the commission will push to crack down on tax avoidance and expand information exchange between countries;
• Enforcement agencies or leaders in India, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Germany, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Australia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Panama and more have vowed to act on the Pandora Papers revelations, as new stories continue to be published and the global response to the investigation continues to grow and evolve.

“More than one in four of the individuals named in the Pandora leaks are UK citizens….” 

“Most worryingly, the corruption that infects our economy and our property market is now infecting our politics and the public sphere, from dodgy donations, to government contracts dished out to cronies….”

Margaret Hodge www.theguardian.com 

There’s a “for sale” sign hanging over Britain. The Pandora papers have exposed how secrecy, influence, property and other assets are freely available to the highest bidder. Huge data dumps like this provide an invaluable peek into the secret world of offshore finance and the way it is exploited by the world’s richest people. Yet again, the UK and its tax havens stand at the heart of the world’s tax avoidance and dirty money crises. Britain asks few questions, doesn’t care who you are, and doesn’t mind where your money comes from.

We now know that 35 current or former heads of state have exploited secrecy to avoid paying fair taxes, to hide their wealth from the population, or to launder money they have stolen from their own people into Britain and elsewhere. We’ve also learned that the Conservative party has received millions of pounds in donations from oligarchs in foreign jurisdictions, who used their wealth to gain access to and influence over our government leaders here in Britain.

The Pandora papers identified secret property transactions worth £4bn. That’s a huge amount, but it barely touches the sides of the £170bn of UK property that is estimated to be owned offshore. It is outrageous that property in the UK is so liberally used as a vehicle to launder money and to hide personal wealth.

Abuse of the property market often works like this. You set up an anonymous shell company in a secret offshore jurisdiction such as the British Virgin Islands. You transfer your money (which may have been stolen from your fellow countrymen and women) into that shell company. The company then buys a property in the UK. You then have a luxury home in the UK. Or you sell the company to a UK citizen who pays you with legitimate money. You have then successfully laundered your money into a trusted jurisdiction. And as an added bonus, because the transaction involves a company and not an individual, you avoid paying UK stamp duty on the property.

More than one in four of the individuals named in the Pandora leaks are UK citizens. This includes some who have secured “golden visas” into the UK because of their individual wealth, which they have then effortlessly converted into British citizenship. Others, such as Tina Green, the wife of the British businessman and former BHS owner Philip Green, are British citizens who have set up shop in tax havens. Green grew her multimillion pound property empire in Monaco while BHS crumbled, leaving many jobless.

There are other striking stories. The crown estate bought a £67m London property from the notoriously kleptocratic ruling family of Azerbaijan. The Pandora papers show this family alone making £400m-worth of property transactions. The Russian oligarch Mikhail Gutseriev is under sanction by the UK for his close ties to the corrupt Belarusian regime, yet his family owns £50m of London property. The family behind the “world’s biggest bribe scandal” – Unaoil – allegedly laundered money into commercial property in the UK.

Central London is the heartland for much of this wrongdoing. Meanwhile, farther out in the capital, in my constituency of Barking, working people are facing a tough winter as a result of the cut to universal credit, skyrocketing energy bills, the end of furlough, rising prices and long queues at the petrol pumps. It’s one rule for the super-rich, and another for the rest of us.

Using secretive tax havens and shell companies is not necessarily illegal. But it often involves aggressive tax avoidance and it is certainly immoral. Too often such structures are set up to facilitate money laundering. These complex financial arrangements are mostly created by those who provide services to the super-rich – the lawyers, accountants, bankers and estate agents. They provide cover for anonymous transactions, yet they, the enablers, are not held to account for their role in this scandal.

There are ways to fix this mess. We need a public register of the overseas or offshore ownership of UK property. With transparency and accuracy we can then follow the money, limit tax avoidance and prevent shady individuals abusing the UK property market. For all their faults, David Cameron and George Osborne understood this. In 2016 they promised us this public property register. The Tories consulted in 2017; drafted a bill in 2018; included it in the 2019 Queen’s speech; and committed to it again at the recent G7. Yet we are still waiting for it to come into force. I am tired of empty promises.

At the same time the Tories have promised – but failed – to reform Companies House so that ne’er-do-wells stop using our institutions to set up companies in the UK that are then used for illicit purposes. The government consistently refuses to hold the professional enablers to account. It fails to resource the regulatory bodies that police financial crime properly – from HMRC to the National Crime Agency to the Serious Fraud Office and the police. It is always reluctant to enforce even our weak laws by taking court action against the super-rich.

Most worryingly, the corruption that infects our economy and our property market is now infecting our politics and the public sphere, from dodgy donations, to government contracts dished out to cronies. If we’re serious about tackling tax avoidance, illicit finance and putting an end to corruption then we need to get our own back yard in order. Sadly, we are led by a prime minister who simply doesn’t seem to care.

• Margaret Hodge has been the Labour MP for Barking since 1994

Rich with jokes but devoid of new policy announcements – or a plan for “levelling up” – Boris Johnson’s crowd-pleasing Manchester speech was also peppered with inaccuracies.

www.independent.co.uk 

1.The claim:

“After years of stagnation – more than a decade – wages are going up, faster than before the pandemic began.”

The reality:

The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies says wages are rising no faster than in recent years. Furthermore – while pay is up by about four per cent – inflation is above three per cent, so there is no “significant wage growth”.

2. The claim:

“We will make this country an even more attractive destination for foreign direct investment. We are already the number one.”

The reality:

Last month’s UN World Investment Report said foreign investment had “declined for the second year in a row” – leaving the UK the 16th largest recipient, down “five positions”.

3. The claim:

“It was not the government that made the wonder drug. It was capitalism that ensured that we had a vaccine in less than a year.”

The reality:

The AstraZeneca jab was made by scientists at Oxford University through a programme that was overwhelmingly funded by taxpayers and charities, with less than two per cent from private funding.

4. The claim:

“We are going to use our Brexit freedoms to do things differently… we have seen off the European Super League and protected grassroots football. We are doing at least eight freeports.”

The reality:

The Super League had nothing to do with the EU or Brexit, it was a private venture, while freeports were entirely possible as an EU member. In fact, the UK used to have seven.

5. The claim:

“We have done 68 free-trade deals.”

The reality:

All but two are “rollovers” of deals that the UK already enjoyed as an EU member. The Japan deal added no significant extra, trade experts found, while the agreement with the EU itself is vastly inferior, causing a massive slump in exports.

6. The claim:

“This party that has looked after the NHS for most of its history should be the one to rise to the challenge – 48 new hospitals.”

The reality:

Many of the 48 promised are new units at existing hospitals, or major refurbishments of them, while others are rebuilds of community hospitals. In August, it was revealed that NHS bosses had been ordered to describe all such projects as “a new hospital”.

7. The claim:

“When I stood on the steps of Downing Street, I promised to fix this [social care] crisis. This government… is going to get social care done.”

The reality:

In that speech in July 2019, the prime minister said he already had “a clear plan we have prepared”. The plan took two years to emerge and the vast majority of new funding will go to the NHS, not social care

8. The claim:

Labour “decided to oppose step four of the roadmap in July”, which would have meant the UK “would still be in lockdown”.

The reality:

Labour supported the lifting of social distancing restrictions – the key aspect of step four – reserving its criticism for ending the requirement to wear masks in crowded indoor settings and the lifting of work-from-home guidance.

An affordable housing task force to combat the housing crisis in East Devon is to be created following a decision by the cabinet at East Devon District Council (EDDC) this week.

Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter sidmouth.nub.news 

The task force will be a team of newly hired staff with the aim of increasing affordable housing in the district.

According to a report by Devon Home Choice, more than 2,650 households are in housing need in East Devon, the third-highest in the county.

The affordable housing task force is expected to cost around half a million pounds and to run for at least two years, paid for from a budget underspend in the 2021/22 financial year, which ends next March.

A report by officers into a potential task force said: “The need for more affordable housing is highly evident, with demand outstripping supply and has resulted in an increase in the housing register and homelessness.”

Councillor Steve Gazzard (Liberal Democrat, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh) told the cabinet: “It is imperative that we do something…There is a crisis in housing.

“There’s not a day goes by that, as a councillor, I don’t have people contacting me saying ‘I’m at my wit’s end. I’m pulling my hair out. I see somewhere advertised and by the time the morning comes and I pick the phone up it’s gone.’ That’s happening every day.”

The report says that the council should continue to look at multiple ways of delivering affordable housing, including working with housing associations, supporting community land trusts and seeking opportunities to build new homes through the planning process, whilst in the short term searching for “quick wins” by buying homes that are currently available.

The council says it provides 200 to 300 new affordable homes per year, mainly through the purchase of existing properties, but this isn’t enough. One officer described it as “no small feat, but insufficient to keep pace with current demand.”

It is also thought the government’s Right to Buy policy is undermining efforts to provide social housing. At present EDDC is forced to sell around 30 properties each year as people choose to buy their council house. One officer described it as a process that is “haemorrhaging” social housing in the area.

Though fully in support of creating the new task force, Councillor Jack Rowland (Independent East Devon Alliance, Seaton) said he expected East Devon’s housing crisis to get worse before it gets better, citing the end of the eviction ban in May and the end of the furlough scheme last month.

Councillor Eileen Wragg (Liberal Democrats, Exmouth Town) agreed: “I believe we are facing an extremely harsh winter”, saying rising fuel costs and the end of the £20 Universal Credit uplift this week will heap pressure on people already struggling to get by.

She added: “Far from it being a better Christmas than last year, as the prime minister has said, I believe it’s going to be a pretty grim Christmas and we’re going to see an increase in homelessness and people on the streets.”

Last month EDDC agreed to hire two extra housing officers to help to manage soaring levels of homelessness in the district. A council report said an “unsustainable” number of people were approaching it for help, with some housing staff having to take time off because of stress.

The decision to create the affordable housing task force was unanimously agreed by East Devon’s cabinet. It will now be presented to the rest of the council for final approval.

More than a dozen beaches lining the Devon coasts have been issued with ‘do not swim’ warnings by an environmental charity.

Including Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton where the alert system hasn’t been working for ages.

Ami Wyllie www.devonlive.com 

According to the Surfers’ Against Sewage water quality map, sewers have been emptied into the water of 13 popular beaches on both the North and South coasts.

Messages on the alerts state that the situation has been made worse or, in some cases, caused by recent heavy rain which battered the county.

Read more:Heroic cyclist was tragically unable to save dying man’s life

The charity, who campaign against water pollution, advise that swimmers and surfers stay out of the water to avoid getting sick or ingesting sewage.

Warnings are put in place on beaches where a sewer has been ‘discharged’ within 48 hours, often due to heavy rainfall causing an overflow.

(Image: Surfer’s Against Sewage)

Here’s a round-up of the beaches you should avoid and where the sewage is coming from, according to Surfer’s Against Sewage:

Combe Martin

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

A sewer overflow discharges into the Umber River some 30m upstream of the beach with two more discharging further upstream. Other discharges from the surrounding urban area may also affect water quality particularly after heavy rainfall.

Woolacombe

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

A sewer overflow discharges to the sea just under 700m to the NW of the beach. Other forms of discharge may flow into the Woolacombe Stream and may affect bathing water.

Goodrington

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

There is one sewer overflow discharging directly onto the beach in the middle of Goodrington while another discharges 500m upstream in the Goodrington Stream that then meets the sea towards the southern end of the beach.

Paignton Sands

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

There are two sewer overflows located on Paignton Sands – one at the southern end of the beach and another offshore of the harbour.

Westward Ho!

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

A sewer overflow discharges to the sea at Nose Rock at the southern end of the beach while the Tawe/Torridge estuary also receives overflows from the surrounding urban area which may affect water quality especially after heavy rainfall.

Preston Sands

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

There is a sewer overflow that discharges at the northern end of the beach from the Preston Green Attenuation Tank.

Torre Abbey

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

There is a sewer overflow in the urban catchment directly behind the beach that discharges into the Torre Abbey stream.

Teignmouth Town

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

A sewer overflow at the railway station discharges northeast of the beach.

Shaldon

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

Shaldon is located on the west side of the Teign estuary.

There is a sewer overflow on the other side of the estuary, some 220m away.

Teignmouth Holcombe

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

A sewer overflow discharges into the Holcombe Stream 40m upstream of the beach.

Dawlish Coryton Cove

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

A sewer overflow discharges over the rocks at the southern end of the beach.

Exmouth

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

There is a sewer overflow discharging through an outfall to the south east which may affect bathing water quality especially after heavy rainfall.

Budleigh Salterton

Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.

There are three sewer overflows in the area, one discharges directly onto the beach, another 400m east and another that discharges 1.3km away into the sea.

Inside the hall, it was a typical Boris Johnson performance: a cross between a summing-up speech at the Oxford Union, some after-dinner jokes, and the kind of unguided, busking campaign oratory that helped him win the London mayoralty, Brexit referendum, the Tory leadership and the 2019 general election.

Editorial: www.independent.co.uk 

Some of the lines were incomprehensible, meaningless, or both, often pointless schoolboyish puns, such as “Build Back Beaver” and “Jon Bon Govi”, or just random – “Hereward the Woke” and hydrogen-powered buses. There was only one item that could be remotely classified as substance: the £3,000 bonus for teachers of shortage subjects in hard-up areas, and even that wasn’t entirely fresh.

The trick with political speeches, as much as to galvanise the devotees in the hall, is to make them resonate with a much wider public. In this respect, the prime minister’s speech was a disappointment (assuming anyone had much hope for it in the first place).

Outside the hall, Mr Johnson’s boosterism and cheesy gags felt very much out of place. Perhaps it was bad luck or poor planning, but the speech was delivered shortly after about 1 million workers had come off the furlough support scheme, and on the very day that 6 million families were to suffer a reduction in their income of about £20, thanks to the end of the uplift in universal credit.

The breezy, confident tone of the prime minister may have sent his activists back to their constituencies prepared with new excuses for the state of the country, but it seemed entirely inconsistent with the mounting sense of chaos felt across the nation at large. Mr Johnson seemed out of touch; a great fan of Winston Churchill (duly referenced in the speech, a sure sign of a man who knows he needs an audience with him), the prime minister wasn’t offering blood, sweat and tears, but beavers, satire and Google Maps.

He did continue his efforts to turn the post-Brexit shortage of haulage drivers, and much else, into a new economic paradigm – a high-wage, high-productivity economy. Only days ago, ministers were telling anyone who would listen that it had nothing to do with leaving the EU and ending free movement of labour; now the public is expected to believe that it was the master plan all along. Of course, it is nonsense.

In a healthy economy, higher productivity gradually drives and justifies higher wages, and leads to healthier profits without pushing up costs and prices. In a struggling economy, as the UK now is, higher wages are caused purely by a sudden shortage of labour in certain sectors, partly due to Covid-19 in the current situation and exacerbated by Brexit. They will squeeze profits and lead to lower investment and thus lower productivity, and leave the UK with a shrunken economy and higher price inflation. Besides, for many workers, especially in the public services Mr Johnson showered with compliments, there will be real-term pay cuts, and every employee and every employer will be faced with higher national insurance contributions next year.

Not for the first time, Mr Johnson presented himself as a break from the past. He claimed that his government of “reform” was the first to have the “guts” to tackle huge changes such as reshaping the UK’s economic model and “fixing” social care, as well as getting Brexit “done”.

You would not think, listening to Mr Johnson, that the Conservatives have been in power, albeit sometimes including the influence of the Liberal Democrats or the Democratic Unionists, for more than a decade. There was not so much as a nod to his Conservative predecessors; as in the old Soviet Union, David Cameron, George Osborne and Theresa May are non-people, political losers and failures. Maybe, and Mr Johnson has been a consistent election winner, but his alibis – Brexit and Covid-19 – are receding and, like all leaders, he will soon have to show that he can live up to his rhetoric and keep his innumerable promises.

Tesco is to increase its use of trains to distribute products by almost 40% as its boss credited investment in rail freight for helping to keep its shelves stocked during the lorry driver crisis.

Sarah Butler www.theguardian.com 

Ken Murphy, the chief executive, said the retailer had continued to cut prices despite commodity price increases and rising delivery costs but admitted it had reduced the level of discount promotions as well as the choice of products, such as pasta, in order to ensure it was fully stocked.

Murphy said the supermarket aimed to deliver 90,000 40ft containers of goods a year to its warehouses via trains by the end of 2021, up from about 65,000 at present. The tactic comes amid a battle for lorry drivers that led Tesco to offer new sign-ups a £1,000 incentive this summer.

Tesco’s rail service already includes five trains a week that bring fresh produce to the UK from Spain. From next month, Tesco will add two new UK food transport train services, including one that will link Spain with Scotland.

Murphy said Tesco was one of only three retailers that used a significant amount of rail freight. “This is a fantastic story from a sustainability point of view but it has really come into its own helping our supply chain resilience,” he said.

The UK’s biggest supermarket doubled profits in the first half of the year as it reduced costs related to the coronavirus pandemic and said its strong supply chain had meant it experienced fewer shortages than rivals despite the industry’s widespread delivery problems.

Sales rose 3% to £27.3bn in the six months to 28 August and profits soared by 107% to £1.1bn.

Tesco said its shoppers had sought out clothing and other household goods while it got a boost from more families holidaying in the UK because of travel restrictions and the Euro 2020 football tournament, which was postponed to the summer of 2021.

“As industry supply chains came under increasing pressure, we were able to leverage our strong supplier relationships and distribution capability to maintain good levels of availability for customers, contributing to our market outperformance,” it said.

Tesco’s online business continued to grow – by 2.3% – and shoppers stuck to big shops and large supermarkets as Covid concerns remained. Sales in its convenience stores fell as those in commuter areas lost out from the switch to working from home. The company is testing out a fast-track grocery service – Whoosh – from its convenience stores and this is now in 60 shops.

Murphy said Tesco was launching a £500m share buyback for investors as it expected to make up to £2.6bn of profits for the full year, about £700m more than previously anticipated.

Shares in Tesco jumped 5.9% to 268.05p, the top riser on the FTSE 100 index.

The profits upgrade came despite a £193m payout to shareholders related to a legal case linked to an accounting scandal at Tesco from 2014. A recovery at Tesco’s bank, which returned to profit, helped offset continued additional costs relating to Covid-19 and the repayment of business rates relief to the government.

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Murphy said sales growth continued to be strong and he did not expect any significant stock shortages in the run-up to Christmas because Tesco would use its strong relationships with suppliers to secure enough goods.

The supermarket has secured 10% more turkeys for Christmas than last year, for example, with sales of frozen birds already running ahead as shoppers aim to secure a festive centrepiece early.

Future profits will be partly boosted by a new target of £1bn in cost savings over the next three years. Tesco’s finance director said this would not be about significant job cuts but about many efficiencies, including more automation in warehouses and considering the closures of some head office space now that more staff were working from home.

The group will take on 30,000 temporary staff in the run-up to Christmas and Murphy said half of those were already in place and he did not expect major problems with recruiting the rest.

Covid cases have again risen in the Devon County Council area and Plymouth, but fallen slightly in Torbay.

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

In the week to Thursday 30 September cases increased by 20 per cent in the Devon County Council area and six per cent in Plymouth but were down by seven per cent in Torbay.

All three council areas are below the national average of 348. Devon’s  cases per 100,000 people now stands at 311, while the numbers in Torquay and Plymouth are 338 and 256 respectively.

Of the county’s eight district areas, North and Mid Devon recorded the biggest rises of around 45 per cent, putting North Devon infection rate now above the national average at 380 cases per 100,000. Mid Devon’s is still significantly lower at 247.

Torridge and Teignbridge also had increases of around a third (35 per cent), with the infection rate in Torridge now above the UK figure. East Devon mirrored the county with cases here going up by a fifth, while Exeter’s cases increased by 24 per cent.

Elsewhere, South Hams recorded the only significant fall in Devon, of 27 per cent, though West Devon did see a minor drop of four cases compared to the previous week.

Last week the covid enhanced response area for Devon and Cornwall, put in place after infections soared during the summer tourist season, came to an end after public health officials didn’t request an extension.

HOSPITALISATIONS

Despite fluctuating case numbers in some parts of the county, there seems to be a clear trend downwards in the number of people being treated for covid in Devon’s hospitals. The figure is again down on last week – by 24.

Latest figures for Tuesday 28 September show 73 covid patients in the county’s hospitals, 28 of which are at Derriford in Plymouth, 28 at the RD&E, 10 in Torbay, 5 in North Devon and two at Devon Partnership mental health trust sites. Of the total number of patients, eight are on mechanical ventilation beds.

DEATHS

Fourteen more people died in the county within 28 days of testing positive for covid in the latest complete weekly period (up to Wednesday 29 September). Nine were in the Devon County Council area, three in Plymouth and two in Torbay.

A total of 1,225 people in Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay) have died within 28 days of a positive test since the pandemic began.

VACCINATIONS

The government has announced that vaccination percentages for the UK “will not be updated while we work on a solution to include 12-15 year olds”.

Last week’s figures showed the number of people aged over 16 who have received at least one dose of a vaccine was 87 per cent in the Devon County Council area, 86 per cent in Torbay and 84 per cent in Plymouth.

The proportion of people who were fully vaccinated with both jabs was 82 per cent in Devon, 79 per cent in Torbay and 77 per cent in Plymouth.

From the Devon Covid Dashboard

Current rises in East Devon are concentrated in two age groups: 0-19 and 40-59 year olds; school children and their parents?

COVID-19: UK has little ‘headroom’ for coronavirus cases to surge before NHS ‘heavily stressed’, professor warns

Connor Sephton news.sky.com 

The UK has little “headroom” for rising coronavirus cases before the NHS becomes “heavily stressed”, an expert has warned.

Professor Neil Ferguson – a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) – told MPs that levels of transmission in the UK are currently far higher than in other countries.

At present, about 600 people are being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 every day. He believes the NHS may struggle to cope if this doubles to 1,200 in the winter months.

The government has previously said that mandatory face masks could return, COVID passports could be introduced and people could be told to work from home once again if pressure on the NHS needs to be alleviated.

Speaking to the all-party group on coronavirus, Prof Ferguson said: “We are starting with quite a high incidence and so we don’t have very much headroom for increases.

“If we compare, for instance, incidence of COVID cases per day in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal, there is a much lower level than us, so they can afford to see something of a surge of transmission, which they may well, without unduly stressing the health system.”

The SAGE member went on to warn, “we are much closer to the limit of what the NHS can cope with”.

Prof Ferguson’s modelling was instrumental when the UK first went into lockdown in March 2020, but he said there is a high level of unpredictability when it comes to what will happen this winter.

He added: “We could see continued flat incidence, even slow decline if we get boosters out quickly.

“So it’s not guaranteed we will see a large winter surge by any means, but we can’t afford, at the current time, to have too much of a winter surge before really the NHS is very heavily stressed.”

The professor said that, given a political decision has been made to “live with COVID”, keeping a close eye on the data will be crucial.

“The lesson we have learned is that if you start seeing an upward trend and that is sustained for a period of time, then you need to get ahead of it,” he added.

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Whitty: ‘Near certainty’ unjabbed kids will get COVID

Prof Ferguson also said that he had been more content with the timeliness of the government’s interventions to curb the spread of coronavirus since last December.

He said people in the UK are not having the same level of contact as they were before the pandemic, which is helping the situation.

However, the professor pointed to data that suggests the UK is now behind Spain and Portugal – and probably France and the Netherlands – in terms of population immunity.

He added: “I personally think it’s unlikely we’ll see a very large wave comparable to what we saw in the second wave last year, but we could still see quite a substantial wave of transmission, and the real challenge will be the extent to which that stresses the NHS, where capacity is limited.”

When it comes to the long-term view, Prof Ferguson said he believes the UK will see seasonal surges of transmission that will “challenge the health system on top of flu and everything else”.

“Whether we need in some years to come to rely on some degree of mitigation beyond just vaccination remains to be seen,” he said.

Government data released on Monday showed that the UK had recorded 35,077 new COVID-19 cases and a further 33 coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period.

By comparison, 37,960 cases and 40 deaths were recorded over the same period one week earlier.

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 stood at 6,556 – down from 6,905 seven days earlier – with 805 of those on ventilators.

Solving this puzzle has evaded Heart of the South West for years but yesterday Superman found his Kryptonite.

After two shots of the game changing “magic potion invented in Oxford University and bottled in Wales” Boris Johnson felt empowered, in his conference speech, to share with us his solution to the productivity puzzle. This is the essential key to his “vision for Britain” “building back better”.

“We are not going back to the same old broken model with low wages, low growth, low skills and low productivity, all of it enabled and assisted by uncontrolled immigration.

And the answer to the present stresses and strains, which are mainly a function of growth and economic revival, is not to reach for that same old lever of uncontrolled immigration, to keep wages low.

The answer is to control immigration to allow people of talent to come to this country, but not to use immigration as an excuse for failure to invest in people, in skills and in the equipment, the facilities, the machinery they need to do their jobs.

The truckstops – to pick an example entirely at random – with basic facilities where you don’t have to urinate in the bushes.

And that is the direction in which this country is going now. Towards a high wage, high skill, high productivity and yes, thereby low tax economy.”…..[interesting non sequitur! – Owl]

……“And that is how we solve the national productivity puzzle: by fixing the broken housing market, by plugging in the gigabit, by putting in decent safe bus routes and all other transport infrastructure and by investing in skills skills skills.”

Easy peasy, except none of these things are going to happen here any time soon are they?

Watch and read every boosterism of Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party conference speech here inews.co.uk [Or possibly not, it doesn’t travel very well!]

Elsewhere Owl reads that an announcement is expected shortly to raise the minimum hourly wage to to the high rate of £9.42.

One big theme has dominated Tory party conference at Manchester this week: levelling up. Boris Johnson, we are being told, is on a mission to rescue British working people who have been forgotten and left behind in today’s UK.

Peter Oborne www.theguardian.com 

According to this powerful narrative Keir Starmer’s Labour party is a manifestation of a “woke” metropolitan elite utterly alien to the “red wall” voters who flocked to the Tories at the last election.

The Pandora papers revelations undermine that Tory story. Yes, there are struggling people who have been forgotten by the system. Yes it’s a worthy cause to give them a much bigger say in public life. But no, the Tories don’t generally represent such people.

Johnson’s Conservative party essentially belongs to the super-rich. The billionaires. Those with privileged access to the prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer. To the large and in many cases insalubrious cast of men and women with walk-on appearances in the Pandora papers scandal.

This class of Conservatives does not seem to see the British state – as Tories have historically claimed to do – as something to which you dedicate a life of service. They seem to see it rather differently: as something to be plundered and used for self-enrichment.

Take the honours system. Traditionally honours have been used to reward people who have contributed to the good of the nation. In recent history honours have become a commodity that may be bought and sold. Take public contracts. Traditionally they are won in open public competition. Not any more.

Oscar Wilde defined a cynic as someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Welcome to the world of Johnson and his squalid associates. It doesn’t appear to matter how Tory donors made their money, where they paid their taxes, or which corners they cut. What matters is the size of the donation.

CertainlyJohnson supports levelling up. He wants to level up the billionaires. They’ve grown richer than ever before under his premiership. This may help explain why Tory donors are so much more likely to win Covid contracts than others. Access, it seems, helps win contracts, and access can come in return for a fat donation.

This is why it is impossible to overestimate the importance of this week’s Pandora revelations. They make a textbook study of how the super-rich have bought politics. In some countries this phenomenon is out there and in the open.

Let’s take an example of another country suffering from fuel queues: Lebanon. It’s no surprise at all to find newly appointed prime minister Najib Mikati and central bank governor Riad Salameh among several Lebanese political and financial officials named in the Pandora papers as having wealth hidden in offshore tax havens – at a time when ordinary Lebanese are having their savings wiped out. Lebanon has long been run as a private fiefdom for the super-rich.

The Pandora papers show that Britain is heading the same way. Access to British politics – and in particular the Johnson Tories – has been bought wholesale by a new class of tycoon funders. They may be British citizens but in many cases they pay very little tax in this country, and are in many cases essentially based offshore.

Their existence has been an open secret for years but not publicly understood, perhaps in part because some of Britain’s wealthy newspaper owners themselves have a notorious reluctance to pay taxes.

It’s important to understand that this new system has only sprung up recently. Go back only a few decades and the Tory party could count on a mass membership for the bulk of its funds in the shape of small donations. In recent years membership has gone into freefall, and the donors have largely taken over.

Tony Blair (little surprise to see his appearance in Pandora) helped create this model during his famous period in opposition before 1997. Eager to sideline the unions, the ambitious young Labour leader and his aide Jonathan Powell encouraged fundraising from wealthy donors.

The Tories followed suit. They may have felt they had little choice. Money was hard to come by and the membership was dying. Suddenly party donors became important figures, men and women of note.

But it is Johnson who has been the most shameless by far about this arrangement. On becoming Tory leader he appointed Ben Elliot, whose former business clients include Mohamed Amersi, who looms large in the Pandora papers) as Tory co-chair. This appointment changed the structure of the British Tory party. And it is no surprise to learn, courtesy of the Pandora papers, that Elliot jointly owned a secret offshore film financing business.

At first sight Eton-educated Elliot looks like a copper-bottomed establishment Conservative. A nephew of the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles’s wife, he’s the son of Simon Elliot, a Dorset landowner.

If you look more closely the appointment seems odder and odder. Tory chairs are normally powerful politicians in their own right – think Theresa May, David Davies or further back Norman Tebbit, William Whitelaw or Peter Carrington. Significant figures by any standards. The role of Conservative party chairs, from Carrington to May, was to represent the views of the Tory grassroots and explain the actions of their leadership.

I have never found serious evidence that Elliot does much of this important but gruelling political work, if any. Take the Hartlepool and Batley and Spen byelections. A traditional chair would have been a prominent figure organising the campaign and explaining the results on television. Elliot kept a very low profile.

Elliot is not even an MP and I can discover no significant record in British politics until he became treasurer for Zac Goldsmith’s campaign for the London mayoralty in 2016. Yet he’s at the heart of Johnson’s Tory establishment. He’s not there to talk to the grassroots. He’s there to manage the donors. The people who matter.

Traditionally that’s been the role of the party treasurer, a relatively lowly party official. In the modern Tory party the job has become so important that the treasurer has been promoted to party chair and effectively become the boss.

The Elliot model for the Tory party is based on his business, Quintessentially. It is a concierge service for rich people who want introductions and invitations at the top level of society. Amersi has deliciously called the system “access capitalism”, a term that deserves to find its way into a dictionary of quotations. You buy your way in.

Elliot will be remembered for turning politics into a financial commodity. Now he needs to come out in public and answer urgent questions: who investigates Tory donors? Does it matter if they don’t pay tax? Do you care if they have a murky past? Where do you stand on tax havens?

It’s not just Elliot who needs to break the habit of a lifetime and answer questions. Now that Pandora’s box has been well and truly opened. Johnson, the big winner from this rotten financial system, needs to explain to British voters why the Tory party appears to be funded by a new class of super-rich tax avoiders.

And tell us what they get in return.

Mr Gove appeared at a planning inquiry into CALA Homes’ proposals to build on land known as Chapel Lane Meadow in Bagshot, which residents say threaten local wildlife and the character of the village.  Surrey Heath Borough Council, which recently lost its 5-year housing land supply, dropped opposition to the proposals last month, after concluding that the identified harms as a result of the proposal would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.(2019/2020)

Michael Gove is MP for Surrey Heath – Owl

George Grylls www.thetimes.co.uk

Michael Gove has suggested that the government will move away from concentrating housebuilding in the southeast of England to encourage more development in the north and midlands.

The new housing secretary promised to invest in the regeneration of inner city areas and said that he wanted to build more homes on “neglected brownfield sites”.

He attempted at the Conservative Party conference yesterday to define the levelling-up agenda only weeks after being put in charge of the prime minister’s flagship policy. He said that levelling up meant devolving more power to local leaders, raising living standards, improving services and restoring a sense of pride in communities.

At a fringe event hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank he also suggested that the focus on building homes in the southeast was misplaced and that people in “generation rent” were suffering more in the north and northeast.

“There are a variety of reasons for that that I need to look more closely at. But actually it shows that if you really, really want to help those who are currently in rented accommodation and want to own their own homes, then the focus shouldn’t necessarily be geographically where it has been beforehand,” he added.

Last year, Conservative backbenchers rebelled against a “mutant algorithm” designed to drive down house prices in the southeast by building more homes in and around London. After outcry from Tory MPs, the algorithm was amended to encourage more development in northern and Midlands cities.

Gove suggested yesterday that the targets could be tweaked further, saying that the government’s levelling-up agenda meant building more homes in regenerated city centres. “In my department, that will mean investing in urban regeneration with new homes on neglected brownfield sites,” he said. “It also means empowering local government to make a bigger difference for good, allowing communities and councillors to take back control of our future and making greener, and more beautiful places for everyone to live.”

Gove also said that the government would like to create new higher education institutions parts of the country such as Doncaster, Grimsby and Thanet. He said that there was a need for new technical colleges because students at traditional universities spent too much time discussing “the hermeneutics of Spiderman”.

Council leader writes to MP.

local democracy reporter, Joe Ives www.radioexe.co.uk

More than 13,500 people in Torbay are set to be hit by the end of the £20 Universal Credit uplift this week, with the leader of the council warning “there could never be a worse time” to make the move.

As covid hit in March 2020, the government launched a one-year temporary £20 increase in Universal Credit payments, and further extended the rise for another six months this March. Now that extension is set to expire, the uplift is due to end on Wednesday 6 October.

According to the Department of Work and Pensions, over 13,500 people were on Universal Credit in the Bay at the end of August.

Last week, Steve Darling (Barton with Watcombe) leader of the ruling Lib Dem-Independent coalition that runs Torbay Council penned a letter with deputy leader and cabinet member for finance Darren Cowell (Independent Group, Shiphay), urging Torbay’s Conservative MP Kevin Foster to lobby the government to reconsider its decision. Mr Foster is on the government payroll, as a parliamentary under-secretary at the home office.

The imminent cancellation of the Universal Credit uplift has been widely criticised, even by many of the Conservative MPs who are holding their annual conference this week in Manchester.

Critics argue the £20 reduction will force more pressure on the 5.8 million people on Universal Credit in the UK already affected by rising fuel and energy prices, the end of the furlough scheme last week and the economic consequences of covid. Homelessness charity Crisis warns the move could put 100,000 private renters at risk of homelessness.

In their letter, Cllr Darling and Cowell wrote: “Over the pandemic, the Universal Credit increase has been a lifeline. Both those in work and out of work have found this money invaluable in light of inflationary increases in living and rents rocketing in Torbay. 

“With the uncertainty around fuel costs in recent days, it could never be a worse time to withdraw this support to those most in need in our communities.

“Making the increase permanent is a quick and targeted way to direct support at local communities as we recover from the pandemic.”

Cllr Daring and Cowell argued that given 40 per cent of people on Universal Credit are already employed, ending the uplift would equate to a £1,000 pay cut for many of the lowest paid workers in Torbay and effectively withdraw £10 million from the Bay’s economy.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think tank, making the uplift permanent would cost taxpayers around £6 billion a year.

Speaking last month, transport secretary Grant Shapps defended the move, saying: “I think most people recognise that if it’s brought in for the pandemic, it’s going to end as we move back to people going back to work and more normal times.”

Appearing on the Andrew Marr on Sunday, prime minister Boris Johnson said it was ‘inappropriate’ to reverse his government’s decision. 

We contacted Torbay MP Kevin Foster for a response to the councillors’ letter, but he hasn’t yet replied.

Devon Wildlife Trust is advising East Devon residents on how they can have a say on the future of beavers in our countryside.

The government has launched a public consultation on the future of beaver introductions in England.

male beaver on River Otter by David White 

The way the consultation is designed means the most likely responses will be from stakeholders who have a particular interest in how the presence of beavers in our rivers could affect them directly – anglers and farmers, for example.

But every resident of villages and towns along the River Otter and its tributaries also deserves a voice in this consultation on the future of beavers. Local people have been living alongside beavers for around a decade now.

The science and evidence gained from the 5-year River Otter Beaver Trial demonstrated the benefits beavers have brought to the River Otter. Beaver activity has helped reduce flood risk in villages downstream of their dams, has increased diversity and abundance of other wildlife and has also improved water quality, thanks to beaver dams trapping sediment washed into watercourses.

Where beaver dams have caused localised problems for landowners, DWT has demonstrated practical solutions to reducing water levels so the landscape can continue to be shared by beavers and people without conflict.

Beaver-watching near Otterton has become an annual summer activity, with locals and visitors enjoying the experience of being among the first people to see beavers in an English river for hundreds of years. Many such visitors also spend money with local businesses on food, drinks and accommodation.

It is important that all these aspects of local people’s experience of living alongside beavers is featured in responses to the government’s consultation.

But as the online consultation is not especially easy to navigate, Devon Wildlife Trust has produced the following guidance on submitting a response, so the government hears the voices of East Devon residents who have lived alongside beavers for years.

DWT’s Director of Nature Recovery Pete Burgess said: “It is vitally important that we reintroduce beavers in a planned, responsible way, and that we have a toolkit of management techniques available, so we know exactly how to deal with issues if they arise. To maximise the benefits beavers can bring, we need to continue to provide advice and support for farmers and landowners and provide grants for those who allow more space for water on their land. The launch of the public consultation is the start of a vitally important conversation about the future of these once widespread animals, and we would urge everyone to share their views about the future of beavers in the English landscape.”

DWT is asking everyone to respond to the consultation around four key asks which we believe are necessary for the safe return of beavers in the wild.

• To formally recognise beavers as a resident native species in England, as has already been done in Scotland.
• To ensure beaver populations thrive in the wild by supporting carefully targeted reintroduction projects, bolstering populations where necessary to ensure their long-term health.
• To help landowners to make space for watercourses and wetlands created by beavers by providing appropriate schemes and funding programmes.
• To support local beaver management groups who can provide advice, support and practical solutions to ensure beavers and people can share our landscape once again.

The government consultation runs until 17 November and is online at Consultation on approach to beaver reintroduction and management in England

For more information on beavers in Devon and on the government’s consultation see Beavers or contact DWT on beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org

Michael Gove has just shown that ‘levelling up’ is still no more than a slogan

Vicky-spratt  inews.co.uk 

The substance of Michael Gove’s first Conservative Party Conference speech as the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was conspicuous by its absence. He repeated the “levelling up” slogan religiously but offered very little to back it up.

“Life expectancy for men in Glasgow is years lower than in Surrey,” Gove said. “That’s wrong.” Nobody would argue with this statement, reflective as it is of Britain’s geographic socioeconomic inequality. But after hearing his speech they might ask what, exactly, Gove plans to do about it?

Like his newly rebranded department for “Levelling Up”, it seems that Gove is a minister with an agenda in search of policies.

Boris Johnson has decided that “levelling up” is the standard by which he wants his government to be judged but offered no detail on how it will work in practice. In Manchester, Gove shed no further light beyond saying, rather vaguely, that “Levelling Up” means strengthening local leadership, raising living standards, improving public services and enhancing people’s pride in the place they live.

Perhaps the lack of clarity should not come as a surprise. Despite indicators that Britain faces a tough winter – pig farmers protesting because a combination of Brexit and Covid-19 means they cannot have their livestock slaughtered and processed properly, benefit cuts, tax hikes, energy price hikes and a petrol shortage – no big policy announcements are expected at this conference. Meanwhile, the “Levelling Up” white paper is expected by the end of the year.

But even if we put that aside, there were glaring gaps in Gove’s speech. He has taken over the housing brief at a time when thousands of worried homeowners are stuck in unsafe and unsellable homes because of the building safety crisis that has unravelled since the Grenfell Tower Fire. He did not address those impacted directly but, instead, said: “our mission will also mean…making everyone’s home safer and greener….and sharing the cost of that work more fairly.”

Could this signal a change in approach? Will the state take more responsibility for building safety remediation costs? We cannot know because Gove did not expand.

Beyond that, the housing crisis was not mentioned once nor was planning reform. Instead, Gove briefly mentioned his intention to build “new homes on neglected brownfield sites,” and ensure “a better deal for those in social housing”. How will he do this? Your guess is as good as mine.

Gove reiterated Johnson’s perennial commitment to increasing homeownership. “Making opportunity more equal is what Margaret Thatcher did when she allowed working people to buy their own homes,” Gove said, alluding to her flagship Right to Buy policy which is now widely thought to be responsible for this country’s social housing shortage. Gove’s modern plan for increasing homeownership today? He did not say.

The Conservative “levelling up” mission, according to Gove, is that everyone should have “the chance to choose their own future… own their OWN home…and live their BEST life”. It sounds like a motivational Instagram aphorism: you want to like it, but you’re not sure what it means.

Since 2016, the government department Gove now heads up has had four different secretaries of state and undergone two name changes. But one thing remains the same: Britain still has a housing emergency.

Consultation on a huge new dossier that will shape Exeter’s future has begun – and people are being urged to have their say.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

Exeter City Council has launched the first round of public consultation on a new Local Plan for the city which sets out to provide a vision for the city’s future up to 2040.

The Local Plan will need to address a raft of important planning issues including how the city responds to the climate emergency, where new homes are built and how new jobs are provided.

The Plan will also look at how to protect and enhance the city’s historic and natural environments, how high streets and communities can continue to thrive and how everyone gets about the city.

Cllr Emma Morse, Lead Councillor for City Development, said: “I’m excited to see launch of the consultation. The Local Plan lies at the heart of the planning system and will guide the development of housing, the economy, community facilities, and infrastructure in Exeter for the next twenty years.

“It will also set out clear messages for how we combat climate change and improve our environment. It’s vital that local people, businesses, community groups and stakeholders have their say in shaping the Local Plan and Statement of Community Involvement, so that the documents reflect what you want our city to look like and how you want to engage with the planning process in order to achieve that.”

Each council is required to have an up to date Local Plan to guide development so that it meets the needs of the community and the local area.

Exeter’s current plans (the Core Strategy and Local Plan First Review) are becoming older and as along with neighbouring partners, they are no longer progressing the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan, the city needs a new Local Plan.

The new Local Plan will eventually replace the existing plans and will cover the years between 2020 and 2040, and will allow the council, the community and other organisations to make the most of the opportunities in Exeter, tackle our key issues and help ensure a thriving city going forward.

The first stage of the Local Plan review on the issues – with a second stage around site options for development and specific policies– to follow in the future.

Climate emergency

Exeter City Council have declared a Climate Emergency and pledged to work towards creating a carbon neutral city by 2030. They have adopted the Net Zero Exeter 2030 Plan which sets out what Exeter will need to put in place in order to be net zero carbon by 2030.

The new Local Plan will include policies and proposals that contribute to meeting this challenging ambition and to make the most of the opportunities of a net zero carbon city.

Health and wellbeing

Generally, Exeter is a healthy city with high levels of walking and cycling, large areas of green space and access to a range of health facilities. However, people living in its more disadvantaged areas can have comparatively poor health, lower literacy and may experience frailty earlier. Traffic has led to increases in air pollution and noise in some areas. Crime and anti-social behaviour can be a concern. Housing quality can also significantly affect health.

The new Local Plan will play a part in improving health and wellbeing by supporting ambitions to achieve increases in physical activity to get 50 per cent of people walking or cycling to work, improving air quality and providing quality housing.

Homes

The Government requires around 630 new homes in Exeter each year and Covid-19 has underlined just how much good quality housing is needed

The new Local Plan will need to help address the shortage of affordable homes in the city and consider how best to provide the good quality accommodation we all need. Young adults, families, older people, those with disabilities, students and gypsies and travellers all have specific housing needs.

Economy and jobs

The city is at the heart of the Greater Exeter area and has one of the fastest growing economies in the UK. Whilst Exeter has like all cites been significantly impacted by Covid-19, predictions are that it will be one of the quickest to bounce back. There is a strong ambition to grow the economy with a focus on innovative business sectors, making the most of a skilled workforce.

The new Local Plan needs to support the economy and green growth by identifying the employment sites and infrastructure needed. This will help to increase prosperity and wellbeing.

The future of high streets

A vibrant and prosperous city centre with complementary bustling neighbourhood shopping areas is central to the success of the city. However, traditional high streets are under pressure through the growth of online shopping, a trend accelerated by Covid-19, and so we need to re-think how they function.

Leisure, cultural attractions and the night-time economy are likely to play an increasingly important role in attracting people to our high streets and will help support our offer for tourists.

The new Local Plan will support the high street as it evolves and continues to play a central part in our lives.

High quality places and design

The quality of the places in which we live and work is fundamental for so many reasons, including to support our health and well-being, attract investment and generate pride in our city. Development offers opportunities to create high quality places that respond to Exeter’s distinct characteristics, reflect local culture and integrate with existing communities, promoting social cohesion and healthy lifestyles.

The Local Plan must ensure that development is located in the right place and provides well-designed buildings and spaces.

Historic environment and culture

Exeter’s rich historic environment is part of what makes the city unique and special and helps to shape the city’s culture today. It improves our communities’ quality of life and pride in the city and helps to support our economic prosperity.

New development inevitably raises challenges for the historic environment, but the new Local Plan provides an opportunity for us to protect and enhance our historic assets whilst celebrating and exploring the culture of the city and our communities as they evolve.

Natural environment

The city enjoys a high quality natural environment, with valley and city parks, public rights of way and the Exe Estuary. The hills to the north and north-west of the city give Exeter a distinctive character while the city also contains a rich variety of wildlife habitats.

The new Local Plan will need to manage development pressures on our local environment to provide benefits for landscape character, wildlife, flood risk and air quality and to help us to combat climate change.

Sustainable transport and communication

The way people travel will be vital to the success of Exeter. It will be central to achieving net zero carbon, growing prosperity, healthy lifestyles and improvements to our environment. In future, travel won’t just be about whether we walk or drive – digital communications will also be key.

The new Local Plan will need to ensure that Exeter is resilient to changes in travel, supporting innovative development in the right places show-casing real options and fresh approaches to transport.

Infrastructure and community facilities

Communities rely on local infrastructure to function and prosper; transport infrastructure helps us to get around, doctors surgeries provide our health care, schools educate our young people, digital infrastructure helps us to communicate and greenspace and leisure facilities provide us with the opportunity to relax.

The new Local Plan will be vital to identify the infrastructure which we need, ensuring it is provided in the right way, at the right time and in the right place.

The pattern and quality of future development in Exeter

A key role for the new Local Plan will be to set out a sustainable pattern of development for Exeter which will help to deal with the issues we have identified and achieve the vision for the city.

Planning for development proactively will mean we can steer it to appropriate locations where impacts can be managed and where it will have the most significant benefit.

The current planning documents include a strategy for meeting our development needs in terms of housing, jobs, shopping, community facilities and infrastructure, but this is being reviewed to make sure the approach will be appropriate for the future.

The key strands of the current approach to meeting the city’s development needs are:

· Focus on the city centre, existing centres and previously developed land, including the regeneration of the Grecian Quarter (around Sidwell Street and the bus station) and the Water Lane area (around the canal in the Haven Banks area)

· Provide for additional development in sustainable urban extensions on the edges of the city

· Steer development away from the hills to the north and north west – the important landscape areas for the city

Some of this development strategy will need to be looked at again to reflect that times have changed, as there are more limited opportunities for large scale urban extensions now given that the developments at Newcourt and Monkerton are nearly complete.

The council is also now looking at the key regeneration benefits which development on brownfield sites can provide. This evolving situation has led the Council to start a housing delivery programme called Liveable Exeter, which will create new homes for the city through a series of eight, high quality development sites.

On the back of this work, Exeter has been recognised as a ‘Garden Community’ which brings support from Government to make sure that the city grows in a sustainable way with a real focus on high quality development working well for local communities.

This approach will play a key part in steering the pattern and quality of development for the city in future.

Some potential ideas which could be used to shape a future development strategy for Exeter are:

· Redevelopment of brownfield land in the city

· Higher density development in the city centre and close by

· Smaller developments on the edge of the city

· Steering development away from sensitive environmental areas such as the Exe Estuary and hills to the north and north west of the city

· Locating development to maximise walking and cycling and to make use of public transport

· Build distinctive development with local identity n Ensure well-designed, vibrant places with a mixture of uses

· Support healthy lifestyles n Provide a variety of high quality and flexible homes

· Deliver appropriately designed infrastructure when it’s needed

· Provide developments for local employment, education and skills

· Enhance the natural and historic environment

· Provide green infrastructure such parks and open space

· Ensure that development will produce ‘net zero’ carbon emissions

· Deliver high quality active travel and low carbon transport

· Make sure that development is resilient to future change

The vision

Exeter has a vision for growth as a connected city region consisting of thriving linked communities set within an exceptional environmental setting. This clear vision represents a commitment to strengthen neighbourhoods; create new communities; invest in sustainable transport; and deliver the infrastructure needed to attract investment and improve quality of life.

Exeter aims to be recognised as a leading sustainable city and global leader in addressing the social, economic and environmental challenges of climate change and urbanisation. The plan strives to make Exeter the most active and accessible city in England.

The vision has seven key elements:

· An innovative and analytical city

· A healthy and inclusive city

· The most active city in the UK

· Accessible world class education

· A liveable and connected city

· A leading sustainable city

· Culture

What happens next?

The issues consultation is the first step in preparing the new Local Plan. The council will then use the responses to the consultation alongside evidence on a range of topics to shape a draft of the new Local Plan which will be consulted on in 2022.

After that, a final draft document will be published for comment before it is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for Examination. A Planning Inspector will use a series of Examination discussions to decide whether the plan needs any changes and then if it can be adopted by the Council

To get involved in the consultations, local residents, businesses, community groups and statutory consultees are encouraged to:

• Visit https://exeter.gov.uk/localplan/ and https://exeter.gov.uk/sci/ where the Local Plan Issues Consultation Document and draft Statement of Community Involvement can be viewed and responded to online;
• Find out more information by attending public exhibitions to be held on: Thursday 30 September from 1pm to 7pm at Exeter Central Library, Rougemont Room, Castle Street, Exeter, EX4 3PQ; and Wednesday 13 October from 1pm to 7pm at the Guildhall, 203 High Street, Exeter, EX4 3EB.

The consultation documents can also be viewed during opening hours at Exeter City Council’s Customer Service Centre in the Civic Centre (Paris Street, Exeter, EX1 1JN) and Exeter Central Library (Castle Street, Exeter, EX4 3PQ).

For more information, or to respond to the consultations in a different way from online, please email planning.policy@exeter.gov.uk or telephone 01392 265080. Please also use these contacts to be kept informed of progress on the new Local Plan without responding to the current consultations.

The consultations run until November 15. Further rounds of public consultation on the new Local Plan are planned for 2022 and 2023, before it is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for Examination.

Pandora Papers: A simple guide to the Pandora Papers leak

The Pandora Papers is a leak of almost 12 million documents that reveals hidden wealth, tax avoidance and, in some cases, money laundering by some of the world’s rich and powerful.

Owl summarises official reaction so far: “Move along please. Nothing to see here!”

By Pandora Papers reporting team www.bbc.co.uk

More than 600 journalists in 117 countries have been trawling through the files from 14 sources for months, finding stories that are being published this week.

The data was obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in Washington DC, which has been working with more than 140 media organisations on its biggest ever global investigation.

BBC Panorama and the Guardian have led the investigation in the UK.

What has been uncovered?

The Pandora Papers leak includes 6.4 million documents, almost three million images, more than a million emails and almost half-a-million spreadsheets.

Stories revealed so far include:

The files expose how some of the most powerful people in the world – including more than 330 politicians from 90 countries – use secret offshore companies to hide their wealth.

Lakshmi Kumar from US think-tank Global Financial Integrity explained that these people “are able to funnel and siphon money away and hide it,” often through the use of anonymous companies.

What do we mean by ‘offshore’?

The Pandora Papers reveal complex networks of companies that are set up across borders, often resulting in hidden ownership of money and assets.

For example, someone may have a property in the UK, but own it via a chain of companies based in other countries, or “offshore”.

These offshore countries or territories are where:

• it’s easy to set up companies
• there are laws that make it difficult to identify owners of companies
• there is low or no corporation tax

The destinations are often called tax havens or secrecy jurisdictions. There is no definitive list of tax havens, but the most well known destinations include British Overseas Territories such as the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, as well as countries such as Switzerland and Singapore.

Is it illegal to use a tax haven?

Loopholes in the law allow people to legally avoid paying some taxes by moving their money or setting up companies in tax havens, but it is often seen as unethical. The UK government says tax avoidance “involves operating within the letter, but not the spirit, of the law”.

There are also a number of legitimate reasons people may want to hold money and assets in different countries, such as protection from criminal attacks or guarding against unstable governments.

Although having secretive offshore assets is not illegal, using a complex network of secret companies to move around money and assets is the perfect way to hide the proceeds of criminality.

There have been repeated calls for politicians to make it harder to avoid tax or hide assets, particularly following previous leaks such as the Panama Papers.

But Mr Ryle said the Pandora Papers show that “the people that could end the secrecy offshore… are themselves benefiting from it. So there’s no incentive for them to end it”.

How easy is it to hide money offshore?

All you need to do is set up a shell company in one of the countries or jurisdictions with high levels of secrecy. This is a company that exists in name only, with no staff or office.

It costs money though. Specialist firms are paid to set up and run shell companies on your behalf. These firms can provide an address and names of paid directors, therefore leaving no trail of who is ultimately behind the business.

How much money is hidden offshore?

It is impossible to say for sure, but estimates have ranged from $5.6 trillion to $32 trillion, according to the ICIJ. The International Monetary Fund has said the use of tax havens costs governments worldwide up to $600bn in lost taxes each year.

Ms Kumar said it is detrimental to the rest of society: “The ability to hide money has a direct impact on your life… it affects your child’s access to education, access to health, access to a home.”

What is the UK doing about it?

The UK has been criticised for allowing property to be owned by anonymous companies overseas.

The government published draft legislation in 2018 that would require the ultimate owners of UK properties to be declared. But it is still waiting to be presented to MPs.

A 2019 parliamentary report said the UK system attracts people “such as money launderers, who may wish to use property to conceal illicit funds”.

It said criminal investigations are often “hindered” because police cannot see who ultimately owns properties.

The government recently raised the risk of money laundering through property from “medium” to “high”.

It says it’s cracking down on money laundering with tougher laws and enforcement, and that it will introduce a register of offshore companies owning UK property when parliamentary time allows.

The Pandora Papers is a leak of almost 12 million documents and files exposing the secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians and billionaires. The data was obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington DC and has led to one of the biggest ever global investigations. More than 600 journalists from 117 countries have looked at the hidden fortunes of some of the most powerful people on the planet. BBC Panorama and the Guardian have led the investigation in the UK.

• Replacement of rear extension with associated internal alterations. Shorthayne Farm Bishopswood Chard TA20 3RYRef. No: 21/2550/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing house and outbuildings and erection of replacement dwelling and garage Sidcliffe Cottage Sid Road Sidmouth EX10 9ALRef. No: 21/2545/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Attic conversion and conversion of garage into utility/shower room2 Hilary Close Axminster EX13 5HRRef. No: 21/2548/CPL | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, beech – lift over road, drive and street light to 5.2m to give vehicle clearance. Shorten long second order branches protruding from the crown, growing towards neighbour’s property, by approximately 2m. Reason – for highway clearance and improve form. T2, mimosa – shorten back over-extended branches by 0.5 – 1m. Reason improve form. 2 Woodlands Sidmouth EX10 8HARef. No: 21/2549/TCA | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Part single storey part two storey side and rear extension, and conversion of garage to study. Rose Cottage Lower Budleigh East Budleigh Budleigh Salterton EX9 7DLRef. No: 21/2552/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of section of kitchen wall and addition of new steel-framed glazed doors to garden. 1 Knowle Mews Dalditch Lane Budleigh Salterton EX9 7AHRef. No: 21/2524/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Fell Horse chestnut because it is half dead. My proposal is to fell the tree by a local professional down to its stump. 5 Porch Cottages Church Street Sidford Sidmouth EX10 9RGRef. No: 21/2527/TCA | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of lawfulness for the conversion of roofspace to habitable use, to include a rear dormer and the addition of 2 x front rooflightsFoxes Oven 36 Slade Close Ottery St Mary EX11 1SZRef. No: 21/2529/CPL | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of artist studio/workshop, approved under permission 20/2439/FUL, for use as a dwelling (for holiday accommodation purposes) and associated works. Quantock Stockland Honiton EX14 9DXRef. No: 21/2522/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of section of kitchen wall and addition of new steel-framed glazed doors to garden. 1 Knowle Mews Dalditch Lane Budleigh Salterton EX9 7AHRef. No: 21/2525/LBC | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Construction of below ground swimming pool and external paving. Bishops Court Farmhouse Fluxton Ottery St Mary EX11 1RJRef. No: 21/2520/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of Lawfulness for the conversion of roofspace to habitable use to include a side dormer.9 Raleigh Road Ottery St Mary EX11 1TGRef. No: 21/2519/CPL | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T3 (T1 in tree inspection report) – Ash. Showing progressive signs of ash dieback (ADB) and needs to be removed to maintain the safety of the walkway and prevent damage to nearby buildings. G4 (T2 in Tree inspection report) – Ash. Showing progressive signs of ADB and needs to be removed to maintain the safety of the walkway and prevent damage to nearby buildings. T6 (T3 in tree inspection report) – Ash. Showing progressive signs of ADB and needs to be removed to maintain the safety of the walkway and prevent damage to nearby buildings. Home Farm Chalet Home Farm Hotel Wilmington Honiton EX14 9JRRef. No: 21/2503/TRE | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Purple Plum : prune back over car parking area. T2, Strawberry Tree : prune away from windows. T3, Willow by drive : reduce by approximately 0.5m to reduce overhang. T4, Bay by drive : cut back from drive. Teak Hill Salcombe Road Sidmouth EX10 8PURef. No: 21/2514/TCA | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of a conservatory to become a habitable room.11 Brownlands Close Sidmouth EX10 9ASRef. No: 21/2513/CPL | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of condition 1 (use of garage) from application 07/0766/COU 49 Temple Street Sidmouth EX10 9BARef. No: 21/2506/VAR | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Use of land as garden, including erection of potting shed, poly tunnel and raised beds, in association with existing dwelling known as Lea Cross. Lea Cross Dalwood Axminster EX13 7EARef. No: 21/2511/CPE | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reinstate garage door on side of dwelling. Abbeyfield House Silver Street Axminster EX13 5AHRef. No: 21/2510/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of agricultural outbuilding (resubmission of application 16/2289/FUL) Land North Of Shepherds Valley DunkeswellRef. No: 21/2515/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Extension to facilities at Little Westcott Farm to include a new access track, extension to the site office/storage building and erection of new office/staff accommodation building. Little Westcott Farm Sheldon Honiton Devon EX14 4QSRef. No: 21/2495/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Replace 3no. windows at ground floor in sitting room (south and east elevations) and replace 2no. doors on north and south elevation. Install wood burning stove in sitting room and increase height of chimney. Oak Tree Cottage Combe Raleigh Honiton EX14 4UQRef. No: 21/2497/LBC | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• External alteration & remodelling of dwellinghouse with changes to external materials and fenestration. Creation of external terracing. Erection of replacement garage. Flint House Fremington Road Seaton EX12 2HXRef. No: 21/2482/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erect new agricultural and storage shed. Harcombe Acres Land North Of Ashcombe Woods HarcombeRef. No: 21/2480/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension 35 Primley Road Sidmouth EX10 9LDRef. No: 21/2479/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Part single storey part two storey side extension and single storey rear extension to replace existing conservatory. 1 River View Drive Colyton EX24 6PRRef. No: 21/2486/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Install flue on side (south west) elevation at ground floor Orchard Lea Wiggaton Ottery St Mary EX11 1PURef. No: 21/2468/LBC | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension 5 Fleming Avenue Sidmouth EX10 9NYRef. No: 21/2470/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of machinery store and regularisation of existing entrance onto the highway and hard standing Land North East Of Clyst William Cross Plymtree EX15 2LQRef. No: 21/2454/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use from annexe to holiday Let Sutherlake Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3BLRef. No: 21/2440/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement two storey detached garage 4 Ridgeway Mead Sidmouth EX10 9DTRef. No: 21/2401/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Retention of 4 shipping containers for B8 storage uses Farm Buildings At Meetings Lane Lympstone Nr Exmouth EX8 5HTRef. No: 21/2404/FUL | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a pipeline bridge for gas Land South East Of Rockbeare Bridge London Road RockbeareRef. No: 21/2331/FUL | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed detached garage. 19 Boucher Road Budleigh Salterton EX9 6JFRef. No: 21/2324/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• For the proposed erection of a plant room and covered external amenity area / store Dwelling 2 Lower Southmoor Farm Brampford Speke Exeter EX5 5DYRef. No: 21/2255/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of plant room and covered store Dwelling 1 Lower Southmoor Farm Brampford Speke Exeter EX5 5DYRef. No: 21/2256/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Re-instate blocked door on front (north east) elevation and install 3no. glass floor panels at first floor Copper Castle Honiton EX14 9TGRef. No: 21/2189/LBC | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace existing internal secondary glazing to windows. The Manse Summer Lane Exmouth EX8 5BDRef. No: 21/2084/LBC | Validated: Tue 21 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Provision of secondary glazing in 2no. windows on east elevation and 6no. windows on north elevation 4 Point In View Cottages Summer Lane Exmouth EX8 5BDRef. No: 21/2094/LBC | Validated: Fri 24 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 11 solar water heating panels on existing slate roof. Springcombe House Salcombe Regis Sidmouth EX10 0JNRef. No: 21/2052/LBC | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 11 solar water heating panels on existing slate roof. Springcombe House Salcombe Regis Sidmouth EX10 0JNRef. No: 21/2051/FUL | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Reserved matters application seeking approval of scale (pursuant to outline planning permission 18/1094/MOUT – Outline application accompanied by an Environmental Statement (with scale and appearance reserved) for the change of use of agricultural land to employment land (B1, B8 and D1 uses) to provide 8,445 sqm of new floorspace, new highway access, cycle and footway, improvements to flood attenuation, building layout and road layout, new hedgerow planting and associated infrastructure) Land East Of Two Bridges Two Bridges Road SidfordRef. No: 21/1723/MRES | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal works to include; plastering walls in bathroom and kitchen. Remove small patches of defective/damaged plaster work & make good. Bedroom 2; Replace 2 x failed lintels with oak replacements, replace Upvc sash window with traditional timber sash window, re-plaster internal walls with a lime plaster mix with a breathable paint finish. Flat 3 Beacon Court 4 Louisa Terrace Exmouth EX8 2AQRef. No: 21/1687/LBC | Validated: Wed 22 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of existing roof structure and the creation of a new first floor level with 5No. Dormer windows. Homecrest Gore Lane Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3UURef. No: 21/1580/FUL | Validated: Thu 23 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a three storey building to include 4 x 2 bed flats, 2 x offices, and 2 x front dormers with associated parking and amenity space including demolition of existing hall British Red Cross Society South Street Exmouth EX8 2SARef. No: 21/1546/FUL | Validated: Mon 20 Sep 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/power-players/