Tory councillor says £500 isolation payment is ‘incentive’ to catch Covid

www.independent.co.uk

A Tory council leader has sparked outrage after suggesting self-isolation payments were an “incentive” for people to catch coronavirus.

John Fuller, who leads South Norfolk Council and is a friend of Boris Johnson, told Newsnight that the cash could encourage people to contract Covid-19. The deadly illness has killed 130,000 across the UK since February last year.

The comments came as the BBC show investigated whether access to the payments – made to people who otherwise could not afford to take time off work – needed to be increased to reduce transmission of the virus.

“Let’s flip it the other way around,” said Mr Fuller, an OBE. “Let’s not have a system whereby if you catch Covid you get £500. That’s an incentive to actually spread the disease and that’s not in anybody’s interest.”

Apparently stunned by the suggestion, host Kirsty Wark intervened for clarification. “Are you really saying that?” she asked.

“What I’m saying is that let’s not have the incentive,” he replied. “I didn’t say it was. Let’s not have an incentive that would encourage people to catch the disease.”

He went on to argue that local councils were more effective at running test and trace operations than NHS Test and Trace – the government’s £37bn behemoth, which critics describe as failing.

But his comments about the self-isolation payments were immediately criticised by the Thursday night show’s other guest, Labour mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, who pointed out that 70 per cent of people who apply for the support are rejected.

“Nearly 130k people have died of Covid in the last year alone because of his party’s handling of the pandemic,” he later added on Twitter. “What an insult.”

Others were even blunter. “Tories think its all about money because that is all they care about,” wrote one person on Twitter.

It is not the first time Mr Fuller has caused controversy. In November last year the 53-year-old was reported to the RSCPA after it emerged he had posted photos on social media of apparent attempts to set fire to moles in retaliation for the creatures digging up his back garden.

In Facebook images, Mr Fuller, 52, could be seen with a propane can in a wheelbarrow, firing flames into burrows. “A great day to be killing moles,” he wrote.

Academy trust bosses in England are being paid “eye-watering” salaries that are “verging on criminality”, according to the incoming president of one of the country’s leading teaching unions.

Sally Weale www.theguardian.com

Phil Kemp, the new national president of the NASUWT, will accuse some academy leaders of taking advantage of the increasing deregulation of the education system to pay themselves excessive sums of money from the public purse.

In a speech on Friday, on the first day of the union’s annual conference, which is being held virtually this year because of the Covid pandemic, Kemp is expected to criticise academy governance, saying: “Increasingly we hear of corrupt or nepotistic practices.”

He will say: “The salaries being paid to individuals in some of these academy trusts is not just eye-watering, it’s verging on criminality in my view. So many salaries, paid for from the public purse, rising over the £200,000 mark, and some well publicised, almost reaching half a million pounds.”

Kemp, who manages a programme of alternative provision in North Tyneside for children who have been or are in danger of being excluded from mainstream education, will call for a national pay scale for all teachers and leaders to be reintroduced to curb excessive pay.

“The snouts have to come out of the trough and the public purse protected from those who will take advantage of the increasing deregulation of our education system,” he will tell members. “Those taking these huge salaries should hang their heads in shame.”

Multi-academy trusts are charities that run chains of state schools that have converted into academies and have been taken out of local authority control.

In 2019 the Department for Education (DfE) wrote to 94 trust leaders whose pay was regarded as excessively high to ask them to justify their inflated salaries, but excessive pay continues to be a concern and unions say the government’s powers to intervene are “utterly feeble”.

Research by Tes last month found that at least seven senior leaders within academy trusts were earning more than £250,000, while Sir Dan Moynihan, the chief executive of the Harris Federation, remains the top earner with his salary increasing to between £455,000 and £460,000 in 2019-20.

While the focus over the last year has been on the challenges of the pandemic to education, last month the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, revealed the government was pursuing its academies agenda and wanted to see more schools in multi-academy trusts by 2025. The DfE has been approached for comment.

The NASUWT has also released figures showing that members were paid almost £12m in compensation last year, among them a primary school teacher from Cheshire who was awarded more than £150,000 after she was assaulted by one of her pupils.

The boy had been misbehaving so she asked him to get on with his work, but when she turned away he jumped up and grabbed her neck and right hand, the union said. The teacher sustained severe injuries, causing lasting ligament damage to her wrist, hand and fingers, and was awarded £155,000 in personal injury compensation.

In another case, a whistleblower was dismissed after raising concerns about bullying and intimidation of staff, as well as child protection issues, at her school. The deputy headteacher in the school in the north-west of England was awarded £60,000 for unfair and wrongful dismissal. Separately, more than £8,000 was paid out for three cases involving breaches of maternity rights.

Dr Patrick Roach, the NASUWT general secretary, said the cases were just the tip the iceberg. “There is no doubt that many other teachers will have been driven out of the profession without proper redress for poor, discriminatory or unfair treatment because they were too fearful to come forward or believed nothing could be done.

“Too many employers believe they can act with impunity as the government fails to take any action to secure compliance with employment law, allowing poor employment practices to flourish as a result of the excessive freedoms and flexibilities it has given to schools.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said the overwhelming majority of academy trusts set reasonable levels of pay for their leaders, adding: “We consistently challenge trusts where we deem executive pay to be too high, and will continue to do so when it is neither proportionate nor directly linked to improving pupil outcomes.”

As a correspondent points out: Westpoint has a nearby bus stop, Greendale hasn’t.

A witness described the scene as a ‘mass gathering’ 

Howard Lloyd www.devonlive.com

Police are breaking up a large gathering of people in Exmouth beach, with fighting and Covid-19 lockdown breaches being reported.

Devon and Cornwall Police say they were notified shortly after 6.30pm this evening (Friday, April 2) about a large number of people on the beach.

Witnesses at the scene have reported as many as seven police vehicles, as well as two ambulances.

The police say no injuries have been reported as yet.

“We first got a call at 6.34pm to a report of a large gathering of mainly youths which we are dealing with and trying to disperse,” said the police force incident manager (FIM).

“There are no suggestions of any injuries at this time, although there are reports of fighting.

“We are looking at general disorder, as well as potential Covid breaches.”

One eye witness has reported at least four groups consisting of 10-plus people at Orcombe Point, which were being broken up by officers.

He added that there were also a number of police vehicles at the town’s train station.

Another witness described the scene as a ‘mass gathering’ and said there were two police vans and four or five cars in attendance.

Lockdown restrictions were eased at the start of the week, meaning people were allowed outside for non-essential travel.

But that has led to fears over people abusing the easing of restrictions, potentially leading to another surge in cases.

Two parks in Nottingham are now shut following shocking images earlier this week showing people fighting, littering and failing to socially distance.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier this week urged people to not ‘blow it now’, asking people to continue to obey the rules that are in place.

In the light of the Dart’s Farm inaction wonder what Devon & Cornwall Police attitude is this week end?

Fariha Karim print edition The Times 2 April

Britons have been urged to behave over the Easter weekend after police broke up parties in the first week of the loosened lockdown.

Forces urged people to remain within coronavirus rules as families prepare to meet for the first time in months. Greater Manchester police issued a 48-hour dispersal order for the city centre after a party attended by hundreds of people at the Castlefield Bowl.

Merseyside police said that officers would patrol popular destinations across the region after receiving reports of large groups of youths travelling to Formby beach. In Sheffield a war memorial was vandalised on Tuesday when warm weather brought people out to Endcliffe Park. US flags were torn down from the memorial dedicated to ten American soldiers who died when a B-17 Flying Fortress crashed there on February 22, 1944.

The Metropolitan Police has written an open letter to people organising or participating in public gatherings, saying “we are still in the middle of a global pandemic”.

However, Easter weekend is set to be chillier than the past few days, the Met Office said, as a cold front moves down from the north.

Best April Fool – Owl?

Barnard Castle plans life-sized bronze of Boris Johnson’s former adviser after infamous trip ‘to test eyesight’ put town on map

By Gordon Rayner 1 April 2021www.telegraph.co.uk 

In the list of Britain’s top tourist attractions, it might struggle to rival the likes of Buckingham Palace or the Eden Project.

But Dominic Cummings’ notorious lockdown-busting visit to Barnard Castle could soon be commemorated with a statue in the historic market town, The Telegraph has learned.

Plans have been submitted to the local council for a life-sized bronze of Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser, who drove to the beauty spot last April in what he claimed was a bid to test his eyesight.

Local tourist chiefs argue that the town should capitalise on the infamy Mr Cummings brought it, having seen visitor numbers increase once lockdown was lifted last summer.

Shopkeepers in the town say the question they are most commonly asked by visitors is “where is the place that Dominic Cummings tested his eyesight?” and many would like to be able to point tourists to a plaque or statue marking the exact spot by the town’s riverside.

What the proposed Barnard Castle statue of Dominic Cummings could look like, complete with carrier bag Credit: Paul Grover/for the Telegraph

A planning application submitted by Olaf Priol, a member of the local historic society, requests permission for a 5ft 11in bronze on a pyrite plinth, depicting Mr Cummings wearing a trademark hoodie and jeans, carrying a set of car keys and “squinting into the distance, adjusting his spectacles with his right hand”.

The plans are likely to prove controversial as a local by-law states that statues in the town can only depict “deceased historic figures” who have “contributed to the common good”.

However, the council has the power to set aside the by-law if someone has made an “exceptional contribution” to the national and international profile of Barnard Castle.

Supporters of the plan are likely to point out that Mr Cummings’ visit led to Barnard Castle being name-checked in newspapers around the world.

Last summer, the then mayor of the town, which is 30 miles from Mr Cummings’ parents’ home in Durham, said the huge media coverage of the visit had “done us good in the sense that it has put us on the map”.

Beer firm BrewDog even made a special IPA called Barnard Castle Eye Test, which sold more than 800,000 cans.

Barnard Castle received another boost this week when Boris Johnson announced a new facility to “fill and finish” Covid-19 vaccines will be opened in the town. He later joked to MPs that Mr Cummings had been “scouting out the complex” during his Easter Saturday visit last year.

Attending a football match or a vigil on Clapham Common, different kettles of fishes? – Owl

Remember:

Break lockdown rules: “end up in a police cell”

An investigation into a controversial outdoor carol service held at Darts Farm has resulted in no action being taken.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com

Concerns and criticisms were raised on social media after images shared of the event on December 16, 2020, appeared to show significant numbers of people apparently not socially distancing or wearing face coverings.

The carol service was held on the grounds of Darts Farm, in Topsham, and police say it received no calls prompting officers to investigate on the night.

Following the event, East Devon District Council announced they were looking into the ‘planning and control measures’ to work out if rules were broken.

A screen shot of the outdoor Christmas carol evening at Darts Farm

However, Darts Farm insisted it had followed the suggestions from the Government’s ‘Covid-19: suggested principles of safer singing’ guidelines.

A spokesperson for East Devon District Council said: “The East Devon District Council legal team have concluded that the actual event, being a gathering, was the responsibility of the police to make any decisions on enforcement of the situation.

“The council have contacted the business to require information under the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 on the risk assessments for the event, and the company provided information sufficient to satisfy us that further action was not appropriate under our enforcement policy.”

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We are aware of an event that was held within the grounds of Darts Farm on December 16 2020.

“As this related to an event at a business premises this was left in the hands of the relevant local authority to investigate.

“This matter was not reported to police at the time and therefore officers did not attend the location while this incident was taking place.

“Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we have only issued fines when supported by evidence captured at the scene by our officers, therefore no retrospective action is being considered in relation to Darts Farm in relation to this event.”

Darts Farm is a nationally award-winning farm and food-hub located on the outskirts of Exeter.

Following its carol event last year, a spokesperson for the farm said: “With unlimited outdoor space and using closed off car parking, everyone was able to social distance and stand where they wanted. You could say that it was more organised than most busy high streets on a Saturday.

“The actual programme for the evening, including all of the carols, was on our website so that everyone could follow and sing using their phones – reducing any contact with no one gathered around a screen with projected words.

“From all those that attended, we have had nothing but positive feedback and interestingly the only criticism has come from those that didn’t actually attend the evening.

“The comments we have received include, ‘really moving hearing people singing together again even at a distance’, and ‘a big thank you for the organised carol service this evening. You do not know how much we needed that. God bless and merry Christmas’.

“It was brilliant to be able to see our local community come together in festive spirits in what has been a very challenging year. Outdoor carol singing is something that has been encouraged by the government in their recent guidance to help lift our spirits this Christmas.”

Water companies discharged raw sewage into rivers and coastal waters in England more than 400,000 times last year, Environment Agency (EA) data has revealed.

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

Untreated human effluent poured into rivers and seas for a total of 3.1m hours via storm overflow pipes that are supposed to be used only in extreme weather to relieve pressure in the sewage system.

The data is being published for the first time as a result of pressure on the EA, water companies and the government over the scale of sewage pollution in rivers.

Data for 2019 published by the Guardian last year showed raw sewage was discharged for 1.5m hours into rivers alone.

Countries are legally obliged to treat sewage before it is released into waterways. Discharges of untreated human waste are permitted only in exceptional circumstances, for example after extreme rainfall, the European court of justice has ruled.

The new figures show the scale of sewage discharges in England into rivers and seas. They have increased from 292,864 incidents in 2019 to 403,171 in 2020 – a 37% rise.

This is partly because more monitoring of storm overflows by water companies has this year provided a much clearer picture of the scale of the pollution. In 2020, monitoring was placed on 12,092 storm overflows, compared with 8,276 in 2019, a 46% increase. The EA said average spill numbers remained similar to last year.

Sir James Bevan, the EA’s chief executive, said: “Storm overflows are designed to discharge sewage to rivers or the sea at times of heavy rainfall to prevent it backing up into homes and streets. But higher population and climate change means they will discharge more often.

“The Environment Agency is working actively with the water companies to ensure overflows are properly controlled and the harm they do to the environment stopped. Increased monitoring and reporting of storm overflows is part of the solution. It means everyone can see exactly what is happening, and will help drive the improvements and future investment that we all want to see, with £1.1bn of investment already planned for the next four years.”

The Rivers Trust said the scale of discharges by water companies was shocking and that real-time monitoring of sewage discharges into rivers was needed.

Michelle Walker, the trust’s deputy technical director, said: “It’s good to finally see this data in the public domain, and in particular the significant increase in the number of overflows being monitored over the last four years.

“While we know we can’t make a direct comparison to last year’s … data due to the 50% increase in the number of overflows being monitored, the data raises alarm bells.

“If storm overflows work as designed, they will discharge less than 20 times per year, when there has been extreme rainfall … The 2020 data indicates that, appallingly, almost one in five overflows across England are discharging more than 60 times per year, a number which is supposed to trigger an EA investigation. This is a staggering statistic.”

Walker said there had been an increase in the recreational use of rivers during the pandemic, which was likely to continue. Real-time data for more rivers, not just the one river in Ilkley for which bathing water status has been granted, was needed, she said.

Hugo Tagholm, of Surfers Against Sewage, said: “Water companies making rampant profits at the expense the health of our rivers, ocean and people has to stop.

“Whilst the government is proposing new laws to be agreed for 2022, the sewage pollution crisis is here today and needs swift, decisive and enforced action. “We will not allow government and water companies to just kick this issue into the long grass … what we need now is radical action.”

A spokesperson for the industry body, Water UK, said: “Water companies are committed to playing their part in reducing any harm from storm overflows. As the data shows, we have massively increased monitoring, with the aim of getting 100% of the 14,630 overflows in England monitored by the end of 2023. This data is invaluable and allows investment to be targeted where it’s needed most.”

Water companies would be investing £1.1bn to improve storm overflows over the next five years as part of a wider £5bn programme of environmental improvements and the industry was playing a leading role in the government’s storm overflow taskforce that was looking at long-term alternatives, the spokesperson said.

The government announced on Monday that it was putting the reduction of sewage discharges by storm overflows into a legal framework. Ministers will have to come up with a plan to reduce them by 2022 – a timeline that was criticised by campaigners as too slow.

Raw sewage discharges into seas and rivers by water companies

Anglian Water – spill events: 17,428; duration in hours: 170,547

Welsh Water – spill events: 3,969; duration in hours: 21,300

Northumbrian – spill events: 32,497; duration in hours: 178,229

Severn Trent – spill events: 60,982; duration in hours: 558,699

Southwest Water – spill events: 42,053; duration in hours: 375,37

Southern Water – spill events: 19,782; duration in hours: 197,213

Thames Water – spill events: 18,443; duration in hours: 215,886

United Utilities – spill events: 113,940; duration in hours: 726,450

Wessex Water – spill events: 28,994; duration in hours: 237,035

Yorkshire Water – spill events: 65,083; duration in hours: 420,419

Data provided by the Environment Agency

Westpoint has been dishing out vaccines since January. It’s going three miles up the road

Radio Exe News www.radioexe.co.uk 

The large covid vaccination centre in Exeter is to move from Westpoint to nearby Greendale at the end of April, as the vaccination programme enters its next phase.

The move coincides with the beginning of a return to more normal commercial operations for Westpoint which is home to the Devon County Show. The show is due to go ahead a little later than usual this year, after being cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Everyone with appointments at Westpoint in April should attend as normal. There is no change to those appointments.

From the end of April, all existing appointments for second doses will move to Greendale but will take place on the same day and at the same time. People whose appointments are affected around the transition date will be contacted directly. There is no need to contact the NHS regarding your appointment.

A section of the Greendale site is being turned into a large vaccination centre by the NHS, with the centre meeting the same stringent safety requirements. It will offer plentiful parking and is only three miles and under five minutes’ drive from Westpoint. Signage will be in place to guide patients to the new venue from all directions.

Leigh Mansfield, the vaccination centre operations manager for the RD&E said: “The Westpoint vaccination centre has been an outstanding success in rolling out the covid vaccine to the people of Devon, and we’d like to thank the Devon County Agricultural Society for all they’ve done in helping us achieve this and making us so welcome.

“We’d also like to thank all the staff and volunteers who have supported us at Westpoint – they have been tremendous – and we look forward to welcoming them to our new base at Greendale.” 

Sam Kirkness, group head of property at Greendale said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the vaccination centre to Greendale. It is great to be part of the national effort against Covid-19 and we will continue to work very closely with the RD&E to ensure that the sites operate smoothly and efficiently once established.

As a business, we will remain open as normal whilst the vaccination centre is here and the sites have been designed to ensure as little disruption as possible to existing businesses and customers over the coming months.

Alongside our huge thanks to the RD&E and the NHS for their incredible efforts over the last year, we would also like to thank East Devon District Council for their helpful advice and guidance thus far.”

A solar farm the size of 79 football pitches has been proposed for an area of East Devon between the village of Clyst Hydon and hamlet, Lower Tale.

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk 

The plans, put forward by Lightrock Power who develops large-scale solar farms, cover an area of around 64 hectares – approximately158 acres – which could power the equivalent of 15,000 homes or 19,000 electric vehicles.

The developer said it will hold an online public exhibition in late spring in a bid to consult the community on the application.

The solar farm developer has launched an online information point for early feedback, which can also be given by phone, letter and email.

Lightrock Power said the Paytherden Solar Farm project was in the ‘early phases’ of development and was currently ‘being planned and assessed’ by its team.

Chris Sowerbutts, Lightrock Power founder and director, said: “We are keen to talk about our proposals for Paytherden solar farm.

“We would really like the local community to be involved in the process leading up to any planning application being submitted, and would appreciate early feedback and views.”

The farm where Paytherden is proposed to go is managed by Jon and Louise Burrough, who believe using the land to produce green energy will benefit the community and environment.

The couple said: “Climate change is the biggest threat our species has ever faced and everyone must make an effort.

“As custodians of a small part of the countryside, we’re in a unique position to play our part.

“Electricity use over the next thirty years is set to double, with half of all cars on the roads likely to be electric in the next five years.

“Therefore, the need to produce green energy to meet with this demand is crucial.”

Mr and Mrs Burrough added: “We are committed to caring for the environment and this is reflected in the way we farm.

“Over the past forty years we’ve planted ten-thousand trees here, including native species, orchards and a butterfly wood.

“We’ve also farmed organically for over twenty years, enabling more birds and bees to thrive.

“Not only does using our farm to produce green energy fit in with our ethos, it has enormous benefits for the wider community and the environment as a whole.”

A letter from the Electoral Reform Society to the Times, 31 March, spells out the danger of one-party domination in local government. The solution proposed is electoral reform. In the short term we have County Council elections on May 6 and Owl believes that voters should use the opportunity to vote for a more diverse council membership. In essence the questions to ask are: which candidate are free from party whipping and can truly represent the interests of their patch (“Division” in county-speak), and are committed to following the Nolan principles?

Sir, Patrick Maguire is right to highlight the one-party fiefdoms that plague local government (Mar 29). Indeed we often see the absurdity of “scrutiny committees”, reviewing millions of pounds in contracts, being dominated by the same party in office. It is a recipe for disaster. The risks of winner-takes-all politics — of sloppy decision-making and dodgy dealings — are clear. Research for the Electoral Reform Society in 2015 found that councils dominated by single parties could be wasting as much as £2.6 billion a year through a lack of scrutiny of their procurement processes. The study looked at thousands of public sector contracts, and found that one-party dominated councils were about 50 per cent more at risk of corruption than politically competitive councils, paying far over the odds to lobbyist contractors.

Alarm bells should be ringing in Whitehall. A shift to proportional representation is vital to provide the scrutiny that voters need. Instead, the home secretary is scrapping the preferential voting system for choosing mayors, which will entrench one-party domination. She must think again.

Darren Hughes

CEO, Electoral Reform Society

More detail and link to the 2015 research from www.electoral-reform.org.uk 

The study – undertaken by Cambridge University academic Mihály Fazekas – is titled The Cost of One-Party Councils and looks at the savings in contracting between councils dominated by a single party (or with a significant number of uncontested seats), and more competitive councils.

It finds that ‘one-party councils’ could be missing out on savings of around £2.6bn when compared to their more competitive counterparts – most likely due to a lack of scrutiny. £2.6bn is a lot of potential extra cash for our struggling authorities.

The report also measures councils’ procurement process against a ‘Corruption Risk Index’ – and finds that one-party councils are around 50% more at risk of corruption than politically competitive councils. The corruption risk of competitive councils compared to those dominated by one party is similar to the difference between the average Swedish municipality and the average Estonian municipality. This doesn’t bode well for democracy or council coffers.

And it’s no small-scale study. It uses ‘big data’ to look at 132,000 public procurement contracts between 2009 and 2013 to identify ‘red flags’ for corruption, such as where only a single bid is submitted or there is a shortened length of time between advertising the bid and the submission deadline.

One-party councils come about because of the distorting effects of First Past the Post in local elections. So today, we’re renewing our call for England and Wales to adopt the Scottish system (the Single Transferable Vote) for electing local councils. In Scotland, it has been shown to completely end the phenomena of one-party councils and uncontested seats – and could result in significant public savings, by increasing levels of scrutiny and lowering councils’ risk of dodgy dealings.

These findings make sense really. When single parties have almost complete control of councils, scrutiny and accountability tend to suffer.

The £2.6bn potential wastage is a damning indictment of an electoral system that gives huge artificial majorities to parties and undermines scrutiny. This kind of waste would be unjustifiable at the best of times. But during a period of austerity it is simply astonishing.

Alarm bells should be ringing in Whitehall today. First Past the Post is clearly unfit for purpose – especially for local government – with parties able to win the vast majority of seats often on a minority of the vote (and on tiny turnouts).

A fairer system, such as the one used in Scotland for local elections, would make ‘one-party states’ a thing of the past. And by letting the sunlight in, a fairer voting system could lead to substantial savings for the taxpayer.

Read the full report

It’s been an incredible political adventure and an absolute honour to serve my community for the past 12 years but it’s time to pursue new opportunities…Claire Wright

A great loss to the movement in East Devon as Claire stands down. She has been an inspiration to us all. I will be keeping in touch – and look forward to Jess joining me on the County Council, voters willing! – Martin Shaw

Paul Nero www.radioexe.co.uk 

Claire Wright will pursue other opportunities

Claire Wright to step down

The independent politician who has given Conservative candidates a run for their money in the past three parliamentary elections is quitting her role on Devon County Council.

Claire Wright came second to Sir Hugo Swire in the 2015 and 2017 general elections, before challenging his replacement Simon Jupp in 2019. She increased her share of the vote from 24 to 40 per cent, a commendable achievement for someone without the support of a large party machine.

However, her disappointment on the morning of the 2019 election was palpable and she declined to say whether she would run again.

Now she has decided not to seek re-election to her seat on Devon County Council in the forthcoming local elections, where she represents West Hill and Aylesbeare in East Devon.

Ms Wright said: “My decision to stand aside may come as a surprise to people.  However, I have quietly been considering my position for some time and although it has been an honour and privilege to serve my community in this way, it is now time to step aside. 

“It was in recent days and after much contemplation that I reached the decision that now is the right time to pursue other career opportunities.”

She is asking voters to elect independent councillor Jess Bailey in her place.

Ms Bailey has been an East Devon District councillor since 2019 and has served on Ottery St Mary Town Council and West Hill Parish Council for seven years. A solicitor, she grew up on a farm in Mid Devon where she developed a love of wildlife and nature. 

She said: “I am very honoured to be endorsed by Claire as her potential successor. It is by no means guaranteed that I will be elected though and in the coming weeks I will be working hard to understand the issues across the Otter Valley Ward. It will of course be a different kind of election due to Covid and whilst it may not be possible to speak to people on the doorstep in the ‘normal’ way I will be doing all that I can to communicate with residents.”

Claire Wright added: “I know with absolute certainty, that my ward, the residents, the wildlife, the trees and every other thing of value, will be in supremely safe hands if Jess is elected. I have known her for years. She has proven time and time again that she is hard working, that she cares and that she fights tooth and nail for her ward.”

Trees will be in safe hands with Jess Bailey, says Claire Wright

“There is no one else I would feel more confident in, or happier to succeed me on Devon County Council. I very much hope that my supporters will step forward to help Jess in the forthcoming election campaign – as I myself will be doing. It is a huge challenge for an Independent to be elected to the County Council without the backing of a party machine. With only five weeks to go until polling day, it will now be full steam ahead for Jess and for those helping with her campaign.”

Most of East Devon’s future housing growth will have to be built on sites outside of existing town centres, councillors have been told.

Simon Jupp talking up the possibility of Exmouth getting a slice of the “levelling-up” fund. In reality towns are being asked to gamble scarce money in preparing expensive glossy bids in what amounts to a national “Beauty Contest” – Owl

Daniel Clark, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

With the council currently producing a new Local Plan, an urban capacity study was commissioned to assess the potential for development within existing town centres

East Devon District Council’s strategic planning committee has heard that in the eight main towns in the district, a maximum of 766 homes could theoretically be built, fewer than the 928 currently required by the government to be built each year.

The meeting heard therefore that most of the housing would have to come outside of town centres, although increases in home working and thus the repurposing of office space for residential is something that may come forward further down the line.

The committee says in future, developments will probably have to be of a higher density than currently, and with in some cases to built up rather than out. Further work needs to be undertaken to examine how redevelopment of some town centres areas can be achieved.

Cllr Mike Howe suggested that a complete redevelopment of Exmouth’s Magnolia shopping centre, using money that the council has been awarded as part of the Levelling Up Fund, could provide a significant number of houses in the town centres, as well as helping to redevelop areas.

The fund is open for applications of up to £20 million to regenerate and improve High Streets in places like Exmouth, and tbuilds on the work of smaller schemes which predate the pandemic, including the Future High Streets Fund.

Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, had said: “I have spoken up for Exmouth in parliament and now funding which can be used to develop plans to improve our town is on the way. East Devon District Council needs to submit a strong bid to be considered for up to £20 million for Exmouth’s High Street. I hope the council will work with me to grasp this opportunity for the good of our town.”

Under the Welcome Back Fund, which aims to prepare towns for the safe return of shoppers and tourists, East Devon District Council will also receive £230,992 from the government.

Ed Freeman, service lead for planning strategy and development management, said that the aim of the urban capacity study was to understand how many possible housing sites with a capacity of five homes or more may be located in urban areas.

He said: “It would be ideal to meet the needs from brownfield sites but sadly it is not going to be anywhere near possible based on our assessment. We have looked at what is physically and practically possible but not the willingness of landowners and details of layout of sites

“There is a potential supply of 766 homes and that is a maximum as some may never come forward as there may not be a willing landowner or more specific constraints than the high level assessment suggests. It can form a component of housing supply going forward, won’t be a significant element.”

Cllr Olly Davey said that it was a salutary reminder that cannot rely on going inside the built-up boundary to meet the housing needs, adding: “This is 766 in total, not per year, as if it was, we wouldn’t have a problem. People want to see towns developed before open countryside is, but we have to recognise that may not satisfy all our future housing needs.”

Cllr Eleanor Rylance said that there is going to need to be higher density living in urban areas in the future. She said: “If we don’t have the land, then the only solution is to go up, and Britain has to get used to living in flats. Crucially, it stops town centres from dying out as there are people around to use the businesses, as without it, a lot of the shops won’t recover.”

Cllr Howe added: “We know the Levelling Up fund is open to us and we have seed money to put together a plan for Exmouth, and I have always thought the Magnolia Centre needs a bulldozer and a redevelopment. If you did that properly and did it well, you would have lovely office and shopping units and then like Princesshay in Exeter, 3/4/5 stories of flats above.

“It would be getting people living in the centre and working in the centre, so I think we need to be ambitious on this and don’t think that the full impacts of the Levelling Up fund have been added to the equation and we need to use it, and we do have the MPs support, so we have to get a move on.

“500 homes for Exmouth on that Magnolia site would be lovely and wouldn’t it just do the goods for the town centre? I think we can achieve more than the numbers here but need to look more cleverly.”

Cllr Paul Arnott, leader of the council, said that there was a meeting between senior members and MPs on April 14 to talk about how to work together with the Levelling Up fund, and added: “The idea of the Magnolia Centre is fantastic and anything we can do with the opportunities to maximise the use of the footprint is a really smart idea, and that would be promising.”

Cllr Kevin Blakey put forward a recommendation that that members note the limited capacity available within the existing built-up area boundaries of the main towns and the potential need to find land outside of these areas to meet the future development needs of the district when other opportunities are exhausted, which was unanimously accepted by the committee.

The urban capacity study identified all undeveloped land within the study area, although the vast majority of the sites, such as playing fields, leisure facilities, and green spaces were discounted due to their recreational importance, and were only included for completeness rather than any indication they were being considered.

Mr Freeman told the meeting that inclusion within this final list of sites should not be considered a substitute for planning permission and the study makes no judgement on whether permission would be granted, adding that it was likely that some sites included will not be appropriate for development as a result of detailed factors not assessed though the remit of the study.

A total of 60 sites in the eight main towns were identified through the study, with a capacity for 766 homes to be built on them, but Mr Freeman added: “Even in the unlikely event that all of these sites were brought forward, the potential supply of 766 homes represents significantly less than one years housing supply coming from land within the existing built up area boundaries of the towns.

“A proactive approach to their delivery is likely to be highly resource intensive and is potentially fraught with difficulties in terms of tracking down and approaching owners to discuss these sites without being seen to be encouraging an application that may ultimately not be accepted.

“The work is however useful evidence to inform plan production and also any estimate of the likely numbers of windfall sites that may come forward in the future.”

The meeting also agreed to the provisional timetable to produce a new draft local plan, with the aim for the committee to consider it in December.

POTENTIAL SITES THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED FOR HOUSING IN TOWN CENTRES

AXMINSTER (140 homes)

Land At Millbrook Valley, Stoney Lane, Axminster – south of Hallets Way – 10 homes

Axe Vale Social Club, Chard Street, Axminster, EX13 5EB – 5 homes

Land off and north of St Andrews Drive – 10 homes

Land off St David’s Close/St David’s Drive – 5 homes

Former football pitch site at Millwey – 30 homes

Millwey Community Gardens and Community Centre – 15 homes

Land south of monkstone and west of St Mary’s church – 10 homes

Land to the east of Lyme Close – 5 homes

Parking courtyard and garages at Ridgway Court – 5 homes

Axminster Community Hospital site – 10 homes

Land north of cemetery at Millwey – 10 homes

Websters Garage site and adjoining land and buildings – 25 homes

BUDLEIGH SALTERTON (10 homes)

Land forming part of former railway line, Knowle, Budleigh Salterton – 10 homes

CRANBROOK (0 homes)

No sites considered suitable

EXMOUTH (427 homes)

Car park at Margret St/north of Lower Fore Street – 20 homes

Vacant/underused land north of Fore Street – 20 homes

Open space south of Kay Close – 6 homes

Green Close northern triangle area – 5 homes

Green Close southern triangle area – 5 homes

Open land west of Bradham Lane – 6 homes

Open land alongside Moorfield Road – 5 homes

Land at Burnside – 5 homes

Open land north of Jubilee Drive – 20 homes

Open space at junction of Bradham Lane and Salterton Road – 10 homes

Open space west of The Green/at Lestock Close – 6 homes

Open space area east of The Green /south of Village Close – 5 homes

Former waste tip site west of Dinan Way – 110 homes

Withycombe Health Centre – 5 homes

Vacant/underused industrial premises western side of Pankhurst Close – 42 homes

Green space north west of the end of Liverton Close – 5 homes

Open space north of St John’s Road – 7 homes

Open space area west of Fraser Road – 9 homes

Open space area south of Fraser Road – 5 homes

Open space area at Cedar Close – 5 homes

Open space area east of Jubilee Drive – 5 homes

Play area at the end of Betjeman Drive – 5 homes

Open space area at Jubilee Close – 5 homes

Former industrial site on Albion Hill – 12 homes

British Red Cross Hall South Street Exmouth EX8 2SA – 5 homes

28 Cranford Avenue Exmouth EX8 2PZ – 20 homes

22 And 24 Albion Hill Exmouth EX8 1JS – 14 homes

Land at Withycombe Brook, Exmouth – 50 homes

Buildings at the Deaf Academy – 30 homes

HONITON (74 homes)

Land at Dower Street, west of Lee Close development and south of A30 – 5 homes

Garages south of Pale Gate, Honiton – 5 homes

Former Millwater School, Honiton Bottom Road – 23 homes

Garage block at northern end of Marker Way – 5 homes

Land adjoining and north of beggars Lane – 13 homes

Triangular grass area south of Monkton Road adjacent to Harts garage  – 5 homes

Land north of Chapel Street – 18 homes

OTTERY ST MARY (20 homes)

Car Park and land off Brook Street, EX11 1EZ – 5 homes

Field adjacent to Cadhay Lane, EX11 1QZ – 5 homes

Field adjacent to Longdogs Close, EX11 1JN – 5 homes

Old Fire Station, Batts Lane, EX11 1EY – 5 homes

SEATON (55 homes)

Former St Johns Ambulance Depot – 8 homes

Seaton Town FC Football Ground – 28 homes

Grass triangular area beyond the eastern end of Summersby Close. – 5 homes

Seaton Community Hospital – 14 homes

SIDMOUTH (40 homes)

Grass area west of Fairmead road – 5 homes

Land at Alexandria Trading Estate – 10 homes

Land north of Peasland road – 15 homes

Sidmouth Health Centre – 10 homes

How did he do it? How, in the name of everything he takes unseriously, did Boris Johnson announce that up to 60m doses of the Novavax vaccine will be bottled and finished by GlaxoSmithKline, but somehow stop himself looking straight down the camera to add: “And they’ll do it at their plant in … [Roger Moore-style eyebrow raise] … Barnard Castle”? There are few scarcer commodities than Johnsonian self-control, but having overcome that particular urge, the prime minister now surely has no personal restraint left for the rest of the year. Lock up your infosec entrepreneurs, parents…………..

Marina Hyde www.theguardian.com extract

The Plymouth councillor who published a picture of himself in a wig and dress mocking a proposal for a curfew on men following the death of Sarah Everard has been disciplined by the Conservatives.

Edward Oldfield www.plymouthherald.co.uk

The Facebook post by Mark Deacon, councillor for Southway, was criticised during a period of intense public discussion about violence towards women and girls.

He removed the post after an outcry and apologised for causing offence.

Cllr Deacon was suspended by the city council Conservative group pending an investigation. That has now found he broke group rules on councillor conduct.

Tory leader Nick Kelly said in a statement that Cllr Deacon would be punished by serving a 21-day suspension from the group and a warning about use of social media would stay on his file.

Cllr Kelly said the councillor had confirmed he “deeply regrets” his “error of judgement” and was “completely remorseful to those he has offended”.

A petition was later set up in support of the Tory councillor for his achievements in the Southway ward.

Cllr Deacon published a picture of himself wearing a dress and wig, with the message: “If the Green Party and some Labour Party politicians get their way and impose this ridiculous 6pm curfew on men, then I’m going to wear my dress more often.”

He later removed the post and apologised. He wrote: “I didn’t intend any offence that my comments might have caused to a section of the public.”

Cllr Kelly said the councillor had not made the connection until after he made the post between the disappearance and death of Sarah Everard and the suggestion from Baroness Jones that men should face a 6pm curfew.

The marketing executive disappeared after walking home from a friend’s house in London in early March. A week later her remains were found in Kent and a police officer has been charged with her kidnap and murder.

Cllr Kelly said the Southway councillor would refresh his understanding of the Nolan Principles, also known as the Seven Principles of Public Live, which refer to the ethical standards public figures are expected to show of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. He would also complete the city council’s online equality and diversity training.

Cllr Deacon has represented the Southway ward since 2015 and his current term of office ends in 2023. A petition was started by a Southway resident in support of the councillor following his initial suspension, acknowledging his work in the area.

The statement from the Conservative group leader on Monday said: “Following a thorough internal investigation into the conduct of Cllr Mark Deacon as a result of a post he made on Facebook on Saturday 13th March 2021, regarding the statement from Baroness Jones that all men should face a 6pm curfew, Cllr Deacon was found to have breached the Plymouth Conservative Councillor Group’s Rules.

“The investigation found that upon realising his error of judgement, Cllr Deacon immediately removed the post that generated a number of adverse comments from the public and issued two apologies on his social media page.

“Subsequently, Cllr Deacon has confirmed that he deeply regrets his actions and is completely remorseful to those he has offended. Cllr Deacon wishes to unequivocally apologise for his actions and has learnt from this incident.

“Cllr Kelly confirmed that the post was insensitive regarding both content and timing after the tragic murder of Sarah Everard and the comments from the Baroness were made in light of this murder.

“Unfortunately, Cllr Deacon did not make this connection until after his offending post had been made public. Mark was mortified once he realised this link.

“In view of this breach, Councillor Deacon will serve a 21 day suspension from the Conservative Group. A warning will remain on Cllr Deacon’s file regarding his conduct, with specific regard to his use of social media.

“Cllr Deacon has agreed to be more mindful of expressing his views on social media in the future, especially in his capacity as a Plymouth City Councillor. Cllr Deacon will re-acquaint himself with the Nolan Principles regarding Public Life.

“Cllr Deacon will also complete the online Equality and Diversity Training provided by Plymouth City Council.

“Cllr Nick Kelly wishes to acknowledge all those who have contacted him regarding this incident, including the many offering their support to Cllr Deacon and highlighting the great work he has done since serving as a Conservative Councillor in the Southway Ward from May 2015.

“Hopefully, Mark will learn from this regrettable incident and will now once again be able to focus all his efforts into working on behalf of the residents of Southway Ward.”

A police investigation into Covid-19 deaths at a care home is now focusing on “infection control and management”.

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk 

A woman, 57, from Sidmouth, and a man, 30, from Exeter, who were arrested last week by police on suspicion of wilful neglect have been released on bail.

Both are members of staff at Holmesley Care Home in Sidmouth, Devon.

Nine deaths have been reported at the home since 25 February. All are thought to be related to an outbreak of the virus, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

“The police investigation is currently focusing on infection control and management within the home,” the force said in a statement.

“It is not currently related in any way to the vaccination of residents,” it added.

Holmesley Care Home said it is treating the allegations “with the utmost seriousness”.

It said it is grateful to “those diligent members of staff who brought concerns to light” adding that “the police have our full cooperation in their investigation”.

Police have previously said no other arrests were “currently planned” as investigations continued.

Officers are leading the investigation in partnership with health watchdog the Care Quality Commission.

Lifelong Conservative voters caught up in the building safety crisis are abandoning the party after its MPs voted against protecting leaseholders from potentially crippling costs to fix fire risks discovered after the Grenfell Tower fire.

Robert Booth www.theguardian.com 

Apartment owners, some of whom have supported the Tories since Margaret Thatcher set out her vision of a “property-owning democracy”, said they could no longer vote for a party which they argued was placing the interests of property developers and freeholders above homeowners.

One who had voted Tory for 50 years said he was “incensed” at seeing young people just climbing on to the housing ladder getting “kicked in the teeth”. Another, who supported the party for 30 years said “they are abandoning the people working hard to own their homes”.

The affected voters include middle-aged people who have invested in one or two apartments as a pension, people who have helped their children on to the housing ladder, owner occupiers and people who have bought a minority share of their home under shared ownership schemes but who are now being asked to pay all of the remediation bill.

The grassroots anger boiled over this week after Conservative MPs voted down an amendment to the fire safety bill, which would have ensured hundreds of thousands of leaseholders were protected from paying billions of pounds to fix apartment blocks found to be defective after the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster.

Thirty-three Conservatives rebelled, voting in favour of the protection, including Stephen McPartland, who have led minority Conservative calls to protect leaseholders, but 320 did not.

McPartland, who proposed the amendment in the first place, has described his party’s position as “morally unacceptable”.

“What we are doing today is shameful,” he told the Commons this week. “If this bill goes through even more leaseholders are going to face bankruptcy, even more are going to face huge issues around homelessness.”

McPartland said the debate was set to return to the House of Lords and he was still hoping for a government compromise. But since the vote, a stream of angry Conservatives voters have contacted the Guardian to say the government’s policy has forced them to rethink their lifelong support for the party.

“I am a lifelong Tory voter, but I am incensed at the clear injustice of how this is affecting so many young people,” said Peter Barnfield, 69, who owns a flat in the Decks complex in Runcorn, which has missing fire breaks set to cost up to £25,000 per leaseholder. “I cannot see this is justifiable. I’ll vote Labour. There are young people who have just got on the ladder and have been kicked in the teeth.”

Jacky Herger, 59, an accounts manager who cannot sell her flat at Ingress Park in Kent because of problems with firebreaks and render, said she feared she would lose her property if forced to pay.

“I have voted Tory all my life but after the fiasco of the vote I will not be voting for them again,” she said.

Sally Ann Burton, a company director in Portishead who owns apartments facing remediation costs of £60,000 each, said: “They are telling us you are better off to rent a home. They are abandoning the people working hard to own their homes.”

David Davis, the former shadow home secretary who also rebelled and voted to protect leaseholders, said his party’s position was burdening homeowners “which is a group we should approve of”.

“This is a regulatory failure on a sizeable scale and the state should shoulder the burden and not allow it to fall on anybody whether they vote Conservative or Communist,” he said.

The government has argued that forcing freeholders to pay could trigger legal action by building owners against the government to reclaim costs, while others could “walk away” from their ownership, making the problem worse. It has also launched £5bn in grants, but only to fix dangerous cladding and not other fire safety defects, and only on buildings more than 18 metres in height.

But its position is leaving some voters feeling “politically homeless”.

“The Conservatives are making themselves look like they’re not the party of homeownership, they are the party that don’t care,” said Alex Kubiakowska-Welch, 30, a Tory voter whose faulty block of flats in north-west London will not qualify for government funding. She said the issue had “absolutely” changed who she would vote for.

Tom Marshall, 31, faces costs of about £30,000 on his flat in the London borough of Bexley and will now vote against the party he has always supported.

“I’ve always taken the Conservative party at their word about being the party of homeownership,” he said. “I’ve had to do a bit of soul-searching. I know the Conservative party has a reputation for looking after its own, but it looks like they’re more keen on hanging on to party donors than protecting leaseholders.”

The Conservative party has been contacted for comment.

Latest twist in the long running saga of Honiton Town Council – East Devon’s answer to Handforth PC

Hannah Corfield honiton.nub.news

A Honiton councillor has been found in breach of the Code of Conduct, specifically related to treating people with respect and bullying.

Following a six-hour Standards Hearing conducted by a sub committee at East Devon District Council (EDDC) on March 12, three separate complaints made against Cllr John Taylor were upheld and sanctions imposed.

Concerns were raised following Cllr Taylor’s actions in relation to Tony McCollum in May 2020 when Honiton Street Market was undergoing Covid risk assessments. At the time, Mr McCollum was employed by Honiton Town Council as Town Development Manager.

Cllr Taylor’s comments submitted within a Covid compliance document were used as evidence.

Examples are detailed below:

• “No effort has been made by either Mr McCullum [sic] or Cllr Wyatt to consider measurements

*NB. Cllr Taylor misspells McCollum as McCullum

• Mr McCullum was there but was engrossed in consecutive phone calls

• Cllr Wyatt has not dealt with facts at all save cursory non-critical reference to three pages of documents provided by not authored by Mr McCullum

• That accords with the failure of Mr McCullum to pursue any of the above described work

• Mr McCullum and Cllr Wyatt mentioned the Cattle Market…it is astounding that such a dumb proposal has been made”

In a report issued yesterday (March 25) it said: “The Sub Committee found that Cllr Taylor’s conduct as set out above was a pattern of behaviour which amounted to bullying of Mr McCollum.

It went on: “The Sub-Committee found that in there was an imbalance of power in the Member/Officer relationship and that Cllr Taylor sought to sideline and undermine Mr McCollum including purporting to be acting on behalf of the Council.

“This exacerbated the impact of Cllr Taylor’s behaviour and the impact that it had on Mr McCollum.

“The Sub Committee felt that the undermining of Mr McCollum in relation to the work undertaken to consider and evaluate the re-opening of Honiton Street Market was malicious and insulting and undermined his standing and his work.

“The Sub Committee found that Cllr Taylor was misusing his power and that the impact of that behaviour was detrimental to Mr McCollum’s confidence and ability to perform his role.”

In mitigation Cllr Taylor asserted that he was acting to “save lives”, a claim that was not upheld by the Sub Committee.

As recommended by the Monitoring Officer, the following three sanctions have been imposed:

1. Censure of Cllr Taylor.

2. Cllr Taylor undertakes training organised by the Monitoring Officer in relation to the Code of Conduct and very specifically related to bullying and the impact of behaviour upon others and the relationships between officers and members.

3. That following that training Cllr Taylor is asked to issue a written apology to Mr McCollum with the wording to be agreed with the Monitoring Officer.

The report added: “The Sub Committee wished it to be noted that they are particularly concerned about the behaviour of Cllr Taylor, as set out in this decision and also as demonstrated during the Standards Sub Committee hearing.”

A recording of the Standards Hearing can be accessed here.

Plans to shake-up the way the national parks of the Westcountry are run, scrapping the national park authorities for Exmoor and Dartmoor and handing control to a national body in London are being considered by ministers.

Philip Bowern www.devonlive.com

As part of a wholesale change across England, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is proposing to bring all of the statutory functions and responsibilities of England’s protected landscapes together into a single organisational structure.

That would leave the 10 national parks in England, including Dartmoor and Exmoor, and the nation’s 34 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, (AONB) without local management or input, critics of the plan fear.

BBC Countryfile’s reporter Tom Heap says he has seen documents which suggest the Government want to merge England’s AONBs and national parks under a single National Landscape Service – cutting at a stroke the local input that currently comes from councillors and other members of the national park authorities.

The plan follows a review, by Julian Glover, carried out 18 months ago. He suggested a better coordinated management of England’s places of natural beauty was needed. But critics fear a one-sized fits all approach to landscapes as diverse as the Lake District, the South Downs and Dartmoor, for example, would be counterproductive, with powers transferred away from grassroots communities to Westminster.

Mr Glover has denied he envisaged scrapping local management of the parks. His plan for a National Landscape Service was one of around 25 recommendations made in his report. He told the BBC. “This isn’t about everything being run central. This is about common goals, done locally.”

At the moment the national parks of the Westcountry, like those across the country, are managed by a small team of professionals, led on Dartmoor by chief executive Kevin Bishop and on Exmoor by Sarah Bryan. They are answerable to a committee, made up of local people including councillors and other representatives, who set policy, decide on planning applications and help to manage the parks in line with the needs of those who live and work on them, as well as those who come to visit.

Opposition to the plan is building across the country. Richard Leafe, chief executive of the Lake District national park, told Countryfile: “I think the power really does need to be focused locally because this is where we need to go to work. We are from here, our families all live and work around here, we know the people of the Lake District very well.”

Those same arguments are being made on Exmoor and Dartmoor.

Kevin Bishop, chief executive of Dartmoor National Park Authority, told the WMN: “We still await a formal Government response to the Landscapes Review but if the BBC Countryfile story of ministers being minded to merge the 10 National Park Authorities and 34 AONBs into a single organisation is correct, then is it deeply concerning.

“For 70 years the management of Dartmoor National Park has involved the local community and other stakeholders. Establishing a central quango is a potential reform in the wrong direction: it would reduce or remove local accountability; remove a powerful champion for Dartmoor and its communities; weaken the local partnership working that is essential to almost everything we do; hamper our ability to respond quickly to meet Dartmoor’s needs; and reduce the resources available for Dartmoor National Park.”

He said the national park authorities were not against reform and there was merit in a National Landscapes Service as a “small but powerful advocate, at the heart of Government, for our most treasured landscapes.”

He suggested a ‘Landscapes Commissioner’ akin to the Children’s Commissioner could be a possible solution.

He went on: “Many of the report’s other recommendations are of more practical value than organisational change and would go further in helping us ensure that Dartmoor is even better for people and nature.”

Defra said: “The Landscapes Review set out a compelling vision for more beautiful, more biodiverse and more accessible National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“We welcome this ambition, and we have been actively engaging with stakeholders to inform our response to the Review, which we intend to publish in due course.”