Next Wednesday, 6 January starting at 10.00am, is set to be a “Super Wednesday” in planning terms as EDDC determines two major planning applications. Both are concerned with reacting to flooding and both have divided local opinion. In both cases planning officers are recommending approval.

Agenda item 8: 20/2089/MFUL (Major) BUDLEIGH AND RALEIGH (Pages 20 – 79) 151 Hectares Of Land Within The Parishes Of East Budleigh, Budleigh Salterton And Otterton From Lime Kiln Car Park (SY072810) To South Of Frogmore House (SY074850) (The Lower Otter Valley). [The Lower Otter Restoration Project]

Agenda item 9: 20/1504/MOUT (Major) OTTERY ST MARY (Pages 80 – 128) Land Opposite Barrack Farm, Exeter Road, Ottery St Mary.  [Tipton St John primary school relocation] 

Here is what Devon live says on the the school relocation:

Planners urged to approve relocation of historic Devon school

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com 

Plans to close a Devon primary school which has been in a village for more than 200 years and relocate it to a neighbouring town are set to be approved next week.

Proposals for outline planning permission to build a 210 space primary school and up to 150 new homes on land opposite Barrack Farm in Exeter Road, Ottery St Mary, are to be discussed by members of East Devon District Council’s planing committee next Wednesday, January 6.

The plans also include the construction of a new roundabout on Exeter Road, a new junction onto Cadhay Lane, and associated infrastructure.

Tipton St John Primary School, which has about 90 pupils, has suffered from repeated flooding with children being evacuated and the school being shut. It led school governors to take the decision to seek to relocate the school from its current location to a new site next to the King’s School.

The Thorne Farm Site from above (to the west of the King’s School)

In December 2018, Devon County Council’s Farm Estates Committee agreed that Thorne Farm be declared permanently surplus and that part of the site be transferred to the Dioceses of Exeter for the provision of a new primary school, subject to planning permission being agreed.

Land at the farm will also be sold off for housing which will held to raise the finance needed to build the new school.

The preferred option had been to try and relocate the school within the village, but after a £3.5m bid to the Government was rejected, and due to the flood risk, a rebuild on the current site was not viable, a move to Ottery St Mary was considered the only realistic option.

The new school will accommodate children from Tipton St John and will also meet the need for additional school places for children from the new developments in Ottery St Mary which cannot be met at the existing schools which are at capacity.

Concerned Tipton St John former parent Matt Davidson says he is anxious about the proposals because no plans have been shared about helping to transport young children from the village to the new school.

Flooding at Tipton St John Primary School

He said: “The ‘flooding’ pretext used to push this plan through has been proven false. There are zero lost school days due to flooding on record. With simple remedial work, we have now successfully rectified a brook which had previously created a photo opportunity for excess water on the site.

“Other schools, such as Sidbury, have all successfully mitigated their flood risk with investment and community help.

“Technically the plan avoids the language of closure, which in reality it would be for Tipton St John Primary School, and the derelict site that will remain in the village.

“The financial gains are very significant for Devon County Council and the governors/ governing bodies pushing for the plan. The building of new homes on previously earmarked educational land, and against the town plan, is also suspect and need investigating.

“Our own social media polls and Ofsted ratings show how successful the school is in its current format and location. Why is a fully stocked, top achieving school being targeted this way?

“No impact assessment in the village has been conducted over the past years leading up to this point. The school has been central to the Tipton St John community and surrounding areas for 200 years.

“With current Covid-19 troubles, we desperately want to reduce travel, retain and look after the youngest members of our community here in Tipton St John.”

In planning documents, committee members are being recommended to approve the application.

It states that although it represents a departure from the development plan and the officer recommendation is contrary to the views of the ward member and the parish council, the application needs to be considered in the context of sustainable development and whether the benefits of the proposal outweigh the harm of departing from the adopted allocation.

The report says: “The provision of housing on agricultural land outside of a Built-Up Area Boundary (BUAB), below policy level of affordable housing, and the visibility of the site from various viewpoints within the town and local area all weigh against the proposal.

“However, the overriding benefits of the proposal through providing a new primary school to replace an existing school which is required due to identified dangers from flooding, control of the impact from the housing at the reserved matters stage, together with provision of affordable housing within the town and the construction of a new roundabout which would improve highway safety are considered to outweigh the dis-benefits of the scheme.

“Accordingly, on balance, it is considered that the proposal is acceptable subject to the package of measures proposed in the application to mitigate any harm, secure affordable housing, including an overage clause, and habitat mitigation through a legal agreement and appropriately worded safeguarding conditions.”

Stephen Reicher, Stephen Reicher is a professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews and a member of Independent Sage. This piece was written after discussion and detailed input from other members of the group. www.theguardian.com 

The new variants of Covid-19 have changed the nature of the pandemic. We are no longer facing the same situation as in March or even November. Our response must change accordingly.

It is now clear that variant B117 of Covid-19 is already established in all parts of the UK. Being an estimated 56% more transmissible than pre-existing variants, it is likely to constitute 90% of all cases by mid-January. According to UK government briefings, even current tier 4 restrictions are insufficient to deal with its spread. Indeed, no single measure is likely to be sufficient to bring the pandemic back under control. Rather we need an integrated response that brings together all the instruments we have to deal with the infection.

How do we do this? My colleagues and I on Independent Sage are proposing a five-point emergency plan, which would allow the UK to start 2021 with a comprehensive strategy in place to deal with the crisis. All five parts of the plan must happen in concert and they need to be accompanied by a comprehensive communications campaign.

First, there’s the question of vaccination. The rollout of vaccines is a key part of the strategy to combat Covid-19 and must be accelerated as a matter of urgency. This should be organised through the over 8,000 GP practices in the UK, supported through additional staff and resources, and coordinated via local public health structures.

However, vaccination cannot be the entire strategy. This is because of the time taken to complete it (that’s even if we reach the target of 2 million vaccinations a week called for by members of the government’s influenza modelling group), uncertainties over its duration of immunity and impact on transmission, and restrictions on its use in some populations (eg children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers).

All this is exacerbated by the fact that, due to the increased infectiousness of the new variant, a higher proportion of people need to be vaccinated in order to achieve population immunity. In the medium term there will be pockets of the population in which the infection continues to circulate, with periodic outbreaks inevitable. Vaccination can complement but not supplant other interventions.

This takes us to the second point: national control measures are essential. Further restrictions are necessary in two main areas. The first of these is personal travel, especially international travel. This must be monitored and regulated effectively, with advance application for travel to and from the UK, a negative PCR test prior to travel and managed isolation on arrival. The second area is education. Schools should remain closed until buildings are made as safe as possible for pupils and staff. This includes smaller class sizes (achieved through hiring extra teachers and teaching rooms), adequate ventilation and free masks for all pupils.

Universities should move to online teaching as the default until Easter at least. This will allow students to study from home, avoiding issues arising from travel and crowded campus accommodation. For school, college and university students, there should be universal provision of computers and wifi connections to ensure everyone can study remotely. Schoolchildren without space for home study should be taught along with vulnerable children and children of key workers.

Our third point in the plan is about the UK’s test, trace and isolate regime. Throughout the pandemic, the government has reduced the issue of a testing system to the numbers of people who are tested. However, testing is only the first step in the process. It must be part of a strategy designed to trace contacts as quickly as possible so as to isolate them before they can infect others. This requires not only forwards tracing (identifying who you might have given the infection to) but also backwards tracing (where you got it from).

The government’s contracting out of the test and trace system has shown the private sector is not up to the job – and nor can it be. Effective tracing and supported isolation depend upon local public health staff who know their patch and are trusted by the community. The need for a “public health reset” of the testing system remains urgent.

Practical support is necessary in order to enable people to self-isolate. The continued failure to address this issue in the UK has led to continued low adherence (less than 20% for those with symptoms) and contrasts markedly with the 90-95% rates achieved in places like New York, which supports isolation with everything from financial assistance and hotel accommodation to pet care.

Next, workplaces. When the government relaxed restrictions in July, they handed over responsibility to employers and owners of facilities to make their premises safe but with limited guidance, minimal support, and virtually no formal regulation. While many enterprises have worked assiduously to ensure that adequate Covid mitigations are implemented, this is not true of all. It is now critical to ensure that we have robust systems to prevent the spread of infection. This should include funds for necessary changes, inspection of all premises and certification of those meeting the required standards. This would have the added advantage of increasing public confidence in using certified premises (shops, hospitality etc).

Finally, financial support for the public is crucial. Inequalities are playing a central role in this pandemic. The disease impacts more on vulnerable populations as do the measures used to control it. People on low incomes are more likely to lose jobs and suffer financially than the more affluent, many of whom have profited from this pandemic. The firm measures we propose here are both morally and practically untenable without enhanced support for individuals and local businesses that will be affected most.

At a time when the UK (population 67 million, Covid deaths 70,752) has been experiencing more than 30,000 new cases a day and prevaricating about what measures are needed, Australia (population 25 million, Covid deaths 909) instituted immediate and far-reaching restrictions in Sydney after an “outbreak” of 38 cases. One local person responded by saying: “Let’s go early, let’s go hard and let’s get this baby.” This makes a good mantra for the pandemic as a whole. Our plan is a minimum for what needs to be implemented – without delay.

The fleeing Britons were criticised on social media as selfish or foolish. Jacqueline Hamilton, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York, said: “Why the hell are people going on skiing holidays in the middle of a pandemic? And then to run away, like the selfish idiots they are.”

Owl recalls reporting that last March, Devon had emerged as the worst affected area for coronavirus outbreak as the government released the first breakdown by local authority. These cases were linked to individuals returning from skiing trips.

So have all these escapees fled to their second homes, maybe in Devon?

Charles Bremner, Paris | Greg Wilford www.thetimes.co.uk 

Hundreds of British skiers who slipped out of the resort of Verbier and travelled home to escape a Swiss quarantine have been called selfish idiots.

Hoteliers alerted the local authorities on Sunday morning after half their British customers failed to pick up breakfast trays outside their doors, according to officials. Up to 200 skiers were said to have left.

A mandatory quarantine had been imposed on British arrivals after the announcement of a variant of the coronavirus in the UK.

Swiss officials blamed each other as anger grew over the disappearance of the skiers. The leaders of Valais canton said that the federal authorities had failed to notify them of the details of newly arrived Britons who were ordered to self-isolate under retroactive rules imposed on December 21. It applied to arrivals dating to December 14.

About 400 were traced to Verbier, a favourite Alpine resort for Britons. They were asked to stay in their chalets or hotel rooms, where meals were left at their door, but many opted for a quick getaway during a foggy night.

Jean-Marc Sandoz, spokesman for the Bagnes municipality, which includes Verbier, told ATS, the Swiss news agency: “It was when they saw the meal trays untouched that the hoteliers noticed that the customers had gone. Many of them stayed in quarantine for a day before they set off unnoticed under the cover of darkness.

“We can’t blame them. In most cases, quarantine was untenable. Imagine four people staying in a hotel room of 20 square metres.”

The fleeing Britons were criticised on social media as selfish or foolish. Jacqueline Hamilton, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York, said: “Why the hell are people going on skiing holidays in the middle of a pandemic? And then to run away, like the selfish idiots they are.”

Beatrice Bass, a spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, wrote: “I still hope the selfish reckless culprits get caught and fined.”

Hugh Risebrow, chief executive of Latchmore Associates, a healthcare company, said: “Love skiing but unnecessary travel seems very risky (to self and others) under the circumstances.”

Adrian Faiers, a former NHS worker, said: “Perhaps Verbier is just another example of the overlap between the arrogant and the ignorant classes? ‘Regardless of the cost to others, we’ll decide how, when and if rules apply to us.’”

After reports on the higher transmission rate of the “British variant”, people in Switzerland became wary of UK visitors, the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported on Sunday. “Anyone who speaks English is suspicious,” it said.

Many of the tourists appeared to have driven across the border to France in search of return flights because there were almost no flights between Switzerland and Britain at the weekend. French ski slopes are closed but resort hotels are open, with visitors free to practise Nordic skiing or snowshoe walking.

However, a tourism official said that the figure of a 200-strong British exodus was exaggerated. Simon Wiget, Verbier’s director of tourism, said most of those who left over the past three days had obeyed the rules and were at the end of their quarantine or had obtained permission to leave for Britain.

Verbier, long a favourite with the royal family, usually fills up with British tourists for the Christmas break. Britons make up about a fifth of the visitors there in the mid-winter. The resort had been hoping to save its season because, unlike surrounding nations, Switzerland remained open to winter sports visitors.

Many in Switzerland blamed Christophe Darbellay, head of the Valais cantonal government, who had defied advice and pushed to keep the resorts open. Many of the 10,000 Britons who arrived just before the announcement of the Swiss quarantine had travelled to the canton. Mr Darbellay said the Federal Office of Public Health “had made our work unnecessarily difficult” but the federal government rejected the claim, saying it had fully informed the cantons on its quarantine policy.

Brexiteer compares escape to flight of the Von Trapps

Andy Wigmore, a spokesman for Arron Banks, the Brexiteer who co-founded Leave.EU, has denied breaking the rules after he joined hundreds of British skiers in rushing home to escape the Swiss quarantine (Charlote Wace writes).

Mr Wigmore, 54, had boasted of his escape on social media, comparing it to The Sound of Music. He had been staying in a chalet at a ski resort in Wengen about an hour from Verbier when he heard about an imminent quarantine for UK arrivals.

He said that he and his family crossed the Swiss border last Tuesday afternoon with 20 minutes to spare. After taking local trains they reached Paris at midnight and caught the last Eurostar to London “just in time for Christmas”.

Mr Wigmore told The Times that he had received a tip-off from a local about the new rules. “We made a dash for it on the 22nd and managed to get over the border with about 20 minutes to go before they locked down Switzerland,” he said.

“The Wiggy von Trapps, like The Sound of Music, escaped over the border before they shut it down, except that we were escaping from Switzerland rather than to Switzerland”.

He had posted details of his escape on Instagram six days ago but yesterday made his page private after receiving abuse when people assumed he had broken quarantine restrictions.

“I haven’t broken any rules,” he said. “Absolutely not. That’s why I did it. Because if I had done it after that, I would have broken rules and the Swiss would be chasing me. But they’re not because I didn’t.”

Mr Wigmore is one of the “lab rats” for the Oxford vaccine programme and claimed it had made him “fully aware of the issues surrounding spread and what you should do”.

He suggested that the Verbier crowd who escaped had “probably thought it would be over by Christmas” and had not realised how seriously the rules would be taken.

Some of his friends have stayed in Switzerland but he said he was not aware of anyone who had broken the quarantine rules.

“If you’re in a nice chalet, great, but you can’t go skiing, you can’t go out, you can’t go shopping, can’t do anything. By the way, even if you go on your balcony, they will go for you. That’s how seriously the Swiss take it,” he said.

Up to two thirds of England could be living under the toughest coronavirus restrictions this week, with “sizeable chunks” of the Midlands and the North expected to be put into Tier 4.

By Amy Jones, Political Correspondent www.telegraph.co.uk 

Whitehall sources suggested millions more people would fall under the toughest rules when area banding is reviewed on Wednesday.

It comes as the number of Covid cases recorded in a single day rose above 40,000 for the first time and Public Health England (PHE) warned that hospitals “are at their most vulnerable”.

Ministers are understood to be concerned about the spread of the new South African variant and the “mutant” Kent strain, which has been detected across the country.

The Government has not ruled out tougher new “Tier 5” restrictions, which could close schools and universities, or the prospect of a new national lockdown in January. However, a Whitehall source said that in the “immediate future” the expansion of Tier 4 was more likely.

A health official said: “Coronavirus cases are rising across the country fuelled by the new variant, which has spread far beyond London and the South-East.

“I would expect more than half of England to move into Tier 4, but it wouldn’t surprise me if two thirds end up in the top tier. There is also real concern about the South African variant which seems to be spreading fast. Unfortunately, more action is needed to combat rising cases across the board.”

More than six million people in east and south-east England went into the highest level of restrictions on Saturday. The Tier 4 measures now affect 24 million people, representing 43 per cent of the population.

On Monday, the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove failed to dismiss the suggestion that the whole of England could be moved into Tier 4, saying: “We review which tiers parts of the country should be in on the basis of scientific evidence.

“The Joint Biosecurity Centre will be making a recommendation to ministers, but I can’t pre-empt that because it obviously has to be a judgment based on the medical situation. The NHS is under pressure and these are difficult months ahead.”

It comes after the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned Boris Johnson that a New Year national lockdown would need to be tougher than that ordered in November in order to keep the virus spread under control.

The Black Country is understood to be an area of particular concern, with Wolverhampton driving up infection rates in Staffordshire.

The latest figures show that the West Midlands city has a case rate of 407.8 per 100,000 of the population, while cases have also been rising in Stoke-on-Trent, Rugby and Lincoln.

Meanwhile, Cumbria could jump from Tier 2 to Tier 4 as rates in the county soar. Lancashire could also move up a tier after the areas of Pendle and Burnley saw “alarming” rises.

On Monday, the Government reported a further 41,385 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, while a further 357 people died within 28 days of testing positive.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, the medical director at PHE, said: “This very high level of infection is of growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions rising in many regions.”

Experts have warned that the NHS is on track to have 20,000 coronavirus patients in its care on New Year’s Eve, surpassing April’s peak for cases in hospital.

Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “We know that the rate of Covid-19 admissions is rising and some trusts are reporting up to three times the number of Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave.

“This means hospitals and also ambulance services in Tier 4 areas and beyond are incredibly busy, compounded by increasing staff absences due to illness and the need to self-isolate.”

Dr Katherine Henderson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, described her experience of working in a hospital on Christmas Day as one of “wall-to-wall Covid”.

More than half of Great Britain’s daily electricity came from wind turbines for the first time on Boxing Day, as the country headed for its “greenest year on record”, due in part to the coronavirus.

Rob Davies www.theguardian.com

As Storm Bella arrived, bringing gusts of up to 100mph, wind provided 50.7% of Great Britain’s electricity according to data charting the power generation mix.

While wind briefly hit 60% in August, it had not previously sustained such levels for 24 hours.

“Britain has experienced a renewables revolution over the last decade with the growth of biomass, wind and solar power,” said Drax Electric Insights, part of coal and biomass power company Drax, which tracks the data.

The milestone follows a string of new low-carbon records set in 2020, as Covid-19 restrictions depressed power demand, helping wind and solar to claim a larger share of the mix. Fossil fuels have increasingly been edged out as a result, helping Great Britain enjoy its longest coal-free period since the Industrial Revolution.

Gas and coal power plants made up 36% of the electricity generated in England, Scotland and Wales in the year up to 21 December 2020, according to data from National Grid’s electricity system operator (NGESO), down from 46% in 2019.

Wind and solar farms delivered 29% of the electricity mix, rising from 23% of electricity generated in Great Britain last year, according to the early data report.

While Boxing Day set a record for the highest share of power generated by windfarms, it was not a record for the most power they have ever supplied. That was set earlier this month, when windfarms delivered 17.3 gigawatts. Because overall demand was higher at the time, their percentage share of total power generation was lower than it was on Boxing Day, at 40%.

The larger role for renewables has caused the “carbon intensity” of Great Britain’s electricity to fall to its lowest level on record of 181g of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity, compared with an average of 215g last year and 248g in 2018.

Rob Rome, NGESO’s head of national control, said: “2020 has been a record-breaking year for Great Britain’s electricity system. The grid continues to transform at an astonishing rate as we harness the growth of renewable power sources.

“We saw the highest ever level of solar generation in April, the longest period of coal-free operation between April and June, and the greenest ever month in May,” and the wind record set earlier this month illustrated the “changing nature of electricity in Britain”.

There was a blip during August and September, when the electricity system bucked the trend of declining carbon intensity as emissions rose despite lower demand for electricity, suggesting a higher use of fossil fuels.

Tom Edwards, an analyst at the energy consulting group Cornwall Insight, said the electricity system operator increased its reliance on gas-fired power plants by 20% in September compared with the year before, amid a slump in renewable energy generation.

“To compensate for the lower wind speeds and dunkelflautes – dark, still periods – we turned to gas and coal,” he said. “It’s part and parcel of relying more on weather driven capacity and interconnector exports, which makes us more reliant on the vagaries of the wind and sun.”

Steve Jennings, a partner at the consulting firm PwC, said the “key challenge on our pathway to net zero” is what the electricity system does “when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine”.

The falling cost of energy storage – such as batteries – is expected to play a major role in Great Britain’s ability to use more renewable energy, and less fossil fuel power, alongside a more flexible approach to when major energy users consume electricity.

But Jennings said nuclear power and gas-fired power plants fitted with carbon capture technology would still be required if Great Britain hopes to avoid unabated fossil-fuel generation.

“Everyone is very positive about the UK’s green energy records but I think the microscope will begin to turn to what is happening on a daily basis rather than simply a cumulative basis,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic reduced electricity usage overall in 2020 compared with a normal year, as large swathes of the economy have been forced to shut their doors for extended periods. Average power demand across the course of the year has dropped from 32.58GW in 2019 to 30.6GW so far in 2020.

It was back in January when Devon’s public health teams first became aware of a mysterious virus in China. And while the rest of world was getting on with life and preparing for Brexit, they started planning to respond if coronavirus made its way to Devon.

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

Public health head reflects on story so far

Eleven months later, more than 10,000 Devon residents have tested positive for covid-19 and nearly 300 people have died. Thousands have ended up in hospital.

But Devon has fared far better than other areas, and remains the area in England with the lowest death rate. At 37 per 100,000 population, the only place in England below the 40 per 100,000 mark. The worst hit area – Tameside – has seen nearly ten times that proportion of deaths. Only Cornwall, the Isle of Wight, Dorset and Wiltshire have had lower infection rates than Devon throughout the entire pandemic, and for smaller council areas the South Hams, Torridge, Teignbridge, West Devon and Mid Devon are among the bottom ten in England.

This is the story of how Devon’s public health teams responded to and dealt with a year like no other.

“We have pandemic flu plans ready to go”, said Steve Brown, Devon’s public health director designate, who also led the response in 2009 for the swine flu outbreak, when one of the first places in England were cases were confirmed was at Paignton Community College. “So we always had plans in place and we test and learn from those plans for any novel virus. It was mid-January when we started to get some information flowing through the public health route about this novel virus coming from China.

“That’s not unusual. We have experience of novel viruses around the world, so we kept a watching brief around how it was developing, but our interest pricked up significantly at the end of January when the first case in the UK was confirmed, so once we saw that and transmission into the country, you start to think this could be something serious.

“It was the beginning of February we started to look back and reflect on the pandemic flu plan – and although we had a pandemic flu plan, we didn’t have a covid-19 plan, so any plan while providing a helpful framework, needed to be adapted and amended to the challenges.”

“So in February and March, we started in Devon to put in place some of the work that should stand us in good time going forward, around the incident management team, to include the public health expertise, those in health protection, and those around data and intelligence, which is fundamental to managing an outbreak, so we started to get the right people in the room as we were allowed to then”.

And just like in the 2009 swine flu pandemic, Devon was hit early by covid-19. On 2 March, two cases of the coronavirus were in the county – a pupil and family member at Churston Ferrers Grammar School – while two Torquay GP surgeries were closed following advice from Public Health England. There had been two cases confirmed in Teignbridge on 1 March that received less publicity, but closures of other schools quickly followed, with Galmpton Primary, Collaton St Mary Primary, Berry Pomeroy Primary and Brixham Primary, while cases began to crop up across the rest of the county.

In the early stages, everyone was hospitalised, not necessarily through sickness Mr Brown said, but through a lack of clarity and understanding of the disease. By the first time that coronavirus was discussed inside a council chamber on 11 March, Devon County Council’s cabinet heard there was a low risk for anyone attending schools. Face masks were not recommended and there was no need to close any settings or send anyone home.

Those measures and message swiftly changed, with schools shut within 10 days and the country into full lockdown shortly after. Mr Brown said that the toughest challenge throughout the last nine months has been the changing guidance and trying to answer people’s questions when there is not absolutely clarity.

“Back at the beginning were talking about it being okay to meet outdoors, schools can continue, a mild to moderate flu symptoms for most, no face coverings needed, and pretty quickly as the evidence developed, those messages changed.

“At the beginning it wasn’t framed as ‘face, space, hands’ but was about hand washing and doing that for 20 seconds and signing Happy Birthday, but a continuous updating of the messages and action is clearly not helpful but we had to change and adapt, but does make things difficult when you say one thing on Friday and another on the Monday.”

Asked why Devon did well, with cases and deaths among the lowest in the country, Mr Brown said it was never one thing, but Devon has some natural advantages. “Let’s reflect on the rurality of Devon,” he said. “A disease that transmits for person to person and mainly in indoor settings, so us not having mass infrastructure like the underground means that we are not bringing lots of people together into indoor spaces where transmission can happen freely.

“The geography of Devon has played to our benefit and the timeliness of the first lockdown was absolutely the right time, and we saw high compliance in Devon which helped reduce infections, and even now, even though one death is too many, we are on the of the lowest in the country for deaths and in care homes, and that speaks highly of the work of staff in care homes. These are all things that collectively play out to put in is a good position compared to the rest of the country.”

And as the summer came and the first wave ended, coronavirus in Devon almost became a distant memory, with cases low, deaths low, and life returning to normal. But Mr Brown’s team knew that their work wasn’t done and that they fully expected as the season’s turned and summer became autumn, that a second wave was likely to hit.

Cases initially started to rise in August – mainly linked to returning holiday makers bringing the virus back with them, before a huge explosion in Exeter in September linked to the university.

“For us, we always knew it was a question of when, not if, there would be a second wave,” he said. “The only way there wouldn’t be if a vaccination was developed over the summer and we knew that was not going to be the case. We always expected in September with the return of schools and universities, people going back to work, we would see a rise in cases. The question we had to think about was how bad it would be, who would it affect the most, and are we prepared from a health and care perspective. We always knew it would happen as it absolutely played out as expected, with cases initially in the younger population, the 0-19 and 20-39, the younger age groups we saw the sharpest peak in cases, which was to be expected.

“We then saw that develop into the older adults, 40-59, again to be expected. With children and young people getting it, one of the best places for transmission, primary places for transmissions is households, and families, so if pupils get it, then mum and dad may get it, so see some household transmission. And then the rise, a month later, in the 60+ and 80+, so the profile and pattern of the disease was to be expected, but we didn’t know what quick and steep the peak was going to be.

At one stage, more than half of the total cases in Devon were linked to the university, but wider community spread and outbreaks taking off across the county never happened, and the swift, decisive and perhaps harsh measures taken to ban students from mixing indoors with others meant that when the term ended, only two students tested positive for covid-19 before returning home as part of the travel window.

“We always expected something as you don’t bring 20,000 people together and not have some cases, but I’d be lying if I said we expected it to escalate quite as quickly as it did but the work we put in place, the work the university did, liaising with others, allowed us when I got the phone call about three or four cases to have a meeting about it, and we had daily meetings with partners to get on top of it.”

Mr Brown continued: “Much of our energy every day is looking at all the confirmed cases, identify where they live, how old are they, what’s their occupation, is it high risk, are they in hospital, how many people have died, so the data comes together which allows us to get a really clear picture of the transmission in Devon, where is it happening, and important to allow us to track the virus.

“We have to ask ourselves all the time ‘where did this person pick it up from?’ We look at information around their age, where they live, are they at home, in care home, a hospital?

“The virus spreads best indoors and if someone is sharing house, that’s a clear way it could happen, but we do see cases in health and care settings and in hospitals, so that’s people going into hospital with covid, but also people going into hospital for non-covid reasons, they get testing on entry, and are positive with no symptoms at all.

“So it’s really important that regardless if you have symptoms, you do the social distancing, wash hands, and when we do finds outbreaks, we will have an outbreak control team meeting and we will discuss cases and Identify how the individuals became positive, give advice and support to the settings, and agree a number of actions to help bring down infections in that setting, which is standard operating procedure.”

But despite the most recent doom and gloom with cases, hospitalisations and deaths rising across the county, there are some clear shoots of optimism around vaccines, which have begun to be rolled out across Devon, he said. “The virus hasn’t gone away and we do know indoors there is a risk, not just of going into a lockdown again, but people will be infected, become ill, end up in hospital, and there will be people who die as a result of it. So message is don’t let guard down when there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Each one of the vaccines comes with challenges and storage that we are working through and the undertaking cannot be underestimated as it’s vaccinating the population twice, as its two doses, and will take months to get through the process for everyone. A significant undertaking, not to be underestimated.”

Asked when he thought that some of the restrictions could be lifted, and life could begin to return to normal, he said: “There’s a lot of ifs and buts, but hopefully looking for late spring, that assuming vaccinations have been agreed, have been rolled out, people do adhere to the guidance.

“We saw throughout the summer when numbers were low and people were sensibly socialising, and I hope that by the end of spring, we should be in that position. What we do know in the summer is that the virus not as effective as transmitting from person to person, so we have reasons to be optimistic that next summer will be better than the current summer that we have had.

“But now is not the time to take the foot off the pedal. There are green shoots coming but we need to get through the next two of three months over the winter period as we need to all we doing the right things, keeping our social distancing, wearing the face coverings, washing our hands, and everyone has a role to play to protect the most vulnerable over this most challenging period.”

An army of more than 10,000 medics and volunteers has been recruited by the NHS to help deliver the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine, once it is given approval. 

By Lucy Fisher, Deputy Political Editor and Sarah Knapton, Science Editor www.telegraph.co.uk

The Telegraph has learned that teams are trained and ready to begin giving the jab at sports stadia and race courses across the country, with a target of vaccinating at least a million people each week. 

The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab could be approved early next week by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), after the final cut of data was submitted by the Government last Monday.

Officials have pinpointed January 4, 2021, as the date the rollout of the mass vaccination programme will begin.  

A Government source said: “At the moment, we are operationalising everything for the 4 January for the first Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs in arms. You’ll see it everywhere, while we’ll also be carrying on with Pfizer.”  

The source added: “Tens of thousands of vaccinators and support staff have been recruited.”

They are expected to be delivering at least a million jabs a week to the vulnerable by the middle of next month, once manufacturing has been scaled up.

Village halls, community centres and other local sites overseen by GPs will be used to administer the vaccine alongside vast regional hubs.

The Telegraph can also reveal that ministers are looking at proposals to triple the length of the time between taking a first and second dose of a vaccine in order to speed up the delivery of the vaccine before Easter.

It comes as frontline NHS workers have been told they will soon receive the Oxford vaccine, and amid calls for teachers to be prioritised alongside health workers for the jab to help keep schools open. 

The head of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, has also revealed the company has come up with a “winning formula” which has boosted the effectiveness of the jab so that it matches the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. 

Britain has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford jab, with 40 million expected to be available by the end of March. Manufacturing is due to scale up significantly from the second half of January. 

The ease of delivering the vaccine, compared with the complicated cold chain required for the Pfizer jab, and low cost mean its approval is viewed as a game-changing development in Westminster.

The rollout of the Oxford jab is a core element of the Government’s exit strategy from tough lockdown measures, as concerns grow over the damage to the economy wrought by keeping whole sectors shut.

Ministers are aiming for all vulnerable Britons included in its priority list of nine vulnerable groups, which cover around a quarter of the population, to receive a first dose of the jab by the end of February, and a second dose by the end of March.

Once this feat is achieved, mortality from the illness will be reduced by up to 99 per cent.

It is hoped the tougher lockdown restrictions can be lifted at that point.

At present, 43 per cent of the population is living under Tier 4 restrictions, which require Britons to stay at home and the hospitality industry and non-essential retail to close, after emergency measures were implemented on Boxing Day ahead of the fortnightly review scheduled for December 30. 

Ministers will still meet on Wednesday to review the latest data, with a series of other areas set to be plunged into Tier 4. Burnley, Cumbria and Lincoln are thought to be at risk of moving into the toughest tier.

On Sunday night senior doctors warned the NHS is in danger of being overwhelmed, as the number of coronavirus patients in hospital is about to exceed the peak of the first wave.

Former Tory party leader Lord Hague of Richmond last week warned the Prime Minister to undertake “a national mobilisation of resources on a scale never before seen outside of war” to accelerate the vaccine rollout in the face of the new hyper-infectious mutant strain of Covid-19.

Government insiders have credited Minister for the Vaccine Rollout, Nadhim Zahawi, UK vaccine taskforce chief Kate Bingham, and St John Ambulance, for scaling up infrastructure and personnel ready for the rollout next month.

A high proportion have been recruited by St John Ambulance, which reached out to its network of 25,000 volunteers, while also partnering with the Royal Voluntary Service, British Red Cross and other charities. 

Ministers have a target of enlisting 10,000 vaccinators, 14,350 care volunteers to observe people after they have received the jab, and 6,150 patient advocates to welcome and process people arriving at centres.

Retired doctors and nurses, pharmacists and trained first aiders have been drafted in to administer jabs, while other members of the public have signed up as support staff.

A Government source also revealed that ministers are looking at proposals to triple the length of the delay between taking a first and second dose of a vaccine in order to give millions more a single dose more quickly, while waiting for more deliveries of doses.

Proposals to offer Britons only a single dose have been shelved, but ministers are examining the idea of extending the time between doses from between three and four weeks to around 12 weeks.

A Government source said: “Everyone will get two doses, nobody will only get a half dose, but it could be a longer period, up to 12 weeks, between jabs. You could get a better impact.

“The MHRA will look at this stuff and decide what’s the best thing to do to get the most effective vaccination programme in the fastest, safest way possible.”

However, the insider added that a longer delay between doses would become redundant once sufficient quantities of the jab became available, saying: “We’re getting the volume coming now with Oxford/AstraZeneca, so it could become academic.”

The Pfizer results were based on a regime of two doses 21 days apart, while the Oxford vaccine was given 28 days apart. 

The MHRA determines the dosing regime based on submitted evidence, so moving to a single dose, or a delayed second dose regime, would be experimental and could leave the government liable to legal action. 

While those waiting longer for a jab would not be disadvantaged in the long term, they would be more at risk in the delay period before the second injection.

However, the Government could decide to initiate a clinical trial within the general rollout and monitor the efficacy of a delayed second jab among consenting participants.

Previous studies of vaccines have shown that delaying a second dose does not usually result in reduced long-term efficacy. 

Results from the Pfizer trials show that after dose one an efficacy of around 80 per cent was achieved, and this is unlikely to decline over time. 

Overcrowded housing has helped to spread Covid-19 in England and may have increased the number of deaths, according to research by the Health Foundation.

Denis Campbell www.theguardian.com

People living in cramped conditions have been more exposed to the coronavirus and were less able to reduce their risk of infection because their homes were so small, the thinktank found. Overcrowding was a key reason why poorer people and those from ethnic minority backgrounds in particular had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, it said.

Health Foundation researchers also concluded that overcrowding, together with other housing problems such as damp and insecure tenancies, had led to a rise in physical and mental health ailments.

“Since March many of us have spent a lot more time at home. For many, the quality of their home has made their experience of the pandemic even worse than it needed to be,” said Adam Tinson, a co-author of the analysis and a senior analyst at the thinktank.

“While some have weathered lockdown in large homes with gardens and plenty of living space, others have struggled in overcrowded and unsafe conditions. Overcrowding is associated with the spread of Covid-19, making self-isolation more difficult and allowing the virus to spread through more people if one becomes infected.”

Data for 2019-20 released earlier this month showed that just before the pandemic hit in March, 830,000 households in England were overcrowded, especially rented properties. That was 200,000 more than the number in that situation a decade earlier.

“People’s housing environments have affected their ability to shield themselves and others from Covid-19. People have been encouraged to stay in their homes as much as possible, but within-household transmission has played a serious role in the spread of the virus,” the analysis says.

“Overcrowding, which has been increasing in the years prior to the pandemic, makes it harder to self-isolate and shield, and may have contributed to higher death rates in poorer areas.”

He added that 8% of households with the lowest income lived in overcrowded homes, compared with fewer than 1% of those with the highest earnings.

Similarly, “Ethnic minority households are five times more likely to be overcrowded than white households, illustrating just one of the ways in which existing housing disparities are combining with the pandemic to further widen inequalities in health.”

People being forced to spend more time in overcrowded homes during this year’s various lockdowns has also caused or worsened mental health problems, especially those suffering distress. “Distress is generally higher for overcrowded households, and data from the pandemic period seem to show this intensifying during the more severe lockdown in April 2020, when 39% of people in overcrowded households were indicating psychological distress”, compared with 29% of those whose homes were not overcrowded, the analysis concludes.

“This analysis shows that mental ill-health has been a particular issue for those in overcrowded households during the pandemic, especially in the first lockdown. The chronic lack of affordable housing options, combined with years of reductions in support for housing costs, have led us to this point,” said Tinson.

The restrictions on movement and social mixing had also deepened loneliness among those living alone, the report said.

Major changes to housing policy, such as more secure private tenancies, reversing cuts to housing benefit and building more social housing, are needed to reduce the impact of poor-quality homes on people’s health, the Health Foundation recommends.

Pampered peers lodged a string of complaints about the House of Lords canteen – including one who moaned there were not enough British chefs in the kitchen.

It must be so hard being a Lord these days – Owl

See reference for full article

Mikey Smith www.mirror.co.uk

Hospitals have been ordered to mobilise their “surge capacity” over new year as they face a triple whammy of soaring infections, rising staff sickness and longer patient stays.

Andrew Gregory, Health Editor www.thetimes.co.uk

Doctors are bracing themselves for a spike in admissions — already at their highest level since mid-April — over the next fortnight after cases increased by 57% last week.

The threat was underlined in a leaked letter to hundreds of local NHS bosses on Wednesday from the service’s chief operating officer, Amanda Pritchard. In the six-page memo on NHS winter priorities, she ordered trusts “to safely mobilise all of their available surge capacity over the coming weeks”. She added: “This should include maximising use of the independent sector, providing mutual aid, making use of specialist hospitals and hubs to protect urgent cancer and elective activity, and planning for use of funded additional facilities such as the Nightingale hospitals, Seacole services and other community capacity.”

However, there are concerns about how extra facilities such as the seven Nightingale hospitals in England could be used because of the lack of staff. Thousands of NHS staff were already off last week with mounting numbers infected or self-isolating.

“Remember that we were more than 80,000 staff short even before the pandemic took hold,” said Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts. “It’s clear we are now embarking on the most testing time in the history of the health service.”

Hospital capacity was a problem before the coronavirus hit. The NHS has among the lowest per capita numbers of doctors, nurses and hospital beds in the western world.

A King’s Fund analysis of data from 21 countries, collected by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), found the UK had the third-fewest doctors among the 21 nations, with just 2.8 per 1,000 people, barely half the number in Austria, which has 5.1 doctors per 1,000.

The UK also had the sixth-fewest nurses for its population: 7.9 per 1,000 people — way behind Switzerland, which has the most, at 18 nurses. As for hospital beds, the UK has just 2.6 for every 1,000 people, less than a third of the number in Germany, which has the most — 8.1 beds — and leaves the UK 18th overall out of the 21 countries for which the OECD gathered figures.

“The pressure on beds is growing,” Cordery said. “The overall bed base is down by 11,000 because of social distancing measures, and the number occupied by Covid-19 patients is rising relentlessly. Trust leaders tell us it’s proving very difficult to discharge Covid-positive patients once they are medically fit to leave because of the need to find safe, suitable care.”

The staffing and beds crisis is being compounded by an emerging trend of Covid patients spending longer in hospital. Improvements in care coupled with the advent of new drugs and treatments means many who might have died in the first wave of the pandemic are now surviving — but taking up vital beds.

Those fighting for their lives in hospitals now are also slightly younger and healthier to start with. While Covid case rates have increased across all age groups, the highest rate of 434.6 infections per 100,000 population is for those aged between 30 and 39.

While the prospect of more people surviving after being taken to hospital with the coronavirus is a welcome one, it has implications for hospital capacity. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association, said the NHS was “in a very precarious position” and in danger of becoming completely overwhelmed. Britain would usually see about 1,000 new respiratory-related admissions a day at this time of year. It is already close to double that for the coronavirus alone.

“We must not be under any illusion of the serious state the NHS is in and the impact that will soon have on patients, not just with Covid, but a whole host of other serious illnesses at this time,” Nagpaul added.

The NHS had made great strides over the summer to catch up on delayed treatment and resume routine operations. But officials privately admit those efforts have been derailed by Covid for months.

Some hospitals are now having to cancel some planned surgery in January and February. In addition to the coronavirus crisis, next year could bring with it the longest NHS waiting times for decades.

Nagpaul said the NHS was in “desperate need” of more staff and had been for years before the pandemic hit.

But with the training of more doctors and nurses likely to take years, medics say that in the meantime all NHS staff must be vaccinated to slash the risk of them getting ill with coronavirus.

“Without a universal policy to vaccinate frontline patient-facing staff as a priority, we could be facing avoidable staff sickness and absence over the already difficult winter months,” said Dr Zainab Najim, of the Doctors’ Association UK. “We call on Matt Hancock to act on this immediately and prevent what will be a potential disaster this winter.”

Works to transform Devon’s landscape and skylines have been rocked by the pandemic, like almost everything else.

But 2021 could hopefully be a better year than 2020 – with plenty of landscaping changing developments set to be completed across Devon.

Hmmmm! – Owl

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

Devonlive has taken a look into some of the more exciting projects that we can look forward to hopefully opening next year and by the end of 2021.

ST SIDWELL’S POINT

Exeter’s new state-of-the-art new leisure centre is set to open in the Summer of 2021.

Work on the St Sidwell’s Point development continues to take place and the structure rising above the hoarding line and the striking curve of the building is starting to take shape.

CGI image of the new St Sidwell’s Point leisure centre

The £44m passivhaus leisure centre is set to open in the Summer of 2021, and Exeter City Council have released the video showing what it will look like when construction is complete.

St Sidwell’s Point will replace the city’s aging Pyramids swimming pool, and the water quality in the new pool is expected to be better than at any other swimming pool in the country. A special filtration system will mean there will be minimal chemical content.

Built to healthy building and super energy efficient Passivhaus standards, St Sidwell’s Point will include:

• Main swimming pool and learner pool with moveable floors
• Confidence pool for young children
• Spectator seated area
• Café
• Health suite, spin studio and two fitness studios
• Gym
• Spa facility
• Children’s soft play area

EXMOUTH WATERSPORTS CENTRE

Exmouth’s new Sideshore development will be open by the Summer of 2021.

The watersports centre on Exmouth seafront was due to open this summer but has been delayed due to Covid-19. Work has been continuing on the site and a date for when it will all be open is yet to be confirmed.

However, local developer Grenadier has indicated it will be a phased opening which has begun with local operator Edge Watersports opening first. It is being run by four times world champion kitesurfer Steph Bridge.

New aerial pictures of Exmouth’s Sideshore development (Image: TIM PESTRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY)

As well as offering a watersports centre, the development will include a casual seafront bar, restaurant and café run by Exeter celebrity chef Michael Caines.

The Mickeys Beach Bar and Restaurant alongside Sylvain Peltier and Michael’s Café Patisserie Glacerie – will open in March 2021.

The project will incorporate a casual bar complete with resident weekend DJs, first floor destination restaurant with a glasshouse and outdoor terraces alongside neighbouring Café Patisserie Glacerie which will serve serve artisan pastries and ice-creams.

OKEHAMPTON RAILWAY LINE

Regular Okehampton to Exeter passenger services were withdrawn on June 5, 1972, although since 1997 a limited service has run between Okehampton and Exeter on Sundays during the summer.

But a regular passenger rail service between Okehampton and Exeter is returning, the Government has confirmed.

The reopening of the line between Okehampton and Exeter was included in the Government Comprehensive Spending Review and the National Infrastructure Strategy.

Central Devon MP Mel Stride has said that he hopes to get the service up and running as soon as possible, with a hope being that by the end of 2021, passenger trains will be running.

SANDY PARK HOTEL

Work has begun on the new multi-million pound Sandy Park Hotel in Exeter which when open in December 2021 will be the ‘biggest commercial hotel this side of Bristol’.

The state-of-the-art hotel is the next stage in the development plans of Exeter’s award-winning Sandy Park complex, which is home to Gallagher Premiership Rugby club Exeter Chiefs, and the region’s premier Conference & Banqueting venue.

Once built, the eight-storey, L-shaped, £30m hotel will feature leisure facilities on the ground floor and a restaurant on the top floor, and be a Marriott Courtyard hotel.

In addition to housing 250 bedrooms, the hotel situated off Old Rydon Lane will provide leisure facilities on the ground floor, as well as a rooftop cocktail bar and restaurant that boasts picturesque views along the River Exe Estuary.

Coming under the worldwide Courtyard by Marriott brand, the four-star facility will also boast a glazed bridge link to Sandy Park, as well as an extensive reception area, open plan bar, coffee bar and lounge.

Artist impression of the new Sandy Park Hotel plans

Access to the hotel be via a purpose built footbridge from the existing stadium complex, and it will include a unique, rooftop glazed restaurant for 172 covers on the ninth floor of the hotel.

The rooftop restaurant is described as ‘one of its kind for the area’ and will provide a ‘unique dining experience for guests and visitors’, while the basement of the hotel would provide spa and fitness facilities, including a sauna, steam room and gymnasium.

MARSH BARTON RAILWAY STATION

There is hope that by the end of 2021, trains will finally be stopping at Marsh Barton railway station – five years after they initially should have been.

The planning application for the construction of a new two platform railway station to serve the Marsh Barton Industrial Estate has this week has been approved Devon County Council planners under delegated powers.

As well as the station, the scheme for Clapperbrook Lane East, contains a new cycle way embankment and footbridge, to link the station to, and provide a dedicated pedestrian and cycle way.

Artist impression of the new Marsh Barton railway station

Funding has been secured to cover the current project estimate cost, excluding contingency, and Devon County Council’s cabinet will now meet early in 2021 to discuss, finalise and sign-off on committing the cash towards the build of the station.

No details yet have been revealed as to when the work will begin and when the station will see trains stop, but when the application was submitted in July, it was hoped that the station will be open by the end of 2021.

The delivery of the station has been a long-term aspiration for Devon County Council and forms part of the Devon Metro project, which encompasses a range of rail infrastructure improvements in the Exeter area, with the scheme for Marsh Barton station aimed to provide sustainable access to employment, retail and leisure opportunities.

The proposed station will have two platforms, with the eastern and western platforms served by trains to Newton Abbot and Exeter, respectively. Each platform will be 124 metres in length, sufficient to accommodate trains formed of up to 5 cars, and will be 4m wide.

Each platform will have a waiting shelter, 10m wide by 1.5m deep, containing 12 stainless steel seats with arm rests, and a perch rail for four passengers, as well as one ticket vending machine on each platform, located inside the waiting shelters.

Two help points will be provided on each platform, one adjacent to the waiting shelter, and one in the emergency refuge area, while in addition to the help points, there will also be ‘next train indicators’ on each platform, providing audio and visual information regarding services.

Vehicular access to the station will be from Clapperbrook Lane East, with a new access road meeting the existing road at a junction on the eastern edge of the side, with access to the station for pedestrians and cyclists will be via paths which connect to the new footway/cycleway.

No parking spaces will be provided for general use, as it is expected the station will primarily serve as a destination, and it is intended to encourage use of sustainable modes of transport.

NORTHAM BURROWS

Plans for improved visitor centre at Northam Burrows have been given the go-ahead and will be completed in time for the 201 season.

Torridge District Council will refurbish the existing centre at the country park and build a new single-storey cafe and toilet block with outdoor seating.

The current centre, built in 1985, will be refurbished, see an ‘enhanced exhibition space’ which can be expanded into an education and meeting room used by schools and groups.

A cafe and toilet block will sit opposite and will be manufactured off-site before being delivered to the burrows in time for the 2021 season.

NORTH DEVON LINK ROAD

While not complete, major construction work will have begun in 2021 for the biggest transport investment in North Devon for a generation” after the Department of Transport has signed off on the major improvements to the North Devon Link Road.

The major project, being led by Devon County Council, will boost the local economy by supporting plans for 6,700 new homes in the region, making it easier for people to access job opportunities, and for businesses to get around.

The works will focus on a 7.5km stretch between South Molton and Barnstaple and the route will be modernised with a wider carriageway, which will greatly improve overtaking opportunities, safety and resilience.

The road’s capacity and eight key junctions will be upgraded – and to boost active travel, facilities for pedestrians and cyclists will be introduced along the route.

The main work is slated to start in November 2020, with major construction work would likely begin in 2021, and last for around two years.

Advance planting along the 10km length of the scheme between Filleigh and Portmore has been already been completed, with the scheme’s planting programme involves the planting of over 20,000 trees and bushes to establish ecological habitats before the start of construction work and further replacement of trees and bushes which will be removed.

North Devon Link Road (Image: Lewis Clarke)

Approximately seven kilometres of “alternating overtaking” lanes to the road between Portmore to Landkey (1km), Landkey to Swimbridge (2km) and Swimbridge to Filleigh Cutting (4km) will be added, with them monitored by average speed cameras, which Devon County Council says will provide “more reliable journey times, less accidents and greater resilience”.

Eight junctions will be improved, while a pedestrian/cycle subway to enable safe passage across the A361 at Bishop’s Tawton, with a spiralling bridge to allow the safe crossing of pedestrians and cyclists from Landkey village and a proposed new housing development at Westacott.

The objectives of the scheme are to reduce journey times, improve highway safety through reducing the rate of fatal and serious accidents and improving network resilience through reducing the effects of accidents and incidents on the road.

Hundreds of thousands of care home residents have been left in the lurch by the Government over the life-saving Covid-19 vaccines.

Dan Warburton www.mirror.co.uk 

Politicians and care chiefs last night accused minsters of failing to keep promises after it emerged 80 per cent of the 15,000 care homes in England are not currently being considered for Pfizer/BioNTech inoculations.

Nearly 30,000 residents died in England directly or indirectly from coronavirus in the first wave, according to the latest research.

But the Sunday People can reveal that…

ONLY around 0.3 per cent of the total population given the jab so far are care home residents.

JUST SEVEN care home areas have received the first dose of the jab.

THE MUTANT strain of the virus could wreak havoc in care homes if, as scientists fear, it spreads faster.

The revelations come as the number of cases rose by 34,693, up 7,000 on last week, although deaths fell to 210. Another six million people have also gone into stricter lockdown.

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: “Far from avoiding a wide scale repeat of the earlier tragedy in our care homes, ministers are failing to make homes a safe haven for the most vulnerable.

“People have had enough of the excuses. No ifs and no buts, the Government must prioritise delivering a vaccine to all homes immediately.”

And Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “With a new coronavirus variant spreading with speed we’re now in a race against time to roll out vaccination.

“Ministers have repeatedly been too slow to protect care home residents. They can’t make the same mistakes again. We need vaccination rolled out urgently to our most vulnerable.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has vowed to prioritise larger care homes which had between 50 and 70 beds because there were problems breaking down the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines into smaller batches.

Currently they come in 975 doses which following a trial can be broken into 75 pack doses to take into care homes.

It is understood around 2,900 homes in England which have 50-70 beds are in line for the jabs.

They represent a fifth of the 15,000 homes in England, home to around 400,000 residents in total.

The Department of Health and Social Care revealed that care home residents in seven areas in England have so far been given the coronavirus vaccine.

It suggests that they account for about 0.3 per cent of the 613,000 people who have been inoculated.

Officials insisted this was just a preliminary figure and hundreds more have been given the jab in recent weeks. However they have refused to give an updated breakdown of the number of vaccines handed out to care home residents and staff.

Care chiefs last night blasted Matt Hancock for “overpromising” to ensure care home residents would be prioritised for the vaccine, which has to be stored at ­minus 70degC.

Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the National Care Association, said: “Because of the composition of the vaccine and its transportation challenges we can see why the roll-out is going to be difficult.

“But it’s another case of the massive overpromise on something that just cannot be delivered. It’s constant.

“This whole rhetoric of ‘We’re going to get it in to care homes, we’re going to get this vaccine to the frontline’, certainly in social care is an overpromise.

“We understand why that is but they need to be more upfront about the barriers rather than just keep telling the world this is what they are doing.”

Earlier this month Matt Hancock promised in the Commons that “we’ll vaccinate in care homes by Christmas.”

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation put care home residents at the top of its priority list.

But regulatory concerns about splitting cases of the vaccine have been blamed for the delays.

On Christmas Eve the Government said 616,933 UK people have been given the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine between December 8 and December 20.

Granny Margaret Keenan, 90, was the first person to have it – but the jab took place at Coventry’s university hospital, not a care home.

The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is also being considered for approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, with a decision as early as next week.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Vaccines have been administered to care home residents, those aged 80 and over and health and social care staff, through over 500 vaccination sites.

“The vaccine roll-out in care homes in England began on Wednesday December 16, with hundreds of residents vaccinated across care homes in Slough, Aintree, Herne Bay, Thanet, Chalfont St Peter, Droitwich and Cheltenham, as well as the Chelsea Pensioners.

“We are working hard to vaccinate all care home residents and workers as quickly and safely as possible.”

A doctor with a history of allergies said his heart rate increased, blood pressure dropped, tongue went numb and he broke out in a cold sweat after taking the US-approved Moderna jab in Boston – the first known reaction of its kind with this vaccine.

Pubs face losing out on billions of pounds in income over the Christmas period and many may close as a result of coronavirus restrictions, Labour has claimed.

Rajeev Syal www.theguardian.com 

The party has called on the government to use business rates relief returned by supermarkets to provide extra support for the industry.

Pubs and bars made £3.8bn in sales in November and December last year, but will have lost out on the bulk of that income this year due to the restrictions.

Britain’s 47,200 pubs would usually have one of their most lucrative weeks of the year over Christmas, but 85% are now closed or unable to trade viably because they are outside tier 1, according to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

On Christmas Day, pubs would usually expect to sell more than 1m dinners but are now forecasting just 200,000, while the number of pints they pull is predicted to decrease from 10m to 630,000.

Sites in tiers 3 and 4 can only operate as takeaways, and in tier 2 alcohol can only be served with food, an option not available in thousands of “wet-led” bars.

From Boxing Day, when more areas enter tier 4, 93% of pubs in England will have been forced to shut, a Labour analysis claims.

The party said the majority of pubs hit by restrictions were receiving less government support than in the March lockdown.

Lucy Powell MP, shadow minister for business and consumers, said: “Pubs are a vital part of Britain’s high streets. They bring people together and help communities thrive.

“They’ve had the toughest of years as a result of the pandemic and, if the government doesn’t step up and put a proper support plan in place to secure their future, it will be last orders for many.

“Boris Johnson is failing our pubs. His glass half-empty approach is a real threat to their future.”

The outlook became even more grim after millions more people were told late on Wednesday they would be plunged into tier 4 from Boxing Day.

Large retailers have paid back about £2bn in business rates relief and Labour has called for the money to support the hospitality industry and high street businesses.

A government spokesperson said: “We understand the pressure pubs and other businesses are under, however the current restrictions are essential so we can control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.

“Businesses can access our unprecedented support package worth £280bn , including the extended furlough scheme, business rates holidays, various loan schemes and VAT deferral in addition to grants of £3,000 a month for businesses required to close.”

• Construction of single storey front and side extension Little Garth Exmouth Road Exton Exeter EX3 0PZRef. No: 20/2844/FUL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of side extension 4 Burnt Oak Sidbury Sidmouth EX10 0RBRef. No: 20/2841/FUL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey side & rear extensions and conversion of existing garage; provision of cladding 28 Mount View Feniton Honiton EX14 3EBRef. No: 20/2845/FUL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension. 44 Yarlington Mill Cranbrook Exeter EX5 7FJRef. No: 20/2830/FUL | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Works to an outbuilding; a) replace collapsed timber lean to, at rear of outbuilding, with a timber framed greenhouse. b) replace failed roof structure to outbuilding. c) apply timber cladding to exterior of outbuilding. Holly Farm Alston Axminster EX13 7LGRef. No: 20/2827/FUL | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) of planning permission 19/1089/FUL to allow variation of design including the omission of 2 no. French doors in lieu of window and bi-fold door Hillend Branscombe Seaton EX12 3DNRef. No: 20/2805/VAR | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of proposed lawful development for attendance by one child and one adult of a maximum of three week days per week during business hours to a forest school based programme operated from the applicant’s garden Greenwell Lodge Woodhouse Hill Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3SLRef. No: 20/2810/CPL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 1 of reserved matters approval 07/1881/MRES (Approval of reserved matters for 2 hangars, 1 workshop hangar & associated works (Planning Permission 00/P2132 09.02.01) ) to vary the approved plans for the roof arrangement and doors Air Westward Ltd Dunkeswell Industrial Estate Devon EX14 4LGRef. No: 20/2809/VAR | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear, side and front extensions. 19 Langford Avenue Honiton EX14 1QDRef. No: 20/2815/FUL | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• G1 Group of of 3 Bay trees reduce height down to approximately 180cm to be maintained as a low level shrubs. The trees are tall multi stemmed specimens and now run the risk of stems failing. we would like to reduce the stems to allow more light in to the area which would allow the residents to plant new ornamental trees and reach there horticulture aspersions, it would also make more of a feature of the copper beach and brighten up the area. Apartment 1 Elford 6 Douglas Avenue Exmouth EX8 2AURef. No: 20/2811/TCA | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision

• T7) Beech tree : Distal die back present, tertiary and some secondary branches are dead. Remove deadwood throughout the crown. To prevent branches falling on pedestrian footpath below. G43) Group of Beech and Cherry trees: Remove dead stem leaning towards the dwelling. To remove hazard. T15) Oak tree: Branching is crown biased towards the house. Fungal mycelium found. Armillaria decay on root crown. Reduce crown by 2 meters height and 2.5 meters radial spread to North, East and South. Reduction works to mitigate the loss of structural wood in stem base and root system. T16) Sweet Chestnut: Minor deadwood in crown . Small faulted branch over the internal access road: Remove faulted branch over the road to mitigate hazard. T24) Beech : Die back of tertiary branches in upper crown. Minor deadwood abundant in distal portion of upper crown: Leaning weak fork: Reduce by 4 meters to remove upper crown: Remove risk to parked cars below tree and adjacent to access roads. T28) Sweet Chestnut: Dead tree: Fell T29) Oak: Split branch and large dead branches over the road: Remove split branch and remove dead branches: Remove hazard to cars/public below tree. T33) Oak: Weak fork between primary stems: Reduce height and spread by 2 meters. To mitigate loss of structural branches. G44) Group of seven Scots Pines: Exposed crowns: Reduce North East and South side by 2.5 meters and height by 2 meters: To prevent wind throw. G45) Group of 3 Sweet Chestnut: Remove faulted and dead branches throughout the group. Reduce radial crown spread to the east over the car park by 2 meters. Crowns extend over the access road and utility wires. To mitigate branch loss on public/cars below and maintain health and safety of trees. Gittisham Hill House Sidmouth Road Honiton EX14 3TYRef. No: 20/2813/TRE | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of former garage to provide ancillary accommodation (retrospective application) Grey Shadows Priory Close East Budleigh Budleigh Salterton EX9 7EZRef. No: 20/2802/FUL | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear extension with pergola, attached carport and replacement gates Langrey Knapp Northleigh Colyton EX24 6BPRef. No: 20/2800/FUL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single and two storey rear extensions Higher Northcott Farm Blackborough Cullompton EX15 2JFRef. No: 20/2799/FUL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Sycamore : Remove no 2 sub dominant limbs over protected wall and garden. these limbs have no value and no cut to exceed 150 mms. T2, Holme Oak and Sycamore : Remove no 3 lower limbs from the Sycamore and no 1 lower limb from the Home Oak. The Sycamore limbs are of no value and the higher limb has obvious Squirrel damage. No cuts to be greater than 100 mms. T3, Rhododendron : cut back no significant limbs will be cut, just trimming and pruning. Cranbrook The Glen Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3TRRef. No: 20/2790/TCA | Validated: Tue 15 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of hip to gable extensions, front and rear dormer windows and provision of cladding Kalic Harefield Drive Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5TTRef. No: 20/2778/FUL | Validated: Tue 15 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of cob wall on front north elevation and re-build/re-render; repairs to cob wall and render on side east elevation; install guttering and downpipe on side east elevation Holly Farm Alston Axminster EX13 7LGRef. No: 20/2774/LBC | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of first floor extension and single storey extension. Wheelgates Cotleigh Honiton EX14 9HGRef. No: 20/2775/FUL | Validated: Tue 15 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey rear extension and loft conversion 8 Foxhill Axminster EX13 5LFRef. No: 20/2767/FUL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of front and rear dormer windows, two storey side extension, single storey side/rear extension and new garage. Coppers Poltimore Exeter EX4 0AHRef. No: 20/2764/FUL | Validated: Tue 15 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision

• T1, Oak : reduce the spread of the northern aspect of the canopy from 6.5m to 4m. Retaining all branches growing up to 45 degrees and removing branches at greater than 45 degrees over the extension, making pruning cuts up to 60mm. T2, Oak : Reduce height by approximately 6m thereby reducing the size and weight of the tree to reduce the failure risk whilst retaining the lower healthy branches and also retaining the hollow stem of the tree for its enhanced wildlife value. The Old School Exmouth Road Exton Exeter EX3 0PQRef. No: 20/2761/TRE | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing bungalow and construction of replacement dwelling and detached garage and annexe building and associated external operations (revised scheme to planning permission ref. 16/2531/FUL) Sunset Cottage East Hill Sidmouth EX10 0LRRef. No: 20/2747/FUL | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of condition 2 of planning consent 19/2660/FUL (Change of use of barn to ancillary domestic accommodation (annexe) and associated alterations including partial rendering of external elevations, replacement roof and new window openings) to facilitate installation of three rooflights, stone lintels and quoins, timber arch over new opening, modify window proportions, create low stone retaining wall/steps and provision of timber clad air source heat pump enclosure Dolish Farmhouse Luppitt Honiton EX14 4RTRef. No: 20/2738/VAR | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of outbuilding and decking and associated landscaping. 38 Granary Lane Budleigh Salterton EX9 6ESRef. No: 20/2724/FUL | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of garage (retrospective) Westwards Bickwell Valley Sidmouth EX10 8RFRef. No: 20/2721/FUL | Validated: Fri 18 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a detached oak framed ancillary annexe The Oaks Awliscombe Honiton EX14 3PHRef. No: 20/2720/FUL | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Install secondary glazing to 3no. windows at ground floor, 2no. windows at first floor and 1no. door and 1no. door panel on front west elevation and 2no. windows on first floor on side north elevation 34 Fore Street Otterton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7HBRef. No: 20/2711/LBC | Validated: Thu 17 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing dilapidated pavilion building and replacement with new purpose designed two storey building, improved coach and car-parking spaces, and associated soft and hard landscaping Cliff Hill Training Ground Sidmouth Road Clyst St Mary Exeter EX5 1DPRef. No: 20/2695/MFUL | Validated: Mon 14 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed new calf rearing building Lower Southmoor Farm Brampford Speke Exeter EX5 5DYRef. No: 20/2681/FUL | Validated: Mon 14 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Existing window in east elevation of annexe to be removed and blocked up and 1no. new window opening to be created above blocked up window Farthings Gosford Ottery St Mary EX11 1LXRef. No: 20/2690/LBC | Validated: Tue 15 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Proposed general purpose agricultural storage building Lower Southmoor Farm Brampford Speke Exeter EX5 5DYRef. No: 20/2683/FUL | Validated: Mon 14 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of barn to dwelling (revisions to planning permission ref. 19/2267/FUL to incorporate alterations and extension to east elevation) Dennis Barn Kerswell Cullompton EX15 2ESRef. No: 20/2676/FUL | Validated: Tue 15 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of land from agricultural to vehicle storage associated with the existing Mercedes Benz operations at Hill Barton Business Park, with proposed access and landscaping arrangements, drainage basin and the installation of security fencing and lighting Land At Hill Barton Sidmouth Road Clyst St MaryRef. No: 20/2297/MFUL | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of garage and barn (partially retrospective) Green Acres Lyme Road Axminster EX13 5BHRef. No: 20/1895/FUL | Validated: Wed 16 Dec 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision

The UK’s largest listed financial firms have handed their board members a near-80% pay rise since 2009, prompting shareholder advisers and high pay campaigners to call for greater transparency on director fees.

Kalyeena Makortoff www.theguardian.com

Data gathered by the Guardian shows median pay for the three highest earning non-executive directors (NEDs) in each of the FTSE 100’s 17 financial firms surged from £90,700 in 2009 to £162,000 in 2019.

It means board members overseeing the UK’s largest banks, insurance and investment firms are earning 79% more than they did a decade earlier, despite being in part-time roles.

The largest increases have been at Lloyds Banking Group, where top NEDs are earning 257% more than in 2009; the London Stock Exchange Group, where there has been a 219% rise; and investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, where fees have jumped 170%.

Headhunters said the rise was partly due to strict regulations introduced after the financial crisis, which meant NEDs had to keep closer tabs on operations, and take greater responsibility when things went wrong.

However, there is no precedent for UK NEDs having their pay docked for company misconduct. The insurance company Aviva is considering clawing back director pay after a row over how it announced a plan to cancel its preference shares in 2018, but blame for corporate failures has historically been laid at the feet of company executives.

It is also difficult to confirm directors’ workloads beyond what is disclosed in annual reports. Data suggests the highest-paid NEDs were attending just five more committee and board meetings a year in 2019 than they did in 2009, with the median number of meetings now sitting at 26 compared with 21 a decade earlier. The busiest among them sat through 48 meetings last year.

Reacting to the Guardian research, the High Pay Centre thinktank and influential shareholder adviser PIRC called for more detailed information about top earners like NEDs, whose ballooning fees have flown under the radar over the past decade.

While criticism has been aimed at multimillion-pound pay packages granted to company executives in recent years, the High Pay Centre said some board members were already earning more than 99% of the UK workforce, despite committing just a fraction of the hours.

“On balance, NED pay should require greater scrutiny, expecting the same rigour as executive pay and linked to demonstrable peer-group benchmarking in terms of fees, workload and meetings and items discussed,” said Francesco Navarrini, PIRC’s head of research.

He said companies should consider the pay ratio between NEDs and a company’s rank-and-file employees when considering further pay rises.

NEDs at financial firms could face greater pressure over fee transparency, since they are earning significantly more than their UK peers. On average, NEDs at financial firms are now earning £210,019 a year, which is more than double the average £99,139 earned by NEDs across all of the UK’s 150 largest listed firms, according to separate figures gathered by headhunter Spencer Stuart, which did not include median pay. While the median captures the middle of the range, the mean or average captures the typical figure when dividing fees equally between the entire group.

Luke Hildyard, the director of the High Pay Centre thinktank, said: “Paying out such lucrative sums for part-time work does create a damaging public perception of directorships and the way businesses are run, and potentially attracts people to the roles for the wrong reasons.”

“Pay for high earners, particularly in financial services, amounts to a significant cost for businesses, and there should probably be more detailed disclosure requirements on what companies are spending on those making six figures and upwards,” he added.

Board members are usually paid a so-called base fee but earn extra money for sitting on key committees that help decide executive pay, oversee financial reporting and governance. Both have jumped over the past decade, with base fees rising by nearly 20% to £75,000 on a median basis. Committee membership earned NEDs 55% more in 2019 than a decade earlier, while chairing those committees will mean pocketing 71% more in fees.

While none of the financial company NEDs from 2009 are still in their post – owing to a nine-year-limit – many serving on financial services boards have seen their fees double or triple during their tenure.

Among them are HSBC’s board member Heidi Miller, who has received a 204% pay rise from £206,000 to £627,000 over four years, after she was appointed as non-executive chair of HSBC’s North American operations – earning her an extra £431,000. Meanwhile, NatWest’s Frank Dangeard has seen his pay rise 91% from £138,000 to £264,000 since 2017, having since taken over as chair of the group’s investment bank NatWest Markets. However, NatWest does not break down his fees.

While a handful of NEDs included in the data do hold additional non-executive roles within their businesses like Dangeard and Miller, not all firms will disclose how much they are paid for each position, strengthening the argument for further transparency and more rigorous standards around NED fees.

Jenni Hibbert, a global managing partner at executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles, said directors put in more time than is disclosed in company reports. She estimated that NEDs for complex, FTSE 100 financial firms will usually be putting in about 80 to 100 days a year, including time spent preparing for meetings and getting to know the business.

“We have to remember that being a NED is a huge responsibility – the Companies Act does not differentiate between an executive and a non-executive director when it comes to fiduciary responsibilities,” Hibbert said.

“An NED is therefore required to take the same level of care as an executive, and they cannot do this by just turning up to board meetings – it takes many hours of reading, investigating and getting under the skin of things, to do their job well.”

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But with roughly 250 working days a year, NEDs are still working part-time while earning significantly more than most employees within the business.

“Many financial services firms paying six-figure sums to their NEDs will also have low-paid staff in branches, call centres or administrative roles struggling to make ends meet,” Hildyard said.

“The UK should be debating what we could do more generally to achieve a more even income distribution.”

Five high streets across Devon and Cornwall are set to benefit from millions of pounds in investment, the Government has announced.

Aaron Greenaway www.devonlive.com

Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Barnstaple, Paignton and Penzance will share £51,565,473 in funding from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund which aims to invest in a number of improvements and changes is part of a £1bn package promised by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

The news of the announcements comes after a number of towns and cities received initial funding to develop plans and proposals for the fund earlier in the year and will see them benefit from a number of changes and improvements

Redevelopment of the Civic Centre in Plymouth is among the proposals part of the Plymouth successful funding bid. (Image: Penny Cross / Plymouth Live)

Paignton is set to receive £13,363,248, Plymouth £12,046,873, Penzance £10,403,112, Newton Abbot £9,199,364 and Barnstaple £6,548,876. None of the towns successful in their bids has received the full funding they bid for, meaning the offers are currently listed as provisional. A funding bid for Bideford was unsuccessful.

The schemes promise to bring a number of improvements to the town centre including regenerations and changes to key shopping areas and buildings, with a large-scale redevelopment of the Civic Centre in Plymouth, as well as public wi-fi in Penzance among the proposals.

Robert Jenrick, Communities Secretary said: “The year ahead will be a big one for the high street as it seeks to recover, adapt and evolve as a result of the pandemic, Today’s £830m investment from the Future High Streets Fund is one of many ways the government is working to help our much-loved town centres get through this and prosper into the future.

“The role of the high street has always evolved. We want to support that change and make sure that they are the beating heart of their local community – with high quality housing and leisure in addition to shops and restaurants.”

In Paignton, Councillor Steve Darling, Leader of Torbay Council welcomed the news, saying: “This is a timely and much-needed boost for Paignton. Our towns and our town centres continue to feel the impact of COVID-19 and we are starting to see its full economic impact.

“The Future High Streets Funding is vital for Paignton Town Centre as it provides us with the resources to accelerate the regeneration of these key sites. This will support the recovery and repositioning of the town centre improving the long term sustainability of businesses in Paignton.

“We know that over 75% of businesses in Paignton town centre are independently owned. They employ local people and provide valued local services. Their success is vital to people and families in Torbay.”

High street fund worth £830 million shared across England as Sunderland and Swindon get biggest payouts

By Josh Barrie inews.co.uk

The largest sums are to go to Sunderland and Swindon, which will get £25 million each to fund improvements to a railway station and town centre modernisation plan respectively

More than 70 high streets across England will get a share of £830 million to help fund their recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Future High Streets Fund will support areas most in need, with the likes of Swindon, Sunderland, and Tottenham in London all in line to benefit.

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick said the money would “help our much-loved town centres get through this and prosper into the future”.

The fund was initially announced by the then-Chancellor Philip Hammond in the 2018 Budget and is intended to help local authorities modernise and revitalise their town centres.

High streets in need

It was thought up long before coronavirus wrought havoc to the economy, and was, when first conceived, worth £1 billion.

Now standing at £830m, the largest sums are to go to Sunderland and Swindon, which will get £25 million each to fund improvements to a railway station and town centre modernisation plan respectively.

So far, 15 areas have been awarded a share of £255 million, while a further 57 authorities will be given provisional funding worth a total of £576 million.

Mr Jenrick said: “The year ahead will be a big one for the high street as it seeks to recover, adapt and evolve as a result of the pandemic.

“Today’s £830 million investment from the Future High Streets Fund is one of many ways the government is working to help our much-loved town centres get through this and prosper into the future.

“This investment will help us build back better and make town centres a more attractive place to live, work and visit.”

In August last year, Dudley, Dover, Stockport, and Scarborough were also said to be in line for a cash injection.

Vital investment

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson said previously: “Our high streets are right at the heart of our communities, and I will do everything I can to make sure they remain vibrant places where people want to go, meet and spend their money.

“But with our town centres facing challenges, we’re today expanding the High Streets Fund to support over 100 high streets to regenerate – backed by £1 billion of vital investment.

This scheme is going to re-energise and transform even more of our high streets – helping them to attract new businesses, boost local growth, and create new infrastructure and jobs.”

The 15 places recieving full funding are:

1. Tamworth £21,652,555
2. Sunderland £25,000,000
3. Sutton £11,346,704
4. Bishop Auckland £19,856,853
5. Blyth £11,121,059
6. Kidderminster £20,510,598
7. Old Kent Road, Southwark, £9,605,854
8. Swindon £25,000,000
9. Stockport £14,500,000
10. Winsford £9,980,000
11. Sheffield £15,817,001
12. Blackfriars, Worcester, £17,939,000
13. Birkenhead, Wirral £24,581,011
14. Brierley Hill, Dudley £9,985,689
15. Stretford, Trafford £17,605,674

The 57 places receiving provisional funding offers are:

1. Leamington Spa– £10,015,121
2. Nuneaton – £13,362,736
3. Wolverhampton – £15,760,196
4. Walsall – £11,439,967
5. Newcastle-Under-Lyme – £11,048,260
6. Stafford – £14,377,723
7. Tottenham – £10,019,648
8. Woolwich – £17,150,964
9. Wealdstone – £7,448,583
10. Putney – £1,058,706
11. Elland, Calderdale – £6,310,812
12. Northallerton, Hambleton – £6,085,013
13. Rotherham – £12,660,708
14. Halifax – £11,762,823
15. Barnsley £15,624,456
16. Scunthorpe – £10,675,323
17. New Ferry, Wirral – £3,213,523
18. Wigan – £16,633,691
19. Crewe – £14,148,128
20. Rochdale – £17,080,458
21. Farnworth, Bolton – £13,306,817
22. Oldham – £10,750,237
23. Kirkham, Fylde – £6,290,831
24. Maryport, Allerdale – £11,527,839
25. Carlisle – £9,129,874
26. Plymouth – £12,046,873
27. Barnstable – £6,548,876
28. Newton Abbot, Teignbridge – £9,199,364
29. Paignton – £13,363,248
30. Kingswood – £12,555,464
31. Salisbury – £9,355,731
32. Penzance – £10,403, 112
33. Trowbridge – £16,347,056
34. Yeovil – £9,756,897
35. Taunton – £13,962,981
36. Loftus – £5,833,628
37. Middlesbrough – £14,170,352
38. Stockton – £16,543,812
39. South Shields – £5,959,187
40. Derby – £15,034,398
41. Sutton-in-Ashfield – £6,279,872
42. Grantham – £5,558,818
43. Grimsby – £17,280,917
44. Nottingham – £12,523,981
45. Heanor, Amber Valley – £8,592,837
46. Northampton – £8,442,730
47. Buxton – £6,608,223
48. Dover – £3,202,226
49. Newhaven – £5,004,939
50. Chatham – £9,497,720
51. Ramsgate – £2,704,213
52. Commercial Road, Portsmouth – £3,122,375
53. Fratton, Portsmouth – £3,858,489
54. High Wycombe – £11,886,876
55. St Neots – £3,748,815
56. March, Fenland – £6,447,129
57. Great Yarmouth – £13,774,430

Additional reporting by Press Association

At a time when so many small local traders are struggling to survive, it’s hard to be positive about your high street. But those who love Axminster will agree that something is stirring in a town that has been struggling over recent years. 

Barrie Hedges www.midweekherald.co.uk 

The turning point came a few months ago when the abandoned anchor shop, Trinity House, found a new owner in the shape of Axminster Property whose wider mission is to invest and manage on behalf of pension funds. From the deep gloom that had descended when that pivotal building closed as a department store suddenly came new hope. 

All eyes turned to managing director Ian Styles to see what would emerge from a man recognised for his ideas. Would it be a quick fix followed by a swift re-let to the first available bidder? Fortunately for Axminster, Ian Styles loves his home town and had rather different thoughts washing around – and a very different approach to restoring the fabric of a beautiful old building. 

Within weeks, the skilled carpenter was himself back ‘on the tools’ at the head of a small and talented team who formed a work bubble to enable them to progressively attack years of decay on a building whose origins go back 200 years. 

Fast forward to today and that team has delivered something quite startling with the opening of an inspirational new Community Waffle House stretching right across the first floor. 

Those with an insight will know that ‘the Waffle’ is not just about enjoying a tasty delicacy and drinking excellent coffee. 

Waffling is also about getting people talking, tackling isolation and a host of other social challenges. Its role in the community is truly transformational. 

Ian Styles and his team had already delivered a new home within Trinity House for the rebranded Lou la Belle boutique where owner Louise Wall is reporting a big customer response. 

More recently came the Crafty Hobbit, which serves as a market for a large group of local craft ‘makers’. Two more retail units are in the offing on the ground floor – and there’s also a large basement with great potential. 

But if Trinity House marks a tipping point, don’t for a moment dismiss the underlying strength that surrounds it in a town whose bedrock is small, independent and often unique businesses. 

There are few shops more beautiful in my view than Collate Interiors, the Acorn Gift Shop and Courthouse Makers, and few more embedded long servers than Axminster Printing, the Fabric Shop and Axminster Jewellers. 

Archway Bookshop has true old-style bookshop atmosphere yet has also reinvented itself during lockdown with an online service that punches way beyond its weight. 

The faith in Axminster in the midst of a pandemic is significant. In addition to the Waffle, the town’s eating opportunities have been further boosted by Ric’s Kitchen, the Cow and the Bean and the Corner House Bakery. 

The town centre is undoubtedly ‘on the turn’; but it still desperately needs a longer-term direction that can only come from development of a real vision for the future. 

With its Neighbourhood Plan having stalled in mid-air nearly four years ago, there is a burning need right now for a lead to be taken in setting a direction and, crucially, in winning funding. Issues such as pedestrianisation, heavy traffic and what to do about empty shops are nitty gritty bullets to be bitten. 

Retail experts seem to agree that we can’t turn back the clock – the fundamental structure of high streets has changed and it’s no good being sentimental. 

The feeling is that town centres have to be reshaped to equip them for a new future that draws people for different reasons such as health, beauty, entertainment and education. 

While they are there, they will also hopefully shop. The challenge lies in creating an overall experience, making Axminster’s town centre a go-to destination where people want to dwell a while. 

For this year’s Christmas competition I asked readers to submit letters written to Santa Claus. As ever, I received many more than I could include, and enjoyed reading them all. These are the winners, names at the bottom.

Patrick Kidd www.thetimes.co.uk 

Dear Santa, Because of the fantastic job I did — THE BEST EVER — controlling the China virus I deserve the following: Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Yours, Donald J Trump

Dear Santa, All I want is some decent soap. I can’t seem to get my hands clean these days — always one damned spot left. But it needn’t be highly scented; I’ve tried all the perfumes of Arabia to no avail.

Also, my husband needs some new glasses. He keeps seeing things that aren’t there, daggers mostly. I don’t think it’s the drink.

By the time you get to Glamis, you’re nearly home so why not stop over for a rest? I’ll make up the spare room, like I did for Duncan. You’re welcome to stay until tomorrow — and tomorrow and tomorrow. All the best, Lady Macbeth.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons, Lord President of the Council, Member of Parliament for North East Somerset presents his compliments to Saint Nicholas, Holy Hierarch, Bishop of Myra and begs to inform him that during the past twelvemonth his behaviour has been without fault. In consequence of which he humbly requests the Patron of our Yuletide Festival to furnish him with the following:

Item: One monocle

Item: A new pair of spats

Item: A carbon-neutral penny-farthing.

In joyful anticipation, he expresses his profound gratitude.

Dear Santa, Please could I have some tickets for the theatre? After a difficult few years I need a relaxing evening where nothing can go wrong. Yours, Abraham Lincoln

Dear Santa, We haven’t written for many years — I used to sign my letters Lilibet — but write now to ask for a new cabinet for one of our palaces. My husband and I are in disagreement over this. He says we have plenty. We have had plenty, but when I heard him talking about a William Kent yesterday I realised how desperately we need a new one. Please send a Lord Privy Seal, First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, etc etc, to the Palace of Westminster. Yours affectionately, E To Err

Dear Santa, There’s something we just can’t abide: politicians who cannot decide. [Next slide]

The two of us each eventide with Matt or Boris by our side [Next slide]

(Though neither of them’s qualified to lock down part or nationwide), [Next slide]

And Gavin, who should be certified, or Peston with his diatribe. [Next slide]

So next year please let’s turn the tide and get through this with British pride [Next slide]

If, Santa, will you please provide your sleigh for vaccines countrywide. Yours truly, Chris & Patrick

Listen Santa, When I asked for a cowboy outfit, I expected a profitable business not some Village People schmutter. Anyway, the chaps were too long, the waistcoat too small, and the hat blew over the side of the yacht. This year I expect a peerage. No, not porridge. If you’re looking to sell up, I’ll take the workshop — but I’m not paying the elves’ pensions. SIR Philip Green

Father Christmas, When I sent you my list of presents, I did NOT expect to wait until Christmas Day. I wanted them the same day. You’re a useless idiot. It pains me to say it but civil servants could do a better job. Priti Patel

Dear Mr Claus, Please could I have a plastic skeleton? As Secretary of State for Education I have singlehandedly guided us through these problematic months and confidently expect a promotion to Health in a reshuffle. My plan is to learn all the body parts so I can tell the doctors how to do their jobs. However, I overheard Boris telling someone I don’t know my arse from my elbow, so realised I need help. Your ’umble servant, Gav

Dear Santa, I’ve been a very good boy so please can you bring me an oven (British, of course, or your reindeer will get stuck in the queues from abroad) because my one isn’t working. A deal I recently cooked came out very flat. I was going to ask for some fish as well but I’ll be able to get loads very cheaply soon. Thanks very much, Boris Johnson

Dear Claus, You are, by edict of Parliament, instructed to stay away from our lands. Should you doubt our resolve, I remind you of the late Charles Stuart. With the grace of God, Cromwell, Protector.

Dear Father, I have been good, so far. I was a bit disappointed to get gardening equipment and a fruit tree last year. I’d love some clothes! Eve

Darling Santa, All I want for Christmas is a private island where we can live our simple lives, growing carrots and eggplants far away from PR people and photographers. And could it have a small jet and a landing strip so Harry can pop over to the mainland when we run out of oatmilk? Yours humbly, Meghan.

Dear Santa, Rather than seeking a gift, I offer one. Having observed your lifelong need to please, dress in bizarre costumes and pop down chimneys, I propose you swap your sleigh for my couch. No charge. Yours professionally, Sigmund Freud

Dear Santa, For my first Xmas can I please have a smooth exit for Papa, less vexit for Mama and a lot more bixcits for Dilyn as well as a scalextric for me. Thank you x Wilfred Johnson, aged 7 months

Dear Father Christmas, We feel rather embarrassed about sending a list since you gave us EVERYTHING we asked for last year. War, Poverty and Death are, for us, like socks, boxer shorts and a book token but, oh boy, to get Pestilence too! Wow!

However, our PR dept caution against “catastrophe fatigue” and suggest that this year we ask for a Cliff Richard CD, a pair of slippers, Quality Street and a voucher for an Unconscious Bias Course. Though if you could manage a teeny bit of cataclysmic flooding . . ? Thanks v much, White, Red, Black and Pale

Winning entries sent by Bharat Jashanmal, Vivien McCoubrey, Margaret Attlee, Pete Moore, Nicholas Cranfield, Jeremy Fox, Gerald Gouriet, Jeremy Dore, Steve Larkin, Zilma Watts, Alastair Stewart, Tina Morgan, Joan Salter, Walter Ford, Ian Elliott and Suzie Marwood.

It is the word the prime minister turns to when he is about to deliver bad news. And it’s become the signal for the rest of us to brace ourselves.

Nick Hopkins www.theguardian.com

Alas, it seems, is the word poor Boris knows all too well.

And according to the team behind the BBC TV show QI, it has become a staple during parliamentary debate too – it was said more than 80 times in the House of Commons in November 2020, more than any other month since 1800.

A now-unfashionable word, with its origins from Old French in the mid-13th century, “alas” was used by Shakespeare in one of his most famous and misquoted lines. In a graveyard, clutching the skull of the court jester, Hamlet declares: “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio …”

Then, as now, it is word commonly used to express sorrow, grief and concern, and there’s certainly been a lot of that this year.

At his last Downing Street press briefing on 21 December, Boris Johnson used it for the umpteenth time. “As we’ve seen throughout this pandemic, this virus, alas, can move all too swiftly from one nation to another …”

Five days earlier, with coronavirus spreading rapidly across the nation and new tougher restrictions in the offing, the prime minister admitted “the overall situation is, alas, worse and more challenging than we had hoped when we first set the rules”.

In late November, Johnson told the nation that the tiering system wasn’t really working. “I should warn you now that many more places will be in higher tiers than, alas, was previously the case,” he said. Two weeks before that, on 9 November, “alas”, he said, the death figures were rising fast.

And in his statement to the Commons at the beginning of the month, it was double portions. “When I look at what is happening now amongst some of our continental friends and see doctors who have tested positive being ordered, alas, to work on Covid wards … I can reach only one conclusion: I am not prepared to take the risk with the lives of the British people.” Getting the R number down was essential to avoid “more hospital admissions and, alas, more fatalities”.

These aren’t the only occasions the prime minister has used the word in recent weeks. And given the bleak news about the spread of the virus, they are unlikely to be the last.

Alas.