The 322 MPs who voted against the labour motion last week need to do the maths: more than £6,000 a day for consultants on a failing test-and-trace system versus £15 a week for food vouchers; £522m for the “eat out to help out“ scheme, subsidising those who can afford restaurant meals, versus £24m to feed children who can’t. 

We know they included Simon Jupp but Neil Parish has yet to tell us how he would have voted had he not been absent . Is this another “massive mistake”?- Owl

Donna Ferguson www.theguardian.com 

Thousands of Britain’s top child-health specialists have joined forces to condemn the government for its refusal to fund free meals for disadvantaged children in England over the school holidays, amid a spreading grassroots campaign on the issue led by England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford.

With a growing number of councils and businesses this weekend offering to provide free meals, more than 2,000 paediatricians across the UK have signed a letter expressing their shock at the decision. They state that ensuring children have enough to eat is one of the “most basic human responsibilities”.

The letter, co-ordinated by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and seen by the Observer, says: “Every day, we see the impact of hunger and malnutrition in our work as paediatricians. It is not unusual for us to care for children who don’t have enough to eat or who don’t have access to a substantial meal outside of what is provided in school.

“We call on the UK government to match the pledges of the Welsh and Scottish governments and the Northern Ireland Executive, to continue to provide children from low-income backgrounds with free meals over the coming weeks and to then extend this at least until the Easter school holiday.”

The letter praises Rashford as a “source of inspiration” for his campaign, which continued to attract a groundswell of support last night. Hundreds more businesses have signed up to help provide meals this weekend and scores of councils, including prominent Tory-led authorities, have agreed to fund local programmes. An online petition set up by Rashford now has more than 700,000 signatures, while Labour is planning to embarrass the government by holding another Commons vote on the issue.

Russell Viner, president of the Royal College, told the Observer that he had “rarely seen such anger among our members”. He added: “We care for children who don’t have enough to eat. We see far too many of them. It is heartbreaking that it has become a normal part of our jobs and hunger is all too common for millions of families in the UK. There is an opportunity to put this right. It is pointless to talk about levelling up the country, an ambition which we support, while refusing to offer temporary relief to children and families.”

The intervention comes amid frustration among many Conservative MPs, who want the decision to be reversed before the Christmas holidays. One senior figure said ministers were making a “massive mistake” by refusing to back Rashford’s campaign. Rashford’s successful campaign to provide food vouchers during the summer holidays is estimated to have cost £126m.

However, other Tory MPs caused anger by criticising the free meals drive. Ben Bradley, the Mansfield MP, was accused of linking free meals with “crack dens” and “brothels” in social media comments. He said his remarks had been taken out of context. North Devon MP Selaine Saxby apologised after appearing to criticise businesses giving away free food. Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley, also faced a backlash for a withering response to a 16-year-old constituent who had questioned his opposition to extending free school meals.

Ministers are also facing criticism after it emerged that schools in some of the most deprived areas of the country were told they will not now receive the laptops to help pupils learn remotely.

Allocations of laptops for disadvantaged pupils have been slashed by around 80%. A Department for Education spokesperson said allocations of laptops were being “more effectively” targeted to the children, schools and areas of the country that have “greatest need”. The Scottish and Welsh governments have already extended free meals during school holidays until next Easter. In Northern Ireland, children will be given meals over this month’s half-term break. Official figures from earlier this year suggested 1.4 million disadvantaged children were eligible for free school meals in England, but that is thought to have increased during the pandemic.

The concern among child health experts heaps further pressure on ministers. Dr Max Davie, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “We’re a rich country. We shouldn’t have to fight for food vouchers when we’re in the middle of a pandemic.”

Dr Liz Whittaker, consultant paediatrician at St Mary’s Hospital, London said: “Missing meals isn’t just about going hungry on an individual day, it has a lasting impact on a young person’s life. It is impossible to justify any argument that this saves the state money.”

Meanwhile, Covid cases continue to mount. A further 23,012 positive tests were announced on Saturday, along with 174 more deaths. A further 1,139 were admitted to hospital.

Robert Halfon, the Tory chair of the education select committee, called on the government to rethink and overhaul food provision for poor children. “The government has got to sort this,” he said. “They need to sit down with people like Marcus Rashford and his taskforce, which has got some of the biggest food companies involved. They need to set out a long-term plan to combat child food hunger, not only looking at rolling out free school meal vouchers at Christmas temporarily during the coronavirus pandemic, but also rolling out breakfast clubs, introducing a holiday activities programme, and examining [the level of support in] universal credit.”

Late on Saturday, former children’s minister Tim Loughton became the latest Tory to call on the government to change course. “I will now lobby ministers to reverse this decision for the Christmas break,” he said.

However, ministers insisted that there was a “better way” to deal with the issue of child hunger. Baroness Barran, the civil society minister, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “The government has made over £200bn available to protect people’s incomes and people’s livelihoods. We have worked very closely with charities who operate food banks across the country. There are different approaches to how we do this but we have used all the levers possible to try to make sure that people are safe and well as we go forward.

“We have provided more money through universal credit, we have provided more money to local authorities and we believe that is a better way of approaching this problem.”

The number of new coronavirus cases confirmed in the last seven days has risen across Devon and Cornwall – with a sharp rise recorded in East Devon.

Daniel Clark – Local Democracy Reporter honiton.nub.news 

Below are a list of ‘clusters’ – referring to three or more cases – in Honiton and the surrounding area.

Figures are as of October 23 covering October 13-19:

Dunkesewell, Upottery and Stockland: 4

Honiton North and East: 4

Honiton South and West: 0-2

Feniton and Whimple: 0-2

Axminster: 7

Ottery St Mary and West Hill: 3

A large rise has been recorded across East Devon, with 15 clusters currently registered in the region.

In Exeter, cases are down by a third on last week, mainly driven by a reduction in cases linked to the University.

A sharp fall in cases in Exeter has outweighed the rises elsewhere in the region, which has seen 13 fewer cases confirmed in the Devon County Council area compared with last week.

Of the 1,395 new cases, 116 were in East Devon. The region has seen a sharp rise by specimen date.

This compares to the 1,113 new cases from last week, of which 69 were in East Devon.

The number of people in hospital in the South West has risen to 248 from 151 as of last week and there are currently 21 people on a mechanical ventilator.

In total, East Devon has had 582 positive cases.

It comes as Steve Brown, the Deputy Director for Public Health Devon has confirmed that Exeter case numbers are now back to ‘broadly’ the national average.

He described the reduction in cases in Exeter as great news and testament to all the work that the university and colleagues have done.

“While the numbers are low in Devon at the moment, it’s really important that we do all we can to maintain that,” he said.

Latest news from Cathy Gardner as she waits to find out whether her judicial review can proceed to the High Court.

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/care-home-deaths/

Update on Help me hold the government to account for Covid-19 care home deaths

Thank you for your kind support, you’ve allowed me to bring the case forward and we await a ruling on November 19th to see whether the case will get the judicial review we are calling for.

In the meantime I just wanted to make you aware of two news items that you may not have seen. Firstly, Amnesty International published a report a few weeks ago that did get some coverage in the media. Their findings echo the evidence in my legal case and If you didn’t see it the report can be found here:  https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/10/uk-older-people-in-care-homes-abandoned-to-die-amid-government-failures-during-covid-19-pandemic/

Secondly, CNN interviewed me for the piece they produced to mark the sad milestone of a million deaths worldwide. This is humbling because my father’s story was chosen to represent the ~250’000 deaths in Europe, so far. Sadly the death toll continues to rise. The CNN item can be viewed here and is very moving (copy and paste into your browser if you need to, its worth watching):

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2020/09/world/global-covid-deaths-one-million/

East Devon District Council is calling on the government to provide financial help for women born in the 1950s who lost out on thousands of pounds of income due to state pension age changes and are now in further hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Beth Sharp exmouth.nub.news

In the 1990s the government increased the female state pension age from 60 to 65. It’s meant that women, born in the 1950s, who expected to retire at 60, suddenly found themselves facing a wait of up to at least five years before they could receive their pension. Further changes in 2011 accelerated and increased the State Pension age so some faced a hike of six years and most had absolutely no idea this had happened.

Nationally, 3.8 million women have been affected by the changes with more than 7,500 women living in East Devon.

Campaigners for the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) say that the pandemic is now adding to the financial strain that the women born in the 1950s are facing. Many affected by the changes have had to continue working towards their new state pension age in order to make ends meet as the decision meant that many were financially ill-prepared for the future.

As jobs are being lost due to economic pressures triggered by the Covid lockdown, many in this group are now finding that their jobs – their financial lifeline – are being cut and they are finding it hard to find new work.

Following a motion to support the WASPI group, put forward by Cllr Fabian King and seconded by Cllr Val Ranger, East Devon District Council unanimously agreed to lobby its three MPs urging them to promote the plight of the women in Parliament.

The council is backing the WASPI call on government to take urgent action to support the women. It wants Parliament to give WASPI women early access to Pension Credit and give those women due to reach state pension age this financial year early access to their state pension.

At the council meeting, Cllr Ranger highlighted the devastating repercussions for the women resulting from the pandemic which had removed their means of earning or saving money.

She said: “It is very easy to forget that many of these women were well into their 40 and 50s when the changes to pension ages were announced.

“The national minimum wage was not introduced until 1999 and many women prior to that were in very low wage jobs, secondary to their partners.

“Many of these women had career breaks to raise children or care for family members or worked part-time sometimes with multiple jobs around those responsibilities.

“If they found themselves raising children or caring for partners alone, employers did not automatically put part-time workers into pension schemes at that time and where there was the choice to enrol in a scheme, many had to choose between feeding the family that month or putting money into the pension pot for later life.

“It is one thing to be told at the start of your career that you will need to plan long term for your retirement and another to have the goal posts changed as you approach retirement.

“Things are very different now with compulsory employer pension schemes.

“Low paid jobs are often high energy, unsocial hours and physical and this becomes increasingly challenging over the years.

“Given the competition in the job market now at a time when many younger people are seeking work, it seems nonsensical to pay young people to be on unemployment benefits so harmful to their self-esteem and long term mental health and yet continue to insist older women who have worked hard all their lives must carry on pursuing whatever means they can to get by.

“The government could easily address this imbalance with no ill effect on the public purse.”

Carol Bray and Sandra Broadbent, Devon co-ordinators for WASPI, thanked the council for supporting their cause.

They said: “The arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic has led to even further financial strain for us. Many were unable to take advantage of emergency government measures and many lost their jobs.

“Those who have lost their jobs are finding real barriers in gaining new work.

“The World Health Organisation has identified those over 60 as being at greater risk from the virus – many WASPI women are continuing or seeking employment in a state of fear but have no option as they cannot afford to be unemployed.

“The emergency measures the council is supporting would be of immense help and it is a testament to East Devon council that it is the first council in the country to support its residents in this Call to Action and to do so unanimously.”

WASPI has made it clear that it is not asking for pensions to return to 60 for women, but say that the government decision was maladministration as women were not properly informed of the changes and led to many being financially ill prepared for the future.

Cllr Paul Arnott, leader of the council, was asked by the council to write to the district’s three MPs Simon Jupp, Mel Stride and Neil Parish.

In his letter, Cllr Arnott told the MPs that the women were already suffering from a pre-existing state of poverty and financial deprivation and government action on Covid had hit them exceptionally hard, throwing them into a pension trap.

He said: “These women were deprived of any means by which they could rescue or revise their financial plans – in the time available at the end of their working lives – to replace the pension provision that had been taken away.

“Just because this issue continues to be neglected does not mean it has gone away. Men have never had to put up with this treatment and this intolerable gender discrimination is happening today in plain sight.

“The repercussions of Covid have been financially devastating for the cohort caught in this penalised age group.

“It is irrefutable that the manner of pension age transition has caused significant financial damages for women born in the 1950s.

“Many have had to tread very carefully through life to make ends meet. Yet now this has been exacerbated by Covid pulling the rug from under them.

“The government’s Covid lockdown measures have caused the collapse of the penny-pinching ways of life to which so many East Devon women born in the 1950’s have had to resort.

“Covid has broken apart the fragile state of their financial make-do-and-mend approach to life.

“The remedial measures and little ways of making and saving a penny or a pound here or there have become an impossible challenge.

“That Covid lockdown has been easing recently has not undone the damage nor resolved the economic deprivation this cohort of women continue to face – and it may yet return.

“I can summarise by saying that the common theme is that so many means and ways of earning an extra few pounds, or making savings here and there have now gone. And, as so many men will know, when they approach retirement age, the ageism prevalent in our society closes nearly every door to improving their financial lot.”

This sorry saga of what happens with “hands-off developer-led development” is a living example of what the government has in mind with its “planning for the future” White Paper. The consultation on this ends next week on 29 October. 

This is a highly technical consultation. Not all the questions need answering and, for members of the public, e-mailing some general narrative comment would suffice. If anyone wants ideas on how to respond to the key questions, read the excellent brief prepared by EDDC planners for the 16 September Strategic Planning Committee, pages 36 to 73.

Cranbrook started off with such high hopes with a dedicated EDDC planning team. They created a viable community plan (Owl even attended a presentation) but this team was dissolved, on government instruction, with all the time and effort wasted.

Cranbrook ended up being a pioneer of “developer-led” community planning.

“The market knows best.” (See also the “mutant algorithm” which it is intended should be used to allocate housing numbers, part of the consultation) – Owl

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

Impassioned pleas for councillors to accept a proposal that would kick-start the development of Cranbrook’s long awaited town centre have fallen on deaf ears.

East Devon District Council’s strategic planning committee on Thursday were urged to by local members, the town council, and the town’s Minister, to accept the proposals by the East Devon New Community Partners for the town.

Their offer would see development take place sooner rather than late, although would be less ambitious than a proposed masterplan that council officers were in favour of.

But the calls were rejected, with committee members instead voting to continue negotiations with the EDNCp to improve their offer and to that work should continue on a draft Supplementary Planning Document for the town centre.

Artist impression of Cranbrook Town Centre by the Consortium (Image East Devon New Community Partners)

While the SPD approach would see a more ambitious town centre provided, as the land is not owned by East Devon District Council, it would be uncertain how this could be delivered or funded, and other than when the existing S106 obligations for reaching 3,450 occupations were reached.

The proposal from the consortium of developers included:

• A 2,500 square metres Morrisons supermarket with an additional 1,000 square metres of retail space on Tillhouse Road (around 10 to 12 shops);
• A town square
• A nursery
• Around 350 town centre homes
• Town hall with café, meeting spaces and around 15 rentable office units (including land and around one-third of the construction costs)
• Children’s centre, youth centre and library in a single building (including land and the construction costs to the Section 106 value)
• A skate park
• Land for extra care facilities delivered by Devon County Council
• Land for a “blue light” facility to house fire, police and ambulance services
• Opportunities to provide additional retail outlets
• Public conveniences, if not built within a commercial building
• Option to purchase an acre of land to safeguard land for any additional development needs identified in the future, e.g. a leisure centre, workshops or light industrial units.

The masterplan approach seeks to use the EDNCp proposals as a starting point by incorporating their proposals for the town centre, and would see the library, youth centre, children’s centre and blue light services provided.

But the proposal would make the remainder of town centre land available for a mixture of commercial, community and leisure uses to meet the needs of the town in the future rather than for housing, the location of the extra care facility would be changed, while it may make provision for a hotel in the town, and would continue to plan for the proposed leisure centre to be provided.

Cllr Barry Rogers, chairman of Cranbrook town council’s amenities committee, said that this was a choice between a range of facilities being delivered now or more ambitious town centre at some stage in the future, without clarity over what can be delivered, whether it can be funded, and how long it will take to deliver.

Artist impression of Cranbrook Town Centre by the Consortium (Image East Devon New Community Partners)

He said: “Residents are crying out for the delivery of facilities now and not at some stage in the future. Cranbrook is rapidly building out and majority of people no longer live within walking distance of the only convenience store in town. An entire town is being built, but there is little or no urgency that the community desperately needs and is demanding the town centre sooner rather than later.

“No-one knows how long it would take, there is no timescale for delivery, and no guarantee anything would be delivered at all, so the town council, on behalf of the Cranbrook community, urges you to approve the developers proposal for the facilities that we so urgently need.”

Cllr Ray Bloxham, who represents Cranbrook on Devon County Council said that the consortium proposal was the way forward. He said: “Rejecting the proposal will kill off the youth building and the community building ahead of the trigger point.

“This is not a bird in the hand or the bird in the bush, as while the consortiums proposals are the bird in the hand, the chances are the bird will never get into the bush with the SPD and may die before it does. Even with the perceived limitations, it would be a major boost, while the prospect of many more years with no facilities would be so demoralising it could have a desperate impact on the economic development of the town.”

The Rev Lythan Nevard , Minister for Cranbrook, said if we want Cranbrook to be a town rather than a sprawling housing estate, then it does need a town centre sooner rather than later.

She added: “We are at a tipping point and the need for a town centre as soon as possible is critical. We need more community space. The town is growing every day all the time, but the social infrastructure cannot grow at the same pace as new people are arriving. People are disillusioned and they will leave because the dream of the town they were sold isn’t going to come to fruition.

“People are hungry for the facilities now even if smaller than planned, rather than a dream that may come later, as for many people, it is already later. A town without a heart is just an estate, and that was never the plan for Cranbrook.”

Cllr Kim Bloxham urged the committee to support the consortium proposal which will be a huge boost to the community of Cranbrook, saying ‘do what is right for them’, while Cllr Sam Hawkins said: “It is not want we want in an ideal world but we don’t live in an ideal world. I struggle to see how district can provide the town centre from a finance and resources point of view.”

Cllr Kevin Blakey added: “The developers’ proposals are fully funded and deliverable in the short term, so it presents a low risk to the authority. We should take note of what the people in Cranbrook are asking for. We are supposed to represent what they feel and they want.”

Supporting the calls from Cranbrook, Cllr Andrew Moulding said: “I am concerned that the recommendation would mean more delay for the residents of Cranbrook. The Minister made an impassioned plea to get on with it. She knows what the residents of the town feel and on behalf of them made a plea.

“The ward members support it and they know the town. It delivers what I hope it would be able to deliver and what the SPD would mean is yet more delay.”

Cllr Philip Skinner added: “It’s time we got something done. People are crying out for something to be done. It is maybe not delivering on the aspirations but it is time to deliver on what we’ve got, as we need to build communities not just housing estates.”

Cllr Ian Thomas said that there was always going to be an issue with the ‘self-sustainability’ of Cranbrook due to its proximity to Exeter. He said: “To suggest it will have a massive town centre with everything under the sun is just not going to happen. The proposal from the consortium are not radically different from the SPD and if not radically different, where all the other things are going from, as I don’t expect they’ll be in the SPD either?

“It is brave to go against the views of the elected members, 1000 residents in support, the town council, the county council – so from a public perception the support is clearly strong. In the current climate, a bird in the hand is better than a starling hiding in the bushes. We should look to move forward.”

Cllr Mike Howe added that this was a difficult decision, as one hand there is a scheme that will deliver what the residents want, but on the other hand, won’t deliver what the town will need for the next 15-20 years and never will because of the constraints put upon it.

He said: “This is the devil and the deep blue sea. The proposals have merit and should be explored but there are only an opening gambit and they need to do a lot better, or we give officers longer to come up with a scheme, debate it, and see if we can afford it.

“If we accept this, we are committed to a town that will probably never have a cinema, never have a sport centre, and will have to grow more, but we will be stuck as what we have now. It cannot be seen as acceptable and they have to do better, but at speed, as sitting around debating an SPD for many more years is not going to work.”

But Cllr Olly Davey said that the council had to look to the future and that the 2,000 households living there now may want this, questions will be asked when the town is fully built to 8,000 homes why did they accept such a small town centre and why didn’t they stick out for the original vision for the town?

He said: “We should stick with the recommendation and accept the proposal that has been made by officers, and that the negotiations continue.”

Cllr Eleanor Rylance added that there had been ‘little bits of shine’ knocked of the vision for Cranbrook each year. She said: “It would be devastating if we privileged speed over delivering the town of Cranbrook when it is built out. This is not ambitious enough. It is a quick solution to a current problem, but doesn’t address a future problem.”

She added that the proposals ‘looked like the lunch area in an out of town office park and was not a destination that anyone wants to go to with a windy precinct as their town centre’, and said: “We can do better and must think about what we are delivering. We need to think about not just the current residents but future residents.”

Cllr Paul Hayward added: “All I see is houses and putting more strain on infrastructure and services. Cranbrook needs massive investment, but we will deliver it, and we must make a commitment to get the SPD done far faster.”

In his recommendation to the committee, Ed Freeman, the service lead for planning strategy and development management, said in officers opinion, the consortium proposals may deliver what the town needs now in terms of retail facilities but in so doing it precludes the delivery of future commercial and community spaces that the town already requires, and which the need for will continue as the town grows from its current 2100 homes to around 8000 in the future.

He added: “Failure to meet the long term needs of the town as it develops jeopardises the future of Cranbrook as a sustainable and healthy new town. Officers continue to have fundamental concerns with the viability evidence presented which forms the fundamental rationale for the NCp’s proposal for a reduced economic heart for the town centre; the evidence is not transparent and has inconsistencies within it which raise concerns over accuracy.

“The production of an SPD and the proactive delivery of the town centre is therefore considered to be the favoured approach. There would however be major challenges in terms of accessing the land and funding the delivery of the proposals.”

Councillors rejected Cllr Blakey’s recommendation to accept the consortium’s proposals by seven votes to four, with one abstention, before accepting the recommendation of officers by seven votes to three, with two abstentions.

The committee agreed to advise the East Devon New Community Partners that the Council is not minded to enter into the proposed Memorandum of Understanding based on the proposed heads of terms at the present time but is open to further negotiation.

They recommended to Cabinet that funding be made available to support the pro-active delivery of the town centre based on the draft SPD Masterplan, and that work should continue on the draft SPD which alongside a delivery plan be presented to Strategic Planning Committee in December.

Devon’s council leaders have issued a joint message calling on anyone currently in a high-risk area to follow national guidance, and to stay away from the county this half-term.

[A sensible message, but is the national “guidance” strong enough? – Owl]

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

Those living under the highest level of restrictions in England are advised by the Government not to travel out of their areas except under exceptional circumstances.

Cllr John Hart, leader of Devon County Council, said: “That is why we are calling on anyone currently in a high-risk area to follow national guidance, and to stay away for now.”

He said that for anyone thinking of coming to or travelling in and around the South West this half-term that ‘coronavirus won’t be taking a holiday, and a new social media campaign specifically targeting anyone coming into the region has been launched with the message that if you’re visiting Devon this half term, please remember the rules still apply while you’re on holiday.

While coronavirus rates in Devon are below the national average, Cllr Hart said that now is the time to be extra careful and he has urged anyone coming on holiday to Devon to consider the potential impact of their visit and to respect and help protect our local communities.

He said: “People may well be considering taking a break this half term but unfortunately coronavirus won’t be taking a holiday.

“Clearly, our top priority is to keep our residents safe. I urge everyone who is thinking of going away or even travelling within the area to think carefully about where they might be going and to continue to follow the rules.

“Equally, we are asking anyone thinking of coming into the region to consider the potential impact of their visit and to respect and help protect our local communities.

“The number of coronavirus cases here is rising but still much lower than most of the rest of the country and we want to keep it that way, so now is the time to be extra careful and extra vigilant.

“That is why we are calling on anyone currently in a high-risk area to follow national guidance, and to stay away for now.

“And if people do travel here from other areas then we urge them to be extra careful and follow all the extra rules that may relate to their own local area.”

The message comes as all authorities across the region come together to launch a joint social media campaign via the South West Local Resilience Forum to target visitors, reminding them to keep following the basic rules – space, face and hands – and not to think they can relax just because they are away.

Honiton Town Council has issued a statement in which it seeks to address ‘current misperceptions within the community’.

[Not sure that Owl is much wiser as a result]

Hannah Corfield honiton.nub.news 

It states that the Council is ‘aware of a petition requesting that Councillors resign and accepts that those who have signed are exercising their democratic rights but that it does not agree with the arguments raised’.

It goes on to confirm that ‘Councillors will continue to work for the best interests of the Town, and will not be resigning’.

“The claim brought by Honiton Town Council against Bailey Partnership was based on legal advice received,” the statement continues.

“The decision not to pursue further litigation against Bailey Partnership was made by Full Council at their meeting on Monday, 12 October.

“Honiton Town Council has always supported Honiton Community Complex (the Beehive). The Beehive building is there, built by the Council and it has been positive for the Town.

“The funding of the Beehive is a complex issue, but one which Honiton Town Council is endeavouring to resolve.

“Honiton Town Council is working on projects for the benefit of Honiton.

“Honiton Town Council acknowledges there have been problems related to staffing, but we anticipate many of those problems will be resolved in the next few months.

“Actions were further delayed for a variety of reasons, mainly Covid-19, but we are now moving ahead at speed to resolve these issues.

“At all times, should any person have any queries or wishes to discuss in detail any action taken by Honiton Town Council, they should not hesitate to contact either the Deputy Town Clerk or any one of the Town Councillors, whose contact details can be found here on the Honiton Town Council website.“

The government moves in mysterious ways. Only on Tuesday, it had been unable to find an extra £5m to secure a deal with Andy Burnham and other local leaders to take Greater Manchester into tier 3. And on Wednesday there had been no money available for the poorest children, who will tiresomely insist on still wanting to be fed when not in school, to get free meals during the holidays up until next Easter. But on Thursday the Magic Money Tree was dripping with cash.

John Crace www.theguardian.com 

Rishi Sunak has only been chancellor for about eight months, but I’ve already lost count of how many budgets he’s delivered since March. We must be into double figures by now. His winter economy plan that was announced at the tail end of last month hasn’t even survived till the end of autumn – and is now on to its third iteration.

Some may see this as a weakness in strategic planning. A failure to predict what was only too obvious to most of the rest of the country. But Sunak prefers to give his policies a more positive spin. He likes to see himself as the Man in the Know; someone who can react to fast-changing events at speed. After all, who could possibly have guessed that the UK – along with the rest of Europe – was heading for a second wave of coronavirus? Other than the government scientists who had been saying just that for months.

So Sunak was back in the Commons to deliver yet another round of financial help for businesses affected by Covid-19. The costings could wait for another day, as Sunak prefers not to let the details of how he will eventually pay for things – austerity or higher taxes – take the gloss off his moment in the limelight. First was a bailout for all businesses affected by being in tier 2. This was backdated to August just to prove that he wasn’t just bothered about London and the West Midlands, but really, really cared about the north-west too. If he’d announced all this just a week ago, he could have saved the government a world of pain.

Then there was going to be more help for businesses who would now only have to pay 5% of the wages of employees who only worked one day per week. This wouldn’t make the worker any better off and more likely to be able to pay the bills, but it would at least make it more likely they still had a job. Which was something. And finally the government was going to double the support for the self-employed from 20% to 40%, so they would also go broke a little less quickly.

The shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about the new proposals as Sunak seemed to expect. She called them “too little, too late” and observed that the best part of a million jobs had already been lost as a result of the government not having acted sooner. Nor did she wholly buy the idea that the measures weren’t being driven by London and the West Midlands and that the north-west had been tacked on as an expedient afterthought.

What was required, she concluded, wasn’t the whole country gradually edging its way into tier 3: it was a “circuit breaker” to halt the rise in infections. Though this did rather presume that the government could introduce an effective test-and-trace system. Even as she spoke, the latest statistics were published showing performance going from bad to worse.

But Rishi wasn’t here to listen to any of the naysayers. He is a man with the effortless self-belief and thin-skinned vanity of a multimillionaire who is never likely to experience financial hardship and just wanted to lap up the plaudits of the crowd. He got unexpectedly tetchy when accused of going for a cheap photo opportunity in Wagamama – Sunak doesn’t do anything on the cheap – and instead chose to wallow in the love of his own benches. This was his day. His moment in the sun and nobody was going to spoil it. At times like this, he gives the impression he believes his brand is bigger than that of his own party.

The fawning proved far too much for Boris Johnson, who had appeared for the opening half-hour, and he sloped off just as Andrew Mitchell was declaring his undying love for the chancellor. There’s only space for one narcissist in the room when Boris is around. So just as well the prime minister had gone awol, otherwise he would have had to listen to Tory Matt Vickers describe Rishi as “the man, the myth, the legend”. Sunak could only nod in agreement.

What no one mentioned of course, was that we had been here countless times before. Each of Sunak’s previous recent budget statements, which had proved to be hopelessly inadequate, had been received with nothing but adulation. But that was then and this is now. The past wasn’t just a foreign country it was a nonexistent country. And when, in a month or so’s time, Sunak came to the Commons to announce yet more measures, they too would be greeted with the excitement and shock of the new.

The battle of the egos was resumed later in the afternoon when Johnson and Sunak combined to give a joint Downing Street press conference. And though neither had anything new to say, it was Sunak who was the clear winner on points. Boris merely repeated his shtick of mumbling incoherently while casually mixing in the odd lie about anything that caught his fancy – he looks increasingly fed up with the job and only capable of dealing with a reality that he would like to exist – while Rishi sounded totally confident and at ease. Even when he is having to explain why his previous measures have been inadequate, he manages to maintain the pretence that his mistakes were deliberate.

Still, Sunak shouldn’t get too relaxed about being top dog. Because the person showing most sincerity was Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser and the third person in the room. And though he was doing his best to be optimistic, he didn’t have much cheer on offer. The test-and trace system was still a mess and that was really the only way out of the current situation. We were stuck with the virus, and we were stuck with a government committed to a tiering system from which no region was likely to escape downwards anytime soon. It was going to be a long winter.

The pandemic has presented a unique challenge for governance in local authorities. Geoff Wild examines how leadership, employees, politics and finances should come together in good governance.

www.room151.co.uk/ 

Governance is about the way in which we work together to make good decisions. Good governance is necessary for us to know that we are providing the services and support that people need and expect. Good governance is also necessary to ensure that the insights and perspectives of a range of people are used to inform decision-making, and to ensure that decisions are made transparently, consistently and on the basis of evidence, by people with the legitimacy to make those decisions—whether they are councillors or officers.

For these reasons, good governance is central to local democracy and to the business of local authorities. But with the postponement of the 2020 election and the impact on decision-making of the pandemic, it is even more crucial to take firm and concerted action to improve governance.

Dynamic

The fluid nature of the pandemic and the response that it demands means a more dynamic approach than usual is required.

For councils to be effective in providing the services and support that local people expect in these challenging times, good governance is essential. Without strong and effective decision-making in place, a council’s actions will be muddled and fragmented. It will not reflect the vision that councillors have for the future of the area, and raises the likelihood that the authority will be poor at managing the external and internal risks which it is likely to experience—the pandemic being a key example.

There are typically four core issues that serve to weaken a council’s overall governance position:

Leadership: The failure to assert a clear set of priorities and objectives for the council make political accountability difficult to discern.

Workforce: Uncertainty about roles and responsibilities of members and officers.

Politics: Significant political tension coupled with a lack of political nous from some senior officers; a failure on the part of some senior members to come to terms with changing political winds and the comparative inexperience of new councillors who become increasingly frustrated because they are unable to navigate a council’s systems.

Finances: Uncertainty around a council’s medium-term budget position and real member oversight of the budget development process, with members of all groups being involved in tough conversations about prioritisation, focus and organisational direction. This is exacerbated by the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, good governance requires that:

• Individual responsibility is clear. Councillors and officers must understand where their respective duties and accountabilities lie. Importantly, ownership of action on risk is a key part of this.
• Collective responsibility is clear. Within a functioning governance system there has to be a collective responsibility for good governance, held by everybody.

The constitution (including the scheme of delegation) may set out the legal foundation within which such roles and responsibilities should be exercised, but behaviours do not always reflect this.

Structures

No one person is responsible for overall stewardship of the governance system. A tendency to focus on the structures and systems of governance, rather than its core objectives, can lead to a lack of interest from members of the leadership.

Councils with good governance have clear objectives and a sense of how governance connects to their objectives. Governance isn’t seen as a distraction to delivery. Because of this, governance is thought about and reflected upon in the planning of major activity, meaning that time is not wasted unproductively in post-hoc discussions and disagreements when things don’t go as expected.

Good governance is framed by the making of decisions based on evidence, and on the use of information to drive accountability and responsibility. Well-governed authorities understand how important the flow of accurate information is to their effective functioning. The principle of equality of access to information underpins the way that such councils approach this matter.

It is therefore important that all councillors (administration, opposition, scrutiny) have between them open access to information and a range of ways to informally and formally influence decision-making in a variety of meetings and forums. The governance framework should provide the context within which these can be facilitated and sustained.

But alongside this comes the expectation that information will be used productively and in the service of constructive debate on the authority and its business. Protocols need to incorporate behavioural expectations around the confidentiality of certain information, its access and use. The important thing is that they collectively form a consistent and transparent framework, which does not privilege any one group—a necessary component of governance in any council.

Councils can use the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) as a way to manage and champion good governance and improvement. The aim should for the AGS to provide a road map for governance improvement. This should be accompanied by clear lines of accountability and mechanisms for member oversight and ownership of key objectives, projects and decisions.

The purpose of the AGS is to provide public assurance on the extent to which the authority’s governance systems and processes conform with local expectations, and with wider sector norms—as well as taking account of emerging risks and pressures which could lead to a need for change. It is only possible for the AGS to provide this assurance if it is informed by a meaningful review. In many councils this need has not been acknowledged, and the AGS has reflected more the need to produce and sign off a decontextualised document rather than presenting the culmination of a reflective review on the council’s governance position.

Behaviour

So, what does good governance in local government look like? Some think of it as only being about structures, systems, and processes. But equally important are the behavioural elements of good governance: The way that personal relationships and trust influence accountability and transparency, and the way that individuals operate within, and interpret, the governance framework. It also involves understanding how political and organisational risk intersect, and how an awareness of risk should be used to define and refine the organisation’s priorities.

Geoff Wild is a local government legal and governance specialist, and currently interim monitoring officer at the Isle of Wight Council.

South West leads the rest of the country down the drain! – Owl

Andy Phillips www.plymouthherald.co.uk 

Sewage samples can detect whether a community is experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases, according to a new programme which has been successfully tested in the South West.

An Environment Agency laboratory at Starcross near Exeter led the testing of the project which the Government say could become an early warning system for local outbreaks, and a ‘vital step’ in the national Test and Trace programme.

Samples from five areas across the region, including sewage treatment works in Plymouth and Cornwall, are now being used to detect a potential spike in coronavirus cases.

Organisers say the results of the programme, which began in July, have revealed that fragments of genetic material from the virus can be detected in wastewater.

This can provide health professionals with a clearer idea of infection rates within a community as it will show results from asymptomatic carriers or even those who have yet to experience symptoms.

Those behind the project say it has already worked successfully in the South West and will now be rolled out across 80 wastewater treatment sites across the UK.

Among five sites in the region now being sampled are St Ives and Penzance sewage treatment works and Plymouth Central STW as well as sites in Bristol, Trowbridge and Weymouth.

Sewage samples can detect whether a community is experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases (Image: Paul Slater)

Data from sampling will be shared with the NHS Test and Trace programme and prompt health professionals and councils to issue warnings in areas of infection.

The £1m scheme involves a host of organisations including Defra, the Environment Agency, the Joint-Biosecurity Centre as well as university departments in Cardiff, Bangor, Edinburgh, London and Middlesex as well as water companies and the Office for National Statistics.

The Government say testing sewage for diseases has been done for many years, but this is the first time that molecular science has been used in the fight against coronavirus.

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: “Sewage is a rich source of information about community health. I recently visited Starcross laboratory and saw the testing, monitoring and analysis carried out by the Environment Agency’s wastewater experts.

“I was inspired by their collaborative approach with academics, industry, government to help provide an early warning system for local coronavirus outbreaks.”

Dr Davey Jones, Professor of Soil & Environmental Science at Bangor University, said: “We have been monitoring viruses like Norovirus and Hepatitis in human sewage for the last decade, as part of a programme to evaluate levels of these viruses in the community. We added Covid-19 to the surveillance list in March this year.

“We showed that viral levels in wastewater mapped really well onto the success of lockdown measures in the first Covid-19 wave and to the emergence of the second wave. We are now using it to track the emergence and control of Covid-19 cases and working on new pilots to map the virus at both the local and the regional scale.”

Environment Secretary George Eustice, who is also MP for Camborne and Redruth, said: “This is a significant step forward in giving us a clearer idea of infection rates both nationally and locally, particularly in areas where there may be large numbers of people who aren’t showing any symptoms and therefore aren’t seeking tests.

“NHS Test and Trace is able to use the science to ensure local health leads are alerted and can take action.

“We are continuing to look at how this programme can be refined as one of the many measures we’re using to slow the spread of the virus and protect local communities.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This initiative is just one example of how we are working across government and with local partners to find innovative, new ways to track the outbreak, slow the spread of the virus and save lives.

“Monitoring and sampling wastewater offers another tool to help us identify outbreaks early on – helping NHS Test and Trace and local authorities target hotspots quickly and effectively.”

The Times view on the damage caused by trawling to marine habitats 

By Football Index www.thetimes.co.uk 

Few of Brexit’s opportunities are freighted with as much political expectation as the promise of coastal independence for Britain. Though the fishing industry may only offer a modest contribution to the economy, to many of those who voted for Brexit there is no starker illustration of sovereignty surrendered than the presence of foreign trawlers in British territorial waters.

Yet the ecological riches of Britain’s seas are just as precious a national inheritance, and one threatened by destructive fishing practices in the 350 marine protection areas (MPAs) that ring its coasts. Moves by ministers to create new regulations to protect them from plunder by trawlers are a welcome start, but there is much more work to do.

Of course, the most diverse ocean habitats in British waters ought to be safeguarded already. Yet too many marine protected areas exist on paper alone. In the 71 sites situated in Britain’s offshore zone, the vast area of sea between 12 and 200 nautical miles from the coast, there is scant protection for critically endangered species and the delicate ecosystems that sustain them.

By far the most egregious enterprise is bottom trawling. Boats drag weighted nets across the ocean floor without heed for the ecological destruction left in their wake. Some 97 per cent of marine protected areas have fallen victim. While British vessels are among the culprits, French, Dutch and Danish trawlermen are the worst offenders. Indeed, the time foreign supertrawlers spent fishing in the UK’s marine protected areas doubled in the first six months of this year.

As long as Britain remains a signatory to the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy, there is no straightforward recourse to restrict bottom trawling or dredging, the impact of which is similarly destructive. That can be done only with the agreement of other nations whose vessels fish in marine protected areas that fall inside offshore zones: for obvious reasons, it has not been forthcoming.

Yet a bar to similar ecological vandalism is desperately needed lest notionally protected havens for marine life like Dogger Bank, the largest shallow sandbank in British waters and home to a host of imperilled species, be lost for ever. Action by the likes of Greenpeace, which dropped dozens of boulders on part of Dogger last month to deter trawlers, is no substitute for robust strategy from ministers to protect the area and others like it.

Moves to introduce new restrictions on harmful fishing in five marine protection areas, including Dogger Bank, thus deserve measured welcome. No other European nation has taken the initiative. But it is only a start. Even if bottom trawling and dredging were banned altogether in the first five MPAs, the vast majority, amounting to an area not far shy of the size of England and Wales, would remain vulnerable to degradation by unscrupulous trawling.

For the government to shirk bolder action to protect every marine protected area would make a mockery of its commitment to protect 30 per cent of ocean biodiversity by 2030. It would squander a Brexit dividend, too. From January, any new licensing regime for fishing fleets of any flag, be they British or European, must include protections to ban destructive trawling in every marine protected area. Unless diverse and unique ecosystems are preserved, taking back control of Britain’s waters will be no prize at all.

Professor James Naismith of the University of Oxford said the figures show “a system struggling to make any difference to the epidemic”.

Baroness Harding of Winscombe, head of Test and Trace:  “Reducing turnaround times is our absolute priority …..” [Hope readers are reassured by Dido’s words- Owl]

Chris Smyth, Whitehall Editor www.thetimes.co.uk 

The Test and Trace system has hit a new low with less than 60 per cent of contacts being reached for the first time and waiting times for results up 60 per cent in a week.

Contact tracers are struggling to cope with efforts to return to normal life as weekly cases have risen to 101,494 and 7.1 per cent of all tests are coming back positive, a sign that the system is losing track of the epidemic.

Experts questioned whether the system was salvageable as cases continue to rise, but testing chiefs are bullish that more capacity and thousands more clinical contact tracers can keep pace.

Despite a recovery from the back-to-school rush last month, waits for results are now getting longer with only 15.1 per cent of drive-through and walk-in tests back within 24 hours in the week to October 14, under half the figure of the previous week.

At a press conference in Downing Street Boris Johnson said he “shares people’s frustration” with the performance of NHS Test and Trace. “We do need to improve it,” he said.

In the summer the prime minister promised all such tests would be returned within 24 hours. However, one in 12 drive-through results now take more than three days, five times the proportion of the previous week. Average waits for results for drive-through tests are now 45 hours, up from 28 hours the previous week.

Nick Ville, of the NHS Confederation, said this was “leaving people in limbo as they wait for results”, while the proportion of contacts of positive cases successfully reached fell to 59.6 per cent.

“This is well below the 80 per cent said to be needed for an effective system,” Mr Ville said.

“Without significant improvements, the situation will simply deteriorate: case numbers will rise; more cases will be transferred to the tracing system; tracers will not be able to keep up with the volume; lower percentages of people will be reached and asked to isolate; the spread of the virus will not be controlled; and unfortunately more lives will be lost.”

When the system was set up in May, 91 per cent of contacts were traced but the proportion has slipped as more contacts are made at work and in social life rather than as part of outbreaks in institutions such as care homes, where tracing has proved easier.

Infected people had 238,093 contacts in everyday life, more than ten times the figure at the start of August.

Justin Madders, the shadow health minister, pointed out that this meant 101,690 confirmed contacts were not traced. “To have over 40 per cent of people not even being contacted by the test and trace system is an interstellar-sized black hole in the government’s plan to reduce transmission,” he said.

Professor James Naismith of the University of Oxford said the figures show “a system struggling to make any difference to the epidemic”.

He said: “Getting an effective system over the summer was much easier than doing so now. It is not enough to say ‘we will work harder’ or ‘I alone can fix it’. If the system is to be made effective, and I have my doubts if this now possible, it will need a clear set of plans that explain what changes are being made and how these will fill in the holes that I and many others have spelt out.”

Baroness Harding of Winscombe, head of Test and Trace, said that capacity had increased by 30,000 a day in a week and insisted: “Reducing turnaround times is our absolute priority to make sure we are reaching people as soon as possible. We always need to balance ensuring as many people as possible can get a test alongside ensuring test results are delivered as quickly as possible, and as capacity continues to grow at pace, we expect to see improvements.”

Lord Bethell, the testing minister, acknowledged: “We do know that more needs to be done.”

The English social care system urgently needs £7 billion a year to prevent a collapse as the pandemic pushes the sector further into a funding crisis, MPs have warned.

[Look at penultimate paragraph – Owl]

Katie Gibbons www.thetimes.co.uk

The emergency boost would be a “starting point” to avoid a disaster and is not enough fully to address unmet need, according to a report by the Commons health and social care committee.

If £7 billion were provided for social care it would help to avert a market collapse caused by providers prioritising people who can pay, it said.

The sector will face further pressure from new legislation, reported last night, that will ban care homes from employing staff across multiple sites to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The MPs said in their report to ministers that the social care system perpetuated a profound unfairness because some conditions were ineligible for basic social care. Budget cuts have meant that local authorities restrict funding to those in the most severe need, leaving others to pay for themselves, rely on family or go without.

The committee has called for the social care reform package to be brought forward before the end of the financial year and for the government to publish a ten-year plan for the sector. It also supports a cap of £46,000 on how much a person pays for care during their life. It estimates that this would cost about £3.1 billion by 2023-24.

The charity Age UK understands that 1.4 million older people are not getting the care and support they need, up by 19 per cent in two years. The report said that the means-tested system should be scrapped as it was unfair, confusing, demeaning and frightening for people in need of care and their families.

Anyone with assets of more than £14,250 has to pay for their own social care. The wife of one patient, who had dementia diagnosed in his sixties and found himself without financial support, told MPs: “It is like picking up a random card from a pack and saying, ‘Oh, you’ve got this particular one. Tough. That’s the disease the NHS isn’t going to pay for.’”

Jeremy Hunt, the committee chairman, said: “The government must use the spending review to raise the annual adult social care budget [to] meet the catastrophic care costs faced by people with dementia or other neurological conditions. To address wider issues the sector needs a ten-year plan and a people plan just like the NHS.”

Nick Ville, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said: “The government must urgently provide the funding the sector needs, to avoid leaving hundreds of thousands of people without care and keep those who look after them in work.”

The plans to restrict where care staff work would mean that they had to sign exclusive contracts for one home, The Daily Telegraph said. Helen Whateley, the care minister, said last week that there was evidence the virus had been spread in April by staff working at several sites. The practice is discouraged.

There have been concerns, however, that such restrictions could exacerbate a staffing crisis. A quarter of staff are on zero-hour contracts and low wages mean many take on multiple jobs.

Leaked documents also show that care homes have been asked to volunteer beds for discharged Covid-19 patients, despite no independent assurance of safety. Councils sent a questionnaire to care homes last week, according to papers seen by Amnesty International.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Our priority is to prevent infections in care homes and we are working with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the NHS to ensure everyone discharged to a care home has an up-to-date Covid-19 test result and anyone positive is discharged to a care home CQC has assured is able to provide safe care.”

Heavy erosion could claim clifftop homes in Sidmouth within the next 20 years, a research paper has warned.

The news could be devastating to the smattering of home owners in Cliff Road, which lines the top of Sidmouth’s crumbling cliffs over East Beach.

[East Devon District Council Planning Policy Coastal change extensive briefing paper can be found here.]

Beth Sharp sidmouth.nub.news

Heavy erosion could claim clifftop homes in Sidmouth within the next 20 years, a research paper has warned.

The news could be devastating to the smattering of home owners in Cliff Road, which lines the top of Sidmouth’s crumbling cliffs over East Beach.

Several huge cliff falls have been reported in Sidmouth in recent years, and now a research paper published by Plymouth University has indicated the homes could be at risk of falling into the sea within two decades.

However, residents have been told the report is based on a ‘worst case scenario’, which includes an additional 10 metre buffer zone.

This also means erosion is likely to be lower than the rate predicted by the university, especially if a multi-million sea defence scheme – Sidmouth Beach Management Plan (BMP) – is put into force.

East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) Strategic Planning Committee met on Tuesday (October 20) and considered a report on a pilot study undertaken by the university in partnership with the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Marine Management Organisation.

The university’s report estimates erosion occurring at roughly ten times the rate previously envisioned by EDDC, with an erosion rate of at least two metres per year.

It indicates the path to the new Alma Bridge could disappear in about five years, that houses in Beatlands Road, Laskeys Lane and Southway may be lost in 30 or 40 years, and that Hillside Road residences will come under threat in less than 100 years.

The report said that within less than 50 years the sea will have reached beyond the weir at the northern end of The Ham, and beyond the old boatpark and Sensory Garden.

However, the study has used a new method – an algorithm using recent data – for predicting coastal change.

East Devon has been used as a case study.

The new algorithmic method gives a more detailed assessment than that included in the Shoreline Management Plan adopted by EDDC in 2011, which predicted the Cliff Road homes would not be at risk for 100 years, notwithstanding the loss of nearly all of their gardens.

Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce (CoC) attended Tuesday’s Meeting and said a report using previously untried mathematical techniques was not something to be relied upon, urging people to not put too much faith in the document.

A CoC spokesperson said: “We are suspicious of this document and its methodology; we think it is misrepresenting the situation and needs to be treated with great caution.

“So we urge everyone not to become alarmed or over-react…

“Nevertheless, we understand its significance and its implications for the Beach Management Plan.

“The chamber called for the current BMP ‘Preferred Option’ to be abandoned and other options considered.

“We described the proposed groyne at the end of East Beach as ‘feeble’ and not designed to cope with the scale of erosion envisaged by the Plymouth paper.”

The Strategic Planning Committee noted the new report and recommended that householders in the relevant areas be advised of the university’s work, and its possible implications.

This report will form part of the evidence for East Devon’s new Local Plan and will only be used as a planning ‘tool’ to assist planners in assessing development in coastal areas in the future.

Recommendations have been made for the council’s cabinet to consider the wider implications of the research as soon as possible.

Cllr Dan Ledger, who is responsible for strategic planning at EDDC, said: “The study has far reaching implications for many property owners and users of the coastline that will need further consideration in the future.

“In the meantime it is good to know that we have up-to-date information on this important issue for many communities in East Devon to inform the new Local Plan for the district.

“This is an opportunity for us to debate and plan how we need to prepare.

“We will be talking to our partners, including the Environment Agency, seeking their help in adapting for future coastal change.”

What is the Sidmouth Beach Management Plan preferred option?

The preferred option for the Sidmouth BMP would see a new groyne installed on East Beach, 200 metres east of the River Sid, and the splash wall raised to up to a metre along the promenade.

The £9million project would also incorporate importing shingle on both East and Sidmouth beach.

Chance of surviving Covid-19 for at least 28 days in intensive care has risen from 61 per cent to 72 per cent between the two virus waves.

By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor 21 October 2020 www.telegraph.co.uk 

With coronavirus cases rising and hospitals filling up, it might be tempting to worry that Britain is heading for a second wave as deadly as the first – but new data from intensive care units is telling an altogether different story.

According to the most recent Intensive Care National Audit and Research Center report (Icnarc), the chance of surviving Covid for at least 28 days has risen from 61 per cent to 72 per cent between the two waves.

The fall is seen across all ages, although the news is even better for the under-70s. For those aged between 50 and 69, the risk of death in intensive care has almost halved, dropping from around 38 per cent to just over 20 per cent.

For the under-50s, the mortality risk has fallen from around 18 per cent to below 10 per cent.

Experts believe treatment improvements are starting to have a major impact – particularly the steroid dexamethasone, which prevents the devastating immune system overload that can trigger organ failure. 

The drug – commonly used to treat arthritis, severe allergies and asthma – was rolled out across the NHS in June following successful trials by Oxford University, and was expected to have a major impact on the virus pandemic.

“I reckon about half of the improvement in the deaths was probably down to dexamethasone,” said Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia.

“It’s really interesting. The thing that got me is that although there is not much difference in the people going in, what really jumped out is the decline in the probability of deaths. For anyone under 70, deaths have nearly halved.

“If you’re under 70 and go into intensive care now, you’ve got a good chance of surviving.” 

The team at Icnarc has compared 10,900 patients admitted up to August 31 with 1,233 who entered intensive care on September 1 or later.

In the second wave so far, of the 643 people whose outcomes are known, 14.1 per cent have died and 38 per cent discharged, with 47.9 per cent still receiving care.

Icnarc has warned that the figures are slightly skewed towards those who recover or die early. But at a similar point in the first wave in April, where the outcomes of 690 people were known, 15 per cent had died and just 15 per cent had been discharged, with 70 per cent still needing critical care. 

The report also shows that far fewer people are needing intensive breathing or organ support compared to the first wave. While 58 per cent of those up to September 1 needed mechanical ventilation within the first 24 hours of admission, that number is now just 26 per cent – less than half.

Just 28 per cent now need advanced respiratory support, compared to 78 per cent in the first wave, and only 13 per cent require advanced cardiovascular support – fewer than half of those earlier in the year. Almost four times fewer people need kidney support, and three times fewer require neurological help.

Experts say it is possible that doctors have set a lower clinical threshold for admission to intensive care because the system is not as overloaded as during the first wave. 

Yet the improvements have come even though patients are entering intensive care with roughly the same “Apache” score as the first wave – an indicator of the probability of dying based on age, oxygen levels, blood pressure, heart rate and blood cell counts.

So although patients are just as sick, they are far less likely to die.

The hopeful findings are not just positive news for lives saved but could also impact lockdown decisions. The average time spent in intensive care is now just five days, compared with 12 in the first wave, which should free up beds (the graphic below shows the locations of critically ill patients since September).

“There are significant differences in ICU admissions, outcomes and survival in those admitted since September 1 compared with the outbreak in spring,” said Professor Carl Heneghan of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University.

“For every 100 people admitted to intensive care units after September 1, 12 more will survive to 28 days compared with before this date. In those admitted, their need for mechanically ventilatory support, their length of stay and need for renal support are all significantly lower. These improved outcomes are highly reassuring and leading to lower overall mortality of Covid-19.

“There is an urgent need to place the hospital data into context of what normally happens at this time of year. The lack of transparent data and the tendency to over predict and exaggerate the problems is not helping decision-makers and affecting policy.”

Experts say it is crucial to match the admissions data to the discharge data to get a true picture of the pandemic. 

Once we do, we will realise we are doing better than we think.

There is still a long way to go but, rather than wringing our hands, we should be celebrating the ingenuity of our scientists and doctors and realise just how far we have come.

Plan for new park that will cover land ‘half the size of Exeter’

Consultation on a masterplan for a new regional valley park that will cover land ‘half the size of Exeter’ has been agreed.

Cllr Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council Portfolio Holder for Coast, Country & Environment, added: “I’m delighted that this exciting plan is available for a full public consultation. The coronavirus pandemic has been a stark reminder of the importance of spending time outdoors to our health and wellbeing.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

The Clyst Valley Regional Park is set to consists of a number of greenspaces will be linked by greenways and will extend from Clyst St George to the south to Killerton House to the north, and to the Cranbrook Country Park to the east.

A masterplan has been produced to set out a long-term, broad guide to how the Regional Park could develop and to set out the big picture and the general direction of travel and opportunity.

It articulates the potential benefits of delivering projects and in so doing, it will be used to support funding bids, attract investors, and to pull in partners and resources to work up and deliver projects.

The front cover of the Clyst Valley Regional Park masterplan

The masterplan says: “The Clyst Valley Regional Park is crucial for the health and wellbeing of a growing population, and to restore the natural capital on which we all depend. The purpose of this masterplan has been to set out a long-term, broad guide to how the Regional Park could develop. It is a first draft and is not perfect. A five year action plan for delivery will then follow and progress will be monitored and reported annually to EDDC.”

Cllr Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council Portfolio Holder for Coast, Country & Environment, added: “I’m delighted that this exciting plan is available for a full public consultation. The coronavirus pandemic has been a stark reminder of the importance of spending time outdoors to our health and wellbeing.

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“Devon is well-known for its countryside with national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, estuaries and beautiful coastline. But there is greater pressure than ever on these stunning locations.

“With a growing population, it is necessary to provide much-needed homes, jobs and infrastructure. As more people explore the countryside, it is imperative that we protect and enhance our green spaces because getting active outdoors keeps us healthy and happy, plus the countryside can help us address climate change by storing carbon and water, as we work towards becoming carbon neutral by 2040.

“The Clyst Valley Regional Park will play a valuable role in providing new open spaces near major growth areas. The idea for a Regional Park was included in the East Devon District Council Local Plan in 2016 and will ensure that the new town of Cranbrook and developments close to Exeter are provided with large scale, high quality greenspace.

The Clyst Valley Regional Park area

“The Clyst Valley Regional Park will enhance the land surrounding the River Clyst and its tributaries, with linked green corridors enabling people to visit the outdoors via cycleways and footpaths. The Park will improve biodiversity, for example through natural woodland regeneration, urban tree planting, creating nature reserves, and helping to reduce flooding by careful natural, waterflow management.

“The creation of the Regional Park will help reduce the pressure on more environmentally sensitive locations and help to conserve heritage assets, protecting our cultural identity. It will be managed to the highest standard.”

He added that pieces of this jigsaw are coming together as East Devon District Council is working with landowners and partners to deliver a Country Park at Cranbrook and at Pin Brook, the first sections of the Clyst Valley Trail are being built, 3,500 broadleaved trees and shrubs have been planted through the ‘Great trees in the Clyst Valley’ initiative.

Tuesday’s Strategic Planning Committee saw councillors unanimously agree the draft Clyst Valley Regional Park Masterplan for public consultation.

They heard the masterplan will be a material consideration in assessing planning applications within the Regional Park and it should be used by land owners, developers and their agents as additional guidance on how, and where, green infrastructure can be delivered

The view from an orchard in Whimple

MAJOR PROJECTS

Ashclyst Forest

The National Trust provides access to 272 hectares of the forest along a choice of colourcoded trails ranging from 2.4 km to 11.3 km, and including a 3.5 km butterfly trail suitable for wheelchairs and buggies. The forest is an important site for pearl-bordered and small pearlbordered fritillary butterflies, twelve species of bats, dormice, and breeding birds. It is probably of national importance.

The National Trust plans to make the forest a more-attractive and enjoyable destination for walking, cycling and horse-riding. The intention is to create a visitor hub at Ashclyst Farm and an outdoor field studies centre at Caddihoe, the latter in collaboration with the Scout Association.

Bishops Court

A hugely important piece of the jigsaw. Ownership is split across three private land holdings but all have a desire to protect and enhance the natural and built heritage.

Over the next five years, parkland tree planting should continue alongside protection and maintenance of the existing old trees, one of which (an English oak) is estimated to be 700 years old.

A new permissive path and picnic area in Alder Croft woodland could create a circular trail from Sowton village without needing to use Bishops Court Lane, which is a ‘rat run’ during rush hour. A strategy needs to be defined, and funding secured, to restore, and if possible, provide public access to the wonderful tithe barn and stables.

Clyst Valley Trail

The Clyst Valley Trail will be a commuting and recreational trail for walkers, cyclists, mobility scooters and where feasible, horse riders. It will link the Exe Estuary trail with the historic Killerton House and Park, via an existing multi-use trail from Broadclyst. There is future potential to reach Ashclyst Forest and the Exe Valley Way

It will provide a direct, safe, green route to employment centres at Science Park, Sky Park, and close access to Exeter Business Park & Sowton Industrial Estate. On the way, it passes through historic parkland at Poltimore, forming the backbone of the new Clyst Valley Regional Park.

Hayes Farm

It provides a green buffer between the housing at Mosshayne and the Lidl warehouse as without this the landscape of the Park would be severed at this point, and the site is the only remaining recreational green space of useable size for the community of Clyst Honiton.

Planning obligations secured the enhancement of wetland habitats within this project area, including reed bed and additional wet woodland. There is potential to site a bird hide overlooking this small reserve, and a remote camera in the ‘bat house’, designed solely for the protection of a population of bats, could be an excellent educational resource.

Lower Clyst

This is a very significant area of freshwater grazing marsh and fen. It is at risk from sea level rise and the river banks downstream of Winslade Barton will not be defendable in the long term. Sea level rise will lead to the loss of internationally important mud and sand flats on the Exe Estuary, and this loss will have to be compensated by inter-tidal habitat creation elsewhere.

The route of the proposed Clyst Valley Trail from Darts Farm follows the ridge to the east of the river. This will be a multi-use trail, but a return footpath following the toe of the ridge back to Dart’s Farm offers great opportunities for screened wildlife viewing of the river and marsh, whilst also providing a beautiful circular walk for all abilities.

Mosshayne

Mosshayne Farm is situated just north of Blackhorse/Clyst Honiton and together with the Hayes Farm site it is an important piece of green infrastructure between the new Lidl distribution centre to the east and land allocated for housing to the west.

The owner is keen to explore options for willow biomass or habitat creation (meanders, ponds, fen, wet woodland, marshy grassland) in conjunction with 1.7 km of river restoration and enhanced public access.

Pin Brook

The Brook is an important wildlife corridor flowing out of Pinhoe and into the River Clyst and is being delivered in connection with Linden Homes. The 7 ha Minerva Country Park has now been delivered by Barratt David Wilson Homes and, subject to contract, will be managed by EDDC Countryside Team. A further 3 ha immediately adjacent to it has been secured as public greenspace.

Poltimore House & Park

Poltimore House Trust and their dedicated volunteers continue to make excellent progress towards the conservation of the house and gardens. Paths in the arboretum have been improved and there are plans for a disability ‘sensory garden’ route. Full restoration of the house is acknowledged as a multi-million pound project.

A planning obligation has secured the restoration of 34 hectares of this parkland in connection with housing at Old Park Farm, which includes the restoration of the old carriageway and establishment of a public bridleway along it, extensive tree planting and linear permissive public access for 30 years.

A further 13 ha of this land is part of the 1840’s parkland extension. The land should be protected via extension of the Regional Park policy boundary, with new public access and replacement tree planting delivered as part of a holistic restoration scheme.

Winslade Park

Winslade Park is a late-18th century mansion built for an East India merchant. The sale particulars of 1905 noted the ‘pleasure grounds of great natural beauty’.

They slope away from the mansion in a southerly direction, and contain a large number of specimen trees. The terrace walk (early-19th century) along Grindle Brook, an ornamental lake formed by the widening of the stream, and parts of the kitchen garden survive.

It is hoped that a mixed use redevelopment of the site could secure the historic park and garden for public access along with the restoration of the sweeping carriageway, possibly as part of the Clyst Valley Trail.

Aylesbeare Stream & Holbrook

The Aylesbeare Stream and Holbrook are important biodiversity corridors connecting extensive habitat on the heathlands at Aylesbeare with extensive habitat in the Lower Clyst valley. They also connect with hotspots of biodiversity at Rockbeare (parkland), Beautiport Farm (broadleaved woodland and grasslands), and Farringdon (parkland and ancient woodland).

Grindle Brook

The Grindle Brook is characterised by smaller floodplain meadows and patches of riverine woodland. There are also some traditional orchards. It is an important biodiversity corridor. A public footpath passes through the site too. No other land is in an agreement and in many places intensive arable cultivation takes place right up to the river.

The reversion of arable to pasture and new woodland via natural regeneration would considerably enhance biodiversity, landscape, water quality and provide greater natural flood storage.

Treasbeare

Land is safeguarded as SANGS and is contiguous with the existing Cranbrook County Park and also with the proposed greenspace at Rockbeare Court. The potential therefore exists to create a large, linked publically accessible greenspace with natural habitats, and enhanced landscape, as a buffer to Rockbeare village.

Cranbrook to Exeter

As Cranbrook expands eastwards and new housing comes forward at Tithebarn and Mosshayne, this will provide an alternative off-road commuting and recreational route . The route begins at Station Road and proceeds around the back of the Amazon/Lidl warehouse. A new bridge crossing of the River Clyst estimated at £1 million is required.

She said the Scottish system would start with a zero-level tier “which is the closest to normality we can reasonably expect to live with until we have a vaccine or a more effective treatment for this virus”.

A week ago Owl pointed out the absurdity of Boris Johnson’s three tier system starting at “medium risk” level. Scotland’s First Minister has also added another one at the top “just in case”.

Sturgeon accuses Johnson of ignoring advice on ‘extreme’ Covid curbs

Severin Carrell www.theguardian.com 

Nicola Sturgeon has accused Boris Johnson of ignoring expert advice about the need for a Covid restrictions strategy that includes an “extreme” top level close to the full lockdown imposed in March.

Sturgeon confirmed she would announce a five-tier system of restrictions on Friday that will partly mirror England’s three-tier traffic light system of controls, as Scotland’s Covid-19 infections and fatalities climbed sharply to levels not seen since May.

She said the Scottish system would start with a zero-level tier “which is the closest to normality we can reasonably expect to live with until we have a vaccine or a more effective treatment for this virus”.

After confirming Scotland had passed the 50,000 infections threshold overnight, with 28 new fatalities, the first minister said her government had heeded warnings from England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, that a very tough top tier of controls was needed in extreme situations.

“The English system starts at medium, which is quite a high level of restriction,” she said. “We also think we need another one at the top because if you remember when England published theirs, the chief medical officer in England said he thought that the top level was not enough to necessarily get the virus down.

“We think we need one above that which is not identical to but perhaps closer to a full lockdown, if things got to be that serious.”

The first minister said temporary restrictions affecting millions of people across central Scotland, including the closure of pubs and cafes that serve alcohol, and a ban on contact sports and outdoor live events, would remain until the five-tier system starts on 2 November.

Business leaders and hospitality firms are furious, arguing it will lead to thousands of job losses. They say the Scottish government’s emergency grants are inadequate, comparing badly with those offered to English councils.

Sturgeon refused to set out what each tier would involve in advance of Friday’s announcement but confirmed strict travel restrictions would be included at higher levels, while schools would not automatically close if the top tier was imposed.

Sturgeon said Ireland and New Zealand were among countries with five-tier systems; Ireland went to its top tier earlier this week, but the New Zealand government website shows it actually has a four-level alert system. Scotland’s new alert system will be implemented to coincide with council boundaries, and could flex up from regional level to national level if needed.

“We need to apply those tiers in a sensible way with allowing people to live with as proportionate and as targeted a set of interventions as is possible at any given time,” she said.

Stephen Montgomery, a hotelier in Glasgow who represents the Scottish Hospitality Group, an umbrella body for pub and hotel chains that employ about 6,000 staff in total, said many of the 17,000 businesses affected by the restrictions in central Scotland may no longer be viable.

The UK government furlough scheme would end next week but the ban on pubs opening would continue, leaving firms unable to keep on staff. Scottish government funding of £40m compared badly with the tens of millions offered to English cities, he said.

“Recent restrictions were framed as a ‘temporary’ short, sharp shock, but the extension is an indication that we can only expect a continued government stranglehold on hospitality that will have devastating consequences,” he said.

Heartless Tory MPs have defeated a bid to extend free school meals for hungry children over the school holidays. [Including “Jumping Jupp Flash” but no apparent sign of Neil Parish anywhere – Owl

Oliver Milne www.mirror.co.uk

In shameful scenes, Conservatives voted down a motion to feed more than 1.4 million children during school breaks until Easter next year.

The bid, tabled by Labour, was defeated by 322 votes to 261 – with a majority of 61.

Downing Street had ruled out a late u-turn after Boris Johnson repeatedly dodged pleas from MPs to support footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to guarantee meals for the poorest children as the pandemic’s second wave hits.

The England and Manchester United striker, who forced a u-turn on the same issue in the summer, said children would go to bed tonight “not only hungry but feeling like they do not matter”.

He appealed to MPs to put aside their differences, saying: “This is not politics, this is humanity.

“We talk about the devastating impact of COVID-19 but, if projections are anything to go by, child food poverty has the potential to become the greatest pandemic the country has ever faced. We must start working together and unite to protect our most vulnerable children.”

Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green said the Tories had let down struggling families and urged the Prime Minister to drop his opposition to extending the free school meals scheme.

“Boris Johnson and the Conservatives have badly let down more than one million children and their families,” she said.

“No child should go hungry over the holidays, but the Government is blocking the action needed to prevent this.”

Child Poverty Action Group Chief Executive, Alison Garnham, said the country had plummeted to new lows “if in the midst of a pandemic we decide we can’t make sure children in the lowest income families have a nutritious meal in the middle of the day”.

“Tonight’s vote means more children going without and more desperately anxious parents – just as a coronavirus winter approaches,” she said.

“In short it ducks our moral responsibility to protect the country’s most vulnerable children.”

The result comes after a day of furious clashes, with disquiet from some Tories over the failure to act to help the poorest children.

Kevin Courtney of the National Education Union slammed the “callous” result, adding: “No MP who voted against this will be going hungry tonight. This isn’t right. No child should return to school after the half term too hungry to learn.”

Five Tory MPs rebelled against the Government and backed Labour.

They were Caroline Ansell, Robert Halfon, Jason McCartney, Anne Marie Morris and Holly Mumby-Croft.

Mr Halfon said: “If we acknowledge that children risk going hungry in term time by providing them with free school meals… we know that they risk going hungry in the holidays too.”

But other Conservative MPs lined up to criticise the idea of feeding the 1.4million kids already eligible for free school meals and an estimated million more who have signed up since lockdown.

Brendan Clarke-Smith said parents needed to take responsibility, bizarrely adding: “I do not believe in nationalising children.”

David Simmonds sneered: “I have no doubt Mr Rashford is an expert in his own experience, but we should not forget the experiences he so movingly described took place under a Labour government.”

Tory Minister Paul Scully sparked fury by saying the bid would not be backed as kids “have been going hungry for years”.

When Tory MP Ben Bradley likened it to “extending freebies”, Rashford hit back: “The economy already pays a high price for child hunger. If children were fed properly you would increase educational attainment and boost life chances.” 

A Labour analysis found nearly 900,000 children in Covid hotspots will miss out on free school meals unless the Government extends the scheme.

Some 61% of the over 1.4 million children eligible for free school meals are living in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas, according to House of Commons Library figures.

So how did your MP vote on the issue – you can find their name on the list below (Although hitting Cntrl and F to open up the seach function might make it easier if you are on a computer).

Here is the breakdown of the division list published after the vote as reported by Parliament’s own website.

MPs who voted against the measure

Tellers for the noes were Conservative MPs Tom Pursglove (Corby) and Leo Docherty (Aldershot).

318 Conservative MPs

Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty), Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden), Adam Afriyie (Windsor), Imran Ahmad Khan (Wakefield), Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster), Peter Aldous (Waveney), Lucy Allan (Telford), David Amess (Southend West), Lee Anderson (Ashfield), Stuart Anderson (Wolverhampton South West), Stuart Andrew (Pudsey), Edward Argar (Charnwood), Sarah Atherton (Wrexham), Victoria Atkins (Louth and Horncastle), Gareth Bacon (Orpington), Richard Bacon (South Norfolk), Kemi Badenoch (Saffron Walden), Shaun Bailey (West Bromwich West), Duncan Baker (North Norfolk), Steve Baker (Wycombe), Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire), Steve Barclay (North East Cambridgeshire), Simon Baynes (Clwyd South), Aaron Bell (Newcastle-under-Lyme), Scott Benton (Blackpool South), Paul Beresford (Mole Valley), Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen), Saqib Bhatti (Meriden), Bob Blackman (Harrow East), Crispin Blunt (Reigate), Peter Bone (Wellingborough), Peter Bottomley (Worthing West), Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine), Ben Bradley (Mansfield), Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands), Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West), Suella Braverman (Fareham), Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South), Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire), Steve Brine (Winchester), Paul Bristow (Peterborough), Sara Britcliffe (Hyndburn), James Brokenshire (Old Bexley and Sidcup), Anthony Browne (South Cambridgeshire), Fiona Bruce (Congleton), Felicity Buchan (Kensington), Robert Buckland (South Swindon), Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar), Conor Burns (Bournemouth West), Rob Butler (Aylesbury), Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan), Andy Carter (Warrington South), James Cartlidge (South Suffolk), William Cash (Stone), Miriam Cates (Penistone and Stocksbridge), Maria Caulfield (Lewes), Alex Chalk (Cheltenham), Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham), Jo Churchill (Bury St Edmunds), Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells), Simon Clarke (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland), Theo Clarke (Stafford), Brendan Clarke-Smith (Bassetlaw), Chris Clarkson (Heywood and Middleton), James Cleverly (Braintree), Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal), Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe), Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire), Robert Courts (Witney), Claire Coutinho (East Surrey), Geoffrey Cox (Torridge and West Devon), Virginia Crosbie (Ynys Môn), James Daly (Bury North), David T C Davies (Monmouth), James Davies (Vale of Clwyd), Gareth Davies (Grantham and Stamford), Mims Davies (Mid Sussex), Philip Davies (Shipley), David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden), Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland), Caroline Dinenage (Gosport), Sarah Dines (Derbyshire Dales), Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon), Michelle Donelan (Chippenham), Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire), Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay), Oliver Dowden (Hertsmere), Jackie Doyle-Price (Thurrock), Richard Drax (South Dorset), Flick Drummond (Meon Valley), David Duguid (Banff and Buchan), Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford and Woodford Green), Philip Dunne (Ludlow), Mark Eastwood (Dewsbury), Ruth Edwards (Rushcliffe), Michael Ellis (Northampton North), Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East), Natalie Elphicke (Dover), George Eustice (Camborne and Redruth), Luke Evans (Bosworth), David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford), Ben Everitt (Milton Keynes North), Michael Fabricant (Lichfield), Laura Farris (Newbury), Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness), Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble), Mark Fletcher (Bolsover), Nick Fletcher (Don Valley), Vicky Ford (Chelmsford), Kevin Foster (Torbay), Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford), Lucy Frazer (South East Cambridgeshire), George Freeman (Mid Norfolk), Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green), Richard Fuller (North East Bedfordshire), Marcus Fysh (Yeovil), Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest), Nusrat Ghani (Wealden), Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton), Peter Gibson (Darlington), Jo Gideon (Stoke-on-Trent Central), Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham), John Glen (Salisbury), Robert Goodwill (Scarborough and Whitby), Michael Gove (Surrey Heath), Richard Graham (Gloucester), Helen Grant (Maidstone and The Weald), James Gray (North Wiltshire), Chris Grayling (Epsom and Ewell), Chris Green (Bolton West), Damian Green (Ashford), Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs), Kate Griffiths (Burton), James Grundy (Leigh), Jonathan Gullis (Stoke-on-Trent North), Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate), Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon), Matt Hancock (West Suffolk), Greg Hands (Chelsea and Fulham), Mark Harper (Forest of Dean), Rebecca Harris (Castle Point), Trudy Harrison (Copeland), Sally-Ann Hart (Hastings and Rye), Simon Hart (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire), John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings), Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire), Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry), Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey), Darren Henry (Broxtowe), Antony Higginbotham (Burnley), Damian Hinds (East Hampshire), Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton), Philip Hollobone (Kettering), Adam Holloway (Gravesham), Paul Holmes (Eastleigh), John Howell (Henley), Paul Howell (Sedgefield), Nigel Huddleston (Mid Worcestershire), Eddie Hughes (Walsall North), Jane Hunt (Loughborough), Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey), Tom Hunt (Ipswich), Alister Jack (Dumfries and Galloway), Sajid Javid (Bromsgrove), Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire), Mark Jenkinson (Workington), Andrea Jenkyns (Morley and Outwood), Robert Jenrick (Newark), Boris Johnson (Uxbridge and South Ruislip), Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham), Gareth Johnson (Dartford), David Johnston (Wantage), Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough), Fay Jones (Brecon and Radnorshire), David Jones (Clwyd West), Marcus Jones (Nuneaton), Simon Jupp (East Devon), Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham), Alicia Kearns (Rutland and Melton), Gillian Keegan (Chichester), Julian Knight (Solihull), Greg Knight (East Yorkshire), Danny Kruger (Devizes), Kwasi Kwarteng (Spelthorne), John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk), Robert Largan (High Peak), Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire), Edward Leigh (Gainsborough), Ian Levy (Blyth Valley), Andrew Lewer (Northampton South), Brandon Lewis (Great Yarmouth), Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater and West Somerset), Chris Loder (West Dorset), Mark Logan (Bolton North East), Marco Longhi (Dudley North), Julia Lopez (Hornchurch and Upminster), Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke), Jonathan Lord (Woking), Craig Mackinlay (South Thanet), Cherilyn Mackrory (Truro and Falmouth), Rachel Maclean (Redditch), Alan Mak (Havant), Kit Malthouse (North West Hampshire), Anthony Mangnall (Totnes), Scott Mann (North Cornwall), Julie Marson (Hertford and Stortford), Theresa May (Maidenhead), Jerome Mayhew (Broadland), Karl McCartney (Lincoln), Mark Menzies (Fylde), Johnny Mercer (Plymouth, Moor View), Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle), Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock), Robin Millar (Aberconwy), Maria Miller (Basingstoke), Amanda Milling (Cannock Chase), Nigel Mills (Amber Valley), Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield), Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire), Robbie Moore (Keighley), Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North), David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale), James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis), Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills), Kieran Mullan (Crewe and Nantwich), David Mundell (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale), Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall), Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire), Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst), Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North), Jesse Norman (Hereford and South Herefordshire), Neil O’Brien (Harborough), Guy Opperman (Hexham), Owen Paterson (North Shropshire), Mark Pawsey (Rugby), Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead), John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare), Chris Philp (Croydon South), Christopher Pincher (Tamworth), Rebecca Pow (Taunton Deane), Victoria Prentis (Banbury), Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin), Jeremy Quin (Horsham), Will Quince (Colchester), Tom Randall (Gedling), John Redwood (Wokingham), Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset), Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East), Angela Richardson (Guildford), Rob Roberts (Delyn), Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury), Mary Robinson (Cheadle), Andrew Rosindell (Romford), Lee Rowley (North East Derbyshire), Dean Russell (Watford), David Rutley (Macclesfield), Gary Sambrook (Birmingham, Northfield), Selaine Saxby (North Devon), Paul Scully (Sutton and Cheam), Bob Seely (Isle of Wight), Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire), Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield), Alok Sharma (Reading West), Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell), David Simmonds (Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner), Chris Skidmore (Kingswood), Chloe Smith (Norwich North), Greg Smith (Buckingham), Henry Smith (Crawley), Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon), Amanda Solloway (Derby North), Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge), Mark Spencer (Sherwood), Alexander Stafford (Rother Valley), Andrew Stephenson (Pendle), Jane Stevenson (Wolverhampton North East), John Stevenson (Carlisle), Bob Stewart (Beckenham), Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South), Gary Streeter (South West Devon), Mel Stride (Central Devon), Rishi Sunak (Richmond (Yorks)), James Sunderland (Bracknell), Desmond Swayne (New Forest West), Robert Syms (Poole), Derek Thomas (St Ives), Maggie Throup (Erewash), Edward Timpson (Eddisbury), Kelly Tolhurst (Rochester and Strood), Justin Tomlinson (North Swindon), Michael Tomlinson (Mid Dorset and North Poole), Craig Tracey (North Warwickshire), Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed), Laura Trott (Sevenoaks), Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge and Malling), Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes), Matt Vickers (Stockton South), Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet), Robin Walker (Worcester), Charles Walker (Broxbourne), Jamie Wallis (Bridgend), David Warburton (Somerton and Frome), Matt Warman (Boston and Skegness), Giles Watling (Clacton), Suzanne Webb (Stourbridge), Helen Whately (Faversham and Mid Kent), Heather Wheeler (South Derbyshire), Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley), John Whittingdale (Maldon), Bill Wiggin (North Herefordshire), James Wild (North West Norfolk), Craig Williams (Montgomeryshire), Gavin Williamson (South Staffordshire), Mike Wood (Dudley South), William Wragg (Hazel Grove), Jeremy Wright (Kenilworth and Southam), Jacob Young (Redcar), Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon).

One Independent MP

Julian Lewis (New Forest East).

MPs who voted to support the measure

Tellers for the ayes were Labour MPs Bambos Charalambous (Enfield Southgate) and Jeff Smith (Manchester Withington).

Five Conservative MPs

Caroline Ansell (Eastbourne), Robert Halfon (Harlow), Jason McCartney (Colne Valley), Anne Marie Morris (Newton Abbot), Holly Mumby-Croft (Scunthorpe).

191 Labour MPs

Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington), Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth), Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow), Tahir Ali (Birmingham, Hall Green), Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting), Mike Amesbury (Weaver Vale), Fleur Anderson (Putney), Jonathan Ashworth (Leicester South), Paula Barker (Liverpool, Wavertree), Margaret Beckett (Derby South), Apsana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse), Hilary Benn (Leeds Central), Clive Betts (Sheffield South East), Olivia Blake (Sheffield, Hallam), Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central), Tracy Brabin (Batley and Spen), Ben Bradshaw (Exeter), Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West), Nicholas Brown (Newcastle upon Tyne East), Lyn Brown (West Ham), Chris Bryant (Rhondda), Karen Buck (Westminster North), Richard Burgon (Leeds East), Dawn Butler (Brent Central), Ian Byrne (Liverpool, West Derby), Liam Byrne (Birmingham, Hodge Hill), Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth), Alan Campbell (Tynemouth), Dan Carden (Liverpool, Walton), Sarah Champion (Rotherham), Feryal Clark (Enfield North), Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire), Yvette Cooper (Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford), Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North), Neil Coyle (Bermondsey and Old Southwark), Stella Creasy (Walthamstow), Jon Cruddas (Dagenham and Rainham), Judith Cummins (Bradford South), Alex Cunningham (Stockton North), Janet Daby (Lewisham East), Wayne David (Caerphilly), Geraint Davies (Swansea West), Alex Davies-Jones (Pontypridd), Marsha De Cordova (Battersea), Thangam Debbonaire (Bristol West), Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough), Anneliese Dodds (Oxford East), Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South and Penarth), Peter Dowd (Bootle), Jack Dromey (Birmingham, Erdington), Rosie Duffield (Canterbury), Maria Eagle (Garston and Halewood), Angela Eagle (Wallasey), Clive Efford (Eltham), Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central), Chris Elmore (Ogmore), Florence Eshalomi (Vauxhall), Bill Esterson (Sefton Central), Chris Evans (Islwyn), Colleen Fletcher (Coventry North East), Yvonne Fovargue (Makerfield), Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford), Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham), Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough), Barry Gardiner (Brent North), Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham, Edgbaston), Mary Glindon (North Tyneside), Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston), Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South), Margaret Greenwood (Wirral West), Nia Griffith (Llanelli), Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish), Louise Haigh (Sheffield, Heeley), Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East), Emma Hardy (Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle), Harriet Harman (Camberwell and Peckham), Carolyn Harris (Swansea East), Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood), John Healey (Wentworth and Dearne), Mark Hendrick (Preston), Mike Hill (Hartlepool), Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch), Margaret Hodge (Barking), Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland West), Kate Hollern (Blackburn), Rachel Hopkins (Luton South), George Howarth (Knowsley), Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton), Imran Hussain (Bradford East), Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central), Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North), Kim Johnson (Liverpool, Riverside), Darren Jones (Bristol North West), Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney), Kevan Jones (North Durham), Ruth Jones (Newport West), Sarah Jones (Croydon Central), Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East), Barbara Keeley (Worsley and Eccles South), Liz Kendall (Leicester West), Afzal Khan (Manchester, Gorton), Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon), Peter Kyle (Hove), David Lammy (Tottenham), Ian Lavery (Wansbeck), Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields), Tony Lloyd (Rochdale), Rebecca Long Bailey (Salford and Eccles), Holly Lynch (Halifax), Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston), Khalid Mahmood (Birmingham, Perry Barr), Shabana Mahmood (Birmingham, Ladywood), Seema Malhotra (Feltham and Heston), Rachael Maskell (York Central), Christian Matheson (City of Chester), Steve McCabe (Birmingham, Selly Oak), Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East), Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden), John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington), Pat McFadden (Wolverhampton South East), Conor McGinn (St Helens North), Catherine McKinnell (Newcastle upon Tyne North), Jim McMahon (Oldham West and Royton), Anna McMorrin (Cardiff North), Ian Mearns (Gateshead), Edward Miliband (Doncaster North), Navendu Mishra (Stockport), Jessica Morden (Newport East), Stephen Morgan (Portsmouth South), Grahame Morris (Easington), Ian Murray (Edinburgh South), James Murray (Ealing North), Lisa Nandy (Wigan), Charlotte Nichols (Warrington North), Alex Norris (Nottingham North), Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central), Abena Oppong-Asare (Erith and Thamesmead), Kate Osamor (Edmonton), Kate Osborne (Jarrow), Taiwo Owatemi (Coventry North West), Sarah Owen (Luton North), Stephanie Peacock (Barnsley East), Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich), Toby Perkins (Chesterfield), Jess Phillips (Birmingham, Yardley), Luke Pollard (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport), Lucy Powell (Manchester Central), Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South East), Angela Rayner (Ashton-under-Lyne), Steve Reed (Croydon North), Christina Rees (Neath), Ellie Reeves (Lewisham West and Penge), Rachel Reeves (Leeds West), Jonathan Reynolds (Stalybridge and Hyde), Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Streatham), Marie Rimmer (St Helens South and Whiston), Matt Rodda (Reading East), Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown), Naz Shah (Bradford West), Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall), Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield), Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead and Kilburn), Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith), Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood), Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent), Karin Smyth (Bristol South), Alex Sobel (Leeds North West), John Spellar (Warley), Keir Starmer (Holborn and St Pancras), Jo Stevens (Cardiff Central), Wes Streeting (Ilford North), Graham Stringer (Blackley and Broughton), Zarah Sultana (Coventry South), Mark Tami (Alyn and Deeside), Sam Tarry (Ilford South), Gareth Thomas (Harrow West), Nick Thomas-Symonds (Torfaen), Stephen Timms (East Ham), Jon Trickett (Hemsworth), Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East), Derek Twigg (Halton), Liz Twist (Blaydon), Valerie Vaz (Walsall South), Catherine West (Hornsey and Wood Green), Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington), Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test), Mick Whitley (Birkenhead), Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East), Beth Winter (Cynon Valley), Mohammad Yasin (Bedford), Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge).

46 Scottish National Party MPs

Hannah Bardell (Livingston), Mhairi Black (Paisley and Renfrewshire South), Ian Blackford (Ross, Skye and Lochaber), Kirsty Blackman (Aberdeen North), Steven Bonnar (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill), Deidre Brock (Edinburgh North and Leith), Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun), Amy Callaghan (East Dunbartonshire), Lisa Cameron (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow), Douglas Chapman (Dunfermline and West Fife), Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West), Ronnie Cowan (Inverclyde), Angela Crawley (Lanark and Hamilton East), Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk), Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire), Dave Doogan (Angus), Allan Dorans (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock), Marion Fellows (Motherwell and Wishaw), Stephen Flynn (Aberdeen South), Patricia Gibson (North Ayrshire and Arran), Patrick Grady (Glasgow North), Peter Grant (Glenrothes), Neil Gray (Airdrie and Shotts), Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath), Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey), Stewart Hosie (Dundee East), Chris Law (Dundee West), David Linden (Glasgow East), Kenny MacAskill (East Lothian), Angus Brendan MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar), Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Glasgow South), Stuart C McDonald (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East), Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow North East), John McNally (Falkirk), Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West), Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North), John Nicolson (Ochil and South Perthshire), Brendan O’Hara (Argyll and Bute), Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire), Tommy Sheppard (Edinburgh East), Alyn Smith (Stirling), Chris Stephens (Glasgow South West), Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central), Richard Thomson (Gordon), Philippa Whitford (Central Ayrshire), Pete Wishart (Perth and North Perthshire).

Nine Liberal Democrat MPs

 Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland), Wendy Chamberlain (North East Fife), Daisy Cooper (St Albans), Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale), Wera Hobhouse (Bath), Christine Jardine (Edinburgh West), Layla Moran (Oxford West and Abingdon), Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross), Munira Wilson (Twickenham).

One DUP MP

Jim Shannon (Strangford).

Three Plaid Cymru MPs

Ben Lake (Ceredigion), Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd), Hywel Williams (Arfon).

Two SDLP MPs

Colum Eastwood (Foyle), Claire Hanna (Belfast South).

One Alliance MP

Stephen Farry (North Down).

One Independent MP

Claudia Webbe (Leicester East).

The rise in coronavirus cases in England has slowed as young people have been frightened into following social-distancing rules, officials believe.

Chris Smyth, Whitehall Editor | Francis Elliott, Political Editor www.thetimes.co.uk 

The trend appears to have been a key factor in helping the northeast to escape Tier 3 restrictions. Concern about “long Covid” has been suggested as one reason for the young changing their behaviour.

A key government “gold” meeting on the pandemic, chaired by Matt Hancock, the health secretary, was told yesterday that infection rates appeared to be falling among younger people, slowing the national surge in cases.

Although the government is “very cautious” about the trend, there is tentative optimism that a rise in cases after university freshers’ week has been driven down and younger people have changed their behaviour as deaths go up.

Cases are still rising in the over-60s and hospital admissions and deaths are expected to carry on rising as a result. However, after a rise in infections was seen in the young first, there are hopes that a fall in the same group could be followed by an easing of infections in older adults.

Analysis by The Times has found that student-dominated areas now have infection rates 2.5 times higher than elsewhere, down from five times higher two weeks ago.

Infections among teenagers in the northeast have fallen by about a sixth in the past two weeks, government figures show, and as cases level off in the region it is understood that talks on moving Tyneside and Teesside into Tier 3 have been “paused”.

The government believes that tighter measures imposed on the region a month ago are starting to have an effect: there were 276.1 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in the northeast for the week to October 16, down from 316.6 the previous week. The prime minister’s spokesman said yesterday that the R rate in the region had “fallen slightly”.

Devon tourism boss calls for clarity.

www.bbc.co.uk

A tourism boss wants clearer government advice on people travelling from areas with England’s highest level of coronavirus restrictions.

Sally Everton, from Visit Devon, said they had to rely on people sticking to guidance that they should not travel.

“Those areas are in lockdown and I’m trying to believe those people will remain in lockdown,” she said.

A holiday park owner said he had cancelled bookings made by people from tier three areas.

Ms Everton said tourism businesses were on a “knife edge” and she was concentrating on encouraging local tourism for day trips.

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, urged all his members to call guests in advance to find out where they are from.

He said it was “easier to have that conversation” before people travelled down and he hoped those conversations would lead to people rebooking or maybe being refunded.

The government advice for people in tier three areas states: “You should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if you are resident in a very high alert level area, or avoid staying overnight in a very high alert level area if you are resident elsewhere.”

John Hyatt, the director at Hendra Holiday Park near Newquay, which has cancelled bookings, said he was surprised people from tier three areas had only been given guidelines, not restrictions.

He said: “We made contact with those guests from tier three and relocated their booking or gave them a refund.”

Carolyn Armstrong, who owns the Headland Hotel in Newquay, said the hotel was “extraordinarily busy still”.

She said: “We can certainly all look up the addresses of people who have made bookings but it is going to be jolly tricky because if they have got a contract and they are allowed to travel legally then they can travel.”