EDA Councillor Cathy Gardner elucidates!
More on Swire’s choice for PM
Secretive group which wants to privatise NHS is funding Conservative Party (and Swire’s choice for PM)
Swire is a lead supporter for Dominic Raab – named below
“A secretive think tank which called for the NHS to be scrapped while its heads pour millions into the Conservative Party – and its MPs’ – coffers is being funded by big tobacco, an investigation has found.
British American Tobacco is one of the groups funding the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a free market think tank which is notoriously close-lipped about its donors.
The IEA has been an outspoken critic of public health measures for tackling smoking, obesity and harmful drinking, and past funders include organisations affiliated with gambling, alcohol, sugar and soft drinks industries. …
It has close links to the Conservative Party and the chair of its board of trustees, Neil Record, donated £32,000 to health secretary Matt Hancock between 2010 and 2018.
Dominic Raab – who, alongside Mr Hancock, is aiming to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader – also has close links with the IEA, speaking at its 60th anniversary event, and promoting an annual essay competition as recently as last month.
When asked about these links by the BMJ, a spokesperson said Mr Raab has “always been a strong supporter of public health initiatives to make the UK healthier and reduce pressures on the NHS”.
While Mr Hancock is among the biggest beneficiaries, 30 Tory MPs including David Davis, Liam Fox and David Willets have received cash or hospitality from Mr Record or fellow trustee Sir Michael Hintze.
In total MPs have declared funding to the value of £166,000 from the pair since 2005, and they have donated £4.3m to the Conservative Party.
The BMJ investigation identified a 1999 document listing UK supporters of the IEA, including British American Tobacco, Rothmans UK Holdings, Tate and Lyle, Whitbread, and Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland.
When the authors followed up with key organisations to see which were still actively funding the IEA, British American Tobacco confirmed it was still donating. …”
“Bus services should be designed for young people, says watchdog”
“Bus tickets need to be cheaper and easier to buy using contactless and smart phones to attract young people, according to the UK transport watchdog.
Despite being the biggest users of buses 16-18 year-olds are also the least satisfied, Transport Focus found.
The watchdog also recommended companies should install wi-fi and USB charging points on board, to encourage younger people to travel on buses.
Bus companies said they were investing in services young people expect.
Graham Vidler, chief executive of CPT UK, the trade association which represents bus and coach operators, said the industry recognised the importance of meeting the expectations of younger travellers. …
… Transport Focus gave the example of a flat fare of £2.20 for unlimited travel in and around Liverpool, which it said had led to a significant rise in the number of under 18-year-olds using buses. …”
Leasehold houses: promise of fix … one day, maybe
“Housebuilders are to be investigated over the mis-selling of thousands of leasehold properties after a U-turn by the competition watchdog amid pressure from ministers.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it would examine the scandal surrounding new-build homes sold on leases that were subject to substantial increases in ground rents and the charging of “permission fees” for home improvements. Developers and freeholders could face legal action if the watchdog finds evidence of leasehold mis-selling. The watchdog said it would decide whether the practices constituted “unfair terms”, a breach of consumer contract law.
James Brokenshire, the housing minister, has previously called on the CMA to use its influence to tackle the “culture of consumer exploitation rife in the housing industry” with an inquiry into the estimated 100,000 homes sold with “extortionate” leases.
However, in November, the CMA told the minister it would not investigate the issue, citing the legal complexities surrounding historic cases of mis-selling. In a letter seen by The Times, the watchdog also noted it does not have the power to fine companies using its consumer powers and blamed Brexit preparations for it not being able to prioritise problems in the housing industry.
The U-turn comes after the Commons housing committee published a damning report on the scandal in March, calling for the law to be changed to help people stuck in leasehold properties with crippling fees that they are unable to sell on. It also criticised solicitors for failing to warn clients about the unfair deals, accusing some of being too close to developers.
The leasehold scandal emerged as developers began to sell houses on leasehold rather than freehold, often without the buyer fully understanding the contracts. In many cases the freeholds were bought by offshore investors who demand large sums from homeowners to buy out the contracts.
Taylor Wimpey, one of Britain’s biggest housebuilders, has set aside £130 million to help its customers escape unfair leases it sold. More than 40 property developers and freeholders this year signed a government-backed pledge to help homeowners affected by the scandal by changing the terms of leases for those with onerous clauses.
Sebastian O’Kelly, of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, said: “We welcome the CMA looking into this. It’s long overdue and will be welcomed by the 12,000 owners of new leases with doubling ground rents, and 88,000 where the ground rent is above 0.1 per cent of the sale price and whose properties are unsellable.”
The investigation comes as the industry attempts to improve its public image after criticisms of build quality as well as punitive hidden charges.
Countryside Properties this week became embroiled in a row with Joe Anderson, the mayor of Liverpool, who reportedly told residents he would ban the housebuilder from building in the city due to historic cases of selling leasehold homes with “doubling clauses” for ground rents.
Countryside said it no longer sold leasehold homes, had signed up to the leasehold pledge and took action to fix the doubling of ground rent leases that were in place two years ago. A spokesman for the Home Builders Federation said: “The industry has made huge progress to identify and address the issues raised on particular aspects of leasehold sales.”
Source: Times (pay wall)
Devon Lib Dems – what do they want?
What do Lib Dems want in Devon?
They don’t seem to know!
Independents and Lib Dems are working together in North Devon:
https://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/north-devon-council-annual-meeting-2019-1-6055299
They are considering it in Torbay:
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/independents-consider-alliance-liberal-democrats-2865164
In East Devon Lib Dems say no:
https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/east-devon-liberal-democrats-coalition-decision-1-6046826
Swire, his other jobs, the controversial Lord and the Russian oligarch
Our current MP has fingers in many pies, here is a closer look at just one of those pies.
As Owl has previously reported:
Swire has added this lucrative job to his Register of Interests:
“From 1 February 2019 until further notice, non-executive chairman of the Enbarr Fund, an early stage venture capital fund with universities in Ireland. Remuneration from Imprimatur Capital, Fifth Floor, 1 Tudor Street, London EC4Y 0AH. I received £15,000 on 6 February 2019 and until further notice I will receive £2,500 a month in return for a monthly commitment equivalent to 8 hrs. (Registered 22 February 2019).”
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/190507/swire_hugo.htm
Further investigation of Imprimatur Capital reveals that one of the company’s very recent former directors is Swire’s old pal – controversial Lord Greg Barker – with whom he shares another directorship in a (currently dormant) company – Eaglesham Investments, about which Owl has written extensively.
Barker has taken temporary leave of absence from the House of Lords so that his work for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska does not have to come under scrutiny or a conflict of interest spotlight. He resigned from Imprimatur Capital only on 5 April 2019.
Barker is said to have received a $4 million bonus for work he did in the USA to get sanctions on his boss lifted:
Imprimatur appears to have a Latvian connection:
http://www.clusterpark.com/company.html
and the European Investment Fund says this about the company:
“About Imprimatur Capital
Imprimatur Capital is an international seed investor in high-growth technology businesses with global market potential. To date Imprimatur Capital has invested in 23 companies in Europe, Russia and the Asia Pacific region, in sectors including enterprise software, electronics, medical technology, homeland security and wireless/mobile. Imprimatur Capital is an active shareholder and helps its portfolio companies to grow and develop, expand into new markets, and increase in value.
https://www.eif.org/what_we_do/resources/jeremie/news/2010_news/2010_Imprimatur_Capital_Latvia.htm
Boy, Owl bets that Barker and Swire have some interesting conversations about their overlapping jobs!
Is nationalisation now a Conservative Party policy?
Perhaps THIS is why EDDC ex-Tory Leader Ian Thomas left the party (though Owl is STILL waiting to hear his explanation).
Imagine the debates at EDDC as Twiss and Skinner have to argue for it!
“The British government will renationalise the management of probation services in England and Wales five years after a heavily criticised programme of privatisation was deemed to have put members of the public at risk.
The supervision of about 200,000 low and medium-risk offenders will be removed from part-private companies and taken over by the government when the current contracts end in December 2020, said Justice Minister David Gauke.The existing model was intended to drive down re-offending levels when it was introduced but the chief inspector of probation, described the system last month as being “irredeemably flawed”.
The probation watchdog had previously found thousands of offenders were being managed by a brief phone call once every six weeks. Some prisoners were being given tents on their release from jails, an inquiry into homelessness published in March found.
“Delivering a stronger probation system, which commands the confidence of the courts and better protects the public, is a pillar of our reforms to focus on rehabilitation and cut reoffending,” Gauke said.
The U-turn marks a fresh embarrassment for Transport Minister Chris Grayling, who introduced the shake-up when he was justice secretary and has been dubbed “Failing Grayling” by the British press.
In his current job, Grayling awarded a 14 million pound contract for companies to ferry in essential supplies to Britain in the event of a no-deal Brexit to a company that owned no boats.
The decision to partially privatise the probation service was heavily criticised at the time.
Companies including France’s Sodexo, the United States’ MTCnovo and British firms Working Links and Interserve have been given contracts to oversee probation services.
The government has already announced it would abolish the use of handing out of new contracts to private companies to run government projects after reviews revealed little evidence of financial benefits.
It has also moved to strip some companies of their contracts because of poor performance or due to financial trouble.
Last month, the government announced it was taking over the running of a Birmingham prison from private operator after inmate violence made it unmanageable.
Last year the collapse of Carillion, one of the biggest beneficiaries of such privatisation contracts, forced the government to step in to guarantee services ranging from school meals to roadworks that the company had previously provided.
A few months later, it renationalised the rail route between London and Edinburgh, taking back the line from a private company after it over-estimated profits.”
Small businesses accuse government of failing them
“Theresa May’s Government today stands accused of failing to back small businesses, in a report due to be launched by Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
A damning poll reveals three in five people think the Tories are letting down the army of small firms which are vital to the economy and town centres.
The findings come from a YouGov survey of 1,644 adults for the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, which was founded by Margaret Thatcher.
It revealed 60% of people believed the Government “is not on the side of small business”, with just 14% disagreeing. …
This report shows how bureaucracy and paperwork are stifling the growth of our small businesses and offers a series of compelling ideas for how Government can roll back the tide and show that the Conservatives are backing entrepreneurs.”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/small-businesses-damning-verdict-nine-16052199
Broke Tory county council gets its ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card … as district councils disbanded
Government lacks transparency over local authority governance
“There is a complete lack of transparency over the government’s handling of local authorities with governance issues, MPs have warned.
A damning report from the Public Accounts Committee has called on the government to strengthen audit and governance of the “complex and fast-moving” environment that local authorities find themselves in.
The cross-party group of MPs warned that local authorities are now pursuing shared services and taking on commercial risk, but are simultaneously dealing with a “significant” reduction in resources.
The report noted that while some authorities have robust arrangements, others are under strain and have “audit committees that do not provide sufficient assurance, ineffective internal audit, weak arrangements for the management of risk in local authorities’ commercial investments, and inadequate oversight and scrutiny”.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s oversight of local authority governance has until now been “reactive and ill-informed”, the report said. However, it noted that the department has now committed to improving its oversight.
MPs said that MHCLG lacks reliable information on key governance risks and relies on weak sources of information, meaning it has “no way of pinpointing at-risk councils”. They also said that the department is not focused on long-term risks to council finances.
“There is a complete lack of transparency over both the department’s informal interventions in local authorities with financial or governance problems and the results of its formal interventions,” the PAC said.
The report claimed that taxpayers have a right to know if there are problems with their councils’ finances. It cited the demise of Northamptonshire County Council, which it said was an ‘open secret’ but only for those in the sector.
PAC chair Meg Hillier said: “On the rare occasions a local authority fails, the impact on local citizens is severe. Residents facing decimated services get no comfort from being told that their council’s dire finances were “an open secret”.
“The government needs to recognise the extra pressure that squeezed budgets and increased commercial risks are having on local government and make sure it is monitoring the risks effectively so that it can be alert to the impact of changes on local government.”
MHCLG has been contacted for a response.”
Appearing before the PAC in March:
CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman called for an improvement in local government audit.”
“Carillion’s ‘relationship with auditors too comfortable’ “
“Ninety-three per cent of construction industry suppliers think the relationship between the ill-fated firm and its auditors, KPMG, was “too cosy”, according to a poll of construction industry leaders.
A further 57% of respondents believed that reforming the ‘big four’ audit firms – PwC, KPMG, EY and Deloitte – is a necessary step.
The poll, which surveyed more than 50 senior managers across the construction sector, found that 76% believed the Financial Reporting Council was too timid in its challenging of questionable financial information.
Mark Robinson, chief executive of Scape Group, which carried out the poll, said: “We need to be able to have faith in company accounts and the work auditors are carrying out, especially when public sector contracts and people’s livelihoods are at risk.
“Greater oversight and closer management of auditing practices [is needed] in the search to rebuild trust in the industry, but we also need to make sure we are putting in place sensible reforms that do not put increased cost pressures on an industry that is already contending with the cost of materials and reduced access to labour.”
The report from Scape Group also found that 64% of respondents thought that Carillion’s downfall was owing to debt mismanagement, acquisitions and long payment terms, created by a focus on revenue rather than profit.
The Competition & Markets Authority recently suggested that the ‘big four’ separate their audit work from the rest of their consultancy work. This move, CIPFA said, could have implications for local government.
KPMG and the FRC have been contacted for comment.”
https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2019/05/carillions-relationship-auditors-too-comfortable
“Probation services set to be renationalised as [Tory] Government accepts failure”
Owl says: Privatisation was supposed to be the answer … not the problem!
“Probation services are set to be renationalised as the Government prepares to accept its experiment has failed.
An announcement on how supervision of thousands of offenders will return to the National Probation Service is expected in weeks.
Reforms introduced by Chris Grayling when he was Justice Secretary have cost taxpayers almost £500million and led to an increase in murders committed by criminals.
Sources said the news could be broken as early as Thursday.
… The Ministry of Justice began partially privatising the probation service in 2013.
It involved 21 “community rehabilitation companies” monitoring people released from jail after serving short sentences. But the Government announced last year their contracts would end in 2020 – 14 months early.
Dame Glenys Stacey, the Chief Inspector of Probation, has previously described the current model as “irredeemably flawed”.
She told MPs on the Commons Justice Committee yesterday there were “deep-seated, systemic issues”.
She said it was “remarkably difficult” to condense probation into a set of contractual measures.
The Mirror revealed this year that 225 people had been murdered by convicted criminals being monitored by firms since privatisation.
The toll soared to 71 last year from 42 in 2015, shortly after Mr Grayling introduced the changes. …”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/probation-services-set-renationalised-government-15868831
Independents at EDDC … an interesting spread …
Independents by their nature are a funny bunch! With no party politics to bind them (a VERY GOOD thing!) what else can bind them?
The East Devon results are particularly interesting: a very cohesive group for the eastern area based on Exmouth, but with a smattering of Lib Dems and Greens, a very cohesive group for the whole of the Axe Valley and Yarty and a bunch of mostly newbies literally in the middle (Ottery St Mary, Cranbrook, Feniton).
Might we see a new way of doing things this time around – geographically rather than party politically? But might that have its own dangers as each area vies for scarce resources? Or, can the three different areas blend and share resources equitably and be seen to be doung so? The values of independents suggests they could if the will is there.
Now that would be interesting …..! It would certainly keep the now somewhat raggle-taggle mostly Honiton-based minority Tories on their toes and fighting their now very,very much smaller corner!
Interesting times … interesting times!
“Typical workers paid less than a decade ago while bankers get huge pay rises”
“The average British worker makes £17 a week less than they did a decade ago, once increases in the cost of living are taken into account.
But salaries for bankers and others in the finance sector are £120 a week higher than in 2009, a new study suggests.
To find the results, the TUC took a look at official earnings figures for different workers now, and compared them to those a decade ago. Then it factored in price rises.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s not right that pay is racing ahead in the City when most working people are still worse off than a decade ago.
“The architects of the financial crisis are earning record amounts while teachers and nurses struggle to get by.”
Nurses and teachers are among workers hardest hit, with those employed in health and social work and education £36 a week worse off than in 2009, said the TUC.
By contrast, average real pay in the financial sector has increased by 9.3% (£119 a week) since 2009 reaching a record average of £1,405. …”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/normal-workers-paid-less-decade-15669618
“4m Britons in poverty despite having jobs”
“… It is the bruising combination of low pay, insecure hours, rising housing costs and cuts to benefits that has driven in-work poverty to its highest point in 20 years.
Innes says: “The labour market is trapping people in poverty, when it should be offering people a route out. It is very demoralising for people who are doing what society expects of them, going out to work to meet the essentials but still unable to do that.”…
“Almost one in 10 cash machines vanishing from East Devon”
“… Figures show one in ten cash machines – or ATMS – have disappeared from East Devon’s high streets in the last two years, amid warnings the UK’s cash system is ‘falling apart’.
At the end of 2017, there were around 230 ATMs – according to data from the cash machine network Link – this has now fallen to 208, as of February this year.
The number of free-to-use cash points has also gone down from 179 in 2017 to 171 two years later.
An independent review published in March found that around eight million adults – 17 per cent of the population – were still reliant on cash and would struggle to cope in an entirely digital economy.
These included people in rural communities, those on a low income who may struggle to budget without cash, and older people or people with disabilities who rely on cash for their independence.
Natalie Ceeney, chair of the Access to Cash Review, said: “There are worrying signs that our cash system is falling apart.
“ATM and bank branch closures are just the tip of the iceberg – underneath there is a huge infrastructure which is becoming increasingly unviable as cash use declines.
“We need to guarantee people’s right to access cash, and ensure that they can still spend it.”
A recent report by consumer watchdog Which? found almost 1,700 previously-free cash machines had begun charging users between January and March of this year. …”
https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/east-devon-atms-disappeating-figures-show-1-6047802
“Growing inequality threatens democracy”
“Inequalities in pay and opportunities in the UK are becoming so extreme they are threatening democracy, an Institute for Fiscal Studies study has said.
The think tank warns of runaway incomes for high earners but rises in “deaths of despair”, such as from addiction and suicide, among the poorest.
It warns of risks to “centre-ground” politics from stagnating pay and divides in health and education.
The report
https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/13075
says such widening gaps are “making a mockery of democracy”.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), one of the country’s leading research institutes, is launching what it says is the UK’s biggest analysis of inequality.
That will be chaired by Nobel Prize-winning economist Prof Sir Angus Deaton. …
It suggests pay inequality in the UK is high by international standards – with the share of household income going to the richest 1% having tripled in the past three decades.
The middle classes are also under pressure, particularly younger generations, with stagnant pay and unaffordable house prices.
The long-term decline in trade union membership is identified as another factor in wages not increasing. …
Richest increasing their earnings
As well as inequality in income, the think tank highlights divergence in health.
It says there is almost a 10-year gap in male life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas – and the IFS warns of “deaths of despair”, with a rise in early deaths from drug and alcohol abuse and suicide being linked to factors such as poverty, social isolation and mental health problems.
Patterns of relationship are also affected by inequality, the study suggests.
Over recent decades, wealthier people have become more likely to be living in a couple, either married or co-habiting, the IFS says. …”
“District council coalition talks ‘ongoing’ says East Devon Alliance leader”
“Discussions over the formation of the district council are ongoing according to the leader of the Independent East Devon Alliance (IEDA).
Paul Arnott, councillor for Coly Valley, has welcomed the decision by the Liberal Democrats to ‘support the formation of an independent-led administration’.
There are now 11 IEDA councillors at East Devon District Council and a partnership with the independent group, which has 20 councillors, would give the coalition overall control of the council.
The Liberal Democrats said they are not interested in forming a coalition with any other parties or groups.
Mr Arnott said: “We were very pleased to be told by the Liberal Democrats that they would be prepared to support the formation of an Independent-led administration.
“As Independent East Devon Alliance councillors we have principles based on accountability, democracy and transparency.
“We believe we were all elected to run the council to the highest standards while also reforming its governance from the outset.
“We are currently in discussions with other independents about how best to deliver this.”
https://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/district-councillor-formation-talks-are-ongoing-1-6047103?
Swire’s extended family still in Sunday Times Rich List
Swire is a member of the Hong Kong based Swire Group family, whose assets have increased over the last year to £5.08 billion putting them at no 27 on the Rich List 39th place last year), up from £3.3 billion last year (an increase of £1.78 bn).
Two Swires are believed to own 45% of the operation.
Source: Sunday Times
East Devon Watch 