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“Bus services reduce social deprivation”

“A 10% improvement in bus services would lead to almost 10,000 more people in work in the poorest neighbourhoods in England, says the study.
Published by sustainable transport group Greener Journeys, the report involved researchers from KPMG and the Institute for Transport Studies at Leeds university.

The Value of the Bus to Society study sought to investigate and quantify the impact of bus services on tackling social deprivation.

It found that a 10% improvement in local bus services is linked to a 3.6% reduction in social deprivation across England, taking into account employment, income, life expectancy and skills.

It concludes that a 10% improvement in local bus services in England’s 10% most deprived neighbourhoods would result in 9,909 more jobs.

The report says better bus services would mean 22,647 people with increased income, the result of a 2.8% drop in income deprivation. …”

http://www.rsnonline.org.uk/services/bus-services-reduce-social-deprivation

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Accountability, Developers/ Development, Housing (local), Planning System, Spin, Transparency

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“Ministers on course to miss target of selling enough public land for 160,000 new homes by 2020”

“The Public Accounts Committee said the Government will have to order a “significant acceleration in the last years of the programme” to sell land for the remaining 149,000 homes still to be built, over the next three and a half years.

Officials in charge of the policy at the Department for Communities and Local Government had “taken their eye off the ball” before the last election, they said.

The MPs said the Government’s plans to build 160,000 new homes between 2015 and 2020 were “back-loaded, which increases the risk that government will not meet its commitment”.

The Government told the MPs that only enough land for 8,380 new homes – five per cent of the total – had been sold.

They said the “slow start to the new programme” was either because they “took their eye off the ball at the end of the previous programme that ran up to 2015 or are struggling to find suitable sites”.

Meg Hillier MP, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “There is a desperate need for new homes and public land is an irreplaceable asset.

“Taxpayers clearly have a right to know whether they are getting a good deal from its sale and how many homes are being built as a result.

“Sluggish sales have hindered progress towards the 2020 target while questions continue to hang over the potential of many sites earmarked for sale and whether homes will be in the places people want to live.

“Ultimately the public will judge the success of this programme on the basis of the homes built and the Government must make clear who taxpayers should hold to account for this.”

Earlier this year the Government was criticised after it emerged that officials were not required to keep track of whether new homes were actually being built on public land sold for housing.

It then emerged in January this year that only 1,800 new homes had built on public land out of the 109,000 promised by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2011.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/02/ministers-on-course-to-miss-target-of-selling-enough-public-land/

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Unitary councils “save money” … yet a few years ago – they didn’t!

Owl is confused.

A few years ago, EDDC spent more than £250,000 to persuade us – and the Government – that they should NOT be forced to amalgamate into, basically, a “Greater Exeter” OR a unitary authority.

NOW:

We have East Devon District Council

We have Devon County Council

We have Greater Exeter – EDDC, Mid-Devon, Teignbridge and Exeter Councils – the very thing EDDC fought only a few years ago

We have STRATA – an IT partnership between EDDC, Teignbridge and Exeter but NOT Mid-Devon

We have the Local Enterprise Partnership – all of Devon and all of Somerset

AND

Research apparently reveals that unitary councils could save several billion pounds:

“Creating 27 unitary councils across the whole of England could save as much as £2.9bn, according to an independent analysis of local government reorganisation options undertaken for the County Councils Network.

The report by consultants EY examined six different single and two-tier governance scenarios for county and district authorities, using existing county boundaries. Based on the analysis of national data, EY found that creation of unitaries along county boundaries could save between £2.37bn and £2.86bn over five years, and average up to £106m per county. The single unitary option has the shortest payback period, generating savings within two years and two months, according to the review. …”

Owl’s head hurts…

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Hernandez “unavailable” to comment on Devon and Cornwall policing crisis.

Spotlight reported tonight on a crisis in Devon and Cornwall Policing. A survey of police officers revealed an overstretched and underfunded force, demoralised and angry.

The Chief Constable was interviewed and he agreed that the force is in crisis and they need more police on the beat.

And where was our selfie-loving Police and Crime Commissioner?

“Unavailable for comment”.

Her Chief Executive, Andrew White was wheeled out instead and basically refused to say if more police officers would be or could be funded.

Funny how she turns up for publicity shots and disappears when anything turns up that isn’t just publicity …

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Claire Wright, Hugo Swire

Swire busy in London on 16 November 2016 … but not for East Devon

Doubt many people from East Devon will be interested but a few members of the LEP might attend – particularly those with nuclear and weapons interests.

Claire Wright would almost certainly have been battling to save NHS beds in East Devon if she was our MP!

“Britain after Brexit Publication Drinks Reception”

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:

Wednesday, November 16, 2016 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (GMT)

Conservative Middle East Council
55 Tufton Street
SW1P 3QL London
United Kingdom

We are pleased to invite you to celebrate CMEC’s latest publication Britain after Brexit: old friendships and new opportunities in the Middle East

CMEC Chairman

The Rt Hon Sir Hugo Swire MP KCMG

will host the event and Crispin Blunt MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, and Kwasi Kwarteng MP, CMEC Vice Chairman, will offer brief remarks.

You can read the series of articles included in the publication on our website here:
https://cmec.org.uk/depth/news-analysis?page=1

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Accountability, Development Management Committee, EDDC, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation, Planning System

“Further 28 documents on Knowle submitted by Pegasus Life. Deadline for comments 11th November 2016”

Someone is in a hurry …. could an EDDC/PegasusLife deadline be nearing? And are these major or minor amendments? Major amendments need to go through the planninf process and DMC. Putting through major amendments as minor ones coyld give grounds for a judicial review …

The District Council has received more amendments to the Planning Application (ref 16/0872/MFUL) for Knowle. They consist of Pegasus Life’s revised drainage and bat mitigation reports, together with amendments to the design and footprint of building E and the associated landscaping.

DEADLINE for COMMENTS is FRIDAY 11th NOVEMBER, 2016.

The plans and Design Access Statement show (a) that Building E is moved very slightly north with planting around it (not a major change) and (b) Pegasus are arguing that the summerhouse is already shrouded in vegetation (how has this occurred?) and that views from the south will remain largely unaffected. The revised Drainage and Bat statements are lengthy, requiring close attention.

Please note that the 28 new documents are proving slow to download from the EDDC website http://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online- applications/.

Alternatives,and instructions for commenting, are given in this extract from the notification e-mail circulated by EDDC on 28 October 2016.(NB.Highlighting in bold added by SOS):

‘Alternatively, they can be seen at the Council Offices, Knowle, Sidmouth between 8.30am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. If you wish to make any representations about the proposal, you can do so on the website or write to us at East Devon District Council Offices, Knowle, Sidmouth quoting the application no. 16/0872/MFUL by 11 November 2016. Please mark the letter for the attention of the Central Team and copy your letter to the relevant Parish or Town Council. You should be aware that any comments raised will become public knowledge.’

Contact for the planning team : planningcentral@eastdevon.gov.uk Tel: 01395 516551

Further 28 documents on Knowle submitted by Pegasus Life. Deadline for comments 11th November 2016

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Environment (local), Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury, Transport (local)

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Don’ breathe in if you live near an industrial estate or on a busy road

“The government’s plan for tackling the UK’s air pollution crisis has been judged illegally poor at the high court, marking the second time in 18 months that ministers have lost in court on the issue.

The defeat is a humiliation for ministers who by law must cut the illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide suffered by dozens of towns and cities in the “shortest possible time”.

Legal NGO ClientEarth, which brought the case, argued that current plans ignore many measures that could help achieve this, placing too much weight on costs. On Wednesday Mr Justice Garnham agreed. He also said ministers knew that over-optimistic pollution modelling was being used, based on flawed lab tests of diesel vehicles rather than actual emissions on the road.

The government said it would not appeal against the decision and agreed in court to discuss with ClientEarth a new timetable for more realistic pollution modelling and the steps needed to bring pollution levels down to legal levels. The parties will return to court in a week but if agreement cannot be reached, the judge could impose a timetable upon the government.

Air pollution causes 50,000 early deaths and £27.5bn in costs every year, according to the government’s own estimates, and was called a “public health emergency” by MPs in April.

James Thornton, CEO of ClientEarth, said: “The time for legal action is over. I challenge Theresa May to take immediate action now to deal with illegal levels of pollution and prevent tens of thousands of additional early deaths in the UK. The high court has ruled that more urgent action must be taken. Britain is watching and waiting, prime minister.”

He said the increased action required would very likely include bigger and tougher clean air zones in more cities and other measure such as scrappage schemes for the dirtiest vehicles: “The government will have to be tougher on diesel.”…

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/02/high-court-rules-uk-government-plans-to-tackle-air-pollution-are-illegal?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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Whatever happened to … Knowle relocation costs?

Given that Exmouth’s regeneration plan costs have more than doubled from £1.5m to £3.2m (see below) and part of that cost is said to be the development costs rising, whatever happened to Knowle relocation costs?

First it was going to be cost neutral …
Then it was going to cost an extra £4 million …
The latest estimate (some time ago) had the extra cost at £9.7 million

Since then:

… labour costs have increased (minimum wage rise)
… skilled labour is less available (migrants choosing not to come or being sucked into Hinkley C, our older skilled workers retiring and not being replaced by youngsters with the required training due to skills gap)
… imported raw materials costs have risen enormously due to the falling pound
… Community Infrastructure Levy to be paid

Of course, EDDC could build prefab offices to keep down costs, just as the government intends to do with housing …

Suddenly Knowle looks much more attractive in that bright autumn sun, with its lovely park and the view of the sea …

Oh, wait … it’s been flogged off for luxury retirement housing.

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EDDC planning leaflet on what to do if build quality of new homes is bad

Cabinet meeting 9 November 2016, 17.30
Agenda Item 10

“Cabinet are asked to defer a decision on recommendation Minute 13 Recommendation 2 “that the Officers consider the resource and
financial implications for EDDC on the production of a leaflet giving advice to purchasers of new homes, on options available to them if issues arise regarding the quality of the build”; until further research has been undertaken by the Service Lead – Planning Strategy and Development Management.”

Click to access 091116combinedcabagenda-sm.pdf

QUESTION: Isn’t Building Control supposed to pick up poor build quality?
QUESTION: Should local authority searches identify poor quality buildings if the local authority knows this is the case?
QUESTION: Where are these poor quality homes and why are they not being identified?

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Accountability, Consultation, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Exmouth, Moirai Exmouth project, Regeneration, Spin, Tourism

Exmouth overspend and its worrying ramifications

See agenda item 16 – pages 81 – 91 of papers for next Cabinet meeting on 9 November:

Of particular note:

· The budget estimate rising from £1.5m to £3.12m

· As per 2.1 and 2.2 – a planning application for phases 2 and 3 is being submitted, as a ‘technical exercise’ to sustain the planning application (as the outline would be due to expire). [Is this allowed?]

· As quoted on page 84 ‘The planning authority will seek responses from the public to the planning application but the Council itself is not proposing to go beyond this with additional consultation for this technical exercise’.

· Consultation is then mentioned as coming after the technical exercise, in language used to imply consultation will be thorough (despite missing the important issue of consultation needing to happen before decisions are made!).

· Having told the tenants of the Harbour View (in a public meeting) that the Harbour View will be considered a separate application, and framing it to sound altruistic and caring of them, they now state that the Regeneration board has considered marketing the Harbour View site BEFORE the rest of the site in recognition of its value!”

… Loads more in there, makes awful reading.

Click to access 091116combinedcabagenda-sm.pdf

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Exmouth/ EDDC: more of our money down the drain

“A report has highlighted that costs for Exmouth’s Queen’s Drive project have now more than doubled – from £1.5 million to £3.1 million.

The figures come as East Devon District Council (EDDC) continue looking for “fresh ideas” for the biggest chunk of the nine-acre development site – after sacking the previous developer, Moirai, over the summer.

They say they will be consulting with residents, businesses and tourists for this ‘third phase’ of the Queen’s Drive site in Exmouth.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/costs-double-for-exmouth-s-in-limbo-queens-drive-development/story-29858563-detail/story.html

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Accountability, Cornwall, Devolution, Dorset, Local Enterprise Partnership

LEP extends its tentacles to Cornwall and Dorset: Mayor for the South-West?

” … HotSW LEP is committed to delivering the benefits of our strategic work and funding bids to the companies and communities that fall directly within our area. These are our partners and are stakeholders in our successes and achievements. Sometimes business interests don’t neatly match administrative boundaries and for some time we have been working where appropriate with our neighbours on common campaigns or programmes.

Elsewhere in the country, the numerous LEPs in the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine also work together on their common agendas.

So we’ve been working with our LEP partners in Dorset and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to form a new thought-piece to market our area and its growth agenda where these cross our boundaries; which we’re calling Connecting the South West as a working title. It’s early days, but there’s real commitment in this group to build on the years of expert evidence building and strong Strategic Economic Plans that have risen from the government’s mandate to generate growth through LEPs and localism.

It’s often the case that when there is a mood and an appetite for change, that several organisations are on a similar journey, albeit in different ways. Earlier this month saw the South West Growth Summit – organised and led by Pennon and the Western Morning News – welcome businesses and local leaders to discussion panels and an inspirational speech by Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, who hailed the South West as an area with “almost unlimited potential”.

We expect more to happen on this theme in the coming months and years as the South West embarks on its renaissance.”

http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=4e59660292bd6b4a5c7d7b8a7&id=e747106254&e=fa5cdb1f18

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Housing (local)

31October 2016 – Swire enjoys himself at Ambassadors Reception, London

Seems Swire just can’t tear himself away from foreign affairs. Still, no doubt it helps East Devon a lot … think of all those Kuwaiti tourists taking advantage of the fall of the pound … Sidmouth here they come!

FROM TWITTER
CMEC ‏@CMECnews Great evening @CMECnews Ambassadors Reception with speeches from @hugoswire @Tobias_Ellwood @foreignoffice & HE Khaled Al Duwaisan #kuwait

https://mobile.twitter.com/CMECnews

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Accountability, Affordable and Social Housing, Developers/ Development, Development Management Committee, EDDC, Housing (local), Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation, PegasusLife, Transparency

Residents want clarification of Knowle housing designation

An EDDC spokesperson says it will be up to the DMC to decide classification but then says there are legal aspects to be considered.

The DMC are laypersons- surely they are not qualified to take such decisions?

“District chiefs have yet to decide how the use of a proposed 115-home retirement community at Knowle should be classified.

The Knowle Residents’ Association this week called for clarity on the matter. Householders say that, if the development ends up classed as ‘C3’ – housing – developer PegasusLife will need to either include ‘affordable’ homes on-site, or pay towards them.

If it is care accommodation [C2], the group says the development will be even further from the 50 homes the site is allocated in East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) Local Plan.

Residents’ association chairman Kelvin Dent said the group is ‘amazed’ the authority has not decided what use class the development falls into. He added: “Our view is that the application is akin to housing – albeit with the occupants of the proposed apartments being able to purchase a package of care to suit their needs.

“Under planning law, this equates to a C3 use and PegasusLife will be obliged to provide social housing as part of their development or to make a substantial financial contribution towards the social housing that Sidmouth desperately needs and support for the local community.

“We look forward to receiving confirmation from EDDC that they agree and will be helping local young people to find a home.”

A spokeswoman for EDDC – which intends to relocate from the Knowle HQ to Exmouth and Honiton – said officers had been working on the basis that the development’s use would be C2.

She added: “However, officers have been considering whether the form and layout of the proposed development and the manner in which it is proposed to operate would constitute a C2 use or not.

“In considering this issue, officers have been, and continue to consider, the views expressed by residents and relevant case-law.”

The spokeswoman said the officers’ conclusions on PegasusLife’s application will likely be presented to EDDC’s development management committee (DMC) on December 6. The agenda will be published 10 days beforehand.

She added: “Ultimately, a decision on this issue is for the members of DMC to make.”

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/residents_call_for_clarity_over_future_knowle_use_1_4756297

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Quiz Hernandez at EDDC scrutiny meeting this Thursday 3 November 6.00 pm

“Police and Crime Commissioner (pages 12 – 13)
The PCC, Alison Hernandez, will give a brief outline of her work since her election and respond to the questions submitted in advance (contained in the agenda papers) as well as answer questions put at the meeting.”

Click to access 031116-scrutiny-agenda-combined.pdf

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Swire pokes his nose in … no doubt there will be selfies …

“Home Secretary Amber Rudd will come to Exeter to thank the emergency services for their hard work. The announcement follows an invite by East Devon MP Hugo Swire.

She said in the Commons: “We all saw over the weekend the dreadful scenes in Exeter and indeed I would be delighted to come with him and thank the police and the fire rescue teams that did such fantastic work dealing with such a difficult situation.”

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/exeter-fire-day-five-live-blog-giant-demolition-machine-has-arrived-in-exeter/story-29857157-detail/story.html

1. Exeter is the constituency of Labour MP Ben Bradshaw and is nothing to do with Swire.

2. Theresa May presided over massive cuts to the police and fire services which her successor Rudd is now continuing.

Yet another example of Swire’s arrogance. Not to mention Rudd’s hypocrisy.

Will Alison Hernandez turn up? You bet!

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Accountability, Hinkley C, Transparency

BBC Inside Out – Exeter Fire and Hinkley safety concerns

When on iPlayer, worth watching tonight’s Inside Out (BBC)- a brief overview of the Royal Clarence Hotel fire and interviews about the safety of the current Hinkley nuclear reactors where there may well be serious cracks in the structure and graphite blocks weakening around the nuclear rods in a plant at the end of its useful life.

EDF says on the programme that cracks should be ok till “at least 2023” which is very reassuring! And that it wants to be allowed to work with 20% cracks and not the current 10%.

The debate on this will continue on Radio 4’s “Costing the Earth” at 3 pm tomorrow (Tuesday).