Richard Foord Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)

The SEND crisis extends to Devon, and my postbag is full of correspondence from parents trying to get their children the educational provision they need. It has got so bad that in some cases children are being taught in school cupboards, and Devon has appointed a SEND champion to its cabinet. What steps is the Department taking to help boost SEND services in rural areas such as mine?

David Johnston The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

There has been a 30% increase in the per-head funding to schools in Devon for their special educational needs provision, and the whole thrust of our reform plan is to make the system work better for parents and families and get the support for their children at the stage when they need it.

So, what exactly is this “30% increase” (meaningless without quoting any baseline)?

John Hart, DCC Leader, didn’t mention it in an article he wrote a few weeks ago. In fact he says Devon is amongst the 42 worst funded councils in the country (see below).

In August the Government announced more support for children with special educational needs, backed by funding of £70m.

“Over a thousand more children and young people with SEND are set to benefit from access to high-quality specialised learning, with seven new special free schools in Cambridgeshire, Kent, Merton and Norfolk selected to be built alongside the existing 83 already committed to opening, located across England from Devon to Darlington.”

The detailed lists of which councils get the money can be found on this site: Revealed: Councils chosen to lead local SEND inclusion plans.

Devon and Cornwall appear to be excluded.

It received one comment from Kevin Hilton which says it all:

So Devon and Cornwall don’t have a requirement for SEND provision? It seems that this part of the ‘South West’ is constantly overlooked or forgotten. I find this a bitter pill as these counties are more the South West than Swindon and Gloucester who already have better transport links to reach other counties.

Did you know that getting from West Cornwall to the nearest major motorway (The M5) is a 100+ mile journey and as nice as West coast trains are they are not an affordable option for the majority of families in Cornwall.

When will the decision makers start to consider the needs of those of us who live and work in the most deprived county in the country? 

Meanwhile, Devon County Council in “Special Measures” is struggling.

See: We’re bottom of the class, John Hart on education funding.

Now John Hart has had to augment the efforts of Cllr Andrew Leadbetter (Wearside & Topsham),  Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Schools, with an additional Cabinet member acting as a dedicated Champion for Special Needs Education, Lois Samuel.

Roll on the County Council elections, it’s time for a change. This administration is obviously tired and failing. – Owl

“The UK already has more millionaire bankers than the whole of the EU put together yet our economy is stagnant and our public services are in crisis.” Director, High Pay Centre.

Fizzy Liz and many Tories still believe in the magic of “trickle down economics”. Do you? – Owl

Cap on bankers’ bonuses scrapped as UK brings back Liz Truss policy

THE UK Government has revived a policy from the short-lived Liz Truss administration and will scrap the cap on bankers’ bonuses.

Xander Elliards www.thenational.scot

The Financial Times reported that the Tories would imminently ditch the rule which limits banker bonuses to double their annual salary.

The EU rule will be scrapped in an effort to improve the attractiveness of London post-Brexit, FT said, in reasoning which reflects words from Kwasi Kwarteng during his brief time as chancellor.

The new rules will come into effect from October 31, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

The news has been greeted with anger, with Green MP Caroline Lucas saying it showed the UK Government’s true priorities.

“In case you were wondering what this Govt’s priorities were, look no further,” Lucas wrote.

“Ministers are now planning to scrap the EU cap on bankers’ bonuses.

“More money for city fatcats in the middle of a cost of living scandal – post-Brexit Britain in a nutshell.”

Economist Professor Richard Murphy also commented: “As if evidence was required that Tory UK is run for the benefit of bankers …”

When the cap on bankers’ bonuses was put forward by the Truss government, Labour leader Keir Starmer (below) opposed the decision.

He told the Mirror in September 2022: “Removing the cap on bankers’ bonuses when people are really struggling to pay their bills shows the Tories are absolutely tone deaf to what so many people are going through.”

Starmer had previously claimed the policy amounted to “pay rises for bankers, pay cuts for district nurses”.

Since then however, Labour have embarked on a mission to charm the City of London’s bankers ahead of the next General Election and it remains to be seen if Starmer will continue to oppose the move.

The FCA stated: “The bonus cap does not limit total remuneration but limits the variable remuneration a firm can pay relative to an individual’s fixed pay.

“This has the effect of limiting the proportion of remuneration that can be adjusted by risk and performance measures.”

Richard Foord’s speech at Monday’s Westminster Hall debate on Honesty in Politics, and the damage dishonesty is doing to democracy, has reached the national news.

Has Simon Jupp ever put his head above the parapet on a matter of principle?

Of course, this government is going to do nothing. – Owl

Martina Bet www.independent.co.uk 

A Liberal Democrat MP has taken aim at the “masters of spin” for increasingly manipulating the news cycle.

Richard Foord said that what began as political spin has now morphed into a practice bordering on deceit, saying “it is time to end the dead cat strategy”.

Mr Foord’s comments came as MPs debated two petitions relating to honesty in politics, which called on the Government to introduce legislation to make lying in the House of Commons a criminal offence.

While the Tiverton and Honiton MP said he worried about the “idea of opposition politicians simply getting locked up for telling the truth”, he criticised the Government for employing the “dead cat strategy” during the partygate scandal.

Deadcatting is a political tactic where a shocking or distracting topic is introduced to divert attention from a more damaging subject, often used to steer discourse away from negative media attention.

Speaking in Westminster Hall, Mr Foord said: “On April 12, 2022, the Metropolitan Police served a fixed penalty notice on the then prime minister (Boris Johnson) and the then chancellor of the Exchequer (Rishi Sunak) for attending a rule-breaking event in the Cabinet Office in June 2020.

“Newspapers were full of that dramatic news when, just two days later, the Government announced the so-called Rwanda partnership.

“Whatever you think about the Rwanda partnership, the £120-million scheme that would see some asylum claimants having their claims processed while they were in Rwanda, it is, at the very least, newsworthy.

“The point here is that we have been subject increasingly over the last couple of decades to something that started out as spin that has since become verging on the dishonest.

“So, if I take you back to 11 September 2001, we heard the phrase that it was a ‘good day to bury bad news’.

“At the time, that was symbolic of the worst aspects of the dark arts of spin. But what we have seen since that time is the development of this into an election campaigning technique. We now hear about the dead cat strategy.

“‘Dead catting’ is the idea that when something inconvenient is in the news headlines, the masters of spin might slap a dead cat in front of the public, a shocking announcement to divert attention away from those inconvenient headlines of the day.

“I think it is time to end ‘a good day to bury bad news’. It is time to end the dead cat strategy. It is a good day to bury the dead cat. We need more honesty in public life.”

Elsewhere during the debate, the SNP’s Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) highlighted the limitations of existing mechanisms like the MPs’ code of conduct and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Urging the Government to make it a criminal offence to lie to Parliament, he said: “Parliamentary privilege grants members the right to speak freely without fear of legal liability or other reprisal.

“However that privilege has been abused and that abuse goes against our code of conduct with little repercussion.

“We should grab this opportunity to examine the challenges and complexities of this matter and come together to find a solution that works.

“Legislation should be brought forward that prevents the trust between Government and those who are governed being further eroded.

“This should be done at the earliest opportunity, so we can move the backward nature of this Parliament forward.”

Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said he did not think the route set out by the petitions was appropriate.

He said: “If honesty is one of the core values of our system, then parliamentary privilege and freedom of speech within Parliament is one of the absolute pillars of the modern constitution.”

He went on: “If we were to accept the ideas put down, we would be accepting, nay, we would be sanctioning, the legal intimidation of MPs in the House of Commons.

“I am afraid that is something that this Government will not support.”

Thérèse Coffey blames “wrong sort of wind” for floods.

“Most of our rain comes from the West. This rain was coming from the other way. We don’t have quite as much experience on that”.

With ministers of such insight as this in the Cabinet, how can we fail! – Owl

Watch the video here

And Richard Foord mentions the plight of Seaton Hospital again.

Honesty in Politics —Westminster Hall debate 23 October

Here is an extract of what the REAL MP for Tiverton and Honiton has to say on the subject.The transcript of the full debate can be found here.

Richard Foord Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)  4:46, 23 October 2023

It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mrs Murray…

….For example, the 2019 Conservative manifesto claimed that 40 new hospitals would be delivered in this Parliament, but since then we have heard that they are not hospitals, there are not 40 of them and they are not new. Instead, the community hospital in Seaton in my constituency is under threat and there are suggestions that part of it might be demolished by a wrecking ball.

We need honesty and integrity to underpin our democracy. As politicians, we have a job not only to call out fake news, but to stand up and act with integrity. Over recent years, we have seen a dangerous rise in misleading statements from political parties and politicians. Clearly, the public feel there is distortion going on. Research from the organisation Full Fact showed that 71% of the public believe there is more lying and misuse of facts in politics now than 30 years ago. Yet the Constitution Unit found that the public admire politicians who are prepared to stand up and admit mistakes, rather than being dishonest about them. On top of that, a wave of sleaze and scandal has emanated from the Conservative party, and it was one such scandal that resulted in me coming to office as the Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Honiton.

In this place, we have a mechanism for correcting the record and inadvertent errors by going before Parliament, but we need a better method for MPs to correct Hansard, rather than things being distorted and going viral over social media. We have to be wary of politicians who cook up half-baked proposals, pretend that they are meaningful policies and then claim they have scrapped them. I take as a case in point the Conservative party conference earlier this year, where ideas about seven bins were magicked up. There was a time when the office of Prime Minister was that of statesman, but to stoop this low is to go to the level less of statesman and more of binman. It is deceitful and against the Nolan principles.

Liz Saville-Roberts Shadow PC Spokesperson (Home Affairs), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Women and Equalities) , Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader, Shadow PC Spokesperson (Justice), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Transport), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Attorney General)

I agree with much of what the hon. Gentleman says, but does he recognise that some of his proposed solutions already exist, yet we are still in the condition we find ourselves in? They do not work. Somehow or other, we need to shift the dial and, within the politics of the United Kingdom, stop rewarding those who say what they like and get away with it, and rather reward those who stick by the truth.

Richard Foord Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)

The right hon. Member is exactly right. We absolutely need to put on a pedestal those people who are prepared to stand up and admit when they have made a mistake and applaud those who correct their own record.

Before I close, one other aspect that I see increasingly is neighbouring MPs claiming credit for the work and achievements of the community campaigners in my part of Devon. Flattery is clearly at play here; it is sometimes said that mimicry is a form of flattery. However, what we are seeing is against the Nolan principles of honesty and accountability.

Finally, anyone who has joined the House of Commons Chamber at the start of proceedings will remember this part of the prayer that we listen to every day. We pray that Members

“never lead the nation wrongly through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy ideals but laying aside all private interests and prejudices keep in mind their responsibility”.

Sheryll Murray Conservative, South East Cornwall

Before I call the next speaker, I gently remind hon. Members that accusations of dishonesty against currently sitting MPs should be made via the proper channels, and not in a debate on a general motion.

For the first time in a few years the Times catches Owl vigilant

Jacob Rees-Mogg trousered £16,800 in severance pay for his seven-week stint as business secretary, it has been revealed.

Archie Mitchell www.independent.co.uk 

The former minister, now being paid more than £750 an hour as a GB News presenter, was entitled to the payout on leaving the government when Liz Truss quit as prime minister.

Mr Rees-Mogg had previously championed plans to cut the amount paid to departing civil servants by a quarter. A consultancy document produced during his time as government efficiency minister, unearthed by the Mirror, said changes to redundancy pay would “create significant savings on the current cost of exits”.

New documents also reveal Tory chairman Greg Hands pocketed £7,920 when he was sacked as a minister in the business department, having served for less than a year.

A month later – one week after the cut-off for ministers having to hand back severance payments – Mr Hands was handed a new government job in the trade department.

A Labour source told the Mirror: “It is hard to know who is the bigger hypocrite for accepting these handouts: Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said the severance pay of civil servants was too generous; or Greg Hands, who is constantly preaching that the Tories are the party of sound money.

“They are both as bad as each other, and they deserve a permanent redundancy notice from the British people.”

The new figures come just months after it emerged ministers and special advisers were handed £2.9m in severance payments during the upheaval of Boris Johnson’s premiership.

The dying days of Mr Johnson’s government, and Ms Truss’s chaotic 49-day stint in Downing Street, saw a raft of resignations and sackings, with the turmoil creating a significant bill for the Government.

An annual report on special advisers showed the taxpayer stumped up £2.9m in severance payouts for the staffers.

Meanwhile many former ministers collected thousands of pounds in severance payouts after losing their government jobs.

Ms Truss and Mr Johnson were given nearly £20,000 each, despite the former being in office for just 49 days.

A fire has broken out at the derelict Seaton Heights site. Fire crews from across the South West have been sent to the scene on Monday following the major blaze which has broken out.

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

The A3052 Harepath Hill in Seaton is currently shut both ways from Seaton turn off to Barnards Hill Lane. More than a dozen fire crews are on the scene.

Six fire engines, one water carrier, one command unit and three fire officers on scene, with one water carrier, one aerial ladder platform and one welfare unit also in attendance. Pictures from the scene show flames and smoke billowing from the former holiday camp.

A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Fire Control received several reports of a fire in the Harepath Hill area of Seaton at 4.19pm. Crews from Seaton, Colyton and Lyme Regis (DWFRS) was mobilised.

“After a short while, crews requested the attendance of a Water Carrier which was mobilised from Bridport (DWFRS). At 4.26pm – Crews confirmed that smoke and flames were issuing and requested for a 4th appliance to attend, and the fire engine from Otter St Mary was mobilised.

“At 4.56pm crews requested the attendance of additional 2 fire engines and 1 aerial ladder platform – 2x fire engines from Sidmouth and aerial ladder platform from Danes Castle was mobilised. Crews are at work with 2x breathing apparatus, 1x main jet and 1x safety jet.

“At 5.10pm crews request the attendance of a second water carrier – this was mobilised from Torquay. At 5.37pm, xix fire engines, one water carrier, one command unit and three fire officers on scene, with one water carrier, one aerial ladder platform and one welfare unit also in attendance.”

Once a popular holiday resort, the hotel complex has been left empty and dilapidated since its closure in 2005. The future of the he derelict site has become a long-running concern in the town as several planning applications have either been refused, withdrawn or fallen through after received permission.

Plans from applicants Lyme Bay Leisure Ltd to replace the existing hotel complex with 42 two-storey, detached holiday homes, along with an office, cafe with terrace and parking, and self-catering accommodation on the first floor above this, are currently under consideration by East Devon District Council.

Public meeting 1:30 Colyford Memorial Hall

Richard Foord MP

Dr Mark Welland Hospital League of Friends

Cllr Paul Arnott, Leader EDDC

Jack Rowland

Cllr Marcus Hartnell, EDDC and Devon County councillor

Chair Martin Shaw

ICB and NHS Property Services have been invited

• Construction of single storey front extension. 6 Oak Close Ottery St Mary EX11 1BBRef. No: 23/2188/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Horse Chestnut : sectional fell, leaving a ‘monolith’ at a height of 6m. Salcombe Lodge Sid Road Sidmouth EX10 9AHRef. No: 23/2193/TRE | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of outbuilding ancillary to Barnsfield Barnfield Shute Axminster EX13 7QERef. No: 23/2187/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Loft Conversion with dormer window 15 Meadow Bank Kilmington Devon EX13 7RLRef. No: 23/2179/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of single storey rear extension. 49 Elizabeth Road Seaton EX12 2DSRef. No: 23/2178/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single storey front extension, replacing existing porch and extending existing bedroom. 6 Ascerton Close Sidmouth Devon EX10 9BSRef. No: 23/2177/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Cedar: remove the lower limb that has recently split out and lost half its length by pruning back to the stem. St Marys Church West Street Axminster Devon EX13 5NURef. No: 23/2171/TCA | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Sycamore tree : remove overhanging branches on boundary of property by 5m, maximum diameter cuts (MDC) of 120mm (almost flush with main stem). T2, Elm/Alder trees : remove overhanging branches on boundary of property, MDC of 120mm (almost flush with main stem). T3, Elm/Alder trees : remove overhanging branches on boundary of property, MDC of 120mm (almost flush with main stem). T4 Elm/Alder trees : remove overhanging branches on boundary of property, MDC of 120mm (almost flush with main stem). 6 Norton Place Exmouth Devon EX8 2NDRef. No: 23/2168/TRE | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline application for the construction of up to 60 dwellings including affordable housing seeking approval for new vehicular access and pedestrian access, with matters of layout, scale, appearance and landscaping reserved for future consideration. Land South Of Gibrook House WoodburyRef. No: 23/2166/MOUT | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed curtilage garage/workshop building Hayes Drift Sidmouth Road Aylesbeare Devon EX5 2JJRef. No: 23/2162/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of a further 6 no. black photovoltaic panels on the north facing aspect of the garage (Original 6 panels approved under 23/0474/FUL) 2 Chowns Cottages Parsonage Way Woodbury Devon EX5 1HYRef. No: 23/2154/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Full removal of 12 Leylandii on south west boundary of property (numbered 1 -12 on sketch plan). Full removal of Lawsons Cypress (T13) Full removal of a pine tree (number 14 on sketch plan) and replacement with fruit tree. Full removal of Eucalyptus tree (number 15 on sketch plan) and replacement with alternative tree (rowan or silver birch). Brookfield House South Square Colyton EX24 6NHRef. No: 23/2153/TCA | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• For proposed window/door Flat 2 7 Louisa Terrace Exmouth Devon EX8 2AQRef. No: 23/2155/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace window W1 and door D1 on front north elevation; replace window S3 on rear south elevation and replace Window W5 & W6 on side and rear west elevation Town Dairy Cottage Church Road Lympstone EX8 5JURef. No: 23/2157/LBC | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Discharge of condition for 21/1928/LBC : Condition 6 (rooflights, window and door, sections, staircase, external vents, flues and meter boxes) Minchin Cottage Minchin Lane Aylesbeare Devon EX5 2FHRef. No: 23/2159/DOC | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Extend the existing building to form two additional self-contained flats as well as extend the ground floor to make good the existing rear extensions / yard 86A Exeter Road Exmouth Devon EX8 1PZRef. No: 23/2156/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed loft conversion including rear dormer and 2no. roof windows to front. 31 Churchill Road Exmouth EX8 4DNRef. No: 23/2163/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two-storey extension to the side and single storey extension to the rear 32 Shortwood Close Budleigh Salterton EX9 6QWRef. No: 23/2140/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Remodelling of annexe including accessible bathroom, with small single storey extension to the rear. Heath House Withen Lane Aylesbeare EX5 2JQRef. No: 23/2143/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• A1, Ash : pollard to rejuvenate because of ash die back. R1, Rowan : dead, to be removed. T1 to T16 (mainly oak and sweet chestnut) and T17 to T25 (mainly cherry and birch) : crown raise to highways height 5.2m to prevent damage from high sided vehicles. 11 Strete Ralegh House London Road Strete Ralegh Whimple EX5 2PTRef. No: 23/2137/TRE | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, oak : reduce branches over neighbouring garden to clear roof by 2m by pruning to a suitable second order branch. Reduce branches over roof of Oak Cottage to clear 2m by pruning to a suitable second order branch. Re-shape remainder of crown by reduction of 1-2m to leave a natural form. Oak Cottage Kestell Road Sidmouth EX10 8JJRef. No: 23/2149/TRE | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Oak : Reduce height by approximately 1m and shorten back over roof, road and neighbours’ garden; remove dead wood over 75mm diameter. Kent Cottage The Street Kilmington EX13 7RWRef. No: 23/2148/TCA | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Technical details consent for demolition of garage and erection of 1no. dwelling (following approval of 23/0391/PIP) 21 Clinton Terrace Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6RYRef. No: 23/2147/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed two storey rear extension with loft conversion and rear dormer 1 Orchard Close Exmouth EX8 3JDRef. No: 23/2144/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of rear extension with first floor terrace and rear dormer. Orchard Cottage Lyme Road Uplyme DT7 3TJRef. No: 23/2141/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Group of x5 Oak: crown reduction (as shown on annotated photographs) and pruning of lower branches back to rear boundary. 35 Gronau Close Honiton EX14 2YTRef. No: 23/2142/TRE | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single storey rear extension 24 Honey Park Road Budleigh Salterton EX9 6EGRef. No: 23/2139/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement of a glazed veranda with a larger garden room Cotley House Woodhayes Lane Whimple Devon EX5 2QRRef. No: 23/2150/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of 2 no. outbuildings – one is a Gazebo and the other is a BBQ shelter, also levelling of the garden [partially retrospective] 3 Potters Way Seaton Devon EX12 2FZRef. No: 23/2127/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed new dwelling with parking and garden Avoca Manor Road Sidmouth Devon EX10 8RRRef. No: 23/2128/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Partial demolition of existing bungalow, construction of an additional storey with new roof and single storey rear extension with raised terrace. Little Gables Green Lane Exton Devon EX3 0PWRef. No: 23/2124/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Certificate of proposed development to concrete over a hard standing yardGreat Trill Farm Musbury Axminster Devon EX13 8TURef. No: 23/2129/CPL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed siting of a converted American bus to be used as tourist accommodation. Land Adjacent Meadow Lodge FarringdonRef. No: 23/2114/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1: Yew – remove dead branches over wall; reduce height similar to adjacent tree, approximately 1m; shorten back side growth over the wall of Amyatts Terrace to clear boundary by 0.5-1m, to leave a height of approximately 15m and a radial spread of approximately 4m with cuts no bigger than 50mm. St Giles And St Nicholas Church And Cemetery Church Street SidmouthRef. No: 23/2123/TCA | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of the existing hairdressers (Class E(c)(ii) – Shop) to form 1 no. residential unit (Class C3 dwelling-house/residential) whilst keeping part of the existing shop and associated external works. Just Hair 42 Queen Street Seaton Devon EX12 2RBRef. No: 23/2104/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1: Beech; T2 Beech; T3: Copper Beech – 4m maximum height reduction, 3m maximum span reduction; maximum diameter pruning cuts of 150mm. Little Hill Berry Lane Beer Seaton EX12 3JSRef. No: 23/2092/TRE | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• The installation of modular battery units with ancillary equipment, including power conversion units, 11kV transformer compound, switchroom, DNO substation and site office to provide standby, emergency electricity to support and facilitate renewable and low carbon energy projects. Land To The West Of Wareham Road Scouse Farm Blackpool Corner Axminster EX13 5UERef. No: 23/2099/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1: Acacia – reduce height from approximately 15 to 10m, reduce crown from ~5 to 4m, crown lift from ~3 to 5m. Maximum diameter of pruning cuts, 55mm. T2: Oak – reduce height from approximately 10 to 7m, reduce crown from ~4 to 3m. Maximum diameter of pruning cuts, 65mm. T3: Walnut – reduce height from approximately 9 to 7m, reduce crown from ~4 to 2m. Maximum diameter of pruning cuts, 55mm. T4: Sycamore – reduce height from approximately 12 to 6m. Maximum diameter of pruning cuts, 50mm. 6 Rolle Villas Exmouth EX8 2AERef. No: 23/2089/TCA | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Widening of existing opening to ground floor internal wall in tea room dining rooms 9 Silver Street Ottery St Mary EX11 1DBRef. No: 23/2090/LBC | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1 – Liquidambar: crown lift to 4m above ground level, maximum diameter of cuts 50mm. Tip reduce all extending and exposed limbs by 1-2m, maximum diameter cuts of 50cm. Remove all snapped branches and deadwood. 75A Salterton Road Exmouth EX8 2ENRef. No: 23/2088/TRE | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed porch extension with cladding on front east elevation, existing garage to be converted to living space; construction of new garage on north elevation 5 Stanley Walk Exmouth Devon EX8 5QDRef. No: 23/2072/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of 2 existing commercial units to a single dwelling (2 bedroom flat) The Hair Studio 61 High Street Sidmouth EX10 8LERef. No: 23/2075/PDMA | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a Canopy over the rear access door and open space between the house and boundary wall. 10 Sherwood Drive Exmouth EX8 4PXRef. No: 23/2067/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace 1no. window on ground floor south elevation; replace 3no. windows on ground floor and 2no. windows on first floor north elevation and 3no. windows on ground floor and 2no. windows on first floor west elevation with 14mm small paned double glazed units. Symes Cottage Town End Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3HSRef. No: 23/2040/LBC | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of oak orangery to rear with access created from existing window and patio area extension 4 The Bothy Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3YDRef. No: 23/2029/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of oak orangery to rear with access created from existing window and patio area extension. 4 The Bothy Rousdon Lyme Regis DT7 3YDRef. No: 23/2030/LBC | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing building. Replacement dwelling and associated works Castlewell Stockland Devon EX14 9DBRef. No: 23/2031/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed replacement garage and loft space. 36 East Budleigh Road Budleigh Salterton EX9 6EJRef. No: 23/1917/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reinstatement of historic access Knights Cottage Plymtree EX15 2JURef. No: 23/1887/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed disabled ramp access for Something Different Miniature Farm. Something Different Miniature Farm Honiton EX14 9TBRef. No: 23/1847/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Install 6 no. solar PV panels on both the rear north west elevation and 4no. solar PV panels on south east elevation of the annexe Ferndale The Strand Lympstone EX8 5JSRef. No: 23/1784/LBC | Validated: Fri 13 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Separating existing property into two dwellings including gardens and driveways. 18 Colleton Way Exmouth Devon EX8 3PXRef. No: 23/1472/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Oct 2023 | Status: Awaiting decision

Ed Balls and Dan Turner www.thetimes.co.uk 

It is rare that Gordon Brown and George Osborne agree when it comes to economic policy. Students of 1990s politics might think the same of Tony Blair and John Major. But when all four former prime ministers and chancellors concede that widening regional inequality is a startling collective failure of British politics, it’s time for their successors to take note.

Despite all the promises of “levelling up”, Britain’s regions are further apart than ever. But we shouldn’t be surprised that the government hasn’t delivered: Britain has been failing at regional policy for more than 40 years. If anything we’ve gone backwards. The gap between southeast England and the rest of the UK is now wider than that between east and west Germany or northern and southern Italy — that’s not hyperbole but statistical fact.

What has gone wrong and what needs to change? To answer that we’ve interviewed 93 politicians and practitioners with six decades of experience. Cut through their differences over rail lines or elected mayors and there is broad agreement on the big picture: time and again, incoming administrations have announced a new regional policy and torn up what went before, only for the next set of leaders to switch approach again.

All this chop and change has been disastrous. New approaches on skills, transport or planning have never been given time to bed in before being uprooted. Alongside distrust of local government, inadequate infrastructure investment and a persistent bias in innovation spending towards the southeast, no wonder the UK has continued to grow apart.

The good news is that these two generations of past politicians are now urging the present one to learn from their mistakes. Regional inequality matters more for politics than it has for a century. We have a new cadre of mayors and devolved administrations giving central government the confidence it needs to let go. With sustained backing from No 10 and the Treasury, change is possible.

What we need is a cross-party plan that our leaders can stick to. It won’t be easy. There will be tough debates about how we pay for it, and how we prevent new inequalities opening up between towns and cities, or city-regions and the countryside.

But our unprecedented set of candid interviews should be a wake-up call for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. We have an opportunity to build a lasting consensus that can weather political change and make our economy grow faster and more fairly across all regions. Are our leaders brave and far-sighted enough to seize it?

Ed Balls is a former cabinet minister; Dan Turner is policy adviser to the South Yorkshire mayor. All 93 interviews, plus summary, can be found at sites.harvard.edu/uk-regional-growth/

“The project has been made possible after the council secured £21.9million of Town Deal Funding from the government, and it is about to announce the ‘household’ name of the development partner who will help to spend it….

…Business owners have been given a first look at the detailed proposals.”

Is this the latest in a sequence of seafront regeneration projects insufficiently thought through to endure? 

Owl recalls something called “living coasts”, the abandoned Torquay aquarium project opened in 2003 but closed in 2020. Living Coasts was built on the site of the Coral Island Leisure Complex which closed in 1977. Coral Island itself replaced the Victorian coastal attraction called the Marine Spa, which opened in the 1800s.

Guy Henderson www.devonlive.com

A new statue of Agatha Christie will provide the finishing touch to a £4million transformation of Torquay harbourside. The statue, currently being created by artist Elisabeth Hadley, will show the Torquay-born Queen of Crime overlooking her beloved harbour as part of a development Torbay Council calls ‘momentous.’

Business owners have been given a first look at the detailed proposals, at a presentation attended by deputy council leader Chris Lewis (Con, Preston).

Work will begin almost immediately, and by this time next year the Strand will be home to a wide pedestrian boulevard, with buses banished and traffic squeezed into a single carriageway rather than the existing double.

“The whole place will be transformed,” said Cllr Lewis. “This has been on the cards for a long time, and it will make the area down by the harbour a really attractive place for residents, businesses and holidaymakers.”

Montel Civil Engineering will carry out the work in four phases, and Torbay Council is warning that the busy Strand which runs along the front of the former debenhams building will have to be closed completely for eight weeks next spring. It says disruption will be reduced as much as possible.

Cllr Lewis went on: “It is going to create a real promenade going along to the harbour. The whole of this part of Torquay is going to be regenerated and it will be a fantastic place to visit. We’ve got the money, we’ve got the partner, now we just need to get on with the job.”

Vince Flower, Chair of Torquay Town Deal Board said; “As a board we’ve been committed to driving forward change in Torquay. Work starting on this project is a significant milestone in delivering the Town Investment Plan – which ultimately is about creating a town centre that we can all be proud of and is fit for the future. Once this project is completed it is going to deliver a range of benefits to residents, visitors, and businesses.”

The project which has been made possible after the council secured £21.9million of Town Deal Funding from the government, and it is about to announce the ‘household’ name of the development partner who will help to spend it.

The phases of the work are:

Phase 1 – November to December 2023

Traffic reduced to a single lane running in both directions along the Strand.

Removal and re-construction of the central islands. This includes the removal of all traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

Relocation of taxi ranks, bus stops, and temporary bus stops being introduced.

Contractor site compound set up on the footway outside of the Pavilion.

Phase 2 – January to May 2024

The Strand will be reduced to a single lane of traffic, traffic management measures will be in operation at the Torwood Street, Victoria Parade, and Strand junctions.

Phase 3 – May to July 2024

Full closure of the Strand to all traffic for approximately 8-weeks. Diversionary routes will be in place. During this phase the biggest changes to the road layout will be made.

Phase 4 – July to August 2024

Road closure will be lifted, and traffic will be able to pass through the Strand using the new layout.

Cary Parade will be reduced to a single lane running in both directions.

Phase 5 – September 2024

Final surfacing and finishing works including the installation of the new tribute to Agatha Christie.

Throughout all phases of work there will be access to the harbour, Victoria Parade, Fleet Walk (for permitted vehicles), and Fleet Walk car park. Pedestrian walkways and safe crossing points will also be provided. Businesses and car parks in and around the area remain open.

The government is facing fresh political backlash over HS2’s “staggering failure” amid whistleblower accusations of a multi-billion pound cover up.

Guy Taylor, Jessica Frank-Keyes www.cityam.com

Explosive new allegations published in the Sunday Times say senior executives at HS2 Ltd, the company charged with building the high speed line, shredded documents and used misleading projections to ensure money kept flowing into the project.

Whistleblowers claim they were told by bosses to lie about the project’s cost and were sacked after speaking out. They say parliament was not informed of the real cost of HS2 for years, all while voting on laws that approved its construction.

Louise Haigh, shadow transport secretary, told City A.M.: “These are serious allegations that make the Conservatives’ breathtaking lack of oversight of HS2 all the more shocking.”

“As chief secretary, chancellor and now as Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak failed to meet with HS2 [Ltd] once as the cost to the taxpayer soared.”

“Taxpayers are paying the price for this staggering failure. This is a government with no direction, no plan and no regard for taxpayers’ money.”

HS2’s internal fraud unit is now investigating allegations of a cover up. HS2 Ltd vehemently denies the accusations published by the Sunday Times.

Liberal Democrat treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney MP told City A.M. “the Conservative government allowed costs to spiral out of control on HS2, and these latest revelations raise questions about what they knew and when.”

“It is vital that an independent inquiry gets to the bottom of these allegations – including whether Conservative ministers misled Parliament over costs.

Former HS2 analyst Stephen Cresswell told the Sunday Times he repeatedly attempted to alert ministers, the National Audit Office and HS2’s fraud department over cost issues but was told to “concentrate on something else”.

Another source told the paper her phone was confiscated and she was pressured into handing over private messages after being seen with a whistleblower. She said she was eventually sacked.

Doug Thornton, who directed HS2’s land and property department, said his boss became “aggressive and argumentative” when he planned to raise concerns at a board meeting. He was later sacked just 11 minutes after reporting a grievance, the report said. 

Copies of a 2015 Deloitte report investigating costs associated with buying or compensating property owners near the route were shredded, according to whistleblower colonel Andrew Bruce.

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd told City A.M. the “allegations are simply untrue.”

“The claims made by Bruce and Thornton, which have been covered by the media on multiple occasions, were put under intense scrutiny by the National Audit Office. Its report published five years ago found nothing untoward. All land and property costs are in line with the published budget.”

“HS2 Ltd’s work is subject to extensive scrutiny including being audited annually by the National Audit Office.”

The fresh allegations come after Rishi Sunak axed the Manchester leg of the project amid spiralling costs.

A total budget of £32bn, allocated in 2012, has soared to upwards of £71bn, and some projections take the total figure to over £100bn.

James Watkins, head of policy and public impact at London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: “The latest alleged revelations around HS2 funding and financial conduct over the years needs to be taken very seriously. We expect the Department for Transport (DfT) to make a thorough investigation so that levelling up of all areas of the UK could take place smoothly. “

“A project such as HS2 requires proper governance and oversight. All of us must have access to a super-fast, convenient transport system to commute to the UK’s financial hubs while businesses should not have to think twice about capacity and skills issues during recruitment.”

A spokesperson for the DfT said: “The government and its public bodies takes such claims seriously and will ensure they are thoroughly investigated.”

Councils across England spent more than ever tackling homelessness in 2022, official data released last week showed. BBC News has been to Hastings in East Sussex where hundreds of families are in temporary accommodation – a situation the local council says could push it into bankruptcy.

www.bbc.com

The Grumpy Café may not sound like the friendliest place to grab a coffee but inside the large, warm meeting place in the centre of Hastings, the atmosphere is anything but crotchety.

“My children call me the grumpy cook, and I thought, ‘I like that,'” says owner Barry Ashley.

The not-for-profit café is busy most mornings, as locals pop in for coffee and cake, or a more substantial cooked breakfast. The money made is used to help locals with ever-increasing needs, particularly homelessness.

Every evening Mr Ashley, 60, cooks meals for families in temporary accommodation who don’t have cooking facilities in their rooms: “It breaks my heart to see the conditions they’re living in. It’s really heartbreaking.”

It is an issue close to his heart as half of the Grumpy Cook’s eight staff are in temporary accommodation – a home provided by a local authority, often in the private rented sector, supposedly for a short period, but often for years.

Sharing a bed

Barista Keira Boorman has been living in a one-bed flat since her 19-month-old daughter was born, and it’s a squeeze: “She can’t have her own bed because there’s not enough room. She spreads herself across the bed, moving constantly. I don’t get much sleep.”

The 19-year-old became homeless after she was no longer able to live with her mother. Despite working at the Grumpy Cook, she has little hope of finding a place to call her own.

“Most two-bed flats are around £950 a month and making that is nearly impossible as someone who doesn’t have a silly amount of savings or earnings.” she says.

“I don’t have a guarantor either. They’ll give me a viewing, but then pass it [the flat] on to to someone else.”

Bankruptcy looming

It’s a familiar tale throughout Hastings, a fading seaside resort, among the poorest towns in England.

More than 500 local families cannot afford a home and are in need of temporary accommodation, a situation that could push Hastings Borough Council into bankruptcy. This small district council will spend £5.6m housing them this financial year, a quarter of its entire budget.

House prices have almost doubled in Hastings over the past decade, one of the largest increases in England. At the same time, private rents have soared and the Local Housing Allowance, the maximum amount of housing benefit tenants can receive, has been frozen by ministers since 2020.

“We didn’t have a single two-bedroom flat advertised at local housing allowance rates last year,” says Chris Hancock, director of housing at Hastings Borough Council. “There is a strong risk this could bankrupt the council. We cannot make our budget stack up if we continue to have to spend this amount of money on temporary accommodation.”

The council is spending £11m buying properties to use as temporary accommodation, reducing its need to pay the ever-rising costs private providers are able to charge. Adding to the problem are the 900 properties available for short-term let, on sites such as Airbnb.

There is a bitter irony to the situation Hastings finds itself in. A decade ago, London councils were moving their homeless families to the town, as accommodation there was both available and affordable.

Figures released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities last week show councils in England spent a record amount of money last year tackling homelessness.

It shows at least £2.4bn was spent tackling the problem in 2022/23. More than £1.7bn of that was used to pay for temporary accommodation.

The data also revealed:

• Overall spending on homelessness increased by 10.5% since 2021/22
• For those council areas that reported data for both this year and last, costs have increased in 192 of 232 areas
• The biggest increase was in Liverpool, where the cost of tackling homelessness increased by 341% in one year, to £17.2m
• Costs in Warrington increased by 210% while in councils Wolverhampton and Darlington saw their costs double

Back in the kitchen of the Grumpy Cook café, Nicola Skinner is helping Barry Ashley cook sausage and mash. The 33-year-old, her partner and their four children were made homeless in April when her landlord decided to sell the property.

The family consider themselves lucky, as the temporary accommodation they’ve been placed in allows their children to stay at the same schools. However, Ms Skinner knows the council could move them on at any point and fears they won’t find anywhere affordable to rent.

“A few of them [letting agents] want incomes of 30 times the monthly rent, which is impossible to reach in Hastings,” he says. “Our town is too poor to reach the prices they’re trying to charge.”

..and other animal welfare issues.

Lord Goldsmith, a Tory peer and former environment minister, said anybody who “cares even one jot” about the issue should choose another party, claiming the prime minister “could not care less”.

Full text reads:

The Conservative Party’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare promised the greatest shake up & improvement for generations.  It was signed off by Boris Johnson’s govt and was happening. 

We had already begun legislating to ban for example: 

 -live exports of farm animals;  

-keeping monkeys as pets;  

-importing hunting trophies from endangered species;  

-the import of shark fins.  

We were introducing measures to clamp down on pet smuggling;  

The #ActionForAnimals plan also committed us to addressing issues like cages for farm birds, farrowing crates for pigs, advertising of cruel animal experiences overseas, imports of fur and fois gras, introducing closed seasons for UK wildlife like hares.

When he was looking for votes, Rishi Sunak promised to deliver the plan and woolly headed conservative MPs chose to believe him (or pretended to).

Today almost every single part of that plan has been ditched … by Rishi Sunak. 

The stark truth is that anyone who cares even one jot about animal welfare will need to look elsewhere at the next election.  The current PM simply could not care less.

Martin Shaw seatonmatters.org 

In 2016, I added up the contributions that the local community had made to the hospital. It came to over £2.8 million in constant prices, which represented over £4 million at 2016 prices. I have now used the Bank of England’s inflation calculator to produced an updated estimate. The local donations amount to £5,251,830 at September 2023 prices – and that’s not counting donations since 2016.

A hospital built with over 50 per cent local contributions should never have been handed to a company like NHS Property Services which charges the NHS extortionate rents. Morally it belongs to the local community.

If the NHS can’t use a whole wing of the hospital – a wing that was built 100 per cent by local donations – NHSPS should give it back to us, free of charge.

Labour has written to the standards watchdog to ask whether Rishi Sunak should have declared that companies co-owned by his wife were given £2m through his government scheme to help startups in the pandemic.

Rowena Mason www.theguardian.com 

Lucy Powell, the shadow leader of the House of Commons, wrote to the commissioner for standards to ask whether they should have been declared in parliamentary proceedings, after the Guardian reported that four companies linked to Akshata Murty had received investments from the Future Fund.

None of Murty’s investments that benefited from the Future Fund appear publicly on Sunak’s register of ministerial interests and he did not reveal them when mentioning the scheme in the House of Commons.

Critics have raised concerns over a lack of transparency and the potential for a perceived conflict of interest given Sunak launched the scheme to help startups – a sector in which his wife is a known investor – despite warnings that the fund may not represent value for money.

Murty had a financial interest in Carousel Ventures, which owns an underwear business, as well as Mrs Wordsmith, an education company; Digme Fitness, a gym business; and The New Craftsmen, a furniture firm – all of which received loans from the Future Fund that later converted into equity stakes.

In her letter, Powell asked Daniel Greenberg, the commissioner, whether Sunak should have declared the interests when talking about the Future Fund during parliamentary proceedings.

“Members are required to declare any financial interests which satisfy the test of relevance, including indirect financial interests, such as the financial interests of a spouse or partner, or another family member,” she said.

“Despite this, the prime minister has talked about the Future Fund multiple times in the House of Commons without declaring his wife’s interests relating to businesses benefiting from this fund.”

Sunak launched the Future Fund to help emerging businesses during the pandemic but it has since been heavily criticised. The scheme allowed any eligible company to access funding if they had match funding from investors and passed required checks, so neither ministers nor the British Business Bank had a role in selecting which firms got money.

Powell highlighted that Sunak had been caught failing to abide by the rules of the house before when he did not mention his wife’s investment in a firm called Koru Kids when it was due to benefit from a policy announced in the budget.

“The public will rightly be concerned by conflict of interest, given the prime minister set up a £1bn Future Fund to help start ups against civil service advice and then four companies linked to his wife benefited,” she said.

“I would be grateful if you could investigate this situation, and report on whether the code has been breached, particularly: should the Future Fund loans to companies linked to the prime minister’s wife have been declared orally by the Rt Hon Member for Richmond (Yorks) when he mentioned the Future Fund in the house?”

A government spokesperson said: “Labour are showing their true anti-business colours in attacking a scheme that supported a range of businesses through the pandemic. Labour backed the Future Fund when it was introduced and were aware of the eligibility criteria for the scheme, so this is a deeply cynical U-turn on their position.”

The ministerial register declares that Murty owns Catamaran Ventures and is a venture capital investor with a number of shareholdings, without specifying them.

Sunak’s adviser on ministerial interests, whom he appointed this year, has said declaring all shareholdings would be an “excessive degree of intrusion into the private affairs of ministers that would be unreasonable, particularly in respect of their family members”.

However, in April this year Sunak had to declare that his wife had a shareholding in Koru Kids. The standards commissioner also found that Sunak should have declared the interest when asked about it in a select committee hearing.

Plans for a bill have been dropped for fear of Conservative MPs being seen to vote for more water pollution in the run-up to a general election, in a development first reported by ITV.

But if they get back in they can always do another reverse ferret. – Owl

Ministers shelve new plan to ditch nutrient rules on river pollution

The government has quietly abandoned plans for a second attempt at killing off river protection rules in an effort to increase housebuilding.

Adam Vaughan www.thetimes.co.uk 

In August Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, announced that he wanted to ditch the “nutrient neutrality” rules which mean housebuilders in 27 catchments across England cannot win planning permission without offsetting extra pollution from new homes. Officials say the rules are blocking about 16,500 new homes a year.

However, the plan was defeated in a House of Lords vote last month after Labour united with Greens, Lib Dems and cross-party peers.

Less than a fortnight later the government revealed it was planning to resurrect efforts to kill off the protections, by drawing up a new Bill to pass in parliament next year.

That second effort to ditch nutrient neutrality rules is now dead, according to a government source. They said that plans for a bill had been dropped for fear of Conservative MPs being seen to vote for more water pollution in the run-up to a general election, in a development first reported by ITV.

Polling suggests that more than half of the public say the government’s handling of sewage pollution in rivers and seas will influence how they vote next year.

Scrapping the rules would have meant shifting the cost of the extra pollution from housebuilders on to taxpayers. Preserving the regulations also marks a victory for The Times Clean it Up campaign, which has called on the government to resist pressure to drop the rules for the 74 local authorities where they apply.

Charles Watson, chairman of River Action, said: “The prime minister has finally listened to the calls of the public who simply can’t face the prospect of any more pollution of our rivers. Nobody was fooled by government spin that nutrient neutrality laws were mere EU red tape’. They are fundamental and entirely reasonable protections which ensure that the building of new housing doesn’t add additional pollution load to our rivers which are already under huge environmental stress from both sewage discharges and agricultural run-off.”

Housebuilders are privately disappointed by the move. Labour has said it would reform rather than scrap the nutrient neutrality rules, promising to boost offsetting to enable new homes to be built while protecting rivers.

Matthew Pennycock, shadow minister for housing and planning, said: “If the government have indeed abandoned their reckless approach to the nutrient neutrality challenge we welcome it. We can unlock these new homes without damaging our environment.”

Meanwhile, the High Court has approved a challenge by campaigners against the Environment Agency over what they say is its failure to stop chicken farms polluting the River Wye. Demand for cheap chickens has been blamed for the intensification of poultry farms along the river, with the birds’ manure washing into the river and causing nutrient pollution. In May officials downgraded the status of the Wye to “unfavourable-declining”.

Watson, whose group was granted a judicial review, said: “We will vigorously make the case that a prime cause for the recent ecological collapse of the River Wye is the Environment Agency’s decision to slavishly follow Defra’s guidance to not enforce critical provisions of the 2018 Farming Rules for Water. These critically important regulations state that fertilisers and manures must not be spread on soils already over-saturated with excess nutrients.”

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said:‘We are considering next steps so we can explore how we can unlock the homes we need.”

Jeremy Hunt ‘set to quit as MP’ in fear of a Portillo moment

Jeremy Hunt is expected to stand down as an MP before the next election, according to senior Conservatives, who say the chancellor is aware he could suffer a “Michael Portillo” moment on polling day.

Toby Helm www.theguardian.com

Hunt has already put himself forward and been selected for the new Surrey constituency of Godalming and Ash, after his South West Surrey seat was dissolved and split into two under boundary changes.

His spokesman said on Friday that his position remained that he would stand. But with his party in increasingly dire straits as byelection defeats mount up, and Labour’s poll lead solidifying, several senior sources nationally and locally have told the Observer that they expect him to announce he is stepping down much nearer to the election.

Rumours have been swirling among Surrey Conservatives and at Westminster to this effect, amid cataclysmic predictions of wipeout for several serving cabinet ministers after more than 13 years in power.

One former minister said that with a Labour government in prospect, the options for Hunt of fighting the new seat were not attractive, whether he won or lost: “Barring a miracle [of the Tories winning and forming another government], I can’t see Jeremy wanting to be in opposition under a new leader. And if he loses he will be the biggest scalp on election night. That is not a departure anyone would want. People in Surrey are saying he will not stand.”

Were Hunt to stand down, it would raise questions as to whether he could remain chancellor in the run-up to the general election.

Hunt had a successful business career before entering politics and would expect to be elevated to the House of Lords were he to leave the Commons, allowing him to retain a political role alongside his commercial interests.

Last weekend the Liberal Democrats confirmed that Hunt’s old political adversary in Surrey, Paul Follows, the Liberal Democrat leader on Waverley council, had been chosen as its candidate for the Godalming and Ash seat.

Minutes after being selected, Follows told the local party that he would “work to ensure that the Portillo moment in the public mindset will become the Hunt moment”.

Another former Tory minister said: “Of course Jeremy cannot say so now, but I think he won’t stand. It is not uncommon to pull out having said you will stand, citing changes of circumstances. Short of turning things round and winning, and him remaining chancellor, which is not exactly likely, there is nothing in it for him.”

Follows told the Observer: “Jeremy Hunt is right to be concerned about losing the contest, and certainly right to be worried about ending up on the backbenches if somehow he won it.”

Recent polls have suggested that several cabinet ministers including Hunt, party chairman Greg Hands, the deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, and leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt – as well as Hunt – could lose their seats at the next election.

A special MRP poll published recently by the Observer, which took into account the new boundaries that the next election will be fought on, suggested Labour would win 420 seats – equating to a landslide 190-seat majority.

According to the poll the Tories would take just 149 seats and the Lib Dems 23, with the result similar to Labour’s 1997 landslide when Tony Blair’s party secured a majority of 179 with 418 seats. The Conservatives would lose all their “red wall” seats and 20 behind the “blue wall”, which would include ones in Surrey.

Hunt has served as MP for South West Surrey since 2005 when he won with a majority of 5,711. In the 2010 election he increased this to 16,318 and then further to 28,556 in 2015. However, in the 2017 election his majority was cut to 21,590 and then to 8,817 in 2019 as the Lib Dem vote increased.

As chancellor he is currently under pressure from Tory MPs to improve the economy before polling day, and deliver on prime minister Rishi Sunak’s pledges to cut inflation and reduce debt.

Martin Shaw seatonmatters.org /

The Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB) have said that the ‘stakeholder engagement process’, on the proposal to hand back a wing of Seaton Hospital to NHS Property Services (potentially leading to its demolition) will NOT include a public consultation – although the wing was WHOLLY paid for by public donations, making the Seaton area community THE most important stakeholder.

Only this week the ICB released, at my request, its report on the proposal, which boasted about the original consultation process for the hospital beds closure in 2016. Presumably they’ve realised, as I reminded them in my letter this week, that the consultation showed people DIDN’T want the closure.

So – fearing the Seaton public would once again say no, they’ve simply cut us out altogether this time!