No working link to the story in today’s Daily Telegraph but the headline says it all.
Many of those businesses will be rural.
BBC castigated for poor coverage of non-mainstream parties and independents
Extract from letter to BBC:
… “It is deeply insulting that parties such as the Monster Raving Loony Party have been given television interviews instead. Even the Abolish Assembly party which is not constructive have been offered the opportunity.
We know that unfair coverage of this kind and the deliberate exclusion of Independent Candidates has a negative impact on the debate and adversely influence the actual election. It is essential for the sake of democracy that all candidates have the opportunity to appear at all hustings and in the media.” …
A long but fascinating (and chilling) article about how the Conservative Party set about winning the general election:
Just a few areas (and farmers) unhappy about devolution deals
This is by jo means an exhaustive list – just a random few picked out from mebdia this week only:
North East
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/decision-over-north-east-devolution-11331708
Hampshire
http://www.themj.co.uk/Hampshire-divided-over-devolution-deals/204042
East Anglia:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-36285239
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
http://www.machinery-market.co.uk/news/13904/Nottinghamshire-and-Derbyshire-risk-losing-out
Wourcestershire
http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/news/14484626.Worcestershire_may_have_to_re_think_devolution_deal__says_council_leader/
South Cambridgeshire
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/South-Cambs-leader-Ray-Manning-stand-blasts-City/story-29257354-detail/story.html
Latest news on Hinkley C
and none of it good:
You need an urban income to survive in rural areas
“Living the good life can seriously damage your wealth. Research suggests that anyone aspiring to live in the countryside, but wanting to climb the earnings ladder, should do so only after a lengthy spell of urban dwelling.
The first analysis of its kind, published by the British Sociological Association in the journal Work, Employment and Society, has found that people who grow up in rural areas earn less than their urban equivalents even after they move to cities for work.
Martin Culliney, of Sheffield Hallam University, tracked the income of 1,594 people aged 15-24 over a near 20-year period. He found that in 2008-09, net take-home pay for those living in rural areas was about £900 a year less than for those living in towns and cities.
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The best paid were those who had started off in a town or city and then moved to a rural area. Net take-home pay for those working full-time was about £23,400 a year. Those who stayed in rural areas or moved from rural to urban areas had the lowest net take-home pay, about £14,400 to £18,400 a year for full-time workers.
“Young people who remain in rural locations earn less money than their urban peers,” said Culliney. This is perhaps unsurprising. Rural areas offer fewer jobs and a limited range of careers. But the fact the gap persists even among those country dwellers prepared to move was concerning, he said. “Simply being of rural origin brought respondents less pay across the whole 18-year observation window,” said Culliney, who warned that the findings could be interpreted by young people as “conveying a rather fatalistic message” – that they will suffer a “pay penalty into adulthood”, even if they relocate to towns and cities.
The economic plight of young people in rural areas is in marked contrast with older countryside dwellers, who tend to earn more.
The research suggests that the countryside risks becoming unaffordable to younger generations. “If young people remaining in rural areas face greater living costs while their earnings increase at a slower pace than other groups, what can be done to ensure that they do not suffer?” Culliney asked. “Less disposable income in rural locations surely acts to the detriment of local services such as shops and pubs, which also perform important social functions in the communities they serve.”
Another U-turn: Government now begging people to register to vote!
After totally ignoring those who pointed out that too few people were registering to vote at the last election after electoral registration rules changed (particularly here in East Devon where our Electoral Officer “lost” around 6,000 voters from the electoral roll) David Cameron is now begging people to register to vote in the EU referendum:
“Twenty-eight million UK households will be targeted this week in a mass campaign to encourage people to vote in the EU referendum, after David Cameron warned of “terrible” economic consequences if the country votes for Brexit.”
At the time of the General Election, many political pundits pointed out that those who did not register were thought to be most likely to be Labour supporters and speculated that this was the reason a major campaign had not been organised by the Government.
Now that the EU referendum appears so close, the government has done yet another u-turn and started this drive to urge registration!
Bet they are now rather annoyed that they didn’t give the vote to 16-18 year olds, most of whom are said to favour remaining in the EU. But, at the time, the reason given was that they were not politically sophisticated enough!
East Devon Alliance takes its PCC election concerns to south-west region
“Too many PCC voters left in dark
Following the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) we feel two key lessons must be learned, one negative and the other more hopeful.
The first, sadly, is the negative. After the 2012 P&CC when the turnout was a miserable 15% the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) said:
“From the start the PCC elections were marred by controversy, with the government shirking its responsibility to provide voters with even the most basic information that the elections were taking place.” One of the ERS’s three key recommendations was: “Never leave voters in the dark about who or what they are voting for – ensure information on candidates is provided in mailings to voters.”
In Devon and Cornwall the 2016 turnout was a lowly 22.8%, artificially boosted by elections held on the same day in the major settlements of Exeter and Plymouth. Outside these areas the percentages were still mainly under 20%. We consider it has permanently damaged the reputation of the Cabinet Office (that little understood organ of control at Downing Street’s right hand) that they simply refused in the four long years between 2012 and 2016 to consider the ERA’s urgent suggestion for even one single mailshot. Why?
However, on a more hopeful theme, there is an immense positive to be found by digging a little deeper into the voting numbers. The Conservatives polled roughly 69,000 and Labour roughly 66,000. But the aggregate vote of the two Independent candidates (Devon’s Bob Spencer taking about 41,000 and Cornwall’s William Morris about 22,000) shows us that even at an election when the party machines were cranking hard a similar share could be gained by two independent individuals working entirely from their own initiative, with slim resources and having to operate across an immense area including no fewer than 16 Parliamentary constituencies.
The country knows that we are stuck now with an increasingly divisive party political context until the general election fixed for May 2020. However, the more extreme parts of the Conservative agenda – from academies to planning, junior doctors to refugees – are being repeatedly confronted now by collective independent voices uniting outside the Parliamentary system. Last week, in our part of the country it was showed that even on a low turnout, the independent cause more than about just protest – we too can score in substantial numbers at the ballot box.
The question we now ask the West is this: how for the sake of the next generation do we harness all this Independent goodwill and spirit to convert sentiment into candidates and candidates up to office at county elections in 2017 and for Parliament in 2020?
It seems to us that without an organised coming together of all independent minded reformers as soon as possible the Conservatives will “get the vote out” in 2017 and 2020 too. Surely if ever there was a time for the Independent minded to take up the challenge it is now.
Paul Arnott, Chairman
Ben Ingham, Leader
East Devon Alliance”
A good example of Local Enterprise Partnership smoke and mirrors
A Devon County Council website cites two recent avenues for funding:
“Learning and Skills: Developing Higher Level Skills (European Social Fund)
Posted on 11 May 2016
A total of £2.8m ESF funding is available in the Heart of the South West LEP area to develop and deliver a range of activities to support those least likely to enter higher education. There is also an expectation that … Continue reading →
Skill for Growth: supporting SME Development (European Social Fund)
Posted on 11 May 2016
ESF funding is available for projects in the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area for projects which support high-level skills and higher-value employment in the Smart Specialisation areas of economic activity through improving the labour market … Continue reading →
Now, doesn’t that rather give you the impression that our LEP has at least £2.8m – and maybe more at its disposal, thanks to the EU, to dispense in Devon and Somerset and that you should negotiate with them for a share of it?
Unfortunately, not.
Reading on you see that, yes, these funds are available from the European Union – but you can go direct to the EU to apply for them – with no guarantee of success and without ever involving the LEP or Devon County Council.
It seems that, increasingly, wherever funds are available that just happen to include Devon and Somerset, from whatever source and whatever the wider geographical area, it is attributed to somehow being available thanks to our Heart of the Southwest Local Enterprise Partnership and gives the impression that they are somehow involved in both acquiring and disseminating said moolah.
Whereas the reality is that they, and Devon County Council, are simply acting as publicists of grant funding information via their web pages from third parties with no direct links at all to the LEP. Something anyone can do.
Owl could advertise that X amount of money is available in Owl’s hunting ground …
But is this added value? Is it transparent?
Alison Hernandez LOVES social media!
NINE tweets so far on the PCC Twitter account about just one short visit to a domestic violence centre, presumably arranged long ago – and pictures of her EVERYWHERE – you really can see her recent background in PR and sales coming out!
David Cameron on devolution and mayors – shows he hasn’t got a clue!
“On devolution:
“This is devolution by consent. This is not a top-down dictatorial decision from Westminster about how areas should be considered.
“It is saying to areas: you come forward with the best plan that local people support and local councils support, and the faster you do that, the faster we can act. But we don’t want to crowbar people into something against their will.”
So, Dave doesn’t even know that we can’t support something that
(a) we haven’t been consulted about – ever
and
(b) happens in secret anyway.
Bottom of the class there, Dave
On mayors as a condition of devolution deals:
“If you’re going to have extra powers and extra resources, you need to have the governance in place so that local people feel they can control it.
“There’s a strength in having mayors because you can re-elect a mayor that is doing a good thing, and chuck out a mayor that is doing a bad thing. So we do believe in reforming governance at the same time as doing devolution.”
Er, same again Dave: we are just wheeled in at the last-minute as voting fodder – and four years is a hell of a long time to wait if we find we have Local Enterprise Partnership backed dimbo – or worse, an opportunist out to make a quick buck for a bunch of very close mates.
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Q-PM-dictatorship/story-29270503-detail/story.html
Ottery St Mary: Mayor elected for tenth successive year
Is this a good thing?
Ottery St Mary seems in need of some regeneration work – should this perhaps be in the hands of new brooms? It has the air of a town, if not on the way dow, at least not on the way up.
In the police force, officers are rotated to new areas at least every ten years to avoid institutionalisation and cosy relationships.
Might Ottery St Mary need the same sort of thing?
Petition to get Police and Crime Commissioner to stand down
Currently has nearly 900 signatures.
The Police and Crime Panel meeting to discuss her situation is to be held on 27 May.
“Britain’s seaside towns bouncing back”
But not because of high rise second homes or high-priced plastic entertainment – because of nostalgia for old-fashioned things such as piers and donkey rides mixed with modern attractions such as art galleries. THEY get Tracey Emin and Watne Hemmingway in to meld old and new – we get Moirai Capital Investments [very] Limited.
Typical EDDC – let the developers give them what they want rather than giving us what we want.
“Perhaps we have also arrived at a greater appreciation of the pleasures of the classic British break. A blend of familiarity, simplicity and beauty makes our coastal resorts comforting and exciting. The Proustian rush of candyfloss and donkey dung, yes, but also the thrill of experiencing towns reinventing themselves for the 21st century. Margate’s 1920s Dreamland amusement park, given a retro makeover by the Red Or Dead designer Wayne Hemingway, is one example – the schlock of the old meets the shock of the new. Think, too, of Banksy’s Dismaland in Weston-super-Mare, and Butlins marking its 80th anniversary by remodelling their Minehead family chalets in consultation with users of Mumsnet. Shakespeare would have a phrase for all this: once more on to the beach.”
The battlebus seats!
No, not the things the blue bottoms sat on – the places it visited during the General Election.
“Do you live in one of the 24 seats whose Tory candidates were helped to victory by the RoadTrip campaign buses?
Amber Valley, Broxtowe, Bury North, Cannock Chase, Cheltenham, Chippenham, Dudley South, Erewash, Kingston, Lincoln, Morecambe and Lunesdale, North Cornwall, Northampton North, Nuneaton, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Pudsey, Sherwood, South Thanet, Sutton and Cheam, Thornbury and Yate, Torbay, Weaver Vale, Wells or Yeovil.
If you do, consider contacting your local police force to make a complaint about your candidate’s spending declaration – and to remind the police that they can apply to the courts for an extension to investigate the allegations.”
Electoral Commission statement on application to the High Court for the Conservative and Unionist Party to disclose documents and information
“News release published: 12-05-2016
The Electoral Commission has today (12 May) announced that as part of its investigation launched on 18 February 2016 into Conservative Party campaign spending returns, it has made an application to the High Court for a document and information disclosure order. The application, which names the Conservative and Unionist Party as the Respondent, is made under paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 19B to the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000.
Why the Commission is taking this action
Using its powers under PPERA, and in line with its Enforcement Policy, the Electoral Commission may issue a statutory notice requiring any person, including a registered party, to provide us with specific documents and/or information as part of an investigation. This places the recipient under a legal obligation to provide the required material. However, if the recipient does not comply with this statutory notice, the Commission may apply to the High Court for a disclosure order which if granted would be the court compelling the Respondent to release the required documents and information to the Commission.
The Commission issued the Conservative and Unionist Party with two statutory notices requiring the provision of material relevant to its investigation. However, the Party has only provided limited disclosure of material in response to the first notice (issued on 18 February 2016) and no material in response to the second notice (issued on 23 March 2016). That follows the Commission granting extensions of time to comply.
Bob Posner, Director of Party and Election Finance & Legal Counsel at the Electoral Commission said:
“If parties under investigation do not comply with our requirements for the disclosure of relevant material in reasonable time and after sufficient opportunity to do so, the Commission can seek recourse through the courts. We are today asking the court to require the Party to fully disclose the documents and information we regard as necessary to effectively progress our investigation into the Party’s campaign spending returns.”
The Commission will make no further comment on the investigation, in line with our Enforcement Policy.”
MPs worried about jail sentances if election fraud uncovered
Oh no, now RUSSIA wants a piece of our nuclear action!
Why on earth can’t we do stuff OURSELVES – once upon a time we exported our expertise around the world!
“A Russian nuclear group is hoping that the potential meltdown of French plans to build new European pressurised reactors at Hinkley Point could offer an opportunity to break into the British nuclear market.
Deeper concerns about the future of the Somerset scheme were raised by the French energy minister, Ségolène Royal, who warned of the “colossal” cost, which EDF admitted could be £18bn or even £21bn.
Recent talks have been held between state-owned Russian nuclear group Rosatom and the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) despite the chilly political relations between London and Moscow over Ukraine, Moscow sources claimed.”
Ottery St Mary farm for sale with agricultural tie – or is it?
Former East Devon District Councillor Graham Brown’s home was apparently briefly on the market this week. The home, with its agricultural tenancy, was advertised as up for sale for £1 million plus. Here is where it appeared in a local newspaper on 11 May 2016:
However, if you are interested in buying it, that may prove to be a little difficult, as it does not appear on the Symonds and Sampson estate agent website, nor on either of the major property websites Rightmove and Zoopla and Google searching does not bring it up.
Ex-councillor Brown attempted to remove the agricultural tie a year or two ago saying that he had not farmed the land for many years, but his application was refused after EDDC received evidence that the land had been receiving EU farming subsidies.
Removal of an agricultural tie can add at least 40% to the value of a property.
There are companies that will work on a “no win, no fee” basis specialising in removing such ties, but rules say that the property should be marketed first with its tie for a reasonable price and continuously for a reasonable period of time, usually at least six months.
As it seems to have been marketed only for a very short period before disappearing completely from the internet, it seems that the owner must have decided to stay put or perhaps he has decided to change estate agents and to market it again later.
Update: The property was on offer in March 2013 for £1.55M via Hall and Scott. See
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41090060.html
Note that at the time the spec was for approx 25 acres — but now it’s being advertised at 22 [sic] acres – and that it was clear that “Ware Farm is subject of an Agricultural Tie”.
Self-evidently if that tie were lifted, the owner should expect to get substantially more than the £1.55M asking price of three years ago. That wouldbe a nice little earner.
Tory election expenses scandal FAQ
The Guardian’s “All you need to know” guide.
