£1m for the South West
Brixham, Lynmouth, Plymouth and Paignton in Devon got £250k
£250k for ten projects in Dorset
ZERO for EAST DEVON
Once again our political and bureaucratic representatives have ensured that we maintain our self-sufficiency.
UK ” moving backwards” with climate change
With so many jobs now cut in Devon due to cuts in green energy projects we stand to suffer more than most from them.
“The UK has given up its leadership role at the UN climate talks in Paris and is “moving backwards” with a string of cuts to green domestic policies, according to Prof Anne Glover, the former chief scientific adviser to the European commission.
Her comments were endorsed by business people, NGOs, an ex-diplomat and two former ministers who are worried that the government is squandering the UK’s international standing on climate issues.
David Cameron told a gathering of world leaders at the Paris climate talks last week that they would have to answer to their grandchildren if they failed to agree a deal that stopped dangerous warming. But since taking power in May his government has been criticised for taking the axe to a series of green policies.
“The UK does not have a leadership role, nor is it regarded to have a leadership role in Brussels,” said Glover, who is vice-principal of the University of Aberdeen. “If we don’t lead, who does? To me it looks like we’re moving backwards.”
Ed Davey, who was energy minister from 2012 to 2015, told the Guardian: “No wonder the UK is being criticised in Paris – it’s the worst possible moment to undermine the UK’s strong record on leading the global climate change debate.”
See how Devon County Council wholeheartedly supported these cuts yesterday in Claire Wright’s blog here:
Swire to have ” talks” about Exmouth Splash
As a 100% supporter of the government’s “growth agenda” we can pretty much see how those will go.
On the other hand, there must be even more Claire Wright supporters in Exmouth than ever before …!
How to appear to keep both sides happy? Well, his Foreign Office job – which keeps him away from East Devon so much – in fact, almost all the time – should help there.
http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/mp_in_seafront_talks_as_group_campaigns_1_4342213
Development Management Committee under the legal microscope
“In the full risk register there was one risk currently scored as high:
Failure of correct procedures and practices causing challenges to decisions – Impact: Serious, Likelihood: Very likely, Good scope for improvement.
An aggrieved party had recently been given leave by the High Court to pursue a judicial review against a decision of the Council to grant permission for a dwelling on land adjoining their property. The case revolved around whether Members of Development Management Committee in making the decision were consistent in their approach with prior decisions on the same site for a similar form of development. Members of DMC had been briefed on this case and these issues would be picked up through future Members training sessions.”
Click to access 161215-combined-council-agenda-and-minute-book.pdf
“Government consults on wider definition of affordable housing”
“The Department for Communities and Local Government has launched a consultation on changes to national planning policy, including a proposed broadening of the definition of affordable housing.
The DCLG said it wanted to “expand the range of low cost housing opportunities for those aspiring to own their new home”.
In the consultation paper the Department said the current definition included some low cost home ownership models, such as shared ownership and shared equity, provided that they were subject to ‘in perpetuity’ restrictions or the subsidy was recycled for alternative affordable housing provision.
“This limits the current availability of home ownership options for households whose needs are not met by the market,” it said.
“We propose to amend the national planning policy definition of affordable housing so that it encompasses a fuller range of products that can support people to access home ownership. We propose that the definition will continue to include a range of affordable products for rent and for ownership for households whose needs are not met by the market, but without being unnecessarily constrained by the parameters of products that have been used in the past which risk stifling innovation.”
The DCLG said this would include products that were analogous to low cost market housing or intermediate rent, such as discount market sales or rent to buy housing. Some of these products might not be subject to ‘in perpetuity’ restrictions or have recycled subsidy.
“We also propose to make clearer in policy the requirement to plan for the housing needs of those who aspire to home ownership alongside those whose needs are best met through rented homes, subject as now to the overall viability of individual sites,” the paper added.
“By adopting the approach proposed, we are broadening the range of housing types that are taken into account by local authorities in addressing local housing needs to increase affordable home ownership opportunities. This includes allowing local planning authorities to secure starter homes as part of their negotiations on sites.”
The DCLG noted how, in parallel, the Housing and Planning Bill is introducing a statutory duty on local authorities to promote the delivery of starter homes, and a requirement for a proportion of starter homes to be delivered on all suitable reasonably-sized housing developments.
The Department said it would consult separately on the level at which this requirement should be set. “The Bill defines starter homes as new dwellings for first time buyers under 40, sold at a discount of at least 20% of market value and at less than the price cap of £250,000 (or £450,000 in London). Support is available through the Help to buy ISA to help purchasers save for a deposit.”
The consultation also covers:
increasing residential density around commuter hubs, “to make more efficient use of land in suitable locations”;
supporting sustainable new settlements, development on brownfield land and small sites, and delivery of housing allocated in plans; and
supporting delivery of starter homes.
The paper can be viewed here.
It runs until 25 January 2016.
Development on flood plains
… Earlier this year, the Chancellor announced a flagship housing scheme which saw 20 brownfield sites around the country designated as new ‘housing zones’, with local councils given access to money and experts to expedite the building process.
Greenpeace UK researchers used details obtained through Freedom of Information requests to plot the location of these housing zones, and cross-referenced this with flood risk maps from the Environment Agency.
They found around nine of the 20 zones, comprising a total of 9,000 planned new homes, are in areas now identified as being partially or fully at risk from flooding. Under the terms of a new government flood-insurance scheme soon to be implemented, these properties would be excluded from cover.
This would leave homeowners reliant on commercial insurers who may choose not to insure homes built in flood zones, or do so at prohibitively expensive rates.
A spokesperson for Flood Re confirmed to Greenpeace that ‘properties built from 2009 onwards’ in flood-risk areas are still excluded from the government scheme, adding: “It would be irresponsible to incentivise developers to build in such areas simply because those properties could have their insured flood risk ceded to Flood Re.”
Greenpeace UK also obtained new figures showing that the number of people employed by the Environment Agency to work on Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management fell by 230 – a 5% cut – in the last three years. The agency plays a key role advising councils on flood risk.
Greenpeace UK chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said: “The current flood emergency isn’t even over yet, and the government is already storing up the next one. Rushing to build thousands of new homes in flood-risk areas whilst at the same time cutting flood protection staff is a recipe for disaster.
“David Cameron’s lofty rhetoric at the UN climate summit is helpful, but if he’s serious about protecting Britain from the impacts of climate change, these words need to translate into climate-savvy policies on the ground.
“When it comes to energy, flood defences, and other big infrastructure projects, we need the government’s hands to start following what the government’s mouth is saying rather than acting of their own accord.”
Rolle College, Exmouth: plans filed for 85 homes
” … The application states there was ‘overwhelming support’ at the consultation for community, education, employment and other uses, and that of the two options, the one with more community use was ‘largely preferred’, but says permission is being sought for both in case the second scheme ‘cannot be successfully implemented’. …
… The filing of the planning application follows the site being put up for sale last week – a move the university said was designed to establish market value, adding that it would run separately to the planning process.
REL is continuing its efforts to secure some or all of the site for community use, possibly in consortium with a developer.
The application – an outline application with all matters reserved except access – will be discussed by Exmouth Town Council’s planning committee on Monday. East Devon District Council will then make the final decision on planning permission.”
http://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/rolle_college_housing_plan_filed_with_council_1_4342201
“Wildlife increasingly fragile”
“Britain’s wildlife is in an increasingly fragile state, with animals carrying out vital jobs for farmers being lost more rapidly than others, say scientists.
Species that pollinate crops or fight pests are at risk of disappearing, putting food production in jeopardy, according to the team.
The research brings together millions of wildlife records spanning 40 years.
The picture that emerges is of an increasingly fragile system, particularly in species that do vital jobs for humans. …
” … Unless efforts are made to reverse some of these declines, we face a future where we will be less confident that we can effectively grow our food.”
Councillors: are you sure our LEP and your council are operating properly?
If not, read this:
Click to access bis-14-1241-local-enterprise-partnership-LEP-national-assurance-framework.pdf
Just a couple of examples:
the LEP and councils should:
…. publish their arrangements for making, and recording decisions, and for ensuring that papers, decisions, minutes, agendas etc are published in line with existing local authority rules and regulations [access to information, Schedule 12A of the LGA 1972, as amended by the FOI 2000];
and they should:
….. ensure that there is appropriate local engagement – both with public and private stakeholders to inform key decisions and with the general public around future LEP strategy development, and progress against delivery of the SEP, including key projects and spend against those;
Juicy judicial review material!
Local Enterprise Partnership Network
Keep an eye on what the gangs are doing here:
and read their less-than-impressive Newsletter here:
http://www.lepnetwork.net/modules_site_specific/newsletter/index.html
Read about their “promotions” here:
http://www.lepnetwork.net/latest-promotions/
and read this blog which attempts to tackle the real concerns we all have and – in Owl’s opinion – just makes matters worse and appears to confirm our worst fears:
http://www.lepnetwork.net/blog/are-we-really-witnessing-a-great-devolution-deception/
Devolution: Independent DCC Councillor Claire Wright and East Devon Alliance express grave concerns on the process
Councils across Devon and Somerset are on the verge of submitting a bid to government on devolving control and funding for some services to a local level.
On Thursday Devon County Council will debate a broadbrush bid that is set to be signed off by cabinet tomorrow.
This might sound like a very positive move, however, there are concerns. Mainly around transparency and consultation.
The government has decreed that the process must be “business led” which means that the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has been heavily involved in discussions on what will be included in the bid to central government.
The LEP meets in private and does not publish its minutes or agendas.
Councillors have not been involved in the process, save for the forthcoming agenda item coming to full council on Thursday.
There has been no public consultation.
In the paper that goes to full council on Thursday, the list of topics to be included in the bid are:
– Health, care and wellbeing
– Connectivity and resilience
– Housing and planning
– Employment and skills
– Business support
What is always true in my experience is that the devil is in the detail.
The bid must be with central government by 18 December.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Here’s a press release from the East Devon Alliance, which is also unhappy about the process.
• To most people ‘devolution’ implies greater local involvement: local democratic power
• The process being followed for the ‘Heart of the South West’ devolution bid has no democratic element at all:
o No public consultation
Input has been sought from the business community but not the public or elected representatives
o No consultation with elected Councillors regarding the process or on the content of the bid
The information submitted so far has the logos of the Councils and implies endorsement that has not been explicitly sought or given
Nolan Principles not followed
o It has been suggested that government guidance is to keep devolution planning confidential
o The Heart of the South West LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) meetings, including those on the devolution bid, are not open to the public or press; agendas and minutes are not published
o The Electoral Reform Society are concerned about the lack of democracy and public engagement in the devolution process of England
http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/press-releases
• Timing is extremely tight, the final ‘bid’ is due to be submitted on Dec 18th with a deal expected to be agreed with central government in March 2016
• EDDC Joint Overview and Scrutiny committee and Cabinet on Dec 2nd are being asked to give delegated authority to the Leader to sign off on the bid – the draft of which has not been shown to Councillors
o EDDC full Council have not and will not get to debate the bid (or the benefits and risks of the proposal)
o Information suggests that this situation is being repeated in Devon County Council with limited information or opportunity for debate
• Past history of unelected bodies delivering services and economic benefits does not bode well: East Devon Business Forum
Click to access scaring-the-living-daylights-final.pdf
and Connecting Devon and Somerset (broadband)
https://eastdevonwatch.org/2015/11/23/broadband-for-devon-and-somerset-the-fantasy-saga-continues/
• EDA calls for:
o The Heart of the South West devolution planning process to be more open and democratic from now on
o The public and elected representatives to be regularly consulted
o Decisions involving the use of public funds (e.g. business rate revenue) to be made in public by accountable, elected representatives
EDDC and Rural Broadband – the facts
Excellent analysis on the East Devon Alliance website of the current situation regarding the rural broadband situation now that EDDC has announced its intention to ” go it alone” and arrange its own coverage …
http://www.eastdevonalliance.org.uk/district-issues/rural-broadband/
Would that our majority-party councillors were so well- informed.
Exmouth Town Council unhappy about Dinan Way Section 106 fait-accompli
Honestly, some of Exmouth’s town councillors are also majority party district councillors (including Councillor Maddie Chapman). You would think that the left hand ought to know what the right hand is doing! However, she IS on the EDDC Scrutiny Committee, so she might like to ask them to have a look at how this happened!
“Exmouth Town Council’s planning committee this week considered amended plans for 98 homes at Higher Marley Road.
But during the debate, councillors criticised a Devon County Highways statement saying that ‘Section 106’ money from the developers could be used to fund the completion of Dinan Way, between Hulham Road and the A376, and possible traffic calming works. Devon County Council later denied any wrongdoing.
During the town planning meeting, town mayor Councillor Maddy Chapman said: “I would like this council to object to the fact that a county council department is making deals with developers, behind the planning authority [East Devon District Council] and the town council’s back, by saying that Section 106 money can be used for traffic calming in Higher Marley.
“It’s not up to the county council to decide. [Section 106] is supposed to be community infrastructure, not spent on roads.”
Councillor Cherry Nicholas said: “What disturbs me is that they’ve already calculated, if they end up with 98 residential buildings, a contribution amounting to £5,000 per dwelling, ie £490,000, would be appropriate and consistent with the amounts required under a Section 106 agreement which can be applied to the Dinan Way extension.
“I just think that it is rather morally reprehensible that they’ve already jumped that far ahead.”
Town councillors voted to oppose the planning application – an outline application seeking approval for access only – with concerns also raised about overdevelopment, the loss of part of a Devon bank and a lack of community infrastructure. East Devon District Council will decide on planning permission.
A Devon County Council spokesman denied that the authority had gone behind the council’s back, and added: “Ultimately, Section 106s are a matter of negotiation between the county and district councils, because those authorities are responsible for highways and local planning, and the developer. But there’s no reason why the town council cannot suggest what it thinks the priorities for Section 106 contributions may be.”
http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/homes_opposed_amid_dinan_way_funding_dispute_1_4335249
How Japan is supporting its ageing population
“Japan’s imaginative initiatives for its older population show that prevention, postponement and interventions do not have to be dull or rooted in a context of care and that there is a strong link between social capital and health.”
Will innovations such as these happen in East Devon? Not a chance as older people were last week classed as “unproductive” by EDDC CEO Mark Williams and therefore, by implication, unworthy of attention or funds from East Devon District Council plc – a sub- division of Local Enterprise Partnerships Conglomerate Inc.
Devolution: South Devon has major concerns
A correspondent in South Devon writes ( the views expressed are his or her own). The final paragraph and citation makes for particularly worrying reading for East Devon where, despite much opposition, we treasure our environment.
South Devonians have grave concerns about devolution to big business.
In South Devon we read your article with interest. We are also interested in the operations of the LEP and how they appear to be run by big business with much benefit and profits advantage for big business.
It seems to work like this……
A nice organisation that most people love like eg a large charity, colleges, universities etc wish for more money to fund pet projects. “Mr Big Developers” who makes loads of money from building open-market houses, expensive apartments, roads, nuclear power stations etc, are very unpopular locally. Most people support schemes for families on low income and the homeless.
So the Local Enterprise Partnerships broker schemes where the “nice organisation” gets the money for their pet project by partnering it with a “big developer” and with district & county council executives & LEP members ….. the general public and parish councils are usually kept in the dark about these arrangements, which they classify as “commercially confidential”.
They often justify the scheme as delivering affordable houses but the scheme does little to make truly affordable houses and nothing for the homeless, local people are ignored or overruled.
Local democracy in action…. No …. money for big business, and its friends …. Yes
These may also be of interest:
http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/
The small print at the bottom is interesting where they mention things like their involvement with building 11,000 houses on the back of business support.
I have just come across some documents that show they now partner with organisations like Natural England and Dartmoor National Park and The enviroment Agency. http://www.lepnetwork.net/key-activities/natural-environment/
and a great one where:
“Purpose of report
This report identifies the key opportunities from and threats to the economic plans of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) which stem from the economy’s dependence on the environment.”
Want to know about EDDC HQ move? Be a Heathpark tenant
It seems that tenants at Heathpark are going to be better informed about EDDC’s moving plans than the rest of us – including councillors, according to the front page of the View from Honiton today!
Flood defences: time for a rethink?
“… On Monday, experts called for new measures to be implemented –such as raising new buildings a metre above ground – to help cope with global warming-induced flooding.
Prof David Balmforth, a former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said that conventional defences, such as the barriers that line the river Greta in Keswick, had to be supplemented with more innovative methods.
We tend to design defences to a particular standard, to give an annual probability against flooding, which might be, say, a one-in-100- or one-in-200-year chance of the defence being overtopped,” he said.
“That would be a typical sort of figure that would be used. The question that now remains is: were the events that we’ve now seen in recent days so excessive that it’s reasonable to expect them to overtop defences?
Suggesting ways of coping with future deluges, Balmforth cited work that was done in Nepal. He said: “They have regulated minimum threshold levels about a metre above surrounding ground for any new major development, whether or not it’s in a flood risk area.”
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/07/britain-flood-defences-storm-desmond-fit-for-purpose
Skypark jobs: now you see them, now you don’t …
July 2014: new parcel depot at Skypark will create
147
new jobs:
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Delivery-firm-DPD-set-expand-Skypark-East-Devon/story-21640859-detail/story.html
November 2015: new parcel depot at Skypark has created
35
new jobs:
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/New-DPD-super-depot-Skypark-near-Exeter-creates/story-28212288-detail/story.html
Devolution: Scrutiny 1, EDDC Leader and CEO own goal
As Owl has already hooted, the Tory Government, for ideological reasons, is very keen to devolve some power over public spending to new regional bodies.
Local authorities in Devon and Somerset- including EDDC- have responded enthusiastically setting up a consortium, the Heart of the South-West (HotSW) to bid for more power to spend central government money.
But critics believe that the Government wants to boost local productivity by letting rip construction, housebuilding, and manufacturing, and by encouraging the selling off of public assets to be more economically exploited by the “free market”. Farming, tourism, and renewable energy seem low priorities. Climate change and the environment seem hardly to figure as concerns.
The negotiations at HotSW involve a business organisation, the Local Enterprise Panel, (LEP) but it’s difficult to know exactly who calls the tune, because the meetings so far have been closed to press and public and no minutes are published. A draft bid is almost ready and is intended to be sent to Whitehall before Christmas.
EDDC representative on HotSW is Council Leader Paul Diviani, and, true to form, a recommendation was about to be slipped through for Cabinet approval, to give Cllr Diviani delegated authority to agree to whatever bid HotSW comes up with!
But thanks to the insistence of Chair of the Scrutiny Committee , Independent Cllr Roger Giles, the context of the recommendation was openly discussed first, at a special meeting (Combined Overview & Scrutiny) called in the nick of time, just hours before the Cabinet meeting last Wednesday (2nd Dec).
The meeting began with a presentation by EDDC Chief Officer Mark Williams, which confirmed that the thrust of HotSW was to boost the local economy by expanding construction, industry and commerce – productivity was too low, he said, because there were a lot of old people in the area! The new digital economy would benefit from better training and apprenticeships, especially “Greater Exeter” (including part of East Devon).
Councillors were sceptical. Tory Mike Allen said HotSW negotiations should be more transparent, and Independent Cllr Rob Longhurst followed up his idea, putting forward the motion that a group of councillors with appropriate responsibilities should be kept informed of developments and consulted before decisions were made.
This was accepted, and it was also proposed that no delegated authority should be given to the Leader until the Full Council Meeting on 16th December, by which time all councillors would be sent a copy of the bid.
A triumph for transparency? Not quite— the bid will still not be put in the public domain before it goes to Westminster.
EDW note: Two previous posts on the subject here https://eastdevonwatch.org/2015/12/03/devolution-eddc-ceo-asks-us-to-trust-him-and-diviani/
and here https://eastdevonwatch.org/2015/12/05/that-devolution-meeting-part-2-the-dark-gets-darker/
“Parliament’s expenses watchdog hiding names of MPs being investigated for misusing public money”
“Rules dictate that MPs under investigation for unjustified or fraudulent expense claims must be publicly identified.
…Under rules set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), MPs under investigation for unjustified or fraudulent expense claims must be publicly identified.
But the organisation’s compliance officer, Peter Davis, has avoided naming individuals by carrying out detailed “assessments” of the complaints, denying they amount to formal “investigations”.
The loophole last week allowed Mr Davis to refer two MPs to the police over expenses fraud without ever launching a formal investigation, which would have triggered a public announcement.
It has also allowed other MPs to avoid publicity about using taxpayer-funded websites for party-political material by paying back website domain fees to Ipsa, or simply removing content from sites.
Ipsa previously proposed conducting probes in secret to prevent “reputational damage” to MPs – but the idea was dropped after criticism from the Commons Standards Committee and Committee for Standards in Public Life. It now appears that Ipsa is using “assessments” to get around calls for transparency.
According to a breakdown of cases, released by Mr Davis’s office in response to a Freedom of Information request, 40 “assessments” of allegations against politicians were carried out in 2014-15. But just one – relating to Conservative MP Bob Blackman’s mileage claims – was classified as a formal investigation and disclosed publicly.
Among those listed as “closed prior to an investigation” was a case in June last year where an unnamed MP claimed for a taxi journey that was not allowable. The compliance office concluded it had been a “legitimate error by a member of staff” and said it had been “repaid in full”.
In another case, an allegation was made that an MP’s staff had filed duplicate claims for a hotel. Mr Davis considered the matter closed after “the MP provided a valid explanation for why two separate hotels were claimed inadvertently for the same night and… repaid”.
