You might also have seen the feature on regional BBC Breakfast this morning where residents at the Wainhomes estate in Tawton having to move out because floors not finished, outside rendering falling off walls. They interviewed one unhappy house owner who’d been complaining for two-and-a-half years.
It seems to highlight a flaw whereby developers can build defective houses, but policing by NHBC not up to scratch.
Buyer beware, as they say!
The polls in the Feniton Neighbourhood Plan referendum closed at 10 p.m. this evening and counting started very soon afterwards.
Do you want East Devon District Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Feniton to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?
Without wishing to sound like I’m giving a speech at the Oscars, there are many people who should be thanked, not least officers at East Devon District Council who guided the team throughout, but also the NP steering group and particularly those who stuck with the process right to the bitter end.
It was the vision of the Parish Council Chairman, Martyn Smith, that set us on this rather lengthy road and I’m sure we all felt from time to time as though the process was interminable.
Do you have a damp home? Do you need an affordable home? Contact Councillor Phil Twiss to get your problems sorted!
It seems councillor Twiss is a modern-day superhero – able to help you with just about any problem you might come across.
True, he hasn’t so far sorted East Devon’s broadband not-spots, wasn’t able to halt the closure of Honiton Hospital’s community beds or stop Baker Estates from weaselling out of their affordable housing commitments and the ‘fillip’ to Honiton’s jobs and shops when the EDDC HQ moves to Honiton will be at the expense of Sidmouth … but these are just minor hiccoughs … aren’t they?
“Do you want to serve your Community?
Do you have time or expertise which could benefit your Community?
If you would like to make a difference, and be involved in shaping the future of your local Community, why not step forward and apply to become a Feniton Parish Councillor?
must not be disqualified from holding office as a Councillor.
“This morning I attended a vigil outside Honiton Community Hospital. It was called to mark the end of inpatient care in the town. It was a sad day, as it now means that there are no inpatient beds in the hospitals in Seaton, Axminster, Honiton and Ottery St Mary.
I wasn’t sure what to expect … it’s a Bank Holiday and the weather was glorious … so I half expected to be there with just a handful of people.
The event had been organised by Honiton Patients’ Action Group … a well-organised and furious bunch of people.
A group of about 50 turned up, armed to the teeth with placards, happy to vent their feelings to the local press about the parlous state of future community health provision.
Among those present this morning was Cllr Martin Shaw (county councillor for Seaton and Colyton) who spoke about his grave concerns for health provision. He had also addressed Devon County Council’s Scrutiny Committee meeting in July (https://seatonmatters.org/2017/07/26/the-health-scrutiny-committee-which-didnt-scrutinise/).
The decision to close the inpatient beds in Honiton had not been the subject of public consultation, so those present felt that this was sufficient cause for Devon County Council’s Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee to refer the decision to close the hospital beds to the Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt. In turn, he would have had to refer the decision to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (which describes itself as ‘the independent expert on NHS service change’).
Had that decision been made at their July meeting (https://devoncc.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/293466), those present at the vigil today would probably have still been worried about their future health care, but at least they would have felt that every avenue open to them had been explored.
Instead they were denied this last opportunity by political shenanigans of epic proportion.
I watched the webcast of the July meeting of DCC Health Scrutiny Committee (http://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/conduct-committee-members-investigated-devon-312213) and was frankly appalled at the charade being played out before my eyes.
Questions have been raised about how the meeting was conducted and the Standards Committee at DCC meets tomorrow to decide if the complaints are well founded.
Meanwhile, members of East Devon District Council have expressed dismay about the way an almost unanimous vote on a Motion expressing real concern about the conduct of the Clinical Commissioning Group was ignored and have called an Extra Ordinary Meeting of full Council to discuss a Motion of No Confidence in the leader, Cllr Paul Diviani, who sat on Devon County Council’s Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee as a representative of the leaders of all the district councils in Devon.
Cllr Diviani effectively voted against referring the decision to close inpatients beds in Honiton to the Secretary of State and later admitted under robust questioning that he had not canvassed the views of the other leaders.
Stakeholders? Bet it isn’t us but developers he’s talking about! Exmouth’s Queen’s Drive access for Grenadier, “improved access” to Feniton, Gittisham and Cranbrook western extension here we come!
“Since September last year, EDDC has been charging Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) on certain types of new development.
The council passes 15 per cent of this income, or 25 per cent if a neighbourhood plan has been completed, to town or parish councils, with the remainder to be spent by EDDC.
The council is now inviting stakeholders involved in the delivery of infrastructure to bid for this cash by September 22, with a final decision to be made in February 2018.
Councillor Phil Twiss, EDDC’s portfolio holder for strategic development and partnerships, said: “The CIL is a fairer, faster and more transparent way of funding infrastructure delivery.
“It provides more certainty than the current Section 106 system, which is negotiated on a site by site basis.
“However, unlike 106 money, CIL money can be spent anywhere in the district.
“Unfortunately, the projected income from CIL falls a long way short of the total infrastructure costs required to deliver the Local Plan.
“This is because the legislation requires the charges to be set based on what is viable for developments to pay rather than what is required to deliver the necessary infrastructure.
“CIL was designed to be matched with funds from other sources in order to deliver projects and so difficult decisions will need to be made in terms of prioritising projects and projects should demonstrate what other funding would be used in addition to CIL.
“I’ve just heard from the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) who has been looking into the most recent problem with flies in the village. She has responded directly to the seven residents who have contacted her office.
It looks as though the poultry farm on Green Lane was the source of the flies, despite the farmer having complied with the larvicide regime.
Environmental Health Officers currently think that the combination of young birds in the sheds and the extreme temperatures last week led to the fly problem.
Further treatments have been carried out at the farm to reduce the number of flies.