In February, the European Union’s food-safety agency concluded that three controversial neonicotinoid insecticides posed a high risk to wild bees and honeybees. It looks likely that the EU will soon move to ban all uses of the insecticides on outdoor crops. Michael Gove, Environment Secretary, indicated last year that the UK would not oppose a further EU ban on bee harming pesticides. This [...]
After years of appalling environmental policies, such as on fracking, slashing renewable energy subsidies, while giving big tax breaks to fossil fuel industries, the disastrous and cripplingly expensive Hinkley C nuclear project, the weakened planning system, voting with pesticide companies on retaining the use of bee harming pesticides, warm words but little action over climate change (and a [...]
I am asking you to reconsider your intention to shut the Lloyds branch here in Ottery St Mary. Ottery’s branch is the only bank now left in the town, which has a population (including nearby villages) of around 10,000. Hundreds of new houses have been given planning consent and continue to be built in the coming months and years. I know from talking to local people and traders that they [...]
Initially, Amber Rudd and Theresa May disgracefully attempted to blame the civil service for their own actions and their own nasty xenophobic policies on immigration. If you read the article you will see that the Guardian newspaper has been contacting the Home Office about the suffering experienced by the Windrush people for around six months. Unfortunately, all journalists received were dry [...]
This was after I was prevented from asking a local GP a question following his submission relating to concerns on care at home, at January’s Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee meeting. There was some discussion at today’s meeting and it emerged that other scrutiny chairs (Cllr Rob Hannaford in this instance) exercise discretion for points of clarification. I asked that this be [...]
Care at home is the system which replaced the loss of many community hospital beds, 72 of which closed locally last year. Across Devon, around 250 community hospital beds have been shut since 2012. Up until 2016 there was no public speaking at scrutiny committee meetings which was quite wrong, especially for Health Scrutiny as the committee’s remit is to take up matters of public concern. [...]
A more isolationist act in the midst of a bubbling international firestorm cannot possibly be imagined. “But we have no practicable alternative” claimed Mrs May in a statement in the early hours of this morning. “This persistent pattern of behaviour must be stopped,” she added. “This isn’t about intervening in a civil war,” she also claimed, ludicrously. [...]
A revised resolution that the cabinet supported yesterday, merely noted that the new system was being set up and everything else was so watered down as to be almost meaningless. The message was repeated at length that this was not an endorsement but simply noting that it was happening and that progress will be monitored. I reminded the cabinet of the County Solicitor’s advice to the Health [...]
An additional line on a public engagement, was voted down by Conservative councillors: Here’s what the cabinet will be considering. If it supports the resolution, it will be implemented with immediate effect….. I will be speaking in support of the resolution tomorrow…... If you are keen to know the outcome or hear the discussion, the meeting is webcast live here - [...]