Sidmouth is "a lot livelier than it once was" with "lots to do despite the rural feel"

Sidmouth has reached the 'top thirty' of 'best places to live in the countryside':
30 best places to live in the countryside | The Times

Naturally the feature has been covered by the local press across the country where any of the lucky 30 are located - including the Sidmouth Herald:

Sidmouth’s ‘one of the best places to live’

The new daffodils on Peak Hill add to the outstanding view. Photo by Terry Ife. 

Stefan Gordon Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The town joins St Mary’s and Sherborne in experts from The Times’ 30 best places to live in the countryside.

Sherborne, in West Dorset, was 14th in the list with Sidmouth 21st. St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly, was 27th.

Sidmouth is special because of its ‘Regency architecture, stunning Jurassic Coast views’ and ‘sailing and arts clubs mean there’s lots to do despite the rural feel’.

The Times adds: “Sidmouth and the surrounding villages are classic retirement territory, but it’s a lot livelier than it once was.”
Sidmouth’s ‘one of the best places to live’ - News - Sidmouth Herald

The Express & Echo and Western Morning News also covered the story:

Sidmouth named as one of best places to live in the countryside

By Exeter Express and Echo  |  Posted: March 25, 2014

 Comments (1)

Sidmouth in East Devon has been named as one of the best places to live in the countryside.

The town joins St Mary's and Sherborne in experts from The Times 30 best places to live in the countryside.

Sidmouth is special because of its "Regency architecture, stunning Jurassic Coast views" and "sailing and arts clubs mean there's lots to do despite the rural feel".

RELATED CONTENT

• Pictures: Sidmouth bursts into colour thanks to holidaymaker's £2.3 million dying wish to ensure town stayed beautiful forever

The Times adds: "Sidmouth and the surrounding villages are classic retirement territory, but it's a lot livelier than it once was."

Sidmouth named as one of best places to live in the countryside | Exeter Express and Echo
Sidmouth, St Mary's and Sherborne the 'best places to live in the countryside' | Western Morning News

The place seems to have the balance of lovely country and lively town centre - echoing Jeremy Vine's view of Sidmouth:

Jeremy Vine's Sidmouth

Jeremy Vine explains why Sidmouth's charming seafront will keep him coming back.

Interview by York Membery

3:48PM BST 15 May 2012

6 Comments

Why Sidmouth?

I go there most summers with my in-laws. It’s a bit like the land that time forgot, in a lovely way. It’s gentle, it’s slow, it has immense charm – and is just the complete opposite of London. There would never be a riot in Sidmouth, that’s for sure.

Anything special I should pack?

Take a printout of the tide times because you have a window of about 25 minutes when there’s sand. I’d also take a windbreak because it can be quite breezy and you don’t want to get blown away.

What's the first thing you do?

Walking down the front when it’s blowing a virtual hurricane is to be recommended. It reminds you that you’re alive, and is sure to blow away the cobwebs.

Where is the best place to stay?

I stay with my relatives but my advice is to get a room with a sea view somewhere on the seafront. There’s no point checking into somewhere without a sea view if you’re holidaying at the seaside.

Where would you meet friends for a drink?

I like going to Mocha (The Esplanade; 01395 512882) for a cup of tea or coffee and cakes. It’s right by the sea – I like to spend as much time as possible.

Which is the best place for lunch?

You have to have fish and chips at The White Horse Café (Old Fore Street; 514271). You put in your order, they shout your number when it’s ready, and the food’s delicious. I absolutely love it.

And for dinner?

You can’t beat Moores’ (568100; mooresrestaurant.co.uk) in nearby Newton Poppleford. It’s almost like eating in someone’s front room. They’re very friendly and they serve good British cuisine.

Where would you send a first-time visitor?

Sidmouth is a gateway town to the Jurassic Coast, so you have to get up on the cliffs above the town and enjoy the marvellous views. It also has a terrific cinema – the perfect place to go on a rainy day.

What should I avoid?

Well, arguably, swimming in the perishingly cold sea. The last time I did so I felt real physical pain. Perhaps it was the wrong time of the year. I’m not sure what the right time is…

What should I bring home?

Some Sidmouth rock. And a kite. It’s a great place for kite flying – so I had to invest in one when I was down last summer.

Anywhere that isn't your kind of town?

I used to enjoy going to Naples but last time I visited I realised that I just couldn’t handle it anymore. It’s just crazy. At 24, I loved it; at 45 it just leaves me frightened.

More on visiting Sidmouth

By Simon Horsford

Where to stay 
Sidmouth Harbour Hotel (01395 513252; sidmouth-harbour-hotel.co.uk; doubles from £85), formerly The Westcliff, is perfectly located and offers fabulous views of the red cliffs of Sidmouth and Lyme Bay. It also overlooks lovely Connaught Gardens, which stages Sunday evening concerts by the town band in the summer. Harding’s Restaurant in the hotel is also worth a visit.

Where to drink 
Try the Fountain Head at Branscombe (01297 680359;fountainheadinn.com), about five miles outside Sidmouth, a traditional pub that brews its own beer (there’s a beer festival next month , and live music and a spit roast in late July and August). Then there’s the Blue Ball (01392 427711; blueballinn.net) at Sidford, a couple of miles away, which has been run by the same family since 1912 and which also has rooms.

What to hear 
The annual Sidmouth folk festival takes place this year from August 3-10. A strong line-up includes June Tabor and the Oysterband, Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy with the Gift Band, Seth Lakeman and Martin Simpson. There’s a dedicated campsite and tickets, which begin at £34 for a day ticket, are available from the festival website (sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk).

Where to walk 
Take in part of the South West Coast Path with a 10-mile hike from Sidmouth to Seaton. The walk goes through East Devon’s “Area of Outstanding Beauty”; look out for the wild flowers on the top of the red cliffs at Branscombe and the change in geology around Beer. For the energetic and fit, why not go on another seven miles to Lyme Regis?

Jeremy Vine's Sidmouth - Telegraph
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Respite service for dementia carers set up at Sidmouth's Memory Cafe

Following on from a story on young people spending time with the elderly last month
Futures Forum: Dementia Friends in Sidmouth - across the generations

... there have been more good-news stories around dementia this week:
Students become Dementia Friends - News - Sidmouth Herald

Home - Sidmouth Herald
About Care in Exeter and East Devon - The world's leading domiciliary care company.

Sidmouth's Memory Cafe provides an invaluable service: www.devonpartnership.nhs.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/publications/zoln/memory_cafe_leaflet.pdf

See also
Futures Forum: The future of dementia in Sidmouth
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East Devon District Council proposes "to trial a change to the current public speaking arrangements and implement steps to reduce the length of planning committee meetings."

Back in December, the District Council rejected proposals to reduce the amount of time given to the public to speak at planning meetings:
http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/councillors_throw_out_plans_to_restrict_public_speaking

However, the Council seems to be having second thoughts and has opened up the can of worms once again. According to a new report , it wants to "to trial a change to the current public speaking arrangements and implement steps to reduce the length of Development Management Committee meetings." 
http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/dmc_010314_wg_report_public_speaking_and_agenda_management.pdf

Whilst the document compares how other Councils manage their planning meetings, it's startling to see that East Devon has to deal with more than DOUBLE the amount of planning applications other districts have to. 
This is their comment, on page 8:

An alternative analysis of these figures might come up with a different set of questions:
> Why are there so many planning applications being made in this District - compared to others?
> If there are so many, why not double the number of planning committee meetings to accommodate the number of applications?
> Why does the work-load necessitate 'reducing' the amount of time available for comment in public?

However, following on from questions about 'how to access decision-making'
Futures Forum: "What is lobbying?"... "Openness and transparency is vital."

... and within the context of such controversial 'last-minute' planning applications
Outrage at plans for 1,200 houses on green wedge on outskirts of Exeter at Old Park Farm, Pinn Hill, between Pinhoe and the village of Westclyst | Exeter Express and Echo
“You have given permission for 1,200 homes” DMC Chair told | East Devon Alliance

... there are fears that these proposals will simply mean there will be fewer opportunities for members of the public to voice concern:

EDDC set to clamp down hard on public speaking at planning committee meetings

Wednesday, 26 March 2014 5 Comments by Claire

At a time when East Devon is more under pressure than ever from major planning applications in the open countryside, a working group of councillors have proposed to dramatically reduce public speaking rights at planning committee meetings.

In a paper that has just appeared on EDDC’s website, the proposed new public speaking regime will be debated at the development management (planning committee) meeting next Tuesday (1 April).

The paper from the working group, which was chaired by Cllr Ray Bloxham, insists its proposals will bring it in line with other local authorities and are to counter:

- very long meetings
- public repetition
- the many planning applications to be considered now and in the future.

The new rules would mean pre-registration of speakers and impose strict limits on the numbers of people allowed to address the planning committee.

And I believe that the new proposals hand a clear advantage - even more than already offered by a pro-development planning system - to the applicant, by offering them a time slot of their own, in addition to the slots available for supporters of the application.

Rushed through
There also appears to be an attempt to rush through the new public speaking arrangements in time for May’s full council meeting, although it is unclear why this is necessary. The paper states that the new rules “should ideally be brought in for the new civic year.”

The clampdown is proposed for a one year trial. The detailed proposals include:

- Introduction of pre-registration of all public speakers (meaning those who have submitted a written comment only) three working days before the meeting

- Minor applications: The speakers entitled to address the planning committee are: a parish or town council representative, two objectors, two supporters, PLUS the applicant or agent

- Major applications: The speakers entitled to address the planning committee are: a parish or town council representative, five objections, five supporters, PLUS the applicant or agent.

Fortunately, the ward member is listed as being to be allowed to speak.

NB. The threshold for a major planning application is 10 houses, and one hectare of land for non-housing applications.

Registration proposals
Speakers will be registered on first come, first served basis. Registered speakers will be advised that their contact details will be posted on the council’s website to allow others, who may have wished to speak, to contact them.

But if speakers only register three days ahead, after which their details are posted on the website (is this what they would want in any case?) how can they get together with other speakers that they don’t know, in time to collectively form their argument? 

And what about those who are not online?  How would they know who to contact and by when?

Agenda order 
Planning applications would be numerically ordered on the published agenda, with a revised order to be published by 12 noon the day before the meeting prioritising applications on which people have registered to speak.

All items where there are registered public speakers to be taken before items where there are no registered public speakers. Where there are registered speakers for major applications these be taken first.

The (paltry) sweeteners 
- Non-committee members are allowed to speak on Part A non-planning application items, limited to three minutes per contribution. 

- A maximum of two public speakers (to register three working days in advance of the meeting) to be permitted on non-planning application items on which DMC is making a decision (this does not include items where a recommendation will be made to council, items for information or items responding to government guidance). To be made clear on the agenda the items on which the public can register to speak. 

Adjacent ward member restriction
- In respect of planning applications, to hear from adjacent ward members or other non-committee members if there is time and subject to chairman’s discretion. 

I have addressed the committee on a couple of occasions as an adjacent ward member and have not been restricted or prevented from doing so. Now adjacent ward members (who rarely speak in any case) may be prevented from doing so.

The authors of the paper insist, that even with the new restrictions, public speaking arrangements are generous!

EDDC receives more than twice the number of major planning applications compared with other local authorities
The justification to cut public speaking rights because EDDC receives a significant number of major planning applications is puzzling. See table on page 8, where it emerges that EDDC receives more than twice the number of major planning applications than any other Devon council.

This piece of information is particularly baffling, given that EDDC is not alone in Devon for not having an adequate housing supply or up-to-date local plan.

If anything the high level of planning applications should be a very good reason for retaining the existing public speaking rules, not increasing anxiety, confusion and bureaucracy by introducing complicated and very restrictive new arrangements.

Unfortunately the report does not appear to have considered the planning committee members themselves nor ward members (some of whom appear to be allowed to speak for AGES – far longer than the requisite five minutes) and the ability to make concise points and hold an effective debate without waffle and repetition.

No public consultation proposed on public speaking restrictions
The new arrangements are so draconian at a time when communities are under such pressure from development and are experiencing much anxiety as a result, that I can scarcely believe what I read in the paper.

The proposed new system must surely be subject to a proper period of public consultation.

Myself and fellow independents will be taking this further.

The development management committee meeting on Tuesday 1 April, where these public speaking restrictions will be debated, starts at 9.30am. 

To end on a final note of irony, members of the public will not be entitled to comment on the paper at the meeting, which you can view here - http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/dmc_010314_wg_report_public_speaking_and_agenda_management.pdf

Photograph: Protesters march on the Knowle in November 2012. One of the reasons for marching was that EDDC does not listen to local people’s views.

Comments

1. At 07:22 pm on 26th Mar Norman Cooke wrote:

Strange that councillors can meet with Developers unbeknown to the public for hours on end to discuss proposed planning developments yet the public are restricted to three minutes. Open and Transparent it is not. So meeting have to go on longer, Just get real. If all there was openness and transparency in the first place meeting would be shorter. Present data and information to the public and then the secrecy that is inherent in EDDC and OSMTC processes would be exposed.

2. At 08:58 am on 27th Mar Sandra Semple wrote:

It’s the natural way that dictatorships develop so no-one should be surprised.  But the only way to counteract it now is at the ballot box.

3. At 10:46 am on 27th Mar Susie Bond wrote:

The proposed new rules do nothing to engender democracy ... or even the semblance of democracy ... in the planning process.

I would have liked to have seen the exercise where public speaking arrangements were compared between councils limited to those councils only which do not have a Local Plan in place. The results, I venture, would have made more interesting reading.

The reason members of the public are turning up in droves to DMC is because of the fury at the way planning is having to be decided in East Devon. Developers and landowners are rushing to get their planning applications through the system before Anthony Thickett (Planning Inspector) reports on his findings following the Examination in Public of the Local Plan.

This is no way to make irreversible decisions ... and curtailing the rights of members of the public to air their views is not the democratic way forward.

Personally, I would favour keeping the existing system and reviewing it after a year when (Planning Inspector willing) there will be Local Plan in place. The issue of over-long DMC meetings, which is the reason for reviewing the public-speaking arrangements in the first place, is likely to be a self-limiting problem.

4. At 11:32 am on 27th Mar Val Jones wrote:

Many people who speak at planning meetings, have never spoken in public before.  It’s a nerve-racking process for the average person and not something we take lightly.  BUT, and this is the point of speaking, democracy is being challenged, big business is riding roughshod over the ordinary man in the street, and so we stand up and speak.
This country has been built on the right to speak freely - we pride ourselves on it - it’s part of our democracy.  How dare East Devon District Council try to take this right away.  Believe me, the people have no intentions of fading into the background.

5. At 01:09 pm on 27th Mar Damien Mills wrote:

In a paper that has just appeared on EDDC’s website, the proposed new public speaking regime will be debated at the development management (planning committee) meeting next Tuesday (1 April).

This is an April Fool, yeah?!

http://www.claire-wright.org/index.php/post/eddc_set_to_clamp_down_hard_on_public_speaking_at_planning_committee_meetin

See also:
Futures Forum: Fears of losses in accountability at local government level...
Futures Forum: Permission Impossible: Britain's Planners ... Tues 25th February
Futures Forum: Who to blame when everything falls apart: the politics of planning decisions
Futures Forum: Development: 'commercial confidentiality', being held to 'ransom' and developers picking holes in each other’s sites.
Futures Forum: Publishing 'pre-application' advice... making planning application information public... or not
Futures Forum: Transparency and process in East Devon... continued: part three
Futures Forum: Transparency and process in East Devon... a summary
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Balcombe: making a community self-sufficient in electricity

A clean energy coop from south-east England:
Back Balcombe

fracking balcombe - Google Search
REPOWERBalcombe

A new project from the carbon-cutting campaign:
About | 10:10

BRITAIN'S FIRST 'FRACKING VILLAGE' WANTS TO QUIT FOSSIL FUELS. LET'S HELP THEM OUT!

Introducing Back Balcombe: our new project to help Balcombe - and Britain - choose a better energy future

25 MAR 14

The kids of REPOWERBalcombe, with Angel, the official mascot

Last year, Balcombe got famous for all the wrong reasons. 

Targeted to be first in a new wave of oil and gas drilling, the sleepy Sussex village found itself hosting riot police, protesters and tv crews.

This year will be different.

Keen to see a positive, practical response to the divisive fracking debate, residents have set up a clean-energy co-op called REPOWERBalcombe. The goal: build enough community-owned solar power to match the electricity needs of every home in the village.

It's bold, it's brilliant, and (we hope) it should happen everywhere!

That's why we've created Back Balcombe, a national project for anyone who wants to support REPOWERBalcombe's amazing work, and start spreading the repower magic more widely.

We're backing Balcombe, and you can too - visit backbalcombe.org to get started!

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Britain's first 'fracking village' wants to quit fossil fuels. Let's help them out! | 10:10

REPOWERBALCOMBE IN THE TIMES

Submitted by admin on Mon, 03/24/2014 - 23:57

Well, they certainly know how to make an entrance.

REPOWERBalcombe stepped out into the sunshine today with a big story in The Times.

The paper's environment editor spent the whole of Wednesday in Balcombe talking to residents and learning about the project. He opens his piece by recalling the criticism one energy company boss leveled at local opponents of fracking:

They have been accused of being selfish and unpatriotic for opposing fracking despite living in large houses and consuming lots of energy.
Now residents of the village at the centre of the fracking debate are trying to overcome the impression that they are Nimbys by making their community of 760 homes self-sufficient in electricity. They plan to place thousands of solar panels on roofs around the village, including the local primary school and village hall.

Co-founder Joe's comment pretty much sums it up:

Joe Nixon, spokesman for the co-operative, said: “I get annoyed that people are being cast as Nimbys over fracking. We recognise that we need energy and it has to come from somewhere. We want to choose how Balcombe plays its part in generating Britain ’s energy, and we have chosen solar.”

REPOWERBalcombe in The Times | Back Balcombe

Fracking-protest village Balcombe to go solar

The residents of Balcombe have established an energy co-operative to raise £3m to invest in enough solar panels

Mary Turner/The Times

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  The residents of Balcombe have established an energy co-operative to raise £3m to invest in enough solar panelsMary Turner/The Times

Ben Webster Environment Editor

Published at 12:01AM, March 27 2014

They have been accused of being selfish and unpatriotic for opposing fracking despite living in large houses and consuming lots of energy.

Now residents of the village at the centre of the fracking debate are trying to overcome the impression that they are Nimbys by making their community of 760 homes self-sufficient in electricity. They plan to place thousands of solar panels on roofs around the village, including the local primary school and village hall.

Fracking-protest village Balcombe to go solar | The Times

For more details:

Welcome to REPOWERBalcombe – a community project to generate enough clean, renewable energy locally to meet all of our village’s electricity needs.

If you live locally and would like to be kept up to date with news on our project’s progress, please enter your email address in the box on the right (you can choose to opt out of these emails any time of course). If you are from outside of the village and surrounding area but would like to support REPOWERBalcombe’s mission, please visit the Back Balcombe website to find out more about how you can help.

For full information on financing our first phase of solar installations, please download the REPOWERBalcombe Summary Document here.

How we started

REPOWERBalcombe was born of the inspiring belief that communities can take responsibility for their own energy supply and that this can be done in a way that is clean and sympathetic to the environment.

In September 2013 an open meeting was held at Bramble Hall with a view to setting up a community renewable energy project in Balcombe. Inspired by the positivity of the project, a group of around 14 locals started to lay foundations toward making this a reality.

REPOWERBalcombe – The Vision

Our goal is to set up a program of renewable energy solutions based in and around the community. The aim is to generate the equivalent of 10% of Balcombe’s electricity usage through rooftop solar panels within the next 6 months, and eventually to generate the equivalent of 100% of the village’s electricity usage from clean, renewable energy sources. There have been positive responses from landowners in the surrounding area and key local community buildings whose support will be vital to this project fulfilling its aim, and who stand to gain from significantly lower electricity bills. The energy harvested by REPOWERBalcombe will be fed into the national grid, making our village proportionately self sufficient whilst helping to increase the overall amount of renewable energy in our national electricity supply mix.

Our intention is to maintain local control of our village energy project by raising the required funds for our first phase of work through a community share issue. This will open first for people living in our area of West Sussex, and only afterwards to investors from further afield.  We hope you will want to become a shareholder and member of the co-operative. By developing and owning our own power generating capacity locally we will also be helping to power Balcombe’s local economy.

And it won’t only be the host buildings and shareholders who benefit. A portion of the profits from REPOWERBalcombe will be fed back into the community via projects to reduce our collective energy spend (for example insulation and recycling initiatives) and to develop other local renewable energy resources.

This is about our village and how we can live comfortably and responsibly. REPOWERBalcombe will showcase what is possible when a community comes together.  We see this as the start of a repowering the present for the future and hope you will be part of it!

How do we do this?

This spring we need to raise around £300,000 to produce around 224kw of PV solar power.  This is the equivalent of 7.5% of Balcombe’s current electricity usage – or enough to repower 60 of our village’s 760 homes. We have already set up a co-operative (REPOWERBalcombe Ltd, an Industrial Provident Society) and will look to sell investment in the form of shares to the community. Shares can be bought from £250 upwards with the controlling investors coming only from the local area, and we aim to provide shareholders with returns of around 5% per annum (hopefully rising to more like 6.5% if we can secure tax relief under the Enterprise Investment Scheme). The power produced at the installations that make up this first programme of work will also generate around £5,500 each year for our community benefit fund.

Our first site to sign on the dotted line is the third-generation family-run Grange Farm on Crawley Down, who will be hosting 19kW of solar panels on their cow shed in exchange for 33% discounted energy for the next 25 years.

For full information on financing our first phase of solar installations, please download the REPOWERBalcombe Summary Document here.

REPOWERBalcombe

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"What is lobbying?"... "Openness and transparency is vital."

The District Council will be considering the question of 'What is lobbying?' following the debate at full council last month:
Futures Forum: District Council meets to consider issue of Lobbying ... but ..."What is lobbying?"

Minutes of the Meeting of the Council 

held at Knowle, Sidmouth, on Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Motion 1 – Lobbying

The following motion (in the names of Councillors Claire Wright, Roger Giles, Susie Bond, Ben Ingham and Trevor Cope) was proposed by Councillor Claire Wright and seconded by Councillor Roger Giles: 

"Openness and transparency in the planning process is vital. This Council therefore agrees to include an item on the agenda of all Development Management Committee and Planning Inspections Committee meetings, requiring Members of those committees to declare if and who they have been lobbied by, about items on the agenda." 

In proposing the motion, Councillor Claire Wright referred to the adverse affect on public confidence of the police investigation into a former EDDC Councillor. She spoke of the importance of increasing public confidence in the Council and for transparency in its dealings. She said that the motion was straightforward and in line with the Probity in Planning document.

In seconding the motion, Councillor Roger Giles said that the proposal had no connected cost and complied with Nolan’s Principles of Public Life which still applied.

Comments made by Councillors when the motion was opened to debate included:
 There was no dispute that integrity was important but the motion assumed something improper and the wording was unclear.
 All Councillors were contacted regularly about development and so the definition of what lobbying actually meant needed to be clarified.
 Development Management Committee members all had specific training before they were able to serve on the Committee. They were all fully aware of the relevant element of the Council’s Constitution and the importance of complying with legislation. The Committee members were continually lobbied but they listened, sifted comments and then came to the meeting with an open mind.
 Listening to opinions and points of view was part of the democratic process.

Councillor Douglas Hull proposed an amendment to refer the motion to the next meeting of the Standards Committee to discuss and clarify its intention. The amendment was seconded by Councillor Mike Allen.

RESOLVED: that the motion as printed be referred to the next meeting of the Standards Committee for clarification and debate.
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/council_mins_260214_with_ct_schedules_1-2-3.pdf
East Devon District Council - Standards Committee agendas, minutes and remit

The debate is a national - if not an international - one, with plenty of obfuscation going on. Not exactly in the interests of 'openness and transparency'...

There have been campaigns to have an 'official list' of lobbyists at Westminster for some time - but nobody seems to be able to agree on it:

Government lobbying reforms in disarray

Sunday, 29 January 2012 

The Sunday Times reports this morning that the Cabinet Office official in charge of government efforts to clean-up of lobbying has stepped down after posting a message on Twitter saying she hoped a group fighting for better regulation of the industry “would die”.

The remark appeared in a series of tweets by Eirian Walsh Atkins, who resigned as head of constitutional policy at the Cabinet Office on Friday. She now faces an internal investigation into possible breaches of the civil service code of conduct.

The paper reports: 'Walsh Atkins will be asked to explain the tweet she posted on December 22, saying: “I wish Unlock Democracy [the campaign group] would die. I am prepared to help it along.”

Asked by The Sunday Times to explain her comment about Unlock Democracy, she replied: “That I don’t like them,” and hung up.

However, more important than her apparent dislike of transparency campaigners is the fact that Walsh Atkins has held regular meetings with lobbyists seeking to influence the government's proposed statutory register of lobbyists, which she was responsible for preparing. She has met with the UK Public Affairs Council (UKPAC), a lobby industry body promoting self-regulation, on at least four occasions since September 2010. At the same time, transparency campaigners have been denied access.

The government's proposals for a statutory register, published last week, were widely seen as a whitewash, with lobbyists' fingerprints all over them.

The fact that the lobbying industry's lobbying of Walsh Atkins would remain a secret under the government's current proposals, will not do the government's case for minimal reform any favours.

Lobbying transparency
Government lobbying reforms in disarray
“What for?” and “How much”: two unanswered questions from a “meaningless list of lobbyists”


Why a statutory register of lobbyists alone won't solve the problem

June 10, 2013

On his website "standing up for lobbying", Mark Adams (Ex-Private Secretary to Tony Blair) under ‘Myth 7′ says that such a register alone might end up being viewed as a licence to lobby. The current ‘self regulation’ of the industry by the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC) means that members of it are already subject to this code of conduct.

Why a statutory register of lobbyists alone won’t solve the problem

Lobbyists and politicians are simply too close. This has got to change

In the Westminster fishbowl, lobbyists and politicians are in a cosy club. A register must clarify whose interests MPs represent

Tamasin Cave, Tuesday 4 June 2013

There are two fundamental flaws to such a register. First, these transparency rules would only cover a fraction of the industry – so-called lobbyists-for-hire – and then possibly only some of those. It is not clear whether lawyer lobbyists, accountancy firms and management consultants who also seek to influence government on behalf of third-party clients would be covered. If not, they're likely to pick up business from the regulated agencies.

To only target lobbyists-for-hire would be a nonsense, It would mean a supermarket, say, with a team of six in-house, full-time, and typically well-connected lobbyists wouldn't have to declare its lobbying activity. But, if that supermarket temporarily took on an agency to increase its influence, the agency would have to register its lobbyists.

Second, the government appears to be proposing that lobbyists reveal only minimal information, merely their names and their clients. This is to deliberately misunderstand the purpose of a register of lobbyists, which is to increase government accountability. For it to be meaningful, a register must include lobbyists' interaction with officials. Whom are they meeting in government; which areas of policy are they seeking to shape; which laws and regulations do they want delayed or watered down; which taxes do they want cut; which multimillion pound contracts are they gunning for?

By omitting this information, the government has cut itself out of the equation. For every company investing in lobbying – and it is seen as an investment, with significant rates of return – there is a corresponding official or minister who puts the interest of the few above the public interest.

A register that compelled paid persuaders to operate in plain sight would not have prevented this latest scandal. That is not the point. Transparency rules for lobbyists are a part of changing the culture in Westminster that encourages such behaviour. Clearly, something is going on within parliament that means MPs and peers think it is acceptable to be paid to lobby for private interests.

David Cameron, in 2010, talked of the overly cosy relationship between politics, business and money, and of Westminster as a place where "money buys power, power fishes for money and a cosy club at the top makes decisions in their own interest". In a culture like this, it is surely easy to catch parliamentarians out.

Lobbyists and politicians are simply too close. This has got to change | Tamasin Cave | Comment is free | theguardian.com

The real influencers in Westminster outnumber lobbyists

13 June 2013 by Lynsey Barber

As the Government's lobbying plans remain firmly fixed on public affairs consultancies, PRWeek research has found that think-tanks, charities and not-for-profit organisations have greater access and potential influence within Westminster.

A review of the publicly available data on All Party Groups (APGs) has found public affairs firms are involved in the running of just 15 per cent of those that use secretariats, while charities account for 34 per cent and not-for-profit organisations 22 per cent.

The real influencers in Westminster outnumber lobbyists | PR Week

In other words, the much debated 'lobbying bill' came to affect "think-tanks, charities and not-for-profit organisations" rather than formal "PR" companies:

How most lobbyists will escape from the lobbying bill

November 15, 2013 by Jim Pickard

We have written before, at great length, about how the lobbying bill is one of the worst piece of legislation put before the Houses of Parliament for many moons.

Even the recent concessions from ministers have failed to quell the dissent, with the FT recently opining: “The retreat is welcome. But it fails to resolve other flaws in a hastily drafted bill which, as it stands, should be rejected.”

I’ve been passed some new stats which underline one reason why the bill is flawed. The legislation will force disclosure of visits by third-party lobbyists to either ministers or permanent secretaries. (But not any other civil servant or special adviser.)

The lobbying industry is up in arms because the new transparencys does NOT apply to the in-house lobbyists which dominate big companies, business groups and unions.

The figures I’ve been given from the APPC* spell out how the third-party firms are massively out-gunned by the in-house lobbyists when it comes to meetings with senior decision-makers at BIS, the business department.

Here is the full chart.

Ministers at BIS had 717 meetings and 173 instances of “hospitality” during 2012.

Of these, third-party lobbyists accounted for just 2 meetings and 1 meal. By contrast, those from “business/banks/trade associations) accounted for 717 meetings and 173 hospitality events. Meanwhile trade unions had 40 meetings while charities had 34 with BIS ministers.

How most lobbyists will escape from the lobbying bill | Westminster blog


The Lobbying Bill ignores the real scandal: the secretive arm-twisting of civil servants by vested interests

By Douglas Carswell Politics August 19th, 2013

The Government's Lobbying Bill, according to the Commons reformer Graham Allen MP, is a "dog's breakfast". He is wrong, of course. Far more thought has gone into pet nutrition than into this Bill.

Let’s be clear about a couple of things: lobbying can be an entirely legitimate part of the democratic process. This week, I will be meeting with a group of lobbyists, as I make a point of doing every week. They are called constituents – and they approach me about every subject under the sun, from immigration, to knife crime in Clacton, to the problem of the neighbour’s cat.

That said, there is – I believe – a problem with what you might call "problem lobbying”. By which, I mean, big vested interests, on occasions, influencing public policy in a way that the public might not necessarily appreciate.

How might we ensure that the right sort of lobbying continues, but not the wrong sort?

Any attempt to distinguish between constituents lobbying their MP, and non constituents, would be absurd. Could I only speak to Tesco supermarket if the person wanting to talk to me worked in Clacton, not Colchester? Of course not. In the age of email, campaigns are commonly run from London, but made to appear as if they are coming from local residents. Thankfully the Bill does not attempt to draw such a distinction.

But what it does seek to do is require organisations whose main business is lobbying to register on a statutory register. Quite how being on a register will change things, the Bill does not really explain.

The Lobbying Bill ignores the real scandal: the secretive arm-twisting of civil servants by vested interests – Telegraph Blogs

The Lobbying Bill was passed at the end of January:
Futures Forum: Concerns for campaigning: Lobbying Bill to become law

With many doubting the effectiveness or point of it:


Lobbying: it will come back to bite them

29 January 2014

The government's proposed register of lobbyists is set to become law, as the controversial Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill passed through the Lords last night.

The register of lobbyists that will now be introduced will not open lobbying as promised by the coalition in May 2010. As the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency has said all along, the government's register is a sham. A fake. It will not allow the public to see who is influencing our politicians. It merely allows the government to tick a box.

As the graphics below show, the government's register fails in two key ways. First, it covers barely any lobbyists, requiring only those working as lobbyists-for-hire who meet ministers (or permanent secretaries) to register. All in-house lobbyists working inside banks, energy firms, payday loan lenders, alcohol and tobacco companies etc are exempt, as are corporate lobbyists in business lobby groups like the CBI, as is anyone who doesn't lobby a minister directly, which is the majority.

Second, it will reveal nothing of what or whom they are seeking to influence. Lobbyists in those agencies that have direct contact with ministers will be required to list merely their clients. There will be no record of dealings with special advisers, civil servants or regulators; no information on what they are seeking to influence or what deals are being done; nor how much money is being spent to sway government.

The government's decision to pretend to open up lobbying will come back to bite them. Lobbyists are a permanent feature in British politics. They are not going away and neither will the widespread feeling that their private interests are being favoured over the public interest.

This new law will do nothing to open up decision-making and restore trust. It is an exercise in time-wasting.

Only a tiny minority of lobbyists will be covered by the new law:

This minority will only be required to disclose minimal information on their lobbying

Lobbying Transparency - Home

What will not be covered will be the art of the 'revolving door':
Campaigners call for more scrutiny of EU's 'revolving door': theparliament.com

PR will certainly remain as sexy as ever:

Lobbying: The art of political persuasion by Lionel Zetter

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"There is good lobbying and bad lobbying, just like there is good sex and bad sex, but I think most of us would prefer to have bad sex rather than no sex at all." Lionel Zetter first uttered these words - which could suitably appear on his tombstone - at a Select Committee hearing.

Now he has written an easy-to-follow manual of political persuasion that could have been called the Joy of Lobbying or the Good Lobbying Guide.

It is clearly from lobbying, a term he much prefers to mealy-mouthed euphemisms such as public affairs, that Lionel gets his kicks. He is a well-known and much-liked doyen of the sector, a former president of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and this year's Personality of the Year as voted by readers of Public Affairs News. So it is no surprise that the great and the good of that world queue up to pay tribute in the cover blurb. In other words, this is more or less the official bible of the lobbying industry.

Lobbying: The art of political persuasion by Lionel Zetter | Lobbying by Lionel Zetter

And fears for what exactly all of this will mean at local government level are as muddy as ever:
Futures Forum: Fears of losses in accountability at local government level...
Futures Forum: Payments and patronage in East Devon

What is clear, however, is that 'officially listed' lobbyists seem to be disappearing - with a whole host of other 'influences' at work - many of which are difficult to determine, even with the use of the odd Freedom of Information Request, at whatever level of government...

An article in last month's Nation magazine points to how much of the lobbying is carried out beneath the radar anyway:



Where Have All the Lobbyists Gone? | The Nation
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