Knowle relocation project: or, how a new HQ costing £8.7m is valued at £3.5m

The District Council has helpfully said it will keep everyone up to date about the costs of the move from Knowle - plus the ongoing costs of the new HQ in Honiton: 

We will be bringing a report to Cabinet to inform members of the final costs of the relocation project. This report will remind members of the regular reporting that will take place as a result of our normal procedures and members can then debate what extra reporting requirements may be appropriate.

Futures Forum: District Council rejects considering motions > full council meeting Wednesday 27th February

However, that was instead of giving the sort of answer which would have given a more full picture of the costs:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: District Council rejects motion "for the ongoing costs to be published to show confidence that this project will breakeven"

And those costs are very much open to debate - still:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: challenging the official line that "staying in Sidmouth was not an option"
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: financial profligacy in a time of austerity
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: fantasy 'cost savings over twenty years' are of no interest to people in East Devon

Here's a summary:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: a summary of the issues

And a summary of the summary:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: ready to move, but at what cost...

A photo-op with the official opening of the spanking new HQ in Honiton made much of the planting of a 'time capsule' - although the BBC added a few helpful figures as a reminder of the cost of the project: 

Old East Devon council HQ to be handed over to developers

12:28

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service


East Devon District Council hopes to be able to hand over its former Knowle headquarters in Sidmouth to developers by the end of March.

Its new Heathpark headquarters in Honiton opened for business on 11 February but was officially opened in a ceremony last Wednesday.

Children and teachers from two Honiton schools attended and lowered two time capsules into the ground containing a selection of objects chosen by the children - including local newspapers and magazines - to show today's fashions, future predictions, and information about rural village life in East Devon.

The new headquarters cost the council £8.7m, while an additional £1.5m was spent on upgrading Exmouth Town Hall - where one third of the council staff are to be based.

The Knowle has been sold to developers Pegasus Life for £7.5m, which has been granted planning permission to convert the building into a 113-apartment assisted-living community for older people.

Richard Cohen, the deputy chief executive of East Devon District Council, said: "We hope to be out by the end of March, subject to the clearance process we are under taking at the moment."

BBC Devon & Cornwall Live: Breaking news and local stories - BBC News

The East Devon Watch blog notes: 

EDDC HQ MOVE COST NEUTRAL? DON’T MAKE OWL LAUGH!

4 MAR 2019

It has been estimated by a local property developer that the new HQ has a market value of no more than £3.5 million.

EDDC HQ move cost neutral? Don’t make Owl laugh! | East Devon Watch
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Brexit: and the story of dark money ratcheting up

Last summer, the notion of 'dark money' being behind the Brexit vote was gaining traction:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and dark money

In part due to Exeter's MP pushing for investigations:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and Exeter's MP asking for 'a full police inquiry'
Futures Forum: Brexit: and Exeter's MP's voicing of "widespread concern over interference"

Last month, further information was coming to light:

Futures Forum: Brexit: and spending yet more dark money

And with the possibility of a second referendum, things are getting even darker: 

Talk of a second Brexit referendum has created a surge in sketchy Facebook ads

There might be a second referendum, but the dark arts of dark ads haven't changed much since the last one

By GIAN VOLPICELLI
Wednesday 27 February 2019

...

In October 2018, a shady Facebook page called Mainstream Network was exposed for publishing £257,000’s worth of pro-Brexit ads – including some targeting the chair of the disinformation enquiry, Damian Collins – without providing any information about its financial backers. That hastened Facebook’s roll-out of its new rules on ads, requiring pages pushing political content to reveal who was paying for it. In addition, all political ads started being collected in a searchable online archive.

It could have been the end of it, but it wasn’t. Earlier this month, Open Democracy raised the alarm about a cluster of Facebook pages that were publishing ads supportive of no-deal Brexit, while providing very little information on who was behind the organisations nominally paying for the posts.

One could again lay the blame on Facebook’s doorstep: publishing political ads on the platform only requires a British or EU identity document and a UK bank account. But the problem runs deeper. It has to do, for instance, with the British Electoral Commission’s utter toothlessness when it comes to supervising digital campaigning, let alone forcing an organisation to reveal its backers.

Putting pressure on Facebook might – only might – help us get rid of dark-ads, one day; solving dark-money will not be that simple.

Talk of a second Brexit referendum has created a surge in sketchy Facebook ads | WIRED UK

The Open Democracy group have suggested ways to 'prevent a rerun of abuses':
A second Brexit referendum is getting more likely. Here’s 3 things that must happen first. | openDemocracy

And has pointed to one source of 'dark money':
MP accuses former Tory official of being a ‘fraudster’ and ‘cowboy’ who exploited legal loophole to hide source of ‘dark money’ | openDemocracy

Here is Al Jazeera reporting: 

Brexit, the NHS and the threat of dark money

Exploring the secretive money working to influence the UK's exit from the European Union.

02 Mar 2019

There are fewer than a thousand hours until the UK leaves the European Union, but people living there are still uncertain about what's going to happen. A "no deal", a long delay, a short delay, a hard Brexit or no Brexit at all, are still possible outcomes.

As the clock ticks down, there's concern that Brexit, in all its forms, will put Britain's health services under strain, and hospitals in the UK are preparing for shortages.

Adam Ramsay, investigative journalist from Open Democracy, worries that Brexit could lead to the dismantling of the National Health Service (NHS).

"The big concern about the NHS with Brexit ... is the way that a key think-tank, which has been influencing government policy very heavily around Brexit and which is pushing a very hard Brexit, is funded by an American trust called the Templeton Foundation in order to promote privatisation of the NHS. And obviously, that's an attempt by American healthcare companies to buy up whole sways of British healthcare."

"So, it's not just about the fears that the government talks about, I am worried about the dismantling of the NHS through the process of Brexit."

Asked about the dark money influencing politics, Ramsay explains: "Dark money is any money that's used to influence politics and comes from a source that's hidden ... Many millions of pounds have been spent during the Brexit referendum, promoting a 'Leave' vote. And when we trace where that money comes from, it very quickly goes back to Britain's network of tax havens and secrecy areas and then it disappears ... so, we don't know who's pumping this money into our politics."

"But it also funds a lot of the main think-tanks ... and the groups trying to influence the Brexit process," Ramsay says. "Politics is shaped by money. We all know that and if we don't know who's paying for what, then there's a massive threat to our debate. Huge chunks of political debate are shaped by people who pretend to be there as sort of innocent intellectuals or think-tanks, but in reality, they're being paid for by some secret source or some business lobby groups."

"There are huge amounts of the money that paid for the Brexit referendum, turns out to have come from powerful business lobby groups ... who seem to be very keen to take Britain away from the regulation of the EU and drag it towards the kind of unregulated space of America, so they can do things like privatise the NHS, so they can slash regulations, so they can keep Britain as the world's money laundry."

Brexit, the NHS and the threat of dark money | UK | Al Jazeera
🇬🇧 Brexit, the NHS and the threat of dark money | Counting the Cost - YouTube
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Brexit: and deliberative democracy @ Radio 4

The idea of 'deliberative democracy' has been gaining ground - especially since groundbreaking work in Ireland last year:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and how the Irish referendum's "deliberative democracy" countered fake facts

And this might provide a model for the UK:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and a citizens' assembly to break the deadlock

As considered this evening on Radio 4:

Deliberative Democracy

Analysis

Is there a better way to heal political divides - through panels of ordinary citizens? 

Sonia Sodha asks if the idea of citizens' assemblies, which have been used around the world to come up with solutions to polarising issues. 

Proponents argue that they avoid the risks of knee-jerk legislation, winner-takes-all outcomes or the pull of populism. 

Many in the Republic of Ireland believe that deliberative democracy was crucial in reforming the law on abortion without causing major political upheavals.

Could this method still come up with a better way forward for Brexit?

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, Deliberative Democracy
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Brexit: and the Stronger Towns Fund not getting as far as East Devon

In the immediate aftermath of the referendum mid-2016, it was clear that more attention would have to be made to local communities:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and looking beyond revolt: "If we’ve learned one thing in the last week, it is that communities – not Westminster - must agree what works for them."
Futures Forum: Brexit: and democracy: "Ordinary voters never took much interest. Perhaps they didn’t care whether they were ruled by a faraway elite in Brussels or ditto in Westminster."

Especially their economic development:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and delivering economic development across the UK whilst protecting Devon and Cornwall
Futures Forum: Brexit: and providing good quality jobs

Including in seaside towns:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and boosting coastal towns and fisheries

However, cash for local government was not forthcoming:
Futures Forum: Brexit: and local democracy ... of devolution and cuts in local government

Now, almost three years later, there is suddenly a promise of an injection of cash into local economies:
£1.6 billion Stronger Towns Fund launched - GOV.UK

This has nothing to do with upcoming votes on Brexit of course: 

Stronger Towns Fund: £1.6bn post-Brexit cash announced

8 hours ago
4036 comments

A £1.6bn government fund has been launched to boost less well-off towns in England after Brexit. The pot is split into £1bn, divided in England using a needs-based formula, and £600m communities can bid for. More than half of the money, to be spread over seven years, will go to the north of England and the Midlands.

Labour called it a bribe to influence MPs to back the PM's Brexit deal and critics say it does not cover cuts to local authority funding.

In January, MPs rejected the withdrawal deal Theresa May has reached with the EU by 230 votes - the biggest defeat for a sitting government in history. To win another vote, which Mrs May has promised will be on or before 12 March, she could find herself relying on the votes of Labour MPs from Leave-voting parts of the country.

John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw, a former coal mining area in Nottinghamshire, told the PM last month to "show us the money" with "transformative investment" in areas that voted to leave. The Labour MP, who backed Mrs May's Brexit deal at the first vote, denied it amounted to "transactional politics".

Stronger Towns Fund: £1.6bn post-Brexit cash announced - BBC News

Other media get more to the point with their observations - at home: 

Martin Rowson on May's Brexit 'bribe' for poorer towns – cartoon | Opinion | The Guardian
£1.6bn 'bribe' for poorer towns as May seeks Labour's backing for Brexit deal | Politics | The Guardian
Brexit: May accused of 'bribing' Labour MPs as new £1.6bn fund for deprived towns unveiled | The Independent
Brexit: Theresa May accused of bribery with £1bn to help towns | News | The Times
Ruth Smeeth MP says Theresa May's fund for towns is 'pathetic' - i-news

And abroad:
May Accused of Buying Brexit Votes With $2 Billion for Towns - Bloomberg
May's £1.6bn giveaway for Brexit towns has a big hole - Yahoo Finance
Brexit: Prime Minister Theresa May Accused of 'Bribe' Over New Fund | Fortune

And in East Devon: 

Tory MP complains that Government isn’t giving Brexit bribes to South West MPs – because the region voted Conservative!

POSTED ON MARCH 4, 2019

The Government has announced its bribes to towns in order to persuade MPs, mainly Labour, to vote for its miserable Brexit deal. Although it claims to have used a “need-based formula,” the South West is to receive the second-lowest allocation of cash (£33 million) despite being among England’s most deprived regions. 

Coincidentally, it also has very few Labour MPs — and Sheryll Murray, the Tory MP for South East Cornwall, appears to have spotted the discrepancy. “The fact this money appears to be directly routed to Labour-voting areas smacks of pork-barrel politics, and the public will know that,” Murray complains to The Times. “It would be a crying shame if Conservative-voting communities were being disadvantaged because of the way they voted.”

Tory MP complains that Government isn’t giving Brexit bribes to South West MPs – because the region voted Conservative! « SEATON & COLYTON matters
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New community online newspaper for East Devon

As reported by Cllr Claire Wright of Ottery: 

Online newspaper launches in East Devon

Posted: 28 Feb 2019 06:14 AM PST

A new online newspaper has just launched in East Devon. The plan is that Nub News will be a presence in each East Devon town including Ottery St Mary. Currently, it is operating in and around Exmouth but is interested in running stories across the district ....

I met with the company’s chief executive, Karl Hancock and East Devon regional editor, Joe Bulmer this afternoon, who told me that this new online model was designed to keep costs to a minimum, which means less need for advertising and clickbait and instead a keen focus on investigative journalism. Otherwise it is a community online newspaper which aims to support local businesses and promote ‘what’s on.’ 

If you have a story for Nub News contact Joe Bulmer, his email address is: joe.bulmer@nub.news

Online newspaper launches in East Devon - Claire Wright

In Exmouth:
Exmouth Area News Round-up | exmouth.nub.news

And in Sidmouth:
Sidmouth Area News Round-up | sidmouth.nub.news
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Challenging the Local Plan and its "excessive" housing numbers > "It will be good to bring this issue out in the appeal court, as it has profound consequences - not just for Waverley and not even just for West Surrey, but also county wide and nation wide."

To challenge housing figures takes a long time:
Waverley housing need target ‘overstated by 29 per cent’ | CPRE Surrey (October 2017)
Waverley ‘inflated’ housing plan to face Judicial Review | Brownfield Briefing (July 2018)
‘Excessive’ housing target challenged | News | Bordon Herald (October 2018)

And now Waverley in Surrey is able to take its case to court, with a landmark right to appeal against "excessive" Local Plan housing numbers: 

‘Excessive’ housing can go to appeal

Friday, 1 March 2019 - Planning

CAMPAIGNERS battling the impact of Waverley’s “excessive” housing targets are celebrating a landmark legal decision giving them the green light to appeal.

In a fresh twist threatening to undermine the borough council’s adopted Local Plan, which calculates 11,200 houses must be built by 2032, the Court of Appeal agreed last Thursday it would hear the joint challenge by Surrey Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and Protect Our Waverley (POW).

The challenge centres on whether Waverley had to increase its housing target by 1,600 homes in order to accept Woking’s “unmet need”.

If the joint appeal succeeds - due to be heard later this year - it will anger residents forced to accept unpopular housing schemes driven by Waverley’s determination to meet its housing target, such as a controversial scheme for up to 200 houses agreed last week in Milford (see page three).

Last week’s Court of Appeal decision reverses a High Court decision in October 2018 rejecting POW and CPRE’s case that Waverley should not be obliged to take half of Woking’s unmet need.

Celebrating CPRE’s successful appeal against October’s verdict, Andy Smith, CPRE Surrey branch director, said: “We are pleased that the Court of Appeal wish to see the matter of Woking’s so-called unmet need properly addressed, as there are big question marks over it.

“In the housing requirement numbers for both the Waverley and Guildford Local Plans, this issue of Woking’s unmet need, lurks in the background. It will be good to bring this issue out in the appeal court, as it has profound consequences - not just for Waverley and not even just for West Surrey, but also county wide and nation wide. Our countryside is at risk from excessive, arbitrary and unsustainable housebuilding targets, and that is why we needed to challenge the housing calculations.”

POW chairman Bob Lees highlighted that the appeal coincides with Woking Borough Council declaring it now has no unmet need, and new demographic figures released by the Office for National Statistics implying a much reduced need for new housing.

Welcoming last week’s decision, Mr Lees said: “This is great news. It provides Waverley Borough Council with a golden opportunity to significantly reduce the mandatory number of new houses to be built in the borough over the next 14 years. POW fought against the housing requirement at the examination of the Local Plan. POW fought again in the High Court. POW will fight in the Court of Appeal. POW is fighting to protect our Waverley against unneeded development of our towns, of our villages and in our beautiful countryside.”

Waverley has set aside a “fighting fund” of £300,000 to defend its Local Plan. Responding, borough council leader and Farnham councillor Julia Potts, said: “This news is obviously extremely disappointing for us, but we will, of course, be vigorously defending our adopted Local Plan; the plan we believe represents the best possible vision for the borough’s future.

“It means we can work in partnership with the borough’s towns and parishes to develop Neighbourhood Plans, so communities can mould new development where they live. It means we can safeguard our borough against inappropriate development.

“It should be remembered that Waverley did not bring this legal action, but we have to defend both the borough and town and parish councils, whose Neighbourhood Plans are now threatened by this action. We all want appropriate plan-led development and we did everything possible at the inspection to defend a lower housing number.

“It is extremely disappointing that a few determined individuals continue to raise these legal challenges, despite the High Court upholding the Local Plan following the hearing in October 2018 and despite it having been approved by a government inspector. We are committed to preserving and protecting the adopted Local Plan. It will remain our principal planning document and continue to guide our planning decisions.”

‘Excessive’ housing can go to appeal | News | Farnham Herald
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1839: the Great Landslide creates the Undercliff >>> >>> talk on Friday 8th March

It happened 180 years ago: 
The Undercliff - Wikipedia
Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs - Explore Devon

And there's an opportunity next week to hear about what happened when there was a massive land slip between Seaton and Lyme Regis:

SUPPER & CONVERSATION: THE GREAT LANDSLIDE OF 1839

Speaker: Richard Edmonds

The tumultuous accounts of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 1839 record one of the most famous and celebrated landslide events in the World which took place in the undercliff between Axmouth and Lyme Regis. Eyewitnesses describe a huge convulsion in the earth where 16 acres of land, 8 million tonnes of rock, slipped seaward creating Goat Island isolated from the fields behind by a yawning chasm. The sea bed was heaved up to form a reef offshore, and the Victorians, being fans of the forces of nature, flocked to this coast to marvel at the spectacle.

Since then a number of scientists have developed theories to explain this complex landslide but there is no agreement and no detailed map to base any interpretations on, however, with the entire coast of England now being surveyed under a strategic monitoring programme the answers may be in sight.

Richard Edmond’s love of the Jurassic Coast started with the chance finding of a perfect pyrite (fools gold) ammonite when he moved to Lyme Regis in 1972. The spark of love for geology was lit for him. Having spent over 2,500 hours working on exploring and analysing the evidence of The Great Landslide there is no-one more informed than Richard to explain the geology of our local area and the dramatic change made to our coastline by the Great Landslide of 1839.

Supper and Conversation with Richard Edmonds takes place at Trill on Friday 8th March. Book a ticket with dinner, or for the talk only here...

Trill Farm - S&C: THE GREAT LANDSLIDE
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