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Fire Service chiefs fail to answer questions at Devon County Council private briefing – but they are worried about the level of opposition
Yesterday I attended the private ‘masterclass’ for county councillors with Chief officers Ian Howell and Pete Bond – arranged instead of the public Scrutiny hearing which the Fire Service had refused to attend.
- I protested about the over-complicated design of the consultation and the way it has closed off opportunities for the public to express views about particular stations – they said it was signed off by the Consultation Institute (I shall be writing to them) but like some members of the Fire Authority, I don’t think it is credible.
- I challenged the misleading assumptions on which the calculations about ‘savings’ of life are based – they failed to respond.
- I asked them if they accepted the estimate, based on their own data, that 600,000 people would have increased risk due to slower response times – this would include everyone in the Seaton and Colyton area – again they failed to answer.
- I asked why they said it wasn’t about ‘cuts’, when papers presented to the Fire Authority showed clearly that saving money is a key driver.
Although I got to raise some other points about Colyton, I was cut off by the chair and didn’t get a chance to come back in. I’ll be writing up a full objection (and a paper for when this comes to Scrutiny – as I have insisted – on 25th September) and will post this here.
Three things struck me even more forcefully, from this meeting and re-reading the papers in preparation for it:
- As with the hospital cuts, the bottom line here is asset-stripping. The sites represent over 80 per cent of the financial gains from the 8 proposed closures.
- Even more than with the hospital beds cuts, the ‘alternative’ ( in this case more ‘prevention’) is pathetically weakly developed. They’re selling off the family silver and not giving us any serious detail on what they’re offering instead. In all likelihood, they’ll pocket the gains and the prevention activity will barely materialise.
- Finally, they are worried about the high level of negative TV and press coverage – keep up the campaign!
European people living in Devon are anxious about their future after irresponsible Government statements -my advice to troubled constituents
One of the worst things about Brexit is the harm and anxiety it has caused to many innocent people living in the Seaton and Colyton area and other parts of the country for over 3 years.Devon County Council launches Climate Emergency site
It’s very much a work in progress … councillors are discussing the whole programme further (informally) later this week. HERE IT IS.
‘Save Our Fire Station’ protest in Colyton Carnival, this Saturday, 7th, 7.40 pm
INVITATION to adults and children to march behind Colyton’s fire engine in the Colyton Carnival procession on Saturday, 7th September bearing placards protesting the proposed changes to our Fire Service and promoting the completion of the consultation questionnaire. Dress boldly in red, orange, yellow or black ~ any combination ~ or come as you are. Costumes are fun but optional. We’ll be singing “We are burning” to the tune of “London’s burning” through the streets of Colyton and, if there are enough of us, we could sing it as a round 😁 Let’s be heard! There are a few placards available to carry but if you could make your own that would be excellent.
Meet up at 7:40pm in Govers Meadow at the Dolphin Street/Kingfisher end. We’ll be walking at a safe distance from the fire engine, which will be leading the procession, as the fire crew will be on call 👨🚒🔥🚒🧯
Online consultation questionnaire: https://www.engagespace.co.uk/devon/devonfireandrescue/survey/ConRespForm.aspx?consult_Id=2823&request_response=new&status=&criteria=I
1000 rally in Exeter to oppose Johnson’s suppression of Parliament
A fantastic turnout at 48 hours notice, and complete determination to fight for our democracy. Excellent speeches from Ben Bradshaw MP (Labour, Exeter), Dr Sarah Wollaston MP (Lib Dem, Totnes), and others.
New sign in Colyford shows cyclists to take the route through Seaton Wetlands, rather than continuing on dangerous Seaton Road
Twenty-six months after I was first promised it, this sign is now in place. I hope it will make cycling from Seaton to Colyford a safer ride for visitors. Next stop, the completion of the cycle route through the Wetlands. The County Council has lodged a Compulsory Purchase Order to obtain land for the missing section.
New 40 limit aims on Seaton Down Hill aims to slow down traffic coming into Seaton, and reduce risks of collisions on A3052 at Tower junction
The long-awaited change in speed limit has finally been implemented, in order to reduce the risks of cars entering Seaton at excessive speed – and to make the junction, where there has been a series of minor collisions, safer.
The changes, paid for by my Locality Budget and Seaton Town Council after a long campaign by the Speed Watch team, will be followed by police education activities in September, and then enforcement. Please observe!
Fire Authority refuses to face public scrutiny of its station closures by County Council committee: I’ve asked the Chair to invite firefighters from the threatened Devon stations to give evidence instead
Former East Devon Conservative leader @CllrIanThomas endorses view that we have ‘a dangerous & incompetent Government’ – ‘the end of centre ground, One-Nation conservatism’ – when will other sensible local Tories follow him?
Readers will recall that when the Conservative leader of EDDC, Ian Thomas, resigned from the party in April during the local election campaign, he refused to say why except that it was because of ‘national politics’.’
Today I noticed that Ian re-tweeted this comment by Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP for Totnes (who left the Conservative Party and recently joined the Lib Dems), on the shocking No Deal leaks:
‘Only a dangerous & incompetent Govt would knowingly & deliberately inflict this chaos on its people. This isn’t ‘worst case scenario’, it’s what Johnson knows will unfold & is completely at odds with his false reassurance to the public.’
Ian commented: ‘But that is sadly exactly what we have @sarahwollaston This is neither news nor exhaustive…’
Two days ago, he retweeted this comment: ‘Am I the only one sick of hearing “We have to respect the referendum result”? Such a cowardly thing to say. It conveniently conceals the fact it was a marginal and nationally divisive result on an ill-defined question won by a campaign of misinformation and illegality.’
Ian’s response: ‘No you’re not – I’m absolutely with you. Well put!’
Well done, Ian, for calling this out, although it would have had more impact if you’d done it in April.
However I’ve noticed that already in June, Ian was tweeting about ‘the end of centre ground, One-Nation conservatism, as @Conservatives lurch to the far right?’ The hashtag was #Horrified
When will other sensible local Conservatives, who pride themselves on representing their communities, leave the nasty, hard-right Farage party that Boris Johnson now leads?
