Dear All,
After another momentous week in the political world, it is time for my latest update.
Last Saturday I returned to the bay, following a family funeral the day before, in time for the Paignton Royal British Legion Summer Ball (Top Left). After a difficult week, it was great to catch up with old friends and new.
Sunday saw me head to St Matthias Church for the morning service, white ribbons symbolising “unity” where being handed out on arrival as part of the service. A welcome thought after a week of intense political argument.
Afterwards I headed over to Paignton to check in on the works to widen the footpath between Paignton Green and Preston Beach (Top Right). In response to a couple of questions from residents, the works being undertaken by Torbay Council will widen what was a far too narrow footpath, but still leave room for 2 way traffic on the road.
Given the need to be in London early on Monday morning I got the Torbay Express from Torquay Station on Sunday Afternoon, with plenty to think about in the week ahead.
Whilst the focus of the week in Parliament may have been on the process to elect a new Leader of the Conservative Party, the business of Government continues. Therefore, I headed up to Manchester early on Monday morning to take part in the Official Opening Ceremony for the new Italian Consulate and to meet with my Italian Counterpart to discuss several issues of mutual interest to our nations (Bottom Left). I returned at lunchtime ahead of Ministerial Meetings and for votes in the House of Commons that evening.
Tuesday morning saw another early start as I headed to the IBMATA Conference to give a keynote address on the future of our border and immigration systems. IBMATA is an organisation of specialist companies who produce much of the technology which is now commonly seen at airports and ports around the world.
As the first vote of the Conservative Party Leadership contest grew closer Tuesday Afternoon and Wednesday Morning were spent on meetings in relation to this. A bit more below, including how I came to my own decision as to how I would vote in it.
Wednesday morning saw me join BBC Radio Devon’s Breakfast show for a conversation about the leadership election.
Wednesday saw me in the Commons Chamber for Prime Minister’s Question Time, sitting a couple of rows behind the PM. This gave me a clear view of the attempt by the two Alba MPs, who resigned from the SNP last year, to disrupt proceedings. They effectively stood up and started shouting, refusing to sit down when ordered to by the Speaker. For those wondering they were “named” by the Chair, the formal process for expelling a member from the House and will be suspended for 5 days. During the period of suspension, they receive no salary.
Wednesday also provided a chance to catch up on correspondence and ministerial work.
Thursday was slightly quieter as with votes earlier in the day, and having decided who to support, I could simply take part in the vote in the morning and await the result, whilst undertaking Ministerial meetings and dealing with correspondence from residents. This also allowed me to head home slightly earlier than normal on a Thursday in time to take up an invitation I have had for some weeks to the Torbay Ukraine Information Hub, which meets at St Paul’s Church, Preston (Bottom Right).
It was great to hear of the support being offered by a dedicated team of volunteers to those who have arrived in our bay under the routes set up to assist Ukrainian Refugees. It was also good to chat with some of the hosts as well about their experiences.
Today was a day spent focused on our bay, starting with the latest Torquay Town Deal Board Meeting. This was followed by the highlight of the day, heading to the Torbay Children’s Parliament being held at Torquay Town Hall. A bit more on this one in the inset story below.
After this I held my monthly catch-up meeting with the Leadership of Torbay Council. This was followed by my first meeting with Chief Supt Roy Linden, who recently took over command of our local Policing unit. It was good to reflect with him on issues like Castle Circus and the recent work done under Op Medusa to tackle County Lines supplying drugs in our bay.
This was followed by my last formal meeting of the week which was with the Chief Executive of Torbay Hospital, a bit more on this one below, along with this week’s update which includes:
This Week, What Next?, Heatwave Warning, Water For Wildlife, NHS Pressures, £326 Cost of Living Payment, Last Minute Tourist Boost, £200,000 for Community Kickstart, Oldway Project Director Appointed, Coach Station Regeneration Underway, Covid Boosters, Cockington Sculpture Trail, New Velopark Facilities, Diary of A Grammar School Headteacher, Kev’s Column: This Week and finally…….The Unification of England.
This Week,
The last week has been a long one in politics.
Last weekend there were many candidates planning campaigns and starting to sound out MPs. Having been in the Home Office for the last two and a half years I have worked closely with Priti Patel. I have found her to be a supportive colleague and encouraged her to put her name forward.
After some consideration, on Tuesday afternoon she indicated she would not be standing and, with less than 24 hours to go until the first round of voting, several candidates and campaigns were soon getting in touch with me.
Before deciding who to vote for I indicated to all candidates I was considering I would like the chance to speak with them about their offer ahead of the vote, focussed on why they thought they were the right person for the job for our nation and bay. The reason for doing this is Boris has always been available to MPs with urgent issues in their constituency, so I wanted to test out how candidates would react. If this type of engagement was not arranged when there was a clear personal incentive for them to do so, would they do the same as PM when our bay’s needs were on the line?
To their credit Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Liz Truss, Sajid Javid and Nadhim Zahawi all arranged a chat within 24 hours, some also asked senior members of their teams to outline their platform in more detail if needed. Sadly one candidate I had been considering did not, excluding them from my consideration given the reason for asking.
After a positive chat with her and her team I decided to vote for Liz Truss.
What Next?,
The next vote in the Party Leadership contest will be on Monday, where at least 1 of the 5 remaining candidates will be eliminated.
Assuming no-one drops out between rounds, there will then be a further vote Tuesday which will reduce the number of candidates remaining to 3. A final vote on Wednesday will pick the 2 to appear on the Ballot Paper which will be sent to all Party Members.
The winner of the contest will be announced on 5
th September, the next day it is expected Boris Johnson will resign and formally advise the Queen to send for the new Leader to form a Government and become Prime Minister.
Heatwave Warning,
The next week could be a scorcher and whilst its great to enjoy the sunny weather, it is important to stay safe too.
The top tips for doing this are:
- Look out for older people, children and the vulnerable
- Drink fluids and avoid excess alcohol and extreme physical exertion
- Stay out of the direct sun between 11am and 3pm when UV rays are strongest, wear a hat and, loose clothes
- Look out for signs of heat related problems and get medical help if you feel unwell
You can find out more about coping in hot weather by clicking
here.
If you are at the beach and feeling thirsty there are drinking water taps at beach locations around Torbay. You can find a map of them by clicking
here. Make sure you take your reusable bottle to fill up when you need a drink.
Although there is a South West heat alert, please monitor local forecasts for the latest information.
Water For Wildlife,
The hot weather not only affects humans, but local wildlife.
One simple thing we can do to help is leave a small bowl of water out. For animals such as hedgehogs this can be very welcome. Just keep it topped up as needed and remember to ensure the bowl stays fairly clean.
NHS Pressures,
Our NHS is facing a range of pressures which have been reflected in some of the feedback I have recently received from residents.
One particular concern has been waiting times for ambulances, where someone needs to be taken to hospital, but is not in a life-threatening situation, eg Chest Pains or difficulty breathing. Similarly, some have highlighted long wait times for minor injuries at Torbay Hospital’s Emergency Department.
In light of this the focus of my conversation with our Hospital’s Chief Exec today was on what I can do to support them and how they are managing the current situation. We also covered issues for NHS staff being caused by the rising cost of fuel.
The positive news was the £15m new Acute Medical Centre, being built next to the current Emergency Department, is starting to be brought online and will be fully operational over the winter. This will replace and expand the current ED facility, which should assist with ambulance turnarounds. I was also advised they have been able, with the current weather to better assist some arriving in an ambulance without coming into the hospital, releasing them to return home.
On the more challenging side there has been a recent surge in Covid related admissions, mostly those more vulnerable to it. There had also been an impact in terms of more staff being unwell and off work due to Covid. Yet there are signs the peak has now passed and numbers falling.
I also accepted an invite for a further visit to the Hospital, focused on informing the points which need addressing with Government and local councils around social care services being ready for when patients can be discharged.
£326 Cost of Living Payment,
Eight million homes across the country, including thousands in our bay, will start to see cost-of-living payments hit their bank accounts, as part of the Government’s package to help households amid soaring energy prices.
A first instalment of £326 will start to be paid out to low-income households on benefits, with the first payments having been made on Thursday.
The second portion of the one-off £650 payment will follow in the autumn, as part of support worth £1,200 from the Government that vulnerable households will receive this year, which also includes a previously announced £150 council tax rebate.
With millions of the lowest-income households soon seeing the first of two cash instalments land into their bank accounts, we are taking action to directly help families with the cost of living.
This one-off payment totalling £650 is part of the Government’s £37 billion cost-of-living support package that will put an extra £1,200 into the pockets of those most in need.
People may be entitled to receive the £650 in two lump sums if they receive certain support, such as Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income Support, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit.
Those eligible will be paid automatically, so they do not need to apply and payments may appear in accounts as “DWP Cost of Living”.
You can find more details about help available with the cost of living on the Government website by clicking
here.
Last Minute Tourist Boost,
With a forecast of more sunny weather to come next week there are signs of a last-minute boost for travel to our bay this year.
This will bring some challenges for local services, but will be welcome news for many businesses in the sector after two years of Covid related restrictions. Greatest Hits Radio did a piece on this earlier this week and you read it by clicking
here.
£200,000 for Community Kickstart,
Torbay Council has made available £200,000 for its residents, community groups and businesses to start projects, or to maintain or improve existing groups, which help improve the lives of those who live in our Bay.
The Community Fund can be accessed in two ways – the Microgrant or Community Action Fund.
The Microgrant is for individuals, neighbourhoods and community groups who are looking for between £25 and £500 to start or support projects in their local area.
The Community Action Grant is for individuals, not-for-profit organisations and small businesses who can apply for up to £15,000 so they can take community action in their local area and Torbay. Small businesses will need to be occupying a property, or part of a property, with a rateable value of £15,000 or less.
You can find out more, including the criteria for the grants, by clicking
here.
Oldway Project Director Appointed,
Earlier this week it was announced Katherine Findlay has been appointed as freelance project director for Oldway Mansion.
Katherine will have responsibility for working with the council and the Oldway Trust to drive forward plans to identify a resilient and sustainable future for the much-loved local site.
Following a successful bid submission ‘Developing a resilient future for Oldway’ which saw almost £150,000 of National Lottery Heritage Funding secured, Katherine will drive forward work which will include developing a Masterplan and Conservation Management strategy for the mansion and estate to ensure a resilient and sustainable future for it.
Working with community partners including the Oldway Trust, supported by the Friends of Oldway and the Oldway Gardens Group the project is an important and essential first step to restore and give Oldway a new lease of life.
I look forward to working with Katherine so we can finally make progress in getting Oldway underway. The amazing progress now being made at the Paignton Picture House with support from the Government’s Future High Streets Project and a further £3m from the Government’s Cultural Investment Fund.
Coach Station Regeneration Underway,
It is great to see regeneration work getting underway at Torquay’s dilapidated Coach Station in Lymington Road.
The demolition of the existing single storey coach station building, café and toilet block has started, although the wider car and coach park is still available for public use.
The replacement buildings and structures will include:
- 5 new commercial light industrial units
- Electric vehicle charging points will be provided within each building.
- Cycle storage will be provided within the units.
- A single public mobility WC.
- A vehicle access route inside the site to service the proposed buildings.
- Pedestrian crossing points at each end of the new route.
- The removal of the existing four coach parking bays and formation of a central island running north south creating three coach parking bays with high quality public realm, shelters and passenger information.
This investment in regeneration is welcome and will create jobs and needed commercial space in the heart of Upton.
Covid Boosters,
Everyone aged 50 and over will be among those offered a COVID-19 booster and a flu jab this autumn under plans to increase protection against respiratory viruses ahead of winter.
On coronavirus (COVID-19) boosters, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has now published its final recommendations for this autumn’s programme.
Under the advice, those eligible for a further dose will be:
- all adults aged 50 years and over
- those aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group, including pregnant women
- those aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
- those aged 16 to 49 years who are carers
- residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
- frontline health and social care workers
In addition, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will be widening the offer of the free flu vaccine to more eligible groups. These additional groups will only be eligible once the most vulnerable, including previously announced pre-school and primary school children, those aged 65 years and over and those in clinical risk groups, have been offered the jab.
The additional groups set to be offered the free flu vaccine in England will be:
- all adults aged 50 to 64 years
- secondary school children in years 7, 8 and 9, who will be offered the vaccine in order of school year (starting with the youngest first)
The NHS will announce in due course when and how eligible groups will be able to book an appointment for their COVID-19 autumn booster, and when people aged 50 to 64 years old who are not in a clinical risk group will be able to get their free flu jab.
At this stage I am advised those in these groups are asked not to contact their GP or the NHS about this as further information will be announced in due course.
Cockington Sculpture Trail,
The popular Cockington Court Sculpture Trail, which sees contemporary sculptures appear around the grounds of Cockington Court is set to return for 2022, this year’s theme is Insects.
Earlier this year artists across the Southwest were invited to apply to have their work included in the Sculpture Trail, and the selection panel have now announced 22 artists selected to design and create sculptures for 2022. The trail leads around the grounds of Cockington Court, the gallery and extends inside the Manor House.
This is a free attraction and will open to the public on 30 July 2022. You can read more on the Cockington Court website by clicking
here.
New Velopark Facilities,
There was positive news for cycling enthusiasts as planning permission was granted for brand-new facilities at the Velopark in Paignton.
Work on the new facilities, which include the creation of a Community Cycling Hub, a permanent Cyclocross track for racing and a Pump Track (smooth dirt mounds) are due to start at the end of this month.
Both new tracks will meet national competition standards and will not only benefit more experienced cyclists, including those at competition level, but people of all ages and abilities who enjoy cycling or who would like to try a new sport.
As well as new off road (grass, mud, and gravel tracks), new facilities will also include cycle hire and a seated viewing area looking directly over the track. Provisions will also be made for families, schools and groups representing minority interests.
The new facilities are being built following a successful joint funding application to British Cycling’s Places to Ride capital grants programme by Lex Leisure and Mid Devon Cycling Club. More than £33,000 of funding was secured, this combined with a further £28,000 from Mid Devon Cycling Club, means more than £61,000 of improvements can be made.
Following completion of the works which are expected to take a month, the facilities will be managed largely by volunteers and maintained by voluntary sector funding, with grants from British Cycling.
Diary of A Grammar School Headteacher,
Many update readers will remember Dr Nick Smith, who spent 14 years as the Head of Torquay Girls Grammar School.
This week he wrote a piece for the Daily Telegraph on his experiences after taking on the headship.
You can read it on their website by clicking
here, although sadly it is behind a paywall.
Kev’s Column: This Week
Every fortnight I write a “Kev’s Column” for the Torbay Weekly and you can read the latest edition by following the link below:
https://www.kevinjfoster.com/news/kevs-column-week
and finally…….The Unification of England
Ending on a different note, we often talk about the Union which binds together the 4 nations of the United Kingdom, yet often the story of how England arose gets a lot less attention.
This week saw the anniversary of the amalgamation of the former Kingdoms which covered England in 927. Some of their names live on to this day in the descriptions of Mercia and Northumberland. A historian wrote a short piece this week on how England came together over 1000 years ago, you can find it by clicking
here.
That is all for this week and enjoy your weekend.
Best Wishes,
Kevin
