Jim Funnell
@JimFunnel1
Followers
1,966
Following
1,123
Media
124
Statuses
383
Writer, film maker, welcomes science led discussion. Investigative journalism, fiction, poetry, art, oceans. Author @BrixhamChimes save our coastal communities
South Devon UK
Joined September 2023
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
James Earl Jones
• 797993 Tweets
iPhone
• 673892 Tweets
Tyreek
• 185073 Tweets
Karime
• 132693 Tweets
Jets
• 120746 Tweets
Yunes
• 109262 Tweets
49ers
• 101184 Tweets
Agustín
• 87746 Tweets
Draghi
• 72345 Tweets
LISA NEW DENTISTE AD
• 62445 Tweets
Broncano
• 53249 Tweets
シーザリオ
• 37853 Tweets
#WorldSuicidePreventionDay
• 32840 Tweets
対象作品
• 25452 Tweets
性の対象
• 21630 Tweets
ガチャチケット
• 21398 Tweets
Jordan Mason
• 21060 Tweets
辞職要求
• 17664 Tweets
小林邦昭さん
• 16218 Tweets
飛霄将軍
• 14687 Tweets
Polaris Dawn
• 13677 Tweets
月間MVP
• 10849 Tweets
Freeport challenge!
@dartmoornpa
have confirmed that more clarity is sought on the 75km Plymouth Freeport boundary. I have just been informed that a policy director will examine this issue. All eyes on what next & how transparent 🧵
@rbrooks45
@MarinaPurkiss
@campbellclaret
29
436
615
@campbellclaret
@BenHouchen
Here in South Hams the details of the Plymouth Freeport are unclear even to councillors! Lack of scrutiny, clarity and the haste in which Freeports were set up means that UK Gov policy is being written in real time. We hope press and political candidates for the GE wake up quick
22
313
504
What if your council told you that any further request you make relating to the freeport will not be answered? More insight on Plymouth Freeport & our publicly accountable councils coming v soon…
16
318
471
Are
@dartmoornpa
&
@SouthDevonNL
concerned that the just publshd Plymouth Freeport MOU (a year old) reveals the defntn of ‘Freeport’ given to councils is incorrect: ‘Freeport’ defines the ENTIRE Freeport boundary. Horrendous implications.
@rbrooks45
21
367
462
And amongst the UK government policies that enable the Freeport to have previously unheard of de- regulatory powers - we must all remember: each Freeport is not owned by us. The Freeport is a Private Limited Company, that is subsidised by taxpayer money with little transparency
19
340
376
@campbellclaret
@BenHouchen
South Hams cllrs asked if we could leave Plymouth Freeport. They were told there would be costs & damages. On persistent questioning this position (see pic) changed in council to it being ‘reputational’ cost rather than…er….costs & damages. Lack of transparency = lack of facts
13
238
348
@RoryStewartUKin
@RestIsPolitics
Do freeports really ‘bring investment’? They cause ‘displacement’ - when companies that were operating in ‘normal’ business conditions outside a Freeport move into the Freeport for ‘favourable’ conditions. Who benefits?
@campbellclaret
🧵
16
194
296
This fact is never mentioned by councils to residents as it’s not a good look, and raises tricky questions. How many Freeport councils have made it clear to their council tax payers?
@SusanChubb1
@SalvoFreeports
They have PR budgets- they could let them know…if they wished
And amongst the UK government policies that enable the Freeport to have previously unheard of de- regulatory powers - we must all remember: each Freeport is not owned by us. The Freeport is a Private Limited Company, that is subsidised by taxpayer money with little transparency
19
340
376
16
291
301
CONFIRMED: South Hams will release Plymouth Freeport ‘original bid’ (rationale for 75km Dartmoor Boundary) next week. Having claimed in FOI request that the doc could not be provided because South Hams “didn’t submit it” they are now er…providing it 🧵
@GeorgeMonbiot
@rbrooks45
15
184
295
Does Plymouth Freeport require a Habitats Regulations Assessment for its direct and indirect impacts across its 75km boundary area, the same regulations for the rest of the UK? It has important implications for ALL UK FREEPORTS: a thread 🧵
@guyshrubsole
@AnnAubert3
@RighttoRoam
7
187
261
Exiting EHCR. Climate breakdown. Criminalising protest. I am worried. But I am also worried about this👇🏾 Why it’s so hard to get info on Plymouth Freeport. My latest article on a Freeport, many questions, and my local council...are these issues shared?👇🏾
13
149
247
Read latest👇🏾how Plymouth Freeport is already extending out across the 75km outer boundary with hydrogen pipeline & undeclared ‘pioneering solutions’. An extraordinary story in full view + happening RIGHT NOW with Dartmoor and Protected Areas 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
8
236
206
Can councils leave Freeports? According to the Leader of South Hams Council re Plymouth Freeport - yes. 14 Dec 2023, in Full Council mtg it was stated, “The Leader has made it clear, that if he feels...the Freeport is not working ...he will pull out." 🧵
@rbrooks45
@watershed
23
135
202
Councils have a duty to be transparent and follow process. Unfortunately, in South Hams the process seems a bit muddled in relation to the Plymouth Freeport. A thread 🧵
@SalvoFreeports
@SusanChubb1
@rbrooks45
@LBC
@carolvorders
2
114
195
UPDATE: Plymouth Freeport CEO Richard May & team are ‘further considering’ the request for documents! Although I am mindful of issues, is there an understanding that the public deserves info to be shared & that transparency is both desirable & essential? Some docs I requested🧵
8
137
193
Residents of South Hams wonder whether anyone really believes their involvement with Plymouth Freeport is a good idea. Even councillors who support the project seem to give an ‘otherwise’ impression. A thread
@AnnAubert3
@SalvoFreeports
@HouseRowena
@wshed
7
125
188
At what point does seeking clarity on a major council project ‘cross the line’? Read ‘The Resident Who Asked Too Much’ on residents’ right to information on freeports & the issues with public/private projects & public transparency
11
164
191
@campbellclaret
@BenHouchen
Our councils ARE complicit in enabling Freeports. Starved of funding, the channeling of Levelling Up Funding seems a ‘lifeline’. But there are no guardrails. All information is held behind EIR and even the foundation document was kept from South Hams Cllrs for a whole year
5
91
182
Thank you
@EuropeanPowell
for providing depth of knowledge.
@MarinaPurkiss
Freeports are as transformative as the railroad- once laid, they really will steamroller unaccountable capitalism. Councils - reeling from lack of funding- have no idea what they’re doing.
@implausibleblog
Thank you
@MarinaPurkiss
and
@jemmaforte
for highlighting the next big rotten Tory scam on The Trawl!
@carolvorders
@campbellclaret
Please have a listen, once you get the basics, Brexit takes on a whole new sinister dimension!👀
15
494
756
2
119
169
CEO of Plymouth Freeport, Richard May & team, have suggested meeting to allay perceived concerns. Releasing Freeport docs is an essential step for public clarity. Follow
@TotnesPulse
to read 👇🏾 about what I call the ‘Dartmoor Document’ 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
12
118
165
Because the 75km boundary would have had to have a compelling economic reason for its size, it is reasonable to think there might be a ‘supply chain’ plan for Dartmoor - and the Freeport won’t release the bidding document that would show the reason
@SusanChubb1
2
72
158
So what are some of these implications? Well, it means assurances made in council that Dartmoor ‘is not in the Freeport’ mean….er…..that it’s in the Freeport and could host customs sub zones along ‘supply chains’ and, don’t worry, customs zones can be ‘empty spaces’
2
73
158
A regular specious argument used here in South Hams: ‘no one is interested in the Freeport -why talk about it?’ But on occasions South Hams does go public. Nov 30 2023: the Exec discuss an internal audit on the Freeport that reveals... 🧵
@rbrooks45
@Haroon_Siddique
@afoxylizard
7
133
155
26.4.24 Plymouth Freeport provided a range of requested documents via FOI, incl. original Freeport Bid (they state it will soon be on their website). At last some transparency - but also more Qs, incl. why has my council been so unable to provide them? A 🧵
@AnnAubert3
@wshed
9
114
159
At South Hams Council, the narrative is that it’s better to be ‘in’ the Freeport than ‘out’. But does the council sometimes forget about what it’s ‘in’ in the first place? Especially when it comes to calling public attention to its own Freeport 🧵
@implausibleblog
@wshed
7
110
147
Reports that Chief Exec & South Hams Officers meeting
@dartmoornpa
on issues & legality of Plymouth Freeport boundary. But defining a ‘legal agreement’ in relation to a Freeport is not as simple as it sounds. Important thread for all UK Freeports🧵
@rbrooks45
@campbellclaret
4
140
150
Plymouth Freeport again explored by
@PRSD
👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾Fascinating insights... Cllr asks hard questions of council & its core purpose. Meanwhile the Freeport campaign, agenda & PR rolls on whilst key documents remain unreleased by both council & Freeport….and answers still not given
#SouthHams
Executive 30 Nov 2023: Cllr Jacqi Hodgson (Green Party) states her concerns on Plymouth Freeport - that it is a risk to what the council should really focus on.
#Freeport
#PlymouthFreeport
#Devon
#SouthDevonFreeport
2
16
22
3
129
151
I am looking forward to the release of the original Plymouth Freeport bid document this week! 3 years since it was submitted, we'll find out the 'robust case' for inclusion of Dartmoor within its 75 km boundary. If it is not compelling, should the 75km boundary simply be removed?
13
85
141
Freeports & Plymouth & South Devon’s enduring mystery of why Dartmoor is included within its 75km Freeport boundary is discussed in the latest
@RestIsPolitics
So much more to explore, eyes on our councils for transparency and honesty with residents
@GeorgeMonbiot
@Right_2Roam
New
@RestIsPolitics
Q&A- disagreeing agreeably on Freeports; when to compromise and when to dig in;
@theresa_may
and Grenfell; how
@EdwardJDavey
needs to get better known; arts and soft power; MPs pay and conditions; why Doctors love 🇦🇺 and the job
@RoryStewartUK
wants under
37
69
282
3
109
135
Fascinating to see Cllrs at work in South Hams asking hard questions about Plymouth Freeport. If we want a new way of doing politics, we should be expecting it to be apparent. I note it is the Green Party holding Lib Dems led South Hams to account
@GreenMP4SDevon
At the
#SouthHams
Council meeting on 14 Dec 2023, Cllr G Allen (Green Party) questioned why the Liberal Democrats in the South Hams chamber have decided the Freeport is ‘OK’.
#Freeport
#PlymouthFreeport
#Devon
2
21
34
4
84
136
Will Plymouth Freeport finally reveal the real reason for 75km boundary, prev hidden from the public? A glimmer of hope. Big Qs left unanswered at all levels - such as what are these 'economic impacts' planned for Dartmoor?
@EuropeanPowell
@SusanChubb1
@AnnAubert3
@SouthDevonNL
6
89
134
@SusanChubb1
Does anyone have any ideas what uses large wild spaces like Dartmoor might have for defence? Or space? Me neither. Dartmoor is perfectly safe, despite being the perfect customs site location for the exact products the Plymouth Freeport is designed to produce.
12
44
129
According to this, nothing goes to the council residents who pay at least 5 times for the freeport: lost revenue from companies within the freeport, from companies relocating, to finance borrowing costs & when Plymouth Freeport ‘fixes’ displacement it caused🧵
@GeorgeMonbiot
5
85
124
May 2020: Wildlife & Countryside Link (imp.coalition of nature orgs) report on Freeport risks to UK Gov: customs, borders, security risks incl. biosecurity, trade in illegal species & animal products. Imp. Qs for nature already reeling in a climate crisis
@WCL_News
@carolvorders
6
113
120
And just a reminder of what HMGovernment hold as the legal defntn of the Plymouth Freeport - all 75 kms of it
5
85
120
Dec 2023, before public money is meaningfully committed, South Hams Council is told leaving Plymouth Freeport carries ‘very grave risks’. But there was a 5 yr break clause… a 🧵
@rbrooks45
@GeorgeMonbiot
@Haroon_Siddique
@afoxylizard
@EuropeanPowell
@SusanChubb1
2
101
113
On 30 Nov & 14 Dec 2023 South Hams council discussed its own internal audit re Plymouth Freeport. The report used the phrase ‘very grave risks’ for leaving the Freeport– in contrast to its 12 pages of identified issues that were simply referred to as ‘risks’ 🧵
@EuropeanPowell
4
85
115
The public also pays for the land to be developed for private companies, at public risk & expense. This is not ‘bringing in investment’: it’s huge public subsidy for business relocation.
@GoodLawProject
@guardiannews
6
56
115
After 3 yrs, Plymouth Freeport’s 75km boundary seems based on a 2019 council ‘agreement’ called the Joint Local Plan (see JLP prev.🧵) BUT the JLP states clearly: “The Dartmoor part…. is excluded from this plan”. Is this 75km boundary now on shaky ground?🧵
@wshed
@rbrooks45
6
88
110
Jan 2024:
@PrivateEyeNews
reveal all Freeports have indeed had their regulations ‘relaxed’ by UK Govt enabling them to ‘mark their own homework’ when it comes to this security. ““The annual audit... Has been superseded by a new approach..."
@campbellclaret
3
85
99
What's a Freeport ‘customs’ site? Any number of customs sites can be made within an outer boundary + even BEYOND it! They have special status: goods come in, modified into product & exported w/ tariff ‘benefits’ & duty exemptions. They can even be ‘empty spaces’ - Dartmoor? a 🧵
8
92
102
Residents of councils involved in UK freeport schemes can look forward to development not only ‘at pace’ but with a ‘Planning Super Squad’. An HoC 4th report into Freeport & Inv. Zone performance indicates planning rules are likely to change – contrary to council assurances🧵
6
156
133
1/ It’s no secret many UK councils hold years of unaudited accounts. A recent H of Commons report reveals deep concern over scrutiny of taxpayer millions thrown into freeports, investment & customs zones against this risky backdrop. A 🧵
@AnnAubert3
@blowhound
@PROT_DISEWORTH
6
110
106
South Hams Exec docs reveal a Plymouth Freeport high priority is creating new customs sites within the 75km outer boundary. A consultant & sales manager are targeting manufacturers. Residents express fear over lack of transparency - should there be more ‘special’ customs sites?
9
83
95
South Hams audit re Plymouth Freeport took 12 pages to conclude ‘very grave risks’ to leave v ‘risks’ in remaining. I counted the risks of staying 32 times in the report. None of 3 ‘very grave risks’ to leave were quantified, or had mitigations. Here’s my analysis 🧵
@rbrooks45
4
76
92
@EuropeanPowell
Yes! Great notes, thank you 🙏 The energy schemes element is very intriguing. Hydrogen and carbon capture are key parts of the Freeport ‘wasp cake’. Hydrogen is a trap being laid by the fossil fuel lobby. And carbon capture is - well… at present simply BS
2
43
90
How long does it take to release freeport information to the public? Should we really have to chase to find out how our money is spent - and on what? A timeline of freeport disclosure of a key document…how long will YOU have to wait on your FREEPORT?
1
87
88
So, with growing concerns on all aspects of Plymouth Freeport, why hasn’t South Hams left already? Perhaps because no-one knew about it, not asked about it & no-one has ever been given the option to leave
@rorystewartUK
@jemmaforte
@GoodLawProject
@SusanChubb1
@EuropeanPowell
8
45
80
Latest H of Commons Freeport report holds vital governance revelations. First, all Freeport & Inv. Zones 'should be linked' to a regional leader such as a Mayor. Mega millions, secrecy + private channels to regulators - is this ‘fiefdom power’ really a wise idea?
@AnnAubert3
12
115
91
Chair of PASD Freeport Jan Ward: “The fact that [Dartmoor] is included is really because it was part of the total boundary we were allowed & so that is just the way it panned out”. 2 problems: 1) the max boundary allowed was actually 45km. A very short 🧵
8
86
86
This new develpmt is important. The boundary should have already received legal/policy level scrutiny but little has been ‘assured’ & only in ‘broadest’ terms. 🧵
@GeorgeMonbiot
@guyshrubsole
@RoryStewartUK
@Right_2Roam
@carolvorders
3
46
70
Thanks
@AnnAubert3
for sharing this fascinating article. “What if lithium could be mined within a freeport zone, used to manufacture batteries for electric cars, then exported free of customs regulations?” Withheld documents lead to speculation; but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong…
@JimFunnel1
@PRSD
The United States geological survey identifies “Dartmoor in the east to Isles of Scilly in the west” …as one of the top five lithium-enriched granite areas worldwide. Dartmoor is now a part of The Plymouth and South Devon Freeport.
13
158
176
10
65
84
Leaping out at me fr/ the orig. Plymouth Freeport bid is prominence of ‘deregulation’. How much is thanks to Brexit ‘freedoms’? In 2023 UK Gov published a no-frills post-Brexit 'deregulation manifesto' w/ clear direction of travel: "Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy" A 🧵
3
56
80
South Hams Executive will meet 18 April to discuss Plymouth Freeport. Its publshd ‘update’ praises itself as a “programme to be proud of” & “mature collab. partnership”. But what do the details actually show us about the Freeport success so far? a 🧵
@SimonPease1
@rbrooks45
9
81
74
17 Nov 2023
@EuropeanPowell
spoke at an event chaired by
@GeorgeMonbiot
on the Plymouth Freeport and Freeports agenda to discuss what the Freeport might mean. The representative member for Plymouth Freeport from South Hams was invited, but declined to take part. 🧵
1
42
72
Interestingly, MOU section 7.2.3 discusses ‘transparency’ – a section South Hams would do well to study, as the MOU itself took a year to release to its own residents. Is this yet more council time being spent on a private ltd company rather than the council’s core business?
4
25
68
@PRSD
@TheTrawlPodcast
@MarinaPurkiss
@jemmaforte
@carolvorders
@EuropeanPowell
Natural England are already in line to be ‘embedded’ within Freeports - raising serious questions over independence and scrutiny…
6
28
68
Councils that are Freeport members and also raise their Council Tax should expect to be held to account over exactly what it is residents are paying for. Transparency is the least residents should expect.
@Littleoldladyw1
@JimFunnel1
@SouthHams_DC
@SusanChubb1
Scores of councils going bankrupt, Gove is letting councils be asset-stripped while introducing compulsory purchase orders that apply to business, agri, and residential properties. See govt website. ALL public services will be privatised within these 86 zones of exception.
1
27
30
0
38
69
South Hams must read UK Govt on Freeport’s purpose = reduced regulation. If this means no HRA for the Protected Landscape, South Hams has misinformed its councillors. Our protected landscape & habitats across the UK are in real danger from all Freeports.
@GeorgeMonbiot
@WCL_News
3
37
64
The South Devon Green Party asked residents if they understood what any of the ‘benefits’ in the corporate strategy were. Very few had even heard of the Freeport. The consultation period for the corporate strategy closed on November 30th 2023.🧵
2
41
62
Plymouth & South Devon Freeport knew this would happen right from the start. Devon Cabinet minutes from 13 April 2022 reveal how displacement and other calls on freeport rates make freeports a terrible ‘investment’ - for the taxpayer 🧵
@rbrooks45
@carolvorders
@SusanChubb1
5
41
65
In South Hams, Cllrs were told of 'costs and damages' to leave the Freeport that was never publicly consulted on. Cllrs had not seen legal agreements. In response, in Dec 2023 – a year after the MOU was agreed- Cllrs were given this MOU.
@carolvorders
@AnnAubert3
🧵
3
30
57
Very strange: South Hams bills the Freeport “…new investment, projected to be over £300 million, and an estimated 3,500 jobs…one of the largest economic development projects undertaken in South Hams.” How could South Hams have forgotten to mention its Freeport to residents?🧵
1
44
60
Meanwhile, residents of South Hams are scratching their heads: have they been consulted without knowing? Or not consulted but at least know? Or does anyone connected to the new administration really know anything about the millions spent in their name on the Freeport?🧵
2
31
56
So, surely next in line are the councils? Er…no: “The projected surplus…after these costs are met will be reinvested to meet wider Freeport objectives…” (NB Freeport objectives incl. ‘supply chain expansion’ with protected areas at risk) 🧵
@dartmoornpa
@EuropeanPowell
2
35
61
Surely South Hams would not give the impression that a consultation on the Freeport had just taken place, after Plymouth Freeport had already been agreed and signed up to a year before? 🧵
@Plymouth_Live
1
37
57
Plymouth Freeport’s focus is Defence and Space - industries that need the highest independent scrutiny for border controls & security. But given South Hams’ dismissal of its own Green Party Cllrs concerns, how safe should residents feel?
@EuropeanPowell
@implausibleblog
2
38
57
Are there any 'memory lapses' at other freeport councils? Are there any more ‘missing’ freeports? How many other councils have omitted to shout about their freeports clearly to residents?
@rbrooks45
@SusanChubb1
@AnnAubert3
4
33
59
Cllrs are no clearer on ‘costs’, but have been told they are more ‘reputational’ rather than ‘financial’. If South Hams cannot define its legal agreement with Cllrs, what assurances can reps give to
@dartmoornpa
and
@SouthDevonNL
? And why not the Freeport giving assurances?🧵
2
26
57
A Green Party Councillor pointed out that the MOU stated clearly THIS IS NOT LEGALLY ENFORCEABLE. The clarifying response was this... (the issue being neither councillors nor residents are allowed access to ALL the documents)
@Plymouth_Live
🧵
@NewsSouthHams
1
24
56
On this day in 2022 it was recommended that South Hams Council fully participate in Plymouth & South Devon Freeport & that the council borrow ‘up to £5 million’ for the funding of the Langage tax & customs site. A🧵
@Haroon_Siddique
@AnnAubert3
@EuropeanPowell
@rbrooks45
@wshed
2
54
57
Imp. committee-
@nationaltrust
@NaturalEngland
@HistoricEngland
They need answers from the Freeport on its impact. After I spoke, a South Hams officer offered a ‘5 minute’ response on the matter at a further date. Is this all we should expect for our protected spaces? 🧵
1
26
55
Surely now it’s the councils’ turn? Er… no again. Councils must wait until “….after offsetting the impact of any displacement of economic activity from the surrounding areas”-which the Freeport itself caused! (NB. no detail on what, how or cost for this ‘offsetting’)🧵
@wshed
1
27
55
@EuropeanPowell
This is really grim. Thanks for sharing as it is vital, but it’s hard to read!
1
11
58
What concerns me is lack of oversight & scrutiny given to UK public: starved of info & yet still meant to place trust in deregulation behind closed doors. Plymouth Freeport Chair Jan Ward referenced lack of transparency to MPs 5 months ago (🙏
@EuropeanPowell
for finding this)
1
32
55
Meanwhile, statements from within South Hams stated “allegations had been made” that there had been no public consultation on the Freeport. The word “allegations” is interesting. Sometimes it has been used by organisations to ‘scare the mice’ away from a difficult subject. 🧵
1
21
48
Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) measure direct & indirect impacts on protected sites and habitats. Risk factors include air pollution, habitat disturbance & traffic. Surely a 75km Freeport across protected areas must do an HRA? 🧵
@WildlifeTrusts
@MarkLloydRT
@ChrisGPackham
2
24
47
A common Q from residents is ‘Can we get out of this?’ It’s no, maybe and yes- depending on who you ask and when. Each member Council will have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to clarify legal terms with the private limited company. 🧵
@GeorgeMonbiot
@EuropeanPowell
1
21
49
@PRSD
But when did South Hams residents even get asked about if they wanted to be in the Freeport or not? Are risks not only being taken but taken without public mandate and without the openness required of a local governing body? Is there even a criteria to measure value for money??
5
18
51
During November 2023 this position ‘evolved’. Sources very close to the administration confirmed that in fact no public consultation had been conducted. 🧵
@NewsSouthHams
2
22
47
I made a public statement to
@SouthDevonNL
this morning on Plymouth Freeport. First they cancelled me, then I spoke, but it wasn’t live-streamed like the rest of the meeting. Here’s Part 1 (v short) that no one got to see
@rbrooks45
@SalvoFreeports
@GeorgeMonbiot
1
33
43
Councils are lured by retention of Freeport business rates. But there are priorities for allocation: “The first call….will be to finance the costs of borrowing…to support…. subsequent lifecycle costs….to support operating costs.” EES/22/3 13 April 2022
@cijournalism
🧵
1
25
47
A document full of typos appeared as ‘Addendum 2’ for the Council meeting 14 December 2023. The document’s title? ‘Freeport Consultation’. The content of the responses weren’t addressed in council. A shame for any resident who had spent their time responding.🧵
1
24
43
...massive impacts not covered by the area's 2019 ‘Joint Local Plan’. The MOU states its impact will be more than tax sites & urban fringe. Dartmoor is not covered by the JLP. 15 March 2024 I asked
@SouthDevonNL
committee Qs on Freeport impact on S. Devon Protected Landscape🧵
1
12
42
@whitehorsemews
@dartmoornpa
@SouthDevonNL
@rbrooks45
The definition of ‘what a Freeport is’ is critical: now the MOU confirms that legally it is the whole boundary area, then Rishi Sunak’s Freeport Consultation (2020) and its planning reforms become deeply concerning and no longer ‘theoretical’
1
21
43
Councils have a duty to show value for money. Why is it so hard to get a straight answer on the simplest value for money questions regarding ‘costs’, ‘damages’ and ‘reputational’ costs- with hard facts when it comes to Freeports?
@RichardJMurphy
2
18
46
Plymouth Freeport’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) states clearly the Freeport’s objectives: supply chain expansion. South Hams can expect lorries, warehouses, transport infrastructure, people & pressure on all areas within the boundary – for recreation and work... 🧵
@wshed
1
12
41
I asked for 'Tax Site Extension Delivery Plan': councils are using gov loans, publ. money & funded officer time to acquire & dev. these tax/customs sites. I asked for 'Freeport Risk Register' for publ. exposure clarity. 26th April will know more!
@SalvoFreeports
@Europeanpowell
1
23
42
I was previously unaware of this excellent article by
@AnnAubert3
that correlates many of the issues across Freeports, and should further lead to more questions that
@dartmoornpa
and
@SouthDevonNL
should be urgently asking - in depth and with legal clarification
@JimFunnel1
In 2022 I investigated this and contacted IOW council who confirmed to me that no consultation of residents or local businesses had taken place when the whole of the Isle of Wight became quietly absorbed into the Freeport. I doubt the islanders even know.
6
77
87
1
35
39
This ‘break clause’ raises imp Qs. It implies a mechanism to unwind Freeport & council arrangements. It also begs the Q - why ‘very grave risks’ at the very start of the project, but 5 yrs on it could be acceptable? Will ‘reputational’ & ‘cost’ risks be any less? 🧵
@wshed
2
19
40
Meanwhile, a ‘Corporate Strategy’ consultation was conducted by South Hams briefly referencing ‘benefits’ Plymouth Freeport would bring. But it seems the Freeport’s contribution to South Hams was so incidental that it only made bottom of the list on the ‘economy & jobs’ page. 🧵
1
21
38
@SalvoFreeports
@EuropeanPowell
Congrats
@SalvoFreeports
& RMT: thank you as always
@EuropeanPowell
& the network of informed citizens. I am so hopeful that what you are doing will be replicated across the UK
1
11
38
2) The ‘not actually allowed’ 75km boundary is claimed by others connected to the Freeport to follow the member councils’ pre-existing Joint Local Plan (JLP) - an area ‘strategic shared vision’. The issue here is that the JLP didn't even apply to the National Park Authority.
2
22
39
I asked for the original 'Freeport Conflicts of Interest Policy (pre 9th Feb 2023)' & 'Directors’ Interests' doc as of 9th Feb 2023 - standard governance accountability documents 🧵
@wshed
@rbrooks45
2
23
38
Sept 21st 2023: South Hams propose their Corporate Strategy 2024 – 2028 laying out ‘ambitions for the next four years’. Surely a 25 year, multi-million, 75km, Dartmoor spanning project like Plymouth Freeport would feature? But the Freeport fell off the Press Release entirely 🧵
2
22
38
Could be a tough position to hold but an easy fix. DLUHC are Freeport partners. If the boundary rationale is problematic, it is reasonable to reduce it to the allowed 45km via DLUHC & UK Gov. But the question is - will anyone want to do it, incl. our councils? If not- why not?
1
18
39
The Freeport Bidding Prospectus expects councils to be accountable. But no clear answer on how ‘very grave’ the risks of leaving might be compared to existential risks destroying social care, SEN education, health & housing across the whole of South Devon
@Shelter
@mencap_charity
0
20
36
Is it cynical to think that in 5 yrs time, the public will have paid for land & devlpmnt, & by then will either be so committed that leaving is impossible - or that the public bodies are simply by then surplus to requirements? 🧵
@wshed
@AnnAubert3
2
20
37
A resident said to me - if UK gov can declare Rwanda ‘a safe country’ in perpetuity, what trust can we have in the real world security of multiple customs sites run by private security in the UK gov policy of Freeports? It was an interesting Q - trust depends on transparency 🧵
1
17
37