£700k consultant Bill Run up by Tory Police Commissioner

Devon and Cornwall's Conservative police commissioner is still spending vast amounts on consultants. At a time when frontline police have suffered cuts. The Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, Tony Hogg has been spent nearly £700,000 on consultants and agency staff. The figure covers the period from November 2012, when Tony Hogg took office, until March 2014. Back in June Tony Hogg claimed that his consultant spending was very much about setting up his office. Not the case, it seems, as the spending has continued and grown. Now even the Police Federation have picked up on the scandal. As ever Mr Hogg has failed to answer the questions himself, and has left it to one of his staff to make his excuses. It's not as if this is the only example of wasteful spending by Mr Hogg. His overall office costs are higher than the Police Authority he replaced, despite the promise by the Home Secretary that the new offices would be a saving on the previous system. Mr Hogg's excuse is that he isn't as bad as some. Don't forget that Mr Hogg demands that we pay his accommodation costs even though he could stay at Police HQ at Middlemoor Exeter for free. http://cllrdavidcox.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/hogging-limelight.html

Teign Estuary Cycle Route - Where's the Money

Almost 200 cyclists staged a pedal protest on Remembrance Sunday; riding between from Broadmeadow to Kingsteiognton, in protest at the delay of the Teign Estuary Cyclepath. Rumours abounded that the project had been shelved, only for Devon County Council to claim it was committed to the project. However Teignmouth County Councillor, Richard Younger-Ross has questioned the Conservatives on the lack of planned funding for the proposed Teign Estuary Cyclepath. At the Highways and Traffic Orders Committee it was reviled that no funds have been allocated for the Scheme for 2014/15. Richard said: ”We were given a presentation on capital projects in Teignbridge showing the proposed spend for this year and next year. Most Schemes showed the projected costs for both years but the Teign Estuary Cycle Route only showed £40,000 for this year and next year was “to be confirmed”. We have been given assurances by the Conservative led Council that they are going to progress the scheme. Those assurances would sit better if we could see some progress and some anticipated expenditure.”