149 per cent a bad idea...

A recent EDDC ‘staff engagement survey’ purports to show that its staff’s preferences for a location other than Knowle (they were not given Knowle as an option) were as follows:

– Honiton (57 per cent)

– Clyst House (42 per cent)

– Cranbrook (29 per cent)

– SkyPark (21 per cent).

It is interesting to find a survey that defies the laws of mathematics and comes up with a total turnout of 149 per cent.

The actual survey started by stating that “Members have decided to relocate from Knowle.”

Surely members only agreed to a move in principle depending on the viability of any preferred location and the full financial cost of the eventual relocation from Knowle?

Sorry, I digress. The actual mathematical gymnastics used to attain a 149 per cent turnout was achieved by allowing each respondent to nominate as many destinations as they liked.

This means that people could nominate one, two or all three locations.

No order of preference was listed on the form, therefore we get these bizarre figures.

Even with this survey construct, which would qualify as a fail in a GCSE exam, SkyPark only got 21 per cent of the vote.

Could this be because, as the EDDC press statement of November 8, 2013, said: [SkyPark’s] closeness to Exeter Airport might pose noise issues and since the site is a large development area there could be disruption caused by ongoing building works.”

The staff must also be aware, as are East Devon residents, that many future EDDC jobs will be filled by people from Exeter not East Devon – a loss that our council should not inflict on us.

It is not just the staff who will find SkyPark a difficult location.

There is no bus service to it from across East Devon, so how are the many members of the public who do not own cars supposed to visit their council for advice and attend public council meetings?

Frances Deegan,

Sidmouth

l See page 14 for more Knowle letters – including EDDC leader Paul Diviani’s response to critics.