Tourism

Most people will have read about the offer made by Daryl Nicholas to front up an investigation on how a new Tourist information service can be implemented in the town Town councillors were at the council meeting keen to stress that they were not looking top pick up the costs of this new service although they have agreed to accept the offer to investigate and report back in April, with full costings.

Council spin or Bull Sh1t!

the Town council were given the first draft of next years budget for consideration at this weeks TC finance meeting The debate was mainly to decide how they viewed the historical records rather than to ,look at the projections for the next year, although it was said that to keep services at the current level an increase in the precept of 4 pence per annum would be needed. This despite a loss of the central funding that has been withdrawn. A motion put by one of the opposition members that an investigation by sub committee was not well supported by the ruling party although it was resolved to refer it to the next council meeting for a full debate despite the mayor making the point that the agenda for that meeting is already very long and the meeting may have to be extended to 11pm to complete.
Ity strikes us that the council is being run to suit the councillors rather than to conduct its business in a businesslike manner. If meetings every six weeks are not enough then they should beheld monthly After all the majority of the councillors are not actively circulating amongst the electorate and holding surgeries so an extra meeting or two will not unduly inconvenience them and if they don't like that then they should stand down, there are certainly a number of alternative independent candidates who would stand up and actually work for the Town.
Stepping back to the budget it has not been publicised very well but a historic record of the precept from the first days of the TCc reformed in 1997 to date is posted on the new TC website. Ity shows just how much the increases have been over the years.
the first year a precept of £12 raised a little over £14k and the same precept in the following year raised an extra £2k  Successive years when the TC was growing and a Town Manager was employed caused an increase in precept over the next 8 yeas to fund that and the music and arts festival until the 2007 precept which grew to £21.88 allowing for functions that EDDC told the clerk they would no longer be able to fund could be taken on by the TC even though just before the elections in May of that year the dc suddenly found the cash to carry on Many think that to have been a very deliberate move to deceive the electors into believing that the LD members of the TC had put up the precept for no reason.
History has a habit of repeating itself and it is clear that the present leadership want to raise the precept again despite the fact that since they came to power the increases have been very considerable 9.92% in 2008 and  25.63% in 2010 are just two years The average over the 6 years they have been in control is a mighty 6.04% which is far above the annual cost of living increases that are published by the bank of England

How a blog can get through to a council

It has been brought to our attention that Exmouth Town clerk who is supposedly so overworked has time to read on line public blogs to read about the things which are of a concern to the people. What a pity however that he and his immediate superiors do not appear to take any notice, but then he cannot be that overworked if he has the time to go web searching. It may be that he is extra sensitive about what the public think about his periods of holiday that would look like as if he spends most of his time away from his desk. Rather that investigating the possibility of appointing a deputy would it not be more efficient if the clerk were on the job for more hours and spend less relaxing on leave? I recall that his predecessor took very little time way from the job but all of the work was completed but then he although allowed a deputy declined and so an appointment of an office manger was made.

Selling or not selling that is the question

Once again confusion reigns because of EDDC refusal to come clean on their ambitions. The Splash or as it is now called the Queens Drive leisure area will be handed over to a partner who will be responsible for developing the attractions there. EDDC's Lisa Timberlake said in a briefing to the COLP meeting on Thursday,that the council will be seeking their partner soon and that the land will be transferred to them as either  leasehold or freehold with outline planning permission, but that the partner is expected to work alongside the existing tenants to see if they can come forward with the cash and schemes to match the councils ambitions. This will certainly increase the costs that the businesses have to cover, and although the partner will be paying EDDC rent, ( but only if it is leasehold!) freehold it is lost forever. The tenant will of course have to pay extra to cover the partners profits so pushing up costs considerably.
All the time before this EDDC were saying that they would redevelop the area not letting on that as usual the land is to be sold, Who wants to guess which of the favorite developers will get the land. could it be a spin off benefit for the Rolle playing fields for the Sea front with permission to go ahead?  OR else swapping to the Released  Imperial ground for the EDDC backed supermarket and housing, when the Rugby club moves out?
And even more worrying will that open the flood gates for even more development along the seafront? the Maer will not be safe because EDDC will be opening up the can of worms which will eventually allow a spread of built up units and costly holiday attractions from Carlton Hill to Orcombe point An why would EDDC be concerned about that/ Simply they won't because the ruling group is based at Honiton, not Sidmouth where many think and are relatively fire proof because the tribal election system protects them from being thrown out at the next election, or does it? watch out for the next installment to follow fairly soon.

What is quality when it has lapsed?

Anyone who has noticed that the Town council is still using the quality council logo on its paper might be confused because the QC scheme has been suspended The council has however been allowed to continue to use the logo until the new scheme is rolled out and their application (if they make one) is approved and they are again to be a Quality council. there are a lot of ex Councillors who worked their socks off to attain the standard needed to get QC status and it sorely grieves us to see that this mob have let it go so easily

East Devon caught out -AGAIN

East Devon has again shot itself in the foot. Each council has to have a variety of strategies in place in order to gain pull down funding for the provision of all sorts of things. included in these are the provision of sports and recreational facilities.
East Devon has for many years ignored the need to put better facilities in place to allow us the residents a fair chance to enjoy physical and leisure activities to keep up our health and fitness.they would much rather spend their time and our money setting up supermarkets and conducting false surveys about housing need that getting better leisure facilities of the blocks.
A golden opportunity has been lost to build on the Olympics no athletic facilities have either been set up or even improvements made to any existing sites. the same is happening with the Football World cup and will if not corrected swiftly similarly not happen with the rugby world cup that is now only 12 months away. East Devon has a big shortfall in pitches for all sports and still thay are pushing f0r the supermarket on the existing rugby ground in Exmouth This is a classic example of the folly that is EDDC There is no reason why there should not be more pitch provision all over the district after all the funds to provide them would be drawn down from Sport England although running costs would come home to EDDC or the hirers!
One clear and necessary need is for EDDC to consult with local sports governing bodies to set out a plan to deliver what is needed for the next 15/20 years.
I can say that EDDC are to investigate but so far have not broken the sound barrier in respect of the speed at which they will go about this

Read more about it with the usual council spin at this link
http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/playingpitchstrategy

So what about open and democratic councils ?" Is the council fit for purpose or are the councilors negligent?"

Having asked a question under the freedom of information act I have had a reply to say firstly that the clerk is away until 30th October which I already knew but that is followed by a statement that he will be sending me a "bill" for the costs of getting the information together i have asked for information about how the budgets are set out not as ball park numbers but to give an accurate indication of what the council intends to spend our taxes on. this bill will be based on £25 an hour plus any postage photocopies etc. How on earth in these times can this be justified/ it should be evident that when preparing the draft budgets all of the figures are recorded so that a true cost can be forecast or has this been done on the back of the proverbial fag packet?
What this has proved to me is that again there is evidence that the Town council is falling down on its duties which begs the question" Is the council fit for purpose or are  the councilors negligent?"

Full time Town clerk?

Exmouth employs a full time town Clerk, or do they? he is away from his post again and not back until 30 October. it looks as if this person has more holidays than you can shake a stick at.
 If he is not needed for so much of the time then exactly why do we need to employ him as a full timer anyhow? There is a requirement for a clerk but he or she is not required to be full time. Many Parish councils manage with a clerk who is part time, and many of whom are shared between nearby councils to save money. I wonder what a question at the next full council meeting will flush out?

Town council open meetings?

have any of you out there noticed the trend for the Town council to hold special meetings to discuss things which become important? the latest was the special meeting that was convened to debate the impending closure of the TIC located in Travel world. Why this is happening is a great concern to anyone who treasures freedom of speech and democracy. All council meetings are supposed by law to be held in the evening after 6  pm if it is a parish council (which Exmouth is) so that there ks an open and democratic process that can bee seen to work by the public who are able to attend.
Simply put the town council is stopping the public from seeing democracy at work and is creating a sense of distrust in their workings,

How to NOT run the local finances

Our Town Council has at its last meeting been investigating just how the local taxpayers can be ripped off even more than they now are. Rather than taking a hard look at what they do and see if savings can be made the debate was centred almost entirely upon how much the precept could be raised next year, not with improvements to services in mind but because the Exmouth precept is the lowest in East Devon. something that when I served the people on the Town Council we were very proud of because it showed just how much we cared about the people and just how carefull we were with the public purse. Not that there was any shortage of costly functions which we undertook.  Some I must include and liost here.
Grant funding local organisations
grant funding the Visitor centre
grant funding the TIC
Grant funding the CIB
Grant funding the Community bus service.
Grant funding evening bus services in the town
Grant funding for the new shelters on the railway station
Grant funding new bus shelters on the Parade In Exeter Road and Salterton Road.
Grant funding repairs and refurbishments to all the other council owned bus shelters in Exmouth including relocating those no longer used
Grant funding the water sports centre
starting the Exmouth festival as a MUSIC AND ARTS festival
Employing a festival organiser.
Starting Town management partnership and employing a Town Manager who was also the part time deputy Town clerk
Budgeting for an extended Town management partnership with a full time manger and an assistant manager
Budgeting to take over some of the functions that EDDC said they could no longer afford ( toilets and flowers with some extra street cleaning.
Take over the administration of the Gorfin Hall and pay for it to be updated with new windows kitchen units etc.
Take over the reception area in the town hall when EDDC resolved to close it after relocating local services to Street Scene office at Camperdown depot

I have been very poorly of late but am back now feeling far better and will be able to get on with spilling the news as soon as it breaks.

Does Exmouth want or need another Supermarket?

There is a long standing plan by East Devon District council (EDDC) to build another supermarket on the Estuary side. This time the project would be to use the current rugby ground after relocating Exmouth Rugby Club to another site out of the town centre. Not wishing to prevent the club from moving I will not comment on that but do feel it will not be a great benefit to them in the long run. The whole question of another supermarket in the town would look to be based on a flawed assumption that the buyers would use the opportunity to make linked trips to other shops so increasing trade generally. I and many others very much doubt this and feel that the main reason for promoting the scheme is purely a financial one. EDDC will get a lot of cash for releasing the ground for development which they can use (squander) on other poorly thought out schemes which the public do not have an appetite for.

If there is a need to have another supermarket should it not be built on the edge of town or at least nearer to the centre of population? This would mean having a store either on the western end of the existing Dinan way or on the employment land in pound lane. Either of those would put a store near to where people live and also cut the over use of the Satlerton Road Tesco store although why we should worry too much about the business success of that company I just cannot see .The advantage of a Dinan way store would be to cut the lorry traffic into the town centre and would stop the need for lorries to go through residential streets to get to Pound Lane, but either would allow a better shopping experience for the locals than having to drive into the Town with the cost of fuel and parking to be added to the shopping bill

It is not too late for everyone to register their interest and opinion.
If we all pull together then it is very possible that any proposals can be overturned before they start remember the ASDA fight a few years ago public opinion stopped that store so we can do it again if we stand together.

Please comment so that we can see how much  the people either do or simply do not want this to happen

Christmas cracker and the road closure details

Christmas Cracker 2013 – Road Closure

Great news!  We are delighted to announce that the Christmas Cracker, this year will be on Saturday 7th December, 2.00pm to 10.00pm with an illuminated night market and vintage Christmas theme.

Full details will be released through the local press but this year’s event has been significantly increased on last year.  Feedback from traders and the Town Team about what could have been done better has been factored into the overall event and part of this is to provide an improved link between the Strand, Rolle Street and the Magnolia Centre.

The section of Rolle Street between the Parade/Rolle Street round-about to the junction with Rolle Street/Church Street will be closed.  The road will be closed from mid-day until mid-night on Saturday 7th December.  

This will have an effect on the movement of deliveries and staff traffic during this time which we hope, given advance notice can be factored into your plans.  The London Inn car park via Church Street will remain open and a full diversion in place.  Please take this into account when planning any deliveries.  We ask that no large deliveries should be planned after 10.30am to ensure vehicles can unload and clear the site without problem.  When the road is closed it will be impossible for vehicles to move about in the designated area.  

To discuss this further or for more information please contact me at the Town Hall on 276167 or e-mail tmassistant@exmouth.gov.uk

We hope that the plans for this year will provide a significant boost to the late night shopping here in Exmouth by bringing many more people into their Town Centre and we ask that you make the most of this opportunity by opening late and embracing the event.

Regards

Suzanne Birkett

Town Management Project Officer

maybe East Devon councils are not so bad after all?

One North Devon Parish Council has realy upped the anti with regard to being stupid/ arrogant/ unelectable?
They have produced a Neighbourhood plan that would even have East Devon District Council hiding inshame. Read about it at the following link.

http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/council_admits_it_made_a_mistake_over_village_boundary_plans_1_2208791

Volunteers needed

The council are looking to recruit a number of volunteer co-coordinators in Exmouth so that in the event of an emergency there are people who have local knowledge which the emergency services can link into. This is intended as an extension of the work already done by the flood-watch and snow teams, so if there are any of you who may be interested then first contact the Exmouth Town Clerk . Contact details can be found by visiting the website, or call into the Town hall and speak to him directly.
exmouth.gov.uk

devious Town councillors

there has been some considerable conflict in the Town hall over the eviction of the public from the Town councill meeting on 23rd September in order that wto items could be debated in in camera (part B) gthe fisrt was on the agenda as item14 and was to recieve the report from the arts Offgcer, but the second item was to debate and comment upon the laterst option that te County council are offering as the bus shelter on the strand. i have made a complaint about the proceedure over these matters to EDDC monitoring officer as i believe that the actions of the Council and the clerk have brought the Council into disrepute. several e-mails ahave been excvhanged with the clerrk over this but he has simply brushed all comments and complaints aside quoting irrelevant regulations ans some sections of the various laws regarding the actions and responsibilities of the council. I have pasted the content of my complaint below so that all can read what exactly I have said. asd things unravel i will keep this page updated so please follow the thread.

Complaint to EDDC Monotoring officer made 3/10/2013

That by the actions of the Town Clerk and the chairman (Mayor) Exmouth Town Council at its meeting on September 23rd brought the Council into disrepute Clerk inserted an item into the published agenda the be taken in part b which was a request for a matter to be consulted upon prior to an application to place a bus shelter on the Strand Exmouth. this has been a hotly debated matter for months getting on for years and the residents by a big majority in a survey conducted by the Town Council resolved that they only wished for a bus shelter to be built there, the ruling group at the Council however have made it quite clear that they wish for more, a covered  area that couild be used as a performance stage 
I believe tht by the actions of the two whom I haver inmdicated Exmouth town Council has brought itself into disrepute and that although the other councillors could have rescued the situation they in ngeneral by their inaction have subscribed to the chrge of disrepute being made against the council as a whole.seating area with removable seats to allow for a temporary performing stage to be used. the debate being held in part B effectively removed the opportunity for the public to see and hear the democratic debate and they have been denied the transparency that they deserve in all matters appertaining to their home town
At the same meeting also taken in part b a report was received and a debate followed on the arrangements for the Town Council managed, public funded Exmouth festival 2014. Again no member of the public has been allowed to see and hear rhe debate nor has in either case a minute of the item been made availble to the public although the local press have been able to make  a front page statement and another report on page 7 (Exmouth Journal 3/10/13)
i have had an e-mail exchange with the Town Clerk on this matter but he has effectivly brushed me off and I am not in antcipation of any more action by him

TC meetings

The Special TC meeting started late because of an overrun of the scheduled planning meeting and when it did start at 7.30 the Mayor welcomed very one and called for the registered speakers in turn. each made very valid comments on the proposed development varying from simple information given by one of the current lease holders who indicated that his business if closed would mean job losses in the region of four full time and eight part time trough out the year. Another questioned the (EDDC) councils methods by asking if assessment had been made about the viability, environmental impact etc had been made, another said that the Harbour view cafe should be refurbished and not demolished for rebuilding.The EDDC officer responsible for regeneration projects stated that all studies would be carried out but admitted that they had not yet been done. All councilors than commented All of the Lib Dems spoke strongly against the plans buity as was expected the tories were in favour although two said that they wished that EDDC would talk to the people more before coming up with schemes like this.The Mayor spoke extremely strongly for the proposals but he was forced into taking a recorded vote which he lost by 11 votes to 8 with one abstention.

This meeting ended at 8.30 and the delayed full council meeting then convened and I asked why the council was not doing what the government has told them to do in June 2010 This is to publicise its data clearly with special regard to the information on contracts and tenders which the mayor passed onto the clerk who said that as soon as the new website was up and running then they would be able to do what they should, a completer white again by a council that is out of touch and is surely guilty of maladministration the councilors agreed to extend the time until 9.30 to try and complete its agenda.some housework to adjust working parties and committees to enable the replacement of the late Jean Mitchell on several of the committee that she was a member then took place.The plans for a new school on Goodmores farm was the debated at length and as a result it was resolved that ETC would object to the plans on the grounds that the proposal was too small, in the wrong place and that the estimated growth in primary school children was excessive as already measures have taken place to provide space in the existing schools although the Community College would need to be extended to allow for all of the extra pupils staying on post 16

At 9.40 the press and public were asked to leave so that private debate about the festival 2014 and the strand bus shelter could take place.

I felt aggrieved that they had the nerve to chuck us out so that a debate on the festival and the publicly criticised bus shelter proposal could be had in private.

Local is best

Local rivalry between Exmouth and Exeter is bubbling up prompted by the wishes of Exeter's radio exe to downplay Bay fm from Exmouth, there is little doubt that the winner is Bay fm who have kept their heads down and just got on with doing a very good job for the community. Radio exe is after all a commercial station that has to rely on its advertisers to exist whist Bay fm is a community station that simply broadcasts music, information and news about what is current locally. Leaving out the adverts lets them come to the very top in the battle.
The real competition for Radio exe must be Heart fm that is part of a national group.
Just go to 106.4fm on the dial for the best music and local news I do and can listen to Bay fm over the other side of Exeter in Exwick that is just under the Radio exe transmitter mast.

ERaTA special public meeting held on 10th september

At this meeting the general public were invited to comment upon the way that the money that has been received by EDDC for the Elizabeth hall site should be spent in Exmouth. the main outcome was that there is very little support for the splash proposal although it was commented that to have an indoor play area would keep the facilities open and usable for la longer period.To move the Road over to allow the splash is also not wanted by the general public
There was considerable discussion about the public toilet provision on the Sea front in particular and a desire to have more toilets available and of a much higher standard was expressed. the demolition of Harbour view was not supported as it was believed that to smarten the building up and possibly to add an extension on the water side would be sufficient to bring the building up to a standard that would benefit the town and be very acceptable to residents and holidaymakers alike.
A new cafe at Orombe point combined with a visitor centre was declared a necessity and that as a considerable amount of money had already been put into the visitor centre scheme by the town Council and by public donation there must be a sum to kick start the project swiftly, although the cafe cost should be provided by the operator.. The proposed rebuild of the Mamhead slipway was heavily criticised for being expensive and in the wrong place, a survey of the slips in Exmouth having been previously publicised identified several alternatives and should be reconsidered.
Going onto the Imperial sports ground it was considered undesirable to sell the land for a supermarket or any other sort of development There  target should be to update the present facilities by converting the running track to an all weather surface and allowing the rugby club to remain on site with an extended lease together with help to update and extend the club house.
Briefly to summarise


things that are wanted in Exmouth.

• More better toilets,
• An improved and updated sports ground 
• A slipway to replace the Mamhead slip, but at an alternative place!
•  A cafe/ visitor centre at Orcombe point
• EDDC to employ a specialist fundraiser to access grant funding for projects.
• some part of the existing play park could be covered or made into an indoor facility
• the road at the splash zone to be traffic calmed 
• although it was said that the loss of the Elizabeth hall had resulted in the Town no longer having a public hall in a usable position and it is desirable to have a replacement although there was no firm suggestion about where this should be provided.
• Greater real conversations and consultations about the way that Exmouth people see their town progressing in the future.

Things that are not wanted in Exmouth

• Another supermarket on the sports ground
• another hotel or "holiday accommodation" on the splash site.
• the road at the splash realigned

My comment   If the Exmouth Rugby club should wish to move away from the sports ground at Royal avenue then no one is convinced that they should be prevented from doing so but the cost of the move should then not be covered by the public purse if the sports ground is to be upgraded and improved with a longer lease to enable them to progress and improve their standing in the game.

Special Town Council meeting

There is to be a special town council meeting on 23rd September at 7pm to debate the planning application for the splash after several councillors rebelled at the planning meeting and referred the question to a full meeting so that they could listen to the public and then make up their minds. It is very noticeable that the Tory ruling group has split over this although there may well be a rethink and closing of ranks by the 23rd. Please come to the meeting and show solidarity about this unwanted (by most people) development

New week start over again

had bad news this morning, have lost my Sister in Law, she has succomed to a mixture of age and infirmaty.
A bad day for all our family that puts many other things into the shade.

Yet another set of proposals for a 33 hiome Courtlands cross development

have been circulated, this time time the developer has delivered fliers to the local residents who will be overlooked by the proposed development of 33 houses on a field at the rear of houses built in Courtlands lane just inside the Lympstone boundary., although the developer calls it Exmouth.
Already some work has been carried out on the site by digging a pond at the lower part of one of the fields but which has destroyed the natural drainage from the fields and is making the lane (part of the East Devon Way) at the lower edge of the site extremely wet even in this very dry summer, Lord knows what it will be like when the rains comeback!
asimilar but larger plans have previously been rejected by EDDC despite their Officers approval after some very long and protracted battles by both the parish copuncil and local residents who were against development on this open land that acts as a buffer between Lympstone and it larger neighbour,
A greater view of this can be seen at the following link where a form is attached to comment upon the proposals.

courtlandscross.co.uk

A new application for seating in the Strand

Andy Dyer has applied for a pavement licence outside his new pub in the Cafe quarter, could be a retrospective application because he has had chairs and tables out there for weeks blocking the pathway. his formal request is supported by a plan that identifies the space he wishes to have but with a 2 metre clear space. Even with this space will be very difficult for the elderly or young mothers with pushchairs to use the footpath. Disabled people will be very badly inconvenienced as the chairs will spread about as drinkers push them back in their haste to get another cheap pint. Ever since this place opened there has been an offer of cheap booze often resulting in a group of hardened drinkers lounging around the tables and obstructing the pathway.
If readers are concerned they can read the notice fixed to a lamp post and use the address thereon to raise their objections but don't leave it too late and be ruled out of time.

EDDC among the top Rip Off Councils

In the WMN EDDC are listed in the top 5 of councils in the SW who are ripping off the motorists with their car parking fees and fines.

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Councils-Devon-Cornwall-defend-cash-cow-car-park/story-19711576-detail/story.html

I suppose that as a motorist I must be pleased that EDDC have selected me to subsidise their extravagances and take the pressure off those who are not drivers!

A super transport interchange?

Which has been muted by the council is not needed to satisfy the needs of the travelling public. what we have already is good enough although some small improvement should be made.

1. The Bus company who have the lease must be made to do some maintenance to preserve the structure of the buildings, shot blasting the steel work and painting it on a regular basis would be a fine start.
2. Repair or replace the broken windows and partitions
3. Renegotiating the terms of the lease to allow alternative uses within the area for say the provision of a mobility centre and possibly a cycle hire store with a rest room and cafe all built with simple construction methods.
4. bring every bus service into the exchange thus making all travelling easier for the public to access without cold wet walks between the various stops.
5. Provide a free phone for travellers to call for taxi's rather that have waiting cabs wasting their time in the hope of getting a fare.
6. Setting up a permanent coach set down and pick up bay within the site so allowing the car parking spaces in Imperial road to be reinstated but to make them pay and display (metered parking would be better)!
7. Convert all surface car parks to a pay on exit system that would save on enforcement costs and also provide the cash needed to make the changes needed to include the options called for in (3)
8. Remove the bus parking to another site to free up space and make employees use the npublic spaces increased available space and provides a small increase in revenue. Alternatively make a charge on the bus company for each vehicle parked within the site

Redevelopment of the rugby ground

the plans to redevelop the rugby ground will soon be gathering speed and although the Council has to put its plans into the public domain there is no compelling rule that makes them either consult the public nor take any heed of public opinion.
This is again a question of want/need/ cash.
EDDC wants top build more things in the town for which there is little appetite from the residents. A Supermarket chain would they hope provide the cash to do these things. It must not be thought that anyone is sayng that the Rugby club cannot relocate to whatever place it feels to be appropriate but the use of the ground must be retained for recreational purposes. In the press a letter writer suggested that converting the ground into a permanent caravan touring site would be appropriate. I totally agree that at least a part of the site could well be used in this manner after all the present club house is very easily converted into  reception and toilet block with on site laundrette for the caravanners who would then get into town to spend their holiday money We already have a few such sites in the area but none so near to the town that would give Exmouth the greatest benefit possible. A supermarket will not encourage other shopping visits (linked visits), whilst still deriving an income for the council from the fees without having to do anything to collect them
The council; and its employees are so blinkered that they just cannot see how the building of another supermarket will bring desolation to our shopping centre even without the anticipated influx that EDDC say will come to see this new store Although curiosity could at first there make some  visit but how many will drive along a very busy road for the "pleasure" of going to a Morrisons/Sainsburys.Waitrose when they have to pass them by on the way. FOGET It EDDC it just won't work. Those who live in the outskirts of Exmouth are more likely to shop in the existing Lidle/Tesco/co-op stores to save the hassle of driving into a congested town centre.

Where has the benevolent Lord of the manor gone?

In times or yore it was the custom for the local Lord to build things for the benefit of the people who lived in his manor Thus it became that we were able to enjoy the benefits of running water, public halls and toilets, churches and good roads and not least of all houses to live in. The modern Lord however has employed an agent to oversee his assets that has resulted in a very hard nosed view on what will now be done the local Clinton estates (CDE) being a class example
The connection between the councils and CDE has become so strong that there looks to be little that the Councils are willing to do that will or could prevent a very aggressive agent from running riot within the District Current examples are to be found in Exmouth where the council wants an extension to the Liverton Business park to be completed (it is owned by CDE) and in return it is willing to have a very large housing development on green land in the Littleham valley because CDE say that it is the only way that they are able to pay for the Liverton extension.
Another similar plan to build in Newton Poppleford has been stalled for now due to a last minute intervention by Natural England who have backed the claims of locals and objected top the plans throwing EDDC into turmoil. CDE is very much like the Duchy estates in Cornwall where they are able to get way with so much to the detriment of the public although CDE will not get the tax relief that the Duchy gets.
The Lord is not elected so we cannot get shot of him or his agents but surely in these so called democratic days our views must add up to something more than a gnat bite!

Inherited skills?

Printed in the WMN today Saturday 24th August a letter written by a correspondent from Ivybridge asks if there are any honest MP's any-more?

The fact that we now have a predominantly conservative controlled Parliament and both EDDC and most of the local  East Devon Towns and Parish councils are all controlled by the same party members is this the reason why councillors act in the same way as our parliamentarians?
The secondary question that arises Is the skill to tell porkies bred into politicians or do they learn it? I'l bet mother has very little to do with it,  probably the public schools system that is the kick starter usually the same one that dad and granddad attended, but that is mostly only the parliamentarians!  So how do the local politicians get it unless it is by breeding?

Another letter printed in the same paper points out that MP's are eating heavily subsidised food in their canteens which he describes as eating food from the food banks. The Commons canteens (Bars and restaurants) being subsidised to the tune of £4.9 million whilst the eight Lords canteens lost £2.3 million last year. The correspondent ends up by writing ."It is clearly a do as I say, not not as we do scenario. The expenses scandal hasn't really gone away, they've just moved things around. can we trust any of them? 
The judgement to yours!

Hulham Road with Exeter Road junction

I have been told by Councillor Bernard Hughes that there is to be a HATOC ( highways and Traffic orders committee) meeting to look into the problems that arise at that road junction, maybe we will get some traffic lights there in future and not before time I might add. That together with the Exmouth traffic management plan which Councillor Stuart Hughes has asked to be produced may at last make our town a safer and far easier place to navigate through.

holiday times

The Town Clerk will be back in Exmouth next Friday and at his desk on the 2nd september after his annual leave. Not bad a month off with some more to come as time in lieu. no wonder that local government is in such a state !

I suppose that is why he declares that the council should employ a deputy town clerk so that he can have more time off I believe that there is no need to employ another as already there is an office manager who was intended to cover the time when the clerk was away. 

For all his faults the previous clerk didn't run up so much time in lieu as he just didn't log in overtime and his refusal to accept over the top annual salary increments meant that the council; salary costs were kept to a minimum, looks as if this new bod is a bit of a grabber.Still he is after all he was employed by the tories who are renowned as poor managers.

having taken a couple of days off

and returning to everyday life after removing the garage roof, replacing the beams and then clearing up the ensuing mess I am rather cream crackered. Still it was worth doing and verry necessary at least the roof may not leak now, well see!

New Lobbying bill before parliament

The government’s rushing through a new law which, if it passes, will stop us running the type of campaigns which have made us who we are The campaigns which have seen 1.7 million of us act together, locally and nationally, for over four years. In fact, if the new law passes, and we continue campaigning as we do now, the office team could even risk being sent to jail. The law's called the 'Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill'. And if it goes through without any changes, it’ll wipe out our campaigning by slashing what we can spend during the year before elections. Not just general elections, either. Local elections, European elections and referendums, too. The government’s rushing through a new law which, if it passes, will stop us running the type of campaigns which have made so much difference. [1] The campaigns which have saved our forests, fought privatisation in the NHS, and defeated the snoopers' charter. [2] The campaigns which have seen 1.7 millions of us act together, locally and nationally, for years. In fact, if the new law passes, and we continue campaigning as we do now, twe could even risk being sent to jail. The law's called the 'Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill'. And if it goes through without any changes, it’ll wipe out our campaigning by slashing what we can spend during the year before elections. Not just general elections, either. Local elections, European elections and referendums, too. But if we act now and we act together, we could make the government reverse their plan. Chloe Smith, the minister responsible for pushing this law through parliament, is coming under more and more pressure to re-think. If hundreds of thousands of us speak up now, we could swing her decision. Can you email Chloe Smith now to tell her why it's important that we're able to campaign during elections, and what you think of her plans to stifle us? There’s no template email, because it’s really important that Chloe Smith hears your personal reasons for being a member of 38 Degrees. Anything you write to her now is better than her not hearing from us at all.Click here to get started:https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/lobbying-bill People power is at the heart of 38 Degrees. We don't spend too much, but our campaigns do cost money. Without being able to spend - employing staff, buying billboards, or printing leaflets about where politicians stand on local issues - we just won’t be able to make the issues which matter to us all, like the NHS and fair taxation, top of the agenda at the next election. The three main political parties have a combined membership of around 433,000. [5] There are 1.7 million of us. Per member, the parties would be able to spend over £130 - 38 Degrees a national campaigning organisation, would be able to spend around 23p. Put simply, this will make it hard to influence the next election, and every one after that.Can you email Chloe Smith now?https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/lobbying-bill It’s not clear whether this law is just badly written, or if the government is simply fed up of being criticised - but it’s a huge threat. And it doesn't only affect us: from big charities to tiny single-issue campaigns, the sector is scared and furious. The government’s trying to slip this through with as little fuss as possible. Not only did they introduce it on the day before MPs knocked off for the summer, they also tied it into a whole raft of other new rules on lobbying. And some of the new rules, like the register of lobbyists, are things people have been been pushing for, although they’re not yet strong enough..It is still still hoped to campaign for tighter controls on dodgy lobbying - but before that, we have to fight to make sure we're not silenced during elections.Chloe Smith needs to know that whether by accident or intention, this law isn’t fit for purpose. Can you email her now? It's a really worrying time. The potential impact of this law is only just becoming clear. The Cabinet Office says it won’t affect us.  But experts , from lawyers to charity chiefs, are telling us it will. This threatens the entire way millions of us campaign together. It’s not just us. Amazing people-powered campaigns like HOPE not hate's fight against the BNP in Barking and Dagenham, or Make Poverty History, just wouldn't be possible during election periods. Right when ordinary people should be able to have the most impact. It's no exaggeration to say this law will make it easier for registered political parties like the BNP to campaign without challenge.The government's doing its best to rush this law through without consultation or feedback. If we act together now, we can let them know that 38 Degrees is more than just a name millions of people committed to campaigning for a better, fairer Britain.  Are not willing to accept this bill wiothout a fight, and we We won't remain silent while they try to stop us.Can you email Chloe Smith? Our freedom to act and speak freely may depend on it.https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/lobbying-bill [post paraphrased from an e-mail; sent by 38 degrees on August 22nd to their supporters but which we thought everyone should be made aware[

Exmouth Carnival

Will take place on Saturday 12th October and the precession starts at about 7pm (see adverts for precise time) in the day there is an all day fun event in the Strand that will whet the apetites of all and sundry ready for the main event in the evening. carnival in Exmouth has a long tradition which goes back to pre-war days but the procession really took off when in 1995 it was taken over by a new committee who rescued it from virtual bankruptcy and turned it al round into the success that we see today. That committee retired in 2007 and handed on to another committee all of their savings and quite a lot of equipment and goodwill to enable carnival to go forward from strength to strength. A short experiment by the Exmouth Chamber of trade and Commerce to run an alternative carnival floundered after only three years as they didn't make enough money to keep it going without the drive that came from the carnival committee, so it folded. Exmouth Carnival is a member of the East Devon carnivals group and their website can be found at the following link
http://www.eastdevonhub.co.uk/Carnivals where details of all the carnivals in the region can be found.

new Councillor to be elected

The vacancy on the Town Council caused by the passing of the late Jean Mitchell will be filled by a by-election on the 5th September. this vacancy has not been very well advertised by the election office at EDDC but their spokeswoman emphatically states that the vacancy and notices asking for nominations have been posted according to election law even though there was no notice in any part of the Withycombe Raleigh ward where the vacancy has occurred. It is evidently sufficient if  notices at the Town hall and at the EDDC Hq in Sidmouth are displayed!
There are two candidates one each from the blue party and the yellows who are in partnership to govern the country from Westminster so where is the choice for the public?

Sea Front the splash

EDDC have published their intention to apply to themselves for planning permision to change the sea front play areas into a new themed park with pay on entry sites removing the present carpark back onto the golf area and re-routing the road to satisfy the few who want to have a better access to the water to allow them to play at kite surfing.
All of this at a cost of £10 million at a time when money is short and families are struggling to pay their way. How ever can this council think that this will help the people of Exmouth or indeed East Devon when visitors who are the main target of the councils vision can no longer afford to visit the town and go where the facilities are free or at least less costly.
The people of Exmouth should be allowed to determine what they want and act as the planning committee on this and any other similar proposal in Exmouth.

to be relocated, redeveloped, lost for ever?

And this too redeveloped or lost for ever! both photos from the official Exmouth Town Council publicity cd.

Why EIN?

Apart from being an acronym for the full title Exmouth independent news it is also German for the number one and  it is hoped that this blog will be considered as the number one site from which readers can get the low-down on the latest good or bad things happening in Exmouth and the surrounding area,

A look at the past, Exmouth circa 1950's . This blog is not simply a reminder of what was good and has gone but a look into what we have now and how the changes could have an effect on our lives and those of our successors.

Addairial photo of Exmouth circa 1950's published with the kiend permission of Mr J Pascoe Watson