WORDS FROM PHOENIX HOUSE
IALWAYS look forward to the weekly update from the Conservative MP from Bridgwater, as he continues his fantasy tale about life at Mid Devon District Council.
Each instalment is full of exciting twists and turns, and is diligently followed up by the leader of the House of Commons, or the Minister for Local Government, finding ever more creative ways to politely ignore them.
I’m sure the residents of Bridgwater and West Somerset – who are clearly living in a utopia with no issues requiring support in Parliament – are as enthralled by this taxpayer-funded fantasy as we all are.
With genuine respect, I must applaud his tenacity in trying to make himself relevant to the people of Mid Devon. He has inadvertently flown the flag to highlight the damage that consecutive Conservative governments have caused to both local government funding and the dumbing down of political discourse into personal insults and name-calling. (Although I do love my own character in this fantasy, the fragrantly named ‘Perfume Packer.’)
This debasement of our democratic values for theatrical games plainly demonstrates the need for a change from the top down. I again invite the Conservative MP from Bridgwater to attend a district council meeting where he can listen to members who were elected to represent our communities, and members of the public, to learn about the support we need in Parliament, so he can decide if he wants to fight for or against that change.
When the honorable gentleman arrived at the council offices in Tiverton a few weeks ago, I was excited that he might grant us that presence and ask questions to seek those answers in the democratic forum. Alas, it seems it was only for a whistlestop photo tour for some press articles.
A missed opportunity to have an open debate about the genuine issues that our district council has inherited and made confident – and competent – strides to resolving.
As we head towards to the inevitable General Election and the season finale of this MP’S story, we must not overlook that just last week with an overall majority my Mid Devon Liberal Democrats won another district council seat in Upper Yeo & Taw. We won this from the Conservatives for the same reason we won 32 seats in May last year: we take the time to visit and speak with voters, listen to what they want from their elected representatives and we try to unite rather than divide no matter what choice you make at the ballot box.
My administration was elected barely 10 months ago, and in that time we have stemmed the loss of money by delivering a resolution to 3 Rivers Developments; we have implemented policies to protect those who need help the most with a promise to do much more; we have kept our valued community assets open; and we are routinely asking our communities: What can we do better? How can we help you? We are authoring our own story here in Mid Devon, and it is a really positive one.
A great example of this is how you – the Mid Devon residents – have ensured that the Bin-it-123 waste collection scheme has lifted our district into the top 10% for recycling nationally, and the second best in Devon. Our district’s approach to waste collection is a model that other local authorities are learning from, eager to catch us up.
We have the ambition to be a local government leader rather than simply following our peers. I have learnt so much by listening and meeting with our residents. I would love to hear from you, too.
Cllr Luke Taylor leader, Mid Devon District Council
Bradninch ward