Devon is being stitched up over local government reorganisation—let Andy Burnham know your views
PM is prepared to look again at reorganisation but wants to hear from the Communities Secretary.
From a correspondent of East Devon Watch:
I read with interest Andy Burnham replying to Conservative MP for South West Devon, Rebecca Smith, on the proposed Devon devolution that:
“I am prepared to look at local government reorganisation – I’ll ask the communities secretary to do that.”
“Where possible we need as much consent as we can get – if she’s telling me we need to work harder to find that then I’m always prepared to do what I can.”
We must all, therefore, e-mail/write to Andy and Angela Rayner asking them to reconsider LGR in Devon.
The proposed urban centric devolution plan, opposed during consultation by 70% and only favoured by 20%, leaves around half a million Devonians in an administratively unmanageable rural rump.
This rump will become the largest unitary area in the country with the lowest density of people, with one of the oldest population groups and one of the largest networks of roads to maintain, 8,000miles.
It will be one of the only unitary authorities in the country without a dominant administrative centre. Barnstaple in the north is the biggest town. Currently the NHS has suspended all hospital maternity services in Barnstaple because “recruitment had proved challenging over the past few years, due to it being one of the most remote in the country.”
The rump will only have 103 councillors for 360,000 electors, set against the “three urban centres” with 218 councillors for 586,250. A rural councillor will have to represent 30% more electors.
Please if you feel as strongly as I do, let Andy and Angie know.
Easiest way is to use the departmental online comments. As we are not constituents we cannot use their parliamentary emails.
For Andy Burnham use:
https://contact.no10.gov.uk/ comment here is limited to 1,000 characters.
For Angela Rayner, Communities Secretary, use:
Stop Palantir in the NHS in Devon
Please do sign and share this petition. Palantir is a US-based tech company linked to Trump-supporting oligarchs. Your data as a patient is not safe in Palantir’s hands. This was a disastrous decision of the Starmer government, which should be reversed.
Palantir is also supplying Israel with the technology for their murdering drones in Gaza and Westbank – we don’t want them in our NHS and having access to our data
We’re looking at you, Nigel …
After someone posted on a WhatsApp group that Mel Stride declared over £100k of earnings apart from his MP’s salary, and posted a link for people to check their MP on They Work for You, I checked the entry for Richard Foord.
It said ‘£0 declared. A rare find! If only all MPs were like this. We’re looking at you Nigel… .’
‘Justice for Palestine’ meeting coming to Seaton
After 20 weeks of the Seaton vigils for Gaza, we are pleased to announce a public meeting on 29 September. Speakers will include Amal Ghusain, a Palestinian who is part of the solidarity campaign in Exeter, and Agnes Kory, a Jewish child Holocaust survivor.
Richard Foord opens new Museum season
Richard is pictured with curator Laura Hewitt. The refurbished museum is open to the public on Tuesday.
Easter Vigil tomorrow, Saturday, 11 am
For the survivors in the rubble of Gaza, and for all the people in Iran and Lebanon who are now being subjected to Gaza-like destruction and displacement.
Pope Leo XIV last Sunday: “This is our God: Jesus, king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”
Leo quoted from the Bible: “‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’”
As usual, the vigil is in Thury Harcourt Place, near the roundabout, and will last 30 minutes.
Warm reception for this week’s vigil for Gaza
For the fourth consecutive week, a silent vigil for Gaza took place today between 11 and 11.30, in Thury Harcourt Place, Seaton. There was a marked increase in positive reactions from the public, with horns honked and thumbs up.
This week, there was also a vigil in Ottery St Mary, while many supporters of Palestine were in London at the huge march against the far right, which included a Palestine Solidarity contingent.
We will be back next Saturday at the same time – join us!
US planes are bombing Iran from Gloucestershire, just 90 miles away
Bombs bring loaded at RAF Fairford. Unfortunately, it is not true that Starmer has kept the UK out of this war.
US
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 