A busy start for Beer & Branscombe councillor John Heath
John writes: It has been a very busy first month for me as the new district councillor for Beer, Branscombe, and ‘West Seaton’.
The excitement of the election has now well and truly passed, and I am down to hard work to represent my ward.
I have been dealing with individual ward members concerns as well as facilitating improvements to issues concerning community issues such as discussing with the EDDC beach manager replacing the rubber matting on Beer beach same as the matting installed on Seaton beach, improved waste dispersal and whether there is scope for compostable toilets adjacent to the beach. This will make the beach more user friendly for disabled visitors and parishioners as well as improving access and egress overall.
As a member of Beer parish council, I am involved in discussions about how the Beach Court car park is repaired due to tree roots uplifting the paving slabs. I am usually totally opposed to removing or cutting down trees, however, this may need to happen and two tree saplings to be planted elsewhere on the common to mitigate.
There is a site meeting at the Jubilee Gardens on 14 June to look at removal of Alexander weeds, close mowing the public walkways, however, in order to support rewilding the upper, less traversed parts of the Jubilee where the boys’ den is situated can be rewilded with flowers. This will involve getting key members of the community involved such as the horticultural society and members of Beer parish council.
Beer Food Save is an important community service to parishioners, and I am working with the organiser to secure community grant funding. I am a volunteer helper, and the Food Save is held every Tuesday at the Mariner’s Hall.
I have represented individuals such as a homeowner in ‘West Seaton’ who strongly felt her property was in the wrong council tax banding and learnt this is a government issue rather than an EDDC one so through consultation with EDDC officers was able to signpost her to the appropriate government web sites to appeal. One of the homeowners in Beer raised a hedge maintained by EDDC that was making the pavement impassable and restricting her vision when exiting her driveway. This was rectified the next day when I raised it to EDDC officers. Last Saturday someone came to me in a state of angst about a swarm of bees. I phoned the local beekeeper in Branscombe but fortunately the bees dispersed not due regrettably to any divine powers of intervention I may now be expected to have.
I am exploring options for youth services in Beer and Branscombe and this will be discussed within the next two or three months so hopefully we can have some clarity about any available resources before autumn and winter for the older children 11–18-year-olds as I strongly feel the reduction of youth services and facilities over the years is unacceptable and fails to give the youngsters a creative and recreational outlet.
I am meeting Branscombe Parish Council on 8 June and probably will offer to attend Seaton Town Council subject to their invite soon so we can work together. The Electoral Commission decided in 2019 to merge part of Seaton with Beer and Branscombe so I am mindful of the need to liaise with the town council to have joined-up working.
Finally, I have invited Cllr Paul Hayward, asset transfer portfolio holder, and Tim Child, EDDC officer to the BPC meeting on 14 June. If they accept the invitation it promises to be a very intense and hopefully productive session with clarity becoming more evident on whether Beer can negotiate over the terms and conditions of the asset transfer.
I am working is close collaboration and harmony with EDDC officers and other councillors. We work within a constrained budget and poor central governance where there has been considerable financial waste and incompetence and district councillors are being as creative as possible in overcoming significant hurdles affecting progress and development, but this is a challenge we need to overcome to benefit our communities.
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 