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Hospital beds and NHS are the key local issues in the General Election
As the General Election comes closer, I’m starting to get questions about the choice in Tiverton and Honiton. As an Independent councillor I will not be publicly supporting any of the candidates, but I will try to make sure they are fully aware of our local issues, especially over community hospital beds and the underfunding and mismanagement of the NHS in Devon.
Of the candidates in the Tiverton and Hospital constituency, two will be known to many voters – Neil Parish (Conservative), who has been our MP, and Caroline Kolek (Labour), former Mayor of Honiton. I have been in touch with both of them over the hospital beds issue. Now Matthew Taylor (Liberal Democrat) has contacted me, and I will shortly brief him about the hospital campaign. Gill Westcott is the Green candidate.
The only candidate I am actively supporting is Claire Wright, the Independent candidate in Devon East – if only we had someone like her on the ballot paper in Tiverton and Honiton!
County Councillor Facebook page
I have set up a new Facebook page where you can follow and contact me about issues in the Seaton and Colyton division.
Remember you can also keep up with local issues, and what I’m doing, through the ‘Follow us by email’ button at the right-hand side of this website.
We won! Thank you to all 1826 who voted for me
Tomorrow, Vote LOCAL, Vote INDEPENDENT
In five weeks time people will be able to vote for the national party of their choice in the General Election.
However TOMORROW, Thursday 4th May, you can vote VOTE LOCAL for the best candidate to represent our communities on the County Council.
VOTE INDEPENDENT East Devon Alliance in the Seaton & Colyton division. Polls are open 7 am to 10 pm.
Promoted by Martin Shaw, Independent East Devon Alliance candidate, Lynwood, Old Beer Road, Seaton
NHS in crisis: ambulance service failing in SW
They moved the goalposts, but still couldn’t score: ‘The number of most urgent calls taken by the South Western ambulance service between May 2016 and March 2017 compared to the year before was reduced from 308,000 to 44,600. But the proportion of calls hitting the eight-minute target remained stagnant at 70 per cent.’ (The minimum acceptable is supposed to be 75 per cent.)
Bluebell Day escapes the rain
People of all ages enjoying the beautiful Holyford Woods for the annual Bluebell Day celebration yesterday. Plenty of INDEPENDENT supporters among them!
Claire Wright gets Devon to back keeping environmental protections
East Devon’s sole Independent county councillor, Claire Wright (Ottery St Mary) has persuaded Devon County Council to become the first council to press the Government to keep EU environmental protections.
Seaton Hospital League of Friends annual meeting
I went to the Seaton Hospital League of Friends’ Annual General Meeting last night. About 50 people crowded into the Harding room. It was in many ways an inspirational occasion, as you could almost feel the excellent work, by hospital staff and League volunteers alike, which was reported to the meeting. It was all the more poignant therefore to realise that the in-patient beds, regularly full and working well as part of the local health system, were slated for removal by the CCG.
The League is fully behind judicial review, if Seaton Town Council decides on Tuesday (2nd), following the legal advice which we are about to receive, to pursue this. The League has established a holding account for those wishing to donate towards the legal costs, details of which will be made available in the next couple of days.
Note. The Town Council discussion of judicial review will be in closed session, for legal reasons.
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 