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The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
Councillor
Christie's Weblog
From your Torridge District Councillor Peter Christie
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18th November '07
I have mentioned before the efficiency of the new recycling centre at Caddsdown. On a visit this week I noticed a large pile of bags of ‘West Country Compost’ for sale. Being curious I asked why a recycling centre was selling compost and was really pleased to hear that this is a locally produced material generated from the organic material put out for collection by householders in Bideford and the surrounding area. It is actually manufactured at Deep Moor near Torrington where, according to the publicity leaflet I picked up, ‘every aspect of the composting process is carefully monitored and stringently controlled to accord with national standards.’ The compost contains no peat which means none of our increasingly rare peat bogs were destroyed to improve our gardens. The price per bag of 50 litres is £3 and as it is used by the Eden Project it must be of good quality. I noticed that the same supplier also produces the wonderfully named ‘Zoo Poo’ which is made from animal manure sourced from Paignton Zoo – ‘principally elephant and rhino’. Unfortunately this isn’t available at Bideford but if you are interested in this rather exotic manure you can find the name of the nearest stockist from www.ecosci.co.uk.
A few months ago local groups and councils were asked what they thought about the system of polling places in the area. These are where people go to vote and in the 2007 elections there were various complaints not least in Bideford. For example, when the Bideford South (Outer) ward was set up in 1999 an existing hedge was used as the boundary. Since then the Grenville Ridge development was built which straddled the boundary line thus splitting the estate between two wards – Monkleigh/Littleham and Bideford. Those who were the ‘wrong’ side of the line had then to travel 5 miles to the polling room in Littleham to vote. It is now suggested that the situation could be remedied by allowing these voters to go to Pynes Lane school to vote. A similar problem involving distance has developed at Londonderry where the 1000+ electors who live there have to travel into town to vote at the Methodist church in High Street. Grenville College were approached to see if they could provide a polling room at their Moreton Park site but they had nothing suitable. In this case sadly there will probably be no change. Further smaller alterations are suggested e.g. allowing residents in Coldharbour and Lower Gunstone to vote at the Arts Centre. Not perhaps the most pressing of local concerns but in these days of falling turn-outs at election time anything which encourages people to actually vote is vital – after all at the most basic level if you do not exercise your democratic rights you forfeit the right to moan about the council!
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