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The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
Councillor
Christie's Weblog
From your Torridge District Councillor Peter Christie
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25th May '08
The very popular French market is again coming to Bideford Quay – on 31st August. No problem with that one might think but several councillors have queried whether the charges levied on their English counterparts are too high when compared to those for our French cousins. Some weren’t at all happy about the perceived inequality and even went on to query the sale of alcohol by the French – but were told that it was o.k. as it was ‘home produced’ like the cider sold by the English ‘farmers’. Really? I did ask that Torridge ensure that prominent signs are placed on the Quay on market day pointing to the presence of a French restaurant in the Burton as it would be nice if our local tenant got some spin-off benefit from the visit of his countrymen. Last year the event was very successful so let’s hope we see a repeat this year.
The monthly police report to the town council made interesting listening with councillors raising the usual questions including one as to what effect the new police office at East-the-Water’s Pollyfield Centre has had – and we were all impressed when the officer giving the report said there had been a 57% drop in reported crime in that part of the town. In fact the area now has the lowest crime figures for Bideford as a whole and the ‘community-based’ approach is being presented to the rest of the Devon and Cornwall police force as a model of best practice. In answer to another question about late night drinking and crime from councillor Tony Inch we were assured that the police had it under control – even though Bideford is now the entertainment centre of North Devon for young people. Councillor Andy Powell here quoted the experience of some young relatives of his who preferred Bideford as it was less violent than elsewhere – a message that has come to me from my own students. Councillor Powell did suggest that troublemakers might be from ‘out-of-town’ – and that they could be banned from Bideford rather like football hooligans are banned from certain towns.
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