| Join the Green Party and you'll receive our local quarterly newsletter, as well as invitations to Green Events. You'll be invited to attend meetings, join our discussion list, vote on issues, and contribute to our campaigns and policies for North Devon. |
The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
Councillor
Christie's Weblog
From your Torridge District Councillor Peter Christie
Previous entries
|
27th Sept '09
The news that our MP Geoffrey Cox earns £550 an hour in his second job as a barrister raises some intriguing questions. Firstly, how does anyone have the brass neck to charge this amount? Secondly, if fees are this high then surely it shows the whole notion of justice in this country is futile with the wealthy being able to ‘buy’ the law? Thirdly, what on earth is he doing having a second job when he is well-paid already as an MP? I cannot recall his election leaflet adding that, by the way, if he was elected he wouldn’t be a full-time MP. I have noted before that his voting record in Parliament has been ‘below average’. Personally I think being an MP is a full-time job and if we are paying his wages then he has to make a choice – become a full-time MP or a full-time barrister – you cannot be both.
You will have read about the move by Northam councillor Miranda Cox to examine the feasibility of rebuilding the Bideford-Barnstaple rail line. Her motion is due to be discussed by Torridge at a forthcoming meeting but most councillors seem to support the idea even though we have been told it could cost up to £80 million – about the cost of ½ mile of motorway. I seconded her suggestion but did repeat my call for a monorail which would overcome the problem of putting a rail line right next to the very popular Tarka trail. The views from it would be spectacular and what a tourist draw it could be. Sadly there is the problem of what happens at the Instow tunnel but a similar problem is going to face any new rail link. I understand that a train expert is coming to Torridge to talk about the scheme so I will let you know what I hear.
Well, well, suddenly everything seems to be happening in Bideford - with plans being unveiled (somewhat grudgingly) for the five development sites in the town and a lot of meat being put on the bones of the scheme suggested for the Pill. Personally I have welcomed the latter but though lots of ideas have come forward in the last few weeks they are still that – just ideas. As the Devon county council representatives said when they presented the Pill plans ‘It is going to be a very long journey – we have been working for a long time already but there will be a lot more work yet.’ What was most heartening about this particular scheme is that it appeared to please all the Torridge and town councillors who were present at the meeting when it was discussed – unlike the other schemes proposed for the four other sites none of which seems to have any across-the-board support and some of which have already become very contentious. The only fly in the ointment so far was the strongly implied suggestion that Bideford town council would have to increase its rates demand substantially to help fund the building the cost of which we were told could be around £5 million – although many other possible funders are being identified. How this would go down with the public is uncertain but if it helps attract funds into Bideford then town councillors may have to bite the bullet (to mix my metaphors). The scheme as presented at the moment is simple and I just hope it doesn’t get bogged down in political in-fighting with different groups trying to muscle in and making it unnecessarily complex - and hence unachievable. As Alan Rayner, a lay member of Torridge’s Overview & Scrutiny committee put it, ‘We must ensure that we all have confidence in this – unlike the grand plans of the Bideford Regeneration Initiative which have been announced and never happened.’ Simplicity is the key element here so I will be fascinated to follow this idea through the twists and turns of the labyrinth that is local government.
It is fascinating what members of the public bring to council meetings. At Torridge we have a slot for local people to speak on any subject which concerns them. At this month’s meeting Carla Trimarco of Westward Ho! raised the issue of trees that have just been felled on the hillsides at Westward Ho! and this was reported in the Journal. She went on to berate what she saw as ‘poor planning’ and ‘lack of consultation’ in general at Westward Ho! – something many would agree with I suspect. She brought a petition signed by 258 people in support of her call to halt felling and this was presented by councillor Miranda Cox who will be following this up and looking at replanting. It is interesting, however, that whenever Westward Ho! comes up in the council chamber (or out of it come to that) the perception of most people about recent schemes there seems to be fairly negative. I do recall talking to the then Chief Planning Officer some 30 years ago who flatly stated ‘Westward Ho! is beyond redemption’. Clearly things have moved on since then but development still seems to be incredibly haphazard. The other speaker at the meeting was Mervyn Sweet who had various complaints about ‘jiggery pokery’ at Devonshire Park and the ‘waste’ of £10,000 on the Bicycle Race. He also announced that he intended standing for the council at the next election in order to ‘knock some people off their perch.’ It could be a fun election in 20 months time.
Published and promoted by and on behalf of the North Devon Green Party, of 1 Taw View Terrace, Bishops Tawton, EX32 0AW
PLEASE NOTE: Not all of the material presented on this site is necessarily Green Party Policy or endorsed by The Green Party.