With the rain and the frost, in every walk of life comes more activity. I have been busy launching a Social Action Campaign to keep the place clean and tidy. Along with a number of volunteers we cleaned up the playing fields in Starcross which was very much appreciated by the Parish Council and local residents. Andrew Mitchell MP was there to launch my campaign. It was good to be able to make a real difference.
On Halloween I spent time out with the Newton Abbot police. PC Cayless was very informative as we drove about the town dealing with quite a wide variety of issues. The police take pride in what they do and PC Cayless explained that the reason he had joined the force was to be able to help people. The young need help and advice and the approach he tries to take is to protect them.
We saw some underage youngsters on their way to a Halloween party. They were stopped and the cider and beer they had poured away and the cans crushed. The police diet that night was varied but included a blue light run to attend to a suspected school break in, dealing with a shoplifter and a vagrant and a number of other alcohol related crimes.
I have also been spending some time with the business community. I was made very welcome at Drake's Tooling. While there is a very severe downturn it is clear there is a real opportunity for the engineering sector. This view was reinforced at a meeting I had with the Clydesdale Bank who are looking at a 40% growth in business in this sector. This is something we can build on.
And of course there has been a full diet of meetings and events including a Trafalgar night dinner in Shaldon, Law Day in Newton Abbot with the Court Leet and the Newton Abbot Town Ball and Newton Abbot Civic Service, the Exe Estuary group and a Halloween event in Mamhead to name but a few!
Monday 3 November 2008
Tuesday 21 October 2008
A Government in Waiting
While the Conservative Party - along with the rest of us - wait for the real consequences of what Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have between them done to the country to be not just visible but understood, the country moves further and further into a deep recession. The Conservative Party is the government in waiting. The sooner we have an election, the better off we will be.
Labour may be looking a bit healthier but this will be short lived as the economy comes back to bite them. It never fails to amaze me how short memories are. It was Gordon Brown that destroyed our pension system when he changed the tax treatment of Advanced Corporation Tax. It will be interesting to see what Gordon does to pensions this year - some are suggesting ,somewhat fearfully ,that having spent so much on shoring up the banks he may not be willing or able to afford a proper inflation related annual increase.
Gordon had to shore up the capital and liquidity of the banks but this wasn't his idea - but rather that of the Treasury. But while what happened was necessary it was much too late. Many commentators have said, quite rightly in my view, that this recession has been as much about emotion and a failure to act decisively as it has been about the obvious shortcomings of our banks and our financial services systems and regulation.
And what plans does Gordon have to get the country back on its feet - other than those he has stolen from the Conservative Party? None! It was our idea to protect pensions and savings locked in banks - not Gordon's - and he still hasn't passed the legislation to move the savings ceiling to £50,000. He still hasn't bitten the bullet and reduced fuel related tax revenues - he has just asked the oil companies to be better behaved!
Conversely at our annual Conservative Party Conference we unveiled a number of immediate changes we would put in place to help people deal with the rising cost of living and the threat of unemployment. These include:
Labour may be looking a bit healthier but this will be short lived as the economy comes back to bite them. It never fails to amaze me how short memories are. It was Gordon Brown that destroyed our pension system when he changed the tax treatment of Advanced Corporation Tax. It will be interesting to see what Gordon does to pensions this year - some are suggesting ,somewhat fearfully ,that having spent so much on shoring up the banks he may not be willing or able to afford a proper inflation related annual increase.
Gordon had to shore up the capital and liquidity of the banks but this wasn't his idea - but rather that of the Treasury. But while what happened was necessary it was much too late. Many commentators have said, quite rightly in my view, that this recession has been as much about emotion and a failure to act decisively as it has been about the obvious shortcomings of our banks and our financial services systems and regulation.
And what plans does Gordon have to get the country back on its feet - other than those he has stolen from the Conservative Party? None! It was our idea to protect pensions and savings locked in banks - not Gordon's - and he still hasn't passed the legislation to move the savings ceiling to £50,000. He still hasn't bitten the bullet and reduced fuel related tax revenues - he has just asked the oil companies to be better behaved!
Conversely at our annual Conservative Party Conference we unveiled a number of immediate changes we would put in place to help people deal with the rising cost of living and the threat of unemployment. These include:
- a two year freeze on council tax which will save a typical Band D household over £200
- a fair fuel stabiliser so that fuel duty is cut when oil prices rise
- a reform of Post Office Card Accounts to enable direct debit payment of utility bills saving holders £100 a year
- a breathing space for good small businesses otherwise threatened with going bust to save jobs
- raising the stamp duty threshold permanently to enable 9 out of 10 first time buyers to pay no duty
- working with lenders to ensure repossession is a last resort
- simplifying the tax system to reducing business taxes and eliminate the couple penalty
But the Conference covered much more. The Conservatives would put an end to NHS targets which measure the wrong things and impede rather than improve patient care and choice. We would also bring discipline back to the classroom by allowing the headteachers word on such issues to be final. We would increase the much needed number of apprenticeships in the country giving £2000 to those small businesses taking an apprentice on. We would suspend the forced post office closure program on the day we are elected. But none of this and much much more received any coverage!
Come on Gordon - don't just sit there. If you really think you are doing so well - ask the country and call an election!
Thursday 21 August 2008
A summer of ups and downs
Too much going on...and no time to write about it! Apologies to regular readers. The summer is always a busy time but this one has been exceptional. Not least because of the increasing activity of the various organizations with which I am involved. The Senior Council is now fully established and up and running. The Newton Abbot area branch of which I am secretary has been the most active in the county and is now seen as one of the models for success. We have been lobbying on health care, disability and other social care issues and are actively involved with a number of local issues - such as the ill thought out plans for pedestrianization and bus movements in the center of Newton Abbot itself.
It has been a busy time at school too - exams, school plays, sports days - and at Rydon we have appointed a new headmistress, Sally Maunders, a very worthy successor, who as deputy head has demonstrated huge energy and commitment. At Knowles Hill we have been looking at the school's branding and its name. What the school have come up with together is brilliant - and the new name, Newton Abbot College very appropriate given the school's new direction. And then of course there have been all the challenges of looking at how we as a school can work more closely with both local primary schools and fellow secondary schools - the models and options are endless and need very careful thought and consideration.
I have also spent some time with local businesses, getting to know the management team and gaining a better understanding of their issues. Centrax is probably one of the most prestigious businesses we have in Newton Abbot and one of the most long standing. Following the closure of the railway activities in Newton Abbot, Centrax saw an opportunity to come in and use the skills of what would otherwise have been a redundant workforce. It now leads the world in gas turbine technology. Still a family business, the Barr family are very committed to Newton Abbot and the community. I was most impressed by the team and found the tour of the factory absolutely fascinating. I was also treated to a tour of the new building work and extension at IDS, the dance wear supply business, the brain child of Anne Walker - a great step forward and the source of much needed new jobs in Newton Abbot.
And of course there have been all the flower festivals across the villages which have shown very clearly that the old arts and crafts are alive and well - I have visited so many it would be hard to single any one out. Water sports have also been a huge source of fun. I spent one very enjoyable Sunday at Teignmouth Yacht Club watching the rowers - while I used to row myself, it was on a river - the sea is much more challenging and I take my hat off to those competitors - all very much fitter than I! The RNLI fete was a very wet affair - but everyone soldiered on - except the band!
Assorted visits to hear the police and residents talking about crime in Kingsteignton and to a local GP surgery to hear from the GPs and Patient Participation Group about the health issues facing residents if planned reorganizations went ahead, keep me abreast of what needs to be done - and where I have been able, I have taken local issues up for local groups and lobbied the shadow cabinet to take on board some of these critical issues in their planning for the future. I lobbied with Holcolme residents and those of Stokeinteignhead to stop the post office closures and obtained legal advice for the groups - but this government will not be stopped in its total disregard for the needs of the community. Finally I am also pleased to report that I have been elected a member of the Devon and Cornwall Board of the Institute of Directors, a body tasked with taking local business issues forward and giving them a national voice.
And then in late July I found myself in hospital. Ten days later I finally came home minus a gall bladder and with strong advice to take it easy - not my usual way! Torbay Hospital did an excellent job and I should pay tribute to the hard work of the doctors and nurses. Torbay too often gets knocked - it doesn't deserve it. But it is very clear this dedicated team achieve what they do against all the odds and we must urgently look at how we can provide the people and the medicines needed. I am an executive coach and marketing consultant and I found the experience of being in hospital hugely relevant to what I do. Most of my coaching clients are senior executives in NHS trust hospitals around the country - and "patient experience" is top of their agendas. I now have first hand experience.
So August sees me resting in the sunshine in Mallorca....getting ready for an action packed autumn on my return!
It has been a busy time at school too - exams, school plays, sports days - and at Rydon we have appointed a new headmistress, Sally Maunders, a very worthy successor, who as deputy head has demonstrated huge energy and commitment. At Knowles Hill we have been looking at the school's branding and its name. What the school have come up with together is brilliant - and the new name, Newton Abbot College very appropriate given the school's new direction. And then of course there have been all the challenges of looking at how we as a school can work more closely with both local primary schools and fellow secondary schools - the models and options are endless and need very careful thought and consideration.
I have also spent some time with local businesses, getting to know the management team and gaining a better understanding of their issues. Centrax is probably one of the most prestigious businesses we have in Newton Abbot and one of the most long standing. Following the closure of the railway activities in Newton Abbot, Centrax saw an opportunity to come in and use the skills of what would otherwise have been a redundant workforce. It now leads the world in gas turbine technology. Still a family business, the Barr family are very committed to Newton Abbot and the community. I was most impressed by the team and found the tour of the factory absolutely fascinating. I was also treated to a tour of the new building work and extension at IDS, the dance wear supply business, the brain child of Anne Walker - a great step forward and the source of much needed new jobs in Newton Abbot.
And of course there have been all the flower festivals across the villages which have shown very clearly that the old arts and crafts are alive and well - I have visited so many it would be hard to single any one out. Water sports have also been a huge source of fun. I spent one very enjoyable Sunday at Teignmouth Yacht Club watching the rowers - while I used to row myself, it was on a river - the sea is much more challenging and I take my hat off to those competitors - all very much fitter than I! The RNLI fete was a very wet affair - but everyone soldiered on - except the band!
Assorted visits to hear the police and residents talking about crime in Kingsteignton and to a local GP surgery to hear from the GPs and Patient Participation Group about the health issues facing residents if planned reorganizations went ahead, keep me abreast of what needs to be done - and where I have been able, I have taken local issues up for local groups and lobbied the shadow cabinet to take on board some of these critical issues in their planning for the future. I lobbied with Holcolme residents and those of Stokeinteignhead to stop the post office closures and obtained legal advice for the groups - but this government will not be stopped in its total disregard for the needs of the community. Finally I am also pleased to report that I have been elected a member of the Devon and Cornwall Board of the Institute of Directors, a body tasked with taking local business issues forward and giving them a national voice.
And then in late July I found myself in hospital. Ten days later I finally came home minus a gall bladder and with strong advice to take it easy - not my usual way! Torbay Hospital did an excellent job and I should pay tribute to the hard work of the doctors and nurses. Torbay too often gets knocked - it doesn't deserve it. But it is very clear this dedicated team achieve what they do against all the odds and we must urgently look at how we can provide the people and the medicines needed. I am an executive coach and marketing consultant and I found the experience of being in hospital hugely relevant to what I do. Most of my coaching clients are senior executives in NHS trust hospitals around the country - and "patient experience" is top of their agendas. I now have first hand experience.
So August sees me resting in the sunshine in Mallorca....getting ready for an action packed autumn on my return!
Friday 23 May 2008
Wow....What a Victory!
May 2008 will go down in the history books as a very special month. Local election results to die for and Boris elected as Mayor of London. And as if that was not enough, Crewe falling to the Conservatives by a landslide majority - a first in 30 years. I have had so many telephone calls of congratulations and sheer relief that things are changing. We have two years to go until the next election....and it seems both very far away and very close.
It has been a busy couple of months quite apart from my commitments as a school governor at Rydon and Knowles Hill, and now Secretary to the Newton Abbot Area of the Senior Council Senior Council for Devon:
April
May
The most significant chunk of time has however been spent working with the Seale Hayne Future Group. While of course we need houses, we also need agricultural and educational provision. Seale Hayne, as a leading agricultural college, had been a a key asset to Newton Abbot - a beacon and example of what is best. It also brought young people to the town, created jobs and stood out as an icon for the town. That all changed. Plymouth University acquired it in the 1990s since when it has gone from bad to worse with no investment in its future. Plymouth have now agreed to sell it to a Scottish housing developer expected to build some 1200 houses on the site, and if we are lucky maybe they will be required to build a primary school. On the table was a proposal for something much more interesting - a plan to build a truly sustainable community incorporating a university and bringing employment to the town. It could have been Devon's Eden Project....and it still might be. Watch this space.
But in the next few weeks we must focus on saving Holcombe Post Office - not just as an end in itself but because of all it represents in this community - and many others like it. If the Post Office are calling for more government funding nationally yet again, would you back a promise from this government that there will be no more post office closures in a years time - I don't think so!
It has been a busy couple of months quite apart from my commitments as a school governor at Rydon and Knowles Hill, and now Secretary to the Newton Abbot Area of the Senior Council Senior Council for Devon:
April
- launched Patrons Club
- Attended Dawlish Civic Dinner at the invitation of the Mayor
- Attended launch of Newton Abbot Community Plan - and won a bottle of fiz!
- Attended CPRE Annual General Meeting - the energy and food supply issues were hotly debated
- Issued press release on Newton Abbot Racecourse parking - picked up by Herald Express
- Visited Newton Abbot Indoor Market to hear about traders issues
- Palm Radio interview on the removal of coach parking at the racecourse
- 4Networking meetings to invite local traders to work with local schools
- Hosted coffee mornings in Mamhead, Starcross, Powderham and Kingsteignton
- Entertained Mark Harper MP, Shadow Minister for Disability and visited Shopmobility
- Joined Teignmouth Yacht Club and attended new members evening
- Invited to attend Sea Cadet Presentation and Service at Teignmouth and a reception at Bitton House
May
- Joined litter pick team at Dawlish Warren to clean the beach
- Visited street traders and market stall holders
- Met with local councillor and WBB re New Cross Development in Kingsteignton
- Beat the Bounds at Ipplepen
- Attended Teignmouth Town Council Annual Meeting
- Attended Devon County Show with Conservative Future
- Invited to County Show Reception organised by leading regional professional firms
- Met with local haulage company with Anthony Steen MP to address unfair competition issues
- Attended meetings with Holcombe residents to address proposed closure of the post office
- Canvassing, survey delivery across the constituency
- Met with national museums in London to explore local schools initiative in Devon
- Talked with local kidney dialysis patients concerning their future treatment
The most significant chunk of time has however been spent working with the Seale Hayne Future Group. While of course we need houses, we also need agricultural and educational provision. Seale Hayne, as a leading agricultural college, had been a a key asset to Newton Abbot - a beacon and example of what is best. It also brought young people to the town, created jobs and stood out as an icon for the town. That all changed. Plymouth University acquired it in the 1990s since when it has gone from bad to worse with no investment in its future. Plymouth have now agreed to sell it to a Scottish housing developer expected to build some 1200 houses on the site, and if we are lucky maybe they will be required to build a primary school. On the table was a proposal for something much more interesting - a plan to build a truly sustainable community incorporating a university and bringing employment to the town. It could have been Devon's Eden Project....and it still might be. Watch this space.
But in the next few weeks we must focus on saving Holcombe Post Office - not just as an end in itself but because of all it represents in this community - and many others like it. If the Post Office are calling for more government funding nationally yet again, would you back a promise from this government that there will be no more post office closures in a years time - I don't think so!
Monday 24 March 2008
A wintery Easter ...and British Summer Time just a week away!
I am looking forward to the longer evenings...and some better weather! Walking the dogs every morning is a very muddy and slippery affair. The day of the storms which saw Teignmouth flooded was quite exceptional. I walked around Newton Abbot to see just how high the river would rise that morning and was staggered. Flood defenses must become more of a priority for the council - things are going to get worse not better. The new hospital in Orleigh Park might remain dry but the water was certainly right at the top of its banks in a number of places close by and the pools of water trapped by clay deposits numerous.
The Senior Council for Devon, on the Assembly of which I sit representing Newton Abbot, is making progress. This month we approved a new constitution and elected a new chairman, executive officers and the board of directors. The next step will be getting the local branches working properly and feeding up to the board, issues which need to be addressed by Devon County Council. Key issues are likely to include transport and health care provision. Our next local branch meeting is at 10.00am 17 April at Kingsteignton Community Hall. Please do come along and find out what we are trying to do and let us have your thoughts and ideas. While we are called the Newton Abbot branch, we also cover Kingsteignton and Bovey Tracey. There are separate branches for Dawlish and for Teignmouth which will also be holding meetings shortly.
Farmers have been top of mind this month. I was invited to attend a meeting of Devon Farms, a group established to promote tourism in our rural communities and provide a source of much needed income to local farmers diversifying into bed and breakfast and self-catering holidays. It was a fabulous celebration of all that this dedicated group have achieved. Gary Streeter MP was there to address us and we were treated to a great food, good company and an opportunity to meet the stock man and his wife with their prize cows on Fowlescombe Farm, just outside Ivybridge, where Richard Barker was kindly hosting the event. Now I understand why farmers are so attached to their animals. But on a more serious note there is great concern at how little support the government is giving to their businesses. The central budget promoting tourism has been slashed by half and it is these sorts of businesses which are paying the price.
I have also now established a farmer's forum and on 17 March we met for the first time at Bulleigh Park Farm, thanks to Angela and Phil Dallyn. A number of issues were raised but the most vociferously discussed were the red tape issues. Farmers know how to farm, let them get on with it! The government do not understand how to deal with infection and have failed to recognise that disease is here to stay - it is naive to think we can keep our borders as barriers in the global market farming has become. We had representatives from the Young Farmers and the NFU who came to hear what was being said. I was impressed and delighted to hear from one young farmer who thought the main reason stopping the young coming into farming was quite simply the price of land. Land coming on the market is being snapped up by those who want and can afford to pay above the agricultural price for land just to have the farm house. Sometimes the land that goes with it gets worked by a local farmer but then usually just for hay and silage rather than something more productive.
We had National Tourism Week this month and I went to visit three of our local tourism entrepreneurs to listen to what they had to say. Cofton Country Holidays in Starcross are an example of just what can be achieved. They have been awarded eight consecutive Gold Awards for Conservation by David Bellamy, in recognition of their commitment to protecting, preserving and maintaining this glorious corner of Devon. They pride themselves in sourcing everything locally. They would like to see some changes in the tax legislation to make it easier to employ part timers who are doing seasonal work like this. My last stop was to visit Nigel Bell at Sampsons Farm. Probably one of the few independent restaurant hotels of its kind, in the constituency, Nigel has a hard time making ends meet. The market has changed and he has found that the summer holiday market has largely moved abroad to guaranteed sunshine. The market he has diversified into - weekend breaks and the corporate market - is much harder to sell. His plea is for the government to recognise that small businesses are just that - small. They need greater flexibility and cannot survive on a one size fits all approach to business as a whole.
I was delighted to be appointed a governor of Knowles Hill School this month and am very much looking forward to working with Gareth Davies and his team. In a very short time he has turned the school and its prospects around. And schools were very much front of mind when I addressed two 4Networking business group meetings this month in Newton Abbot and Exeter. My plea was for business to recognise that there has to be a symbiotic relationship between businesses and the communities they operate it. This government won't help business but communities will. Key here is their relationship with schools. And on the subject of community I raised the issue of Post Offices and posed the question - what can we as successful business people do to support them? If Essex can come up with a plan, we should be lobbying Devon to do the same. I was lobbying Richard Younger Ross to support the Conservative proposal to the House last week to freeze the current closure plan and I urged them to do the same.
Europe has of course been another key issue. I had organised three Referendum street stalls asking members of the public to hold Gordon Brown to account giving them post cards to complete and return asking for a Referendum. Neil Parish our MEP came out to support us and we had an excellent response. But this government is stubborn to a fault. The call for a referendum in parliament went unheeded. And what a dreadful budget. I won't rehearse its ills here, we are already too familiar with them. Suffice it to say Gordon has taken his party to an all time low in the polls in 25 years giving the Conservative Party a 16 point lead. I am now being lobbied quite rightly by small haulage companies - if Gordon puts the extra tax on fuel in the autumn , many of them will go out of business - and that starts a further cascade of business failures.
But I did have some fun on Easter Saturday. The Newton Abbot Court Leet invited me to their annual bread weighing which this year took place at the Ship Inn on Walborough Street. Hot cross buns from a number of local bakeries were weighed and sampled by those assembled and found to be very good eating indeed! Certificates were duly presented and then the remaining goodies auctioned raising over £100 for Rowcroft , the Portrieve's charity for the year. The next event is the beating of the bounds next month - walking shoes will be needed to gain access to those parts of Newton Abbot rarely visited by most of us!
The Senior Council for Devon, on the Assembly of which I sit representing Newton Abbot, is making progress. This month we approved a new constitution and elected a new chairman, executive officers and the board of directors. The next step will be getting the local branches working properly and feeding up to the board, issues which need to be addressed by Devon County Council. Key issues are likely to include transport and health care provision. Our next local branch meeting is at 10.00am 17 April at Kingsteignton Community Hall. Please do come along and find out what we are trying to do and let us have your thoughts and ideas. While we are called the Newton Abbot branch, we also cover Kingsteignton and Bovey Tracey. There are separate branches for Dawlish and for Teignmouth which will also be holding meetings shortly.
Farmers have been top of mind this month. I was invited to attend a meeting of Devon Farms, a group established to promote tourism in our rural communities and provide a source of much needed income to local farmers diversifying into bed and breakfast and self-catering holidays. It was a fabulous celebration of all that this dedicated group have achieved. Gary Streeter MP was there to address us and we were treated to a great food, good company and an opportunity to meet the stock man and his wife with their prize cows on Fowlescombe Farm, just outside Ivybridge, where Richard Barker was kindly hosting the event. Now I understand why farmers are so attached to their animals. But on a more serious note there is great concern at how little support the government is giving to their businesses. The central budget promoting tourism has been slashed by half and it is these sorts of businesses which are paying the price.
I have also now established a farmer's forum and on 17 March we met for the first time at Bulleigh Park Farm, thanks to Angela and Phil Dallyn. A number of issues were raised but the most vociferously discussed were the red tape issues. Farmers know how to farm, let them get on with it! The government do not understand how to deal with infection and have failed to recognise that disease is here to stay - it is naive to think we can keep our borders as barriers in the global market farming has become. We had representatives from the Young Farmers and the NFU who came to hear what was being said. I was impressed and delighted to hear from one young farmer who thought the main reason stopping the young coming into farming was quite simply the price of land. Land coming on the market is being snapped up by those who want and can afford to pay above the agricultural price for land just to have the farm house. Sometimes the land that goes with it gets worked by a local farmer but then usually just for hay and silage rather than something more productive.
We had National Tourism Week this month and I went to visit three of our local tourism entrepreneurs to listen to what they had to say. Cofton Country Holidays in Starcross are an example of just what can be achieved. They have been awarded eight consecutive Gold Awards for Conservation by David Bellamy, in recognition of their commitment to protecting, preserving and maintaining this glorious corner of Devon. They pride themselves in sourcing everything locally. They would like to see some changes in the tax legislation to make it easier to employ part timers who are doing seasonal work like this. My last stop was to visit Nigel Bell at Sampsons Farm. Probably one of the few independent restaurant hotels of its kind, in the constituency, Nigel has a hard time making ends meet. The market has changed and he has found that the summer holiday market has largely moved abroad to guaranteed sunshine. The market he has diversified into - weekend breaks and the corporate market - is much harder to sell. His plea is for the government to recognise that small businesses are just that - small. They need greater flexibility and cannot survive on a one size fits all approach to business as a whole.
I was delighted to be appointed a governor of Knowles Hill School this month and am very much looking forward to working with Gareth Davies and his team. In a very short time he has turned the school and its prospects around. And schools were very much front of mind when I addressed two 4Networking business group meetings this month in Newton Abbot and Exeter. My plea was for business to recognise that there has to be a symbiotic relationship between businesses and the communities they operate it. This government won't help business but communities will. Key here is their relationship with schools. And on the subject of community I raised the issue of Post Offices and posed the question - what can we as successful business people do to support them? If Essex can come up with a plan, we should be lobbying Devon to do the same. I was lobbying Richard Younger Ross to support the Conservative proposal to the House last week to freeze the current closure plan and I urged them to do the same.
Europe has of course been another key issue. I had organised three Referendum street stalls asking members of the public to hold Gordon Brown to account giving them post cards to complete and return asking for a Referendum. Neil Parish our MEP came out to support us and we had an excellent response. But this government is stubborn to a fault. The call for a referendum in parliament went unheeded. And what a dreadful budget. I won't rehearse its ills here, we are already too familiar with them. Suffice it to say Gordon has taken his party to an all time low in the polls in 25 years giving the Conservative Party a 16 point lead. I am now being lobbied quite rightly by small haulage companies - if Gordon puts the extra tax on fuel in the autumn , many of them will go out of business - and that starts a further cascade of business failures.
But I did have some fun on Easter Saturday. The Newton Abbot Court Leet invited me to their annual bread weighing which this year took place at the Ship Inn on Walborough Street. Hot cross buns from a number of local bakeries were weighed and sampled by those assembled and found to be very good eating indeed! Certificates were duly presented and then the remaining goodies auctioned raising over £100 for Rowcroft , the Portrieve's charity for the year. The next event is the beating of the bounds next month - walking shoes will be needed to gain access to those parts of Newton Abbot rarely visited by most of us!
Sunday 10 February 2008
Spring is around the corner - but Gordon is still in permafrost
The daffodils are coming through and Spring seems to be well on the way - for most of us. For Gordon Brown it must seem like perpetual winter. The economy goes from bad to worse and rising prices and the credit crunch are hitting us all. Food and energy prices keep going up but with no knock on benefit for farmers. And the spotlight has for some time been on the woeful shortcomings of politicians - oh why can't they behave! Don't go into politics today unless you are really committed to making a difference and improving the quality of other people's lives - not your own.
After a brief break in January, I have been out and about in the constituency. Last week I was at the Wednesday morning stock sale in Newton Abbot. There was a good turnout and a surprising number of sheep and cattle for sale. Better still the prices fetched were significantly up bringing a bit of a smile to farmers' faces. I had a good meeting with Anthony Rew who is taking over the NFU Devon chairmanship this year. We talked over the many issues needing to be addressed, particularly the TB epedemic among the badger population. He is very supportive of the farmers group I am getting together - we need to act now. The point to point at Ideford Arch was great fun as ever and very well attended - and was a good opportunity to have my ear bent about the many other issues facing the rural community!
Seale -Hayne has taken up much of my time. I met with the Seale-Hayne Future Group at the end of last year and since then have been working with them to see what we can do. The original intention of Sir Charles is being at best ignored and at worse totally overidden. It is a complicated story of a charitable trust going through so much change that the principles and processes to preserve that intent have got lost. Only some £750,000 was left after the transfer of Seale-Hayne to Plymouth University in the late 1990s and this was used to establish a new trust to provide bursaries and other funding to related and appropriate causes. And now in 2008 Plymouth is selling up the very same asset for what many expect will be a figure in excess of £20 million. Justice still might be done if the sale is to a bidder with similar intentions to those of Sir Charles but that seems less and less likely....but there are still things that can be done.
I had a delighful meeting with one of our oldest residents in Dawlish, Lucy Poole - a staunch Conservative and still with a razor sharp brain at 102. She has a remarkeable memory and is righfully proud of many children, grandchildre and great grandchildren. Dawlish has been through much change in her time. The battle of the supermarkets will result in even more change. It seems to be that the old saying, "location, location, location" is as relevant to buying a family home as to big business. Sainsbury's have the better site and I fear Tesco's will lose out accordingly. A recent survey showed over 90% are in favour of the Sainsbury's option. The public meeting next week which I believe both supermarket chains have declined to attend should be decisive.
I have been spending this month getting out to meet school heads to better understand their issues and concerns. Teignmouth College made me very welcome last week. A school with a vision of where it wants to go and which is well on its way to achieving it. The improvement in GCSE results is impressive as is the extraordinary choice of subjects available to students. While it has an outstanding reputation for its maths provision, quite a rarity these days, it also has some quite outstanding arts facilities and talented pupils to go with it. This week I will be visiting Knowles Hill. A good education , like good health is without doubt one of the most important things we can give our children and the generations to come. And what we need more of is good quality vocational training, which Teignmouth College have spotted and made provision for.
I was very flattered last week to be elected Newton Abbot's representative on Devon's Senior Council. While I have been involved for some months now in the council which is being established under the auspices of Devon County Council, this was an honour I had not expected. I have been working with a number of the caring agencies on a variety of issues but this new body should give us something we have not had before - a voice - and a joined up one at that for all of us over 50 whether or not working and whether or not able bodied. Devon County Council are putting money behind this so we must give it our best shot and get it to work!
Last but not least I have been getting to know local businesses better. I run my own local marketing business and am a member of the Federation of Small Businesses. The FSB have been organising business breakfasts on a monthly basis in Teignmouth and Newton Abbot which have been great networking events and those I have met have been a huge support in times of crisis. One very kind fellow businessman helped me out with an urgent fax - my fax was down and these days there are no local fax bureauxs. I called for help - and without question got it. There is an enormous bond and lots of goodwill - we are all struggling to make our businesses work - and together we are much more likely to achieve that.
I think my January has been rather more productive than Gordon's - he needs a bit more sunshine to thaw out. The trouble is ...I doubt he will get it any time soon.
After a brief break in January, I have been out and about in the constituency. Last week I was at the Wednesday morning stock sale in Newton Abbot. There was a good turnout and a surprising number of sheep and cattle for sale. Better still the prices fetched were significantly up bringing a bit of a smile to farmers' faces. I had a good meeting with Anthony Rew who is taking over the NFU Devon chairmanship this year. We talked over the many issues needing to be addressed, particularly the TB epedemic among the badger population. He is very supportive of the farmers group I am getting together - we need to act now. The point to point at Ideford Arch was great fun as ever and very well attended - and was a good opportunity to have my ear bent about the many other issues facing the rural community!
Seale -Hayne has taken up much of my time. I met with the Seale-Hayne Future Group at the end of last year and since then have been working with them to see what we can do. The original intention of Sir Charles is being at best ignored and at worse totally overidden. It is a complicated story of a charitable trust going through so much change that the principles and processes to preserve that intent have got lost. Only some £750,000 was left after the transfer of Seale-Hayne to Plymouth University in the late 1990s and this was used to establish a new trust to provide bursaries and other funding to related and appropriate causes. And now in 2008 Plymouth is selling up the very same asset for what many expect will be a figure in excess of £20 million. Justice still might be done if the sale is to a bidder with similar intentions to those of Sir Charles but that seems less and less likely....but there are still things that can be done.
I had a delighful meeting with one of our oldest residents in Dawlish, Lucy Poole - a staunch Conservative and still with a razor sharp brain at 102. She has a remarkeable memory and is righfully proud of many children, grandchildre and great grandchildren. Dawlish has been through much change in her time. The battle of the supermarkets will result in even more change. It seems to be that the old saying, "location, location, location" is as relevant to buying a family home as to big business. Sainsbury's have the better site and I fear Tesco's will lose out accordingly. A recent survey showed over 90% are in favour of the Sainsbury's option. The public meeting next week which I believe both supermarket chains have declined to attend should be decisive.
I have been spending this month getting out to meet school heads to better understand their issues and concerns. Teignmouth College made me very welcome last week. A school with a vision of where it wants to go and which is well on its way to achieving it. The improvement in GCSE results is impressive as is the extraordinary choice of subjects available to students. While it has an outstanding reputation for its maths provision, quite a rarity these days, it also has some quite outstanding arts facilities and talented pupils to go with it. This week I will be visiting Knowles Hill. A good education , like good health is without doubt one of the most important things we can give our children and the generations to come. And what we need more of is good quality vocational training, which Teignmouth College have spotted and made provision for.
I was very flattered last week to be elected Newton Abbot's representative on Devon's Senior Council. While I have been involved for some months now in the council which is being established under the auspices of Devon County Council, this was an honour I had not expected. I have been working with a number of the caring agencies on a variety of issues but this new body should give us something we have not had before - a voice - and a joined up one at that for all of us over 50 whether or not working and whether or not able bodied. Devon County Council are putting money behind this so we must give it our best shot and get it to work!
Last but not least I have been getting to know local businesses better. I run my own local marketing business and am a member of the Federation of Small Businesses. The FSB have been organising business breakfasts on a monthly basis in Teignmouth and Newton Abbot which have been great networking events and those I have met have been a huge support in times of crisis. One very kind fellow businessman helped me out with an urgent fax - my fax was down and these days there are no local fax bureauxs. I called for help - and without question got it. There is an enormous bond and lots of goodwill - we are all struggling to make our businesses work - and together we are much more likely to achieve that.
I think my January has been rather more productive than Gordon's - he needs a bit more sunshine to thaw out. The trouble is ...I doubt he will get it any time soon.
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