Your community, your choice: Devon County Council seeks input on where to cut its services

‘Your community, your choice’, blithely remarks the Devon County Council Tough Choices site, which calls on people where they want the funding axe to fall. The Tough Choices roadshows, which run throughout Devon also invites people to decide how their community is to be affected by the cuts to services.

Here’s a list of the next roadshows, but you can also get involved and have your say on the Tough Choices website.

14 October 6.30pm
Honiton, Mackarness Hall

17 October 6.30pm
Dawlish, Red Rock Youth Centre

24 October 6.30pm
Barnstaple, The Park Community School

25 October 6.30pm
Ottery St Mary, The Institute

27 October 6.30pm
Exeter, Central Library

3 November 6.30pm
Dartmouth, The Flavel

7 November 6.30pm
Crediton, Boniface Centre

8 November 6.30pm
Tavistock, Town Hall

10 November 6.30pm
Totnes, The Civic Hall

14 November 6.30pm
Newton Abbot, The Avenue Church

15 November 6.30pm
Exmouth, Elizabeth Hall

17 November 6.30pm
Great Torrington, Howe Concert Hall

24 November 6.30pm
Axminster, Guildhall

7 December 6.30pm
Hemyock, Healthy Living Centre

5 October 6.30pm
Sidmouth, Stowford Hall (opposite Waitrose)

7 October 6.30pm
Ilfracombe, The Landmark Theatre

13 October 6.30pm
Moretonhampstead,
King George V Sports & Community Centre

14 October 6.30pm
Honiton, Mackarness Hall

17 October 6.30pm
Dawlish, Red Rock Youth Centre

24 October 6.30pm
Barnstaple, The Park Community School

25 October 6.30pm
Ottery St Mary, The Institute

27 October 6.30pm
Exeter, Central Library

3 November 6.30pm
Dartmouth, The Flavel

7 November 6.30pm
Crediton, Boniface Centre

8 November 6.30pm
Tavistock, Town Hall

10 November 6.30pm
Totnes, The Civic Hall

14 November 6.30pm
Newton Abbot, The Avenue Church

15 November 6.30pm
Exmouth, Elizabeth Hall

17 November 6.30pm
Great Torrington, Howe Concert Hall

24 November 6.30pm
Axminster, Guildhall

7 December 6.30pm
Hemyock, Healthy Living Centre

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The Teign Reach branch of Plough & Share Credit Union is looking to gain more members and has improved its accessibility with the addition of Teignbridge Council’s Forde House headquarters as place to make payments to savings and loans accounts.

The new service at the council offices was launched this month, but the facility doesn’t include withdrawals.

Teign Reach has been operating for two years, offering people living or working in Teignbridge the opportunity to access low cost savings and loans at local venues, such as libraries, community groups and doctors surgeries, even if they’ve had financial difficulties in the past.

It has a 12 per cent interest rate for loans, and it’s fully regulated, supported by the Teignbridge Council and other local organisations.

Teignbridge Council is planning a £5,000 grant to the credit union, following recommendations made by the council’s independent Credit Crunch Commission last year, and approved during the 2009 budget process.

Teign Reach is now hoping to raise awareness of the credit union and encourage more local people to join.

posted by Cptn

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Disabled Kevin asks do we know or care about local politics

Despite being a semi-professional politician, I have still not become aware of any local issues which may influence my decision of which party to vote for on June 4. Living in Plymouth I can only vote in the European elections, but still do not know what each candidate are hoping to achieve should they be elected.

Having run as a city councillor I always make sure I am on the electoral roll and this should mean I should receive at least one piece of mail detailing each parties policies, but I have only received two colourful leaflets from the BNP and UKIP, shouting about how corrupt Westminster is.

Not wanting to vote for the three main parties to register my own protest about the political strain of swine flu that some MPs currently have, who should I vote for?

Apparently, as I understand it (but I’m still not sure), UKIP want to withdraw from Europe, despite the economic cost; the BNP will deport every foreigner and so I imagine that they are going to introduce compulsory national service where everyone has to be a carer for a year; the Green Party will stop me flying to Brighton; the Socialist parties, I gather, want to go back to the ’70s; the Christian parties believe their god can save the economy; and Katie Hopkins still wants a job!

So I am gravitating towards voting for Mebyon Kernow, the party of Cornwall, because their aims seem small, Cornwall does have a unique heritage and culture which should be preserved and I want to learn An Tavas Kernewek.

posted by Disabled Kevin

When I ran for MEP, Plymouth’s Evening Herald referred to me as Disabledkevin! I loved this label; I’m clearly disabled and called Kevin.

Got an opinion? Twitter #devonelection #swelection #euelection, or comment below

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Just two days to go for the European and the county election and we’ve got more election messages that could fit in a Tweet, and some evidence that the Devon election is simmering up nicely.

Sure evidence that the campaign is hotting up is that mover shaker and (Labour PPC for South Devon) Luke Pollard has continued the campaign in Woolwell, Ivybridge: “We’ve delivered 4,000 of these this weekend http://twitpic.com/6ct4k,” he Tweeted.

Only to be followed by: “Boo. Being out numbered by Tory canvassers in Woolwell. Encouragement not to give up!”

And: “Just met lib dem candidate who said labour were doing a great job in ivybridge, with more leaflets than LDs ”

All good stuff.

Now to the election words

East Devon
Stuart Hughes: To ensure your money is spent wisely and protect services in Sidmouth, keep council tax down, support local economy and jobs
Conservative candidate for Sidmouth Sidford

Teignbridge
Sally Morgan: Hard working and effective. Mum and primary school teacher. We change the world by education-just not the way we’re doing it!
Lib Dem candidate for Bovey Tracey Rural

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A crisis of Socialist conscience has broken out in Plymouth with two Labour councillors resigning from the city council because of MPs’ expenses claim.

Cllrs Andy Kerswell and Mark King cited a lack of trust and accused MPs of milking the system, yet they were quite happy to stay in the Labour Party despite creeping privatisation of public services, top-up fees, ID cards and a war with Iraq, and so on. But it was individual ethics that made them jump ship and blow their ticket to the House of Lords… shucks.

To be fair, there are issues about the treatment of the Devonport dockers.

Mr King told thisisplymouth: “We have a Labour MP, Linda Gilroy, who sits on the Defence Select Committee and she knows nothing about what is going on. She keeps saying it will be OK, but it won’t be. I think they’ll close the dockyard after the next General Election.”

Mr Kerswell’s main beef was about emails.

Read the full story

posted by Cptn

• National politics and local politics – should the two be linked? Comment below

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Disabled Kevin asks do we know or care about local politics

In most of Devon there are local elections as well as European elections. Did you know, do you care? Is your council tax too high and are you happy with your local services? Have you met or received any information about what the local parties are planning if they take control on Devon County Council?

UKIP are standing in the European and county elections and will receive many protest votes, but can they run a council, are they interested in organising recycling or do they just want to take the Republic of South Devon out of Europe?

Do the Green Party have realistic plans to attract more tourists to the region, and after the British National Party send all the foreign workers home, who is going to look after the elderly and disabled?

Ok, the alternative parties are unlikely to take power in Devon and we all want to register our disgust to Ben Bradshaw, Richard Younger Ross and Antony Steen at their expenses misuses, but should we pause a moment before placing an ‘x’ on the ballot paper and think do we know who we are voting for, what they really stand for and what expenses they may claim?

posted by Disabled Kevin

Got an opinion? Twitter #devonelection #swelection #euelection, or comment below

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The free bus passes debacle, is due to continue in Torbay tomorrow when under secretary for transport, Paul Clark comes to town to face criticism of the shortfall of government grants to provide the service.

The council says it will be £2 million out of pocket, the Government says oh no it isn’t.

Torbay MP Adrian Saunders, who organised the meeting, told thisissouthdevon: “The Government says it has adequately compensated the council for the bus passes, the council is saying it is much more expensive than the Government has calculated.”

In terms the local shortfall, Torbay mayor Nick Bye told the site: “We do not doubt the Government’s word that overall they have put enough money in the UK pot, and it is a tremendous scheme which we fully support.”

posted by Cptn

(image: a Devon bus)

• Public transport for all! Got any thoughts, leave us a comment.

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PH4L (Plymouth Homes for Let) is a professional property management service social enterprise. They got in touch to explain a bit more about what that means

Explain your business.
Path helped to set up a social enterprise Letting Agency called Plymouth Homes4let (PH4L).

This is a property management agency which seeks to manage properties on behalf of landlords charging them a competitive fee to do so. The agency specialises in working with tenants in receipt of Local Housing Allowance, and seeks to prevent and reduce homelessness by accommodating people in housing need.

What’s your background?
Our background: We are a homelessness charity which has been operating in Plymouth for the past 15 years. We provide a range of services to people who are vulnerable to homelessness, helping them to access and maintain appropriate accommodation.

Why do your ethics play such a strong role in your business, and how does it apply to what you do?
PH4L exists for two reasons. One to provide a quality lettings service to landlords, the other is to help house homeless households.

What have you achieved with what you do?
Plymouth Homes4Let is very busy taking on new properties all the time. In time is will help to prevent and reduce the number of homeless people in Plymouth.

What was harder to implement than you thought it would be?
Some of the most difficult things in setting up has been the registration of the company at Companies House, and the delays in setting up bank accounts. This delayed our start of trading date. But we get a steady stream of both landlords and tenants, so the lettings side works very well.

What has been the unexpected benefit, if any, to you, your business or the community?
The Economic Downturn! The property market slump has led more owners to consider renting out properties rather than sell them. With this increased number of properties on the market available for rent, PH4L has had a very busy time.

What have you learnt and what advice would you give to others thinking of starting a social enterprise?
Make sure you know you market before taking the plunge. We spent years researching our model before setting up, and knew it could work. We had a lot of people doubt that we could make it work – and had to work hard to prove that it could be a success – and it was worth it.

How do you view the future?
We are confident that PH4L will continue to grow and will become a well established professional lettings service in Plymouth.

Anything else you’d like to say?
Have a look at our website: www.plymouthhomes4let.co.uk

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An Autism Education Trust conference in Exeter aims to bring together council representatives, health professionals, adults and young people with autism and their parents and carers to share experiences and learn more about the trust.

Sean Murphy, from Socops, an Exeter group for high-functioning children with autistic spectrum disorders and their families, told thisisexeter: “Education is a real concern for many of the parents who attend Socops.

“Many feel there are gaps in provision for their children and are now accessing services outside the county to meet their child’s need.

“The work that the trust is doing is invaluable. We feel that something is being done to address the current and future difficulties that our children face.”

The event will take place at the Thistle Hotel, in Queen Street, Exeter, on Thursday, May 7, from 9am-3pm.

Places are free but limited and must be booked in advance. For details and to book tickets visit the Autism Education Trust site, call 0115 9113367 or email conference@nas.org.uk

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The region’s first NHS Stop Smoking shop has opened on Torquay’s Union Street, offering expert help with no appointment necessary.

Members of Torbay Care Trust’s Stop Smoking team are providing on-the-spot advice to help people set up a programme of ongoing support.

The facility will also provide accommodation for Stop Smoking Advisors to provide confidential one-to-one support.

Lyn Ware, Torbay Care Trust Stop Smoking manager, said smokers are four times more likely to quit with an NHS stop smoking service than if they go it alone.

The Health Wize young people’s centre, which will provide advice, support and information on all aspects of health and wellbeing, will open in Union Street on April 30.

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There will be a compost giveaway in Victoria Woodholme car park in Buckfastleigh on Saturday, April 25 – but get there early, apparently it goes like… something… off a shovel.

The event is due to start at 10am and runs until 1pm, or until stocks run out – up to five bags of compost can be claimed per person.

Also in attendance will be Go Green, a not-for-profit recycling and composting company promoting their green waste collection service, which puts money back into children’s projects, such as helping local schools by providing compost.

And Buck the Trend, an environmental group from Buckfastleigh, will be running a plant/seed swap on the day.

Cllr Gordon Hook, Teignbridge Executive spokesperson for environmental services, told the PRSD: “Our free compost giveaways always prove popular, and I’d encourage anyone who’d like to claim some to come along early in the day. It’s a big help if people bring their own bags, but we will have a limited supply available too.

“Teignbridge residents do a superb job making the district one of the best recyclers in the entire country, and we’re now fourth in the national top-ten. As a thank you we’re offering top quality compost absolutely free – all you have to do is come along and claim it!”

• There will be more free compost giveaways in June. Check out the Teignbridge recycling page for more.

posted by Cptn

(Image: members of Teignbridge’s recycling team at a previous giveaway – Belinda Ayres, Pete White and Tracey Fey.)

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In our on-going series on ethical business and social enterprises we got in touch with Chris Deacon of Ethical Investors UK

Explain your business.
Ethical Investors provides a specialist, independent, financial advice service to individuals, groups and companies who care about their world and its preservation.

What’s your background?
I have been South West consultant for Ethical Investors since January 1994.

Why do your ethics play such a strong role in your business, and how does it apply to have you do?
Our commitment to ethical finance is expressed by our refusal to advise on anything other than screened investments and through our unique profit distribution scheme.

What have you achieved with what you do?
We have encouraged and enabled 1,000s of people to invest according to their ethics.

What was harder to implement than you thought it would be?
Making people aware of the existence of ethical finance.

What have you learnt and what advice would you give to others thinking of starting a social enterprise?
Nothing is easy in business

How do you view the future?
In the short term, extremely difficult because of the current economic climate. In the medium to long term, ethical finance will flourish, particular with the growing awareness of the problems climate change will bring.

• If you know an ethical company that is doing ‘good things’, tell them to get in touch with the People’s Republic of South Devon. Check out our handy, ready questions and email your response to info@peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk, or phone 01626 818 464

Other features in the Ethical business series:
Ethical business: April Doubleday, jeweller
Ethical business: COSMIC
Ethical business: Rise, the voice of South West social enterprise
Ethical company: Diggin It – organic growth for the whole community in Plymouth

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Related posts:

1. Ethical business: COSMIC In the first of our on-going features on ethical...
2. Ethical business: Rise, the voice of South West social enterprise In our series on ethical, environmental and social enterprise...
3. Ethical business: April Doubleday, jeweller Here at the People’s Republic of South Devon, we’re...