Your Town Council: what’s it good for?
So many things are supposed to be done by Teignbridge District Council, Devon County Council or Dartmoor National Park but they are so hamstrung by cuts that they cannot do them or prioritise doing them in the bigger towns like Newton Abbot.
The result is that our town looks shabby – why can’t the Town Council sort it out? The frustrating answer is that we do not have the legal powers (because the bodies above us have them) and, via them, the legally qualified personnel and the funding to undertake a whole range of works, from potholes to overgrown roadsides.
There is another, not so visible, responsibility. The social fabric of our town also unravels if it does not get care and attention. We can hope that government will take some of that responsibility again one day, but meanwhile there are good people doing great things in Buckfastleigh, and they come to the Town Council for larger and smaller grants.
These groups offer activities and services to all ages and for all purposes seasonally or all year round. Many of them offer real lifelines to people, others are there for all of us if we want to join in. You can see the range on our website. Please take a look here.
If all of these were to vanish, Buckfastleigh would be on its way to becoming a dormitory town.
We will work hard to hold other bodies to their responsibilities and keep trying to find ways to improve the look of the town. But please be assured that we work very hard to preserve and improve something that is at least as important – the social fabric.
If you would like to discuss this further or have any questions or suggestions, please do attend our drop-in session with refreshments on Wednesday 16 October from 3.00pm to 8.00pm in the Town Hall – this is in replacement of the usual monthly meeting.
Councillor Paul Georghiades
Deputy Chair and Mayor