Exeter - A Great Climate for Business

Exeter has opportunities for small artisan
traders as well as big High St brands

As those of you that followed my election campaign might recall, my Tory opponents tried to make much of the fact that I used to be a councillor in Weymouth. I represented Littlemoor there, an estate that was not without its social and economic problems, but that came together as a community, and successfully bid for £1 million of Lottery money under the Big Communities initiative to improve the ward and develop community facilities.

Despite the success of projects like this, and despite the fact that the resort has just hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as I follow Weymouth's fortunes I am sad to see that the Tory-run town is quite clearly struggling. There was embarrassment during the Olympics when the Bayside Festival - supposed to be a showpiece feature of the Games - went bust. Recently, high street fashion retailer Next announced it was leaving the town, following a similar move from Top Shop and Evans last year. All of this gloom came on the back of the Channel Isles Condor Ferries operation pulling out of Weymouth port following health & safety concerns over the state of the quayside.

Exeter is increasingly drawing major retail investment

By contrast, in Labour-led Exeter I am finding that we have much to be optimistic about - despite the national gloom. You won't need me to remind you that we are in the throes of a double-dip recession, with economic growth and employment forecasts both recently revised downwards by the CBI, the IMF and the British Chambers of Commerce. All serious economists are now forecasting a sustained period of recession under this government, characterised by reduced consumer spending and increased unemployment. Nationally, the average proportion of empty shops (Retail Unit Vacancy Rate) has risen to a record 14.6%, or 1 in 7 shops now empty. Yet in Exeter, our vacant shops have actually fallen - to just 6.96% - less than half the national average!

RAMM Manager Camilla Hampshire receives the Museum
of the Year award

Why is Exeter booming when so many comparable towns and cities are struggling? Exeter Labour is serious about getting business investment in our city - but we also believe that a strong, resilient  community requires the private, public and voluntary sectors to work together and to play to one another's strengths. The newly crowned "Museum of the Year", our own Royal Albert Memorial Museum is a perfect example. Still very much in City Council ownership, the RAMM has seen investment from the Council, partnership with the local private sector, and an army of community volunteers delivering an inspirational attraction of which we can all be proud. Exeter Labour held its nerve over continued investment, believing in its vision for a world-class facility, at a time when Tory and Lib Dem councillors fretted and sniped from the sidelines and through the local press. Labour showed leadership, and our staff and volunteers delivered. The result? Museum of the Year, and record visitor numbers coming to Exeter for the RAMM - and then spending money in our local shops and restaurants. 

Ben Bradshaw MP helps cut turf on a new
researchcentre at Exeter University

On Tuesday evening at the Council's Scrutiny Committee for Community, we also heard from Exeter University. The university was this year awarded prestigious Russell Group status, which will bring more students to Exeter, and will see an expansion (and increased recognition) of the university's research programmes - which in turn will attract greater investment. The university aims to increase its capacity from its current level of 17500 students to around 20000. A stroll through Exeter's shopping districts and seeing new brands like Hollister, Jack Jones, Urban Outfitters and Republics will tell you what effect the "student pound" has on our local economy, and nationally it is worth noting that UK wide overseas students are estimated to contribute over £14 billion to our economy.

This is no time to be sending the signal that educating students - and specifically international students - are not a welcome part of our economic recovery. Yet the government's handling of debacle over the London Metropolitan University and the hike in tripling tuition fees that has seen an almost 8% fall in applications are all combining to undermine higher education in this country.

I welcome the growth of our local university, but my challenge to Exeter University is that it must do better on opening access to students from less privileged backgrounds. I am glad to see greater student numbers - including overseas students - bringing valuable income to our city, but I want the education that they benefit from to be open to all. A report in 2011 suggests Exeter remains a university that is "failing" poorer students. Labour is serious about business growth - but the benefit of that wealth must be for the many, not the few.

Exeter Science Park will bringer technological skill, investment and jobs
to our city

I could go on... The development of the Science Park, the partnership of Exeter City Council with neighbouring authorities to develop growth points at Cranbrook and Exeter Airport, the forthcoming opening of the new John Lewis store, the increased investment in the development of medical research facilities in the city are all bringing economic boosts to Exeter, and enabling us to the weather the storms of a fiscally incompetent government and the ever-deepening Euro crisis. 

Exeter Labour has the talent, the steel and the leadership to continue to grow our local economy, and make Exeter a beacon for investment. We can be trusted with the economy. But perhaps more importantly, we can be trusted to be  fair in how the benefits of growth are distributed, and to balance the needs of business, community, our precious local environment and our thriving cultural scene. 

Under Labour, Exeter is a great place to live, and it's a great place to do business.

Important consultation event

Have Your Say: Building Pinhoe

An important consultation event is being held to give residents a say in future developments in and around Pinhoe, and will give local people a chance to speak to local councillors, but also to Planning and Transport officers from ECC, DCC and EDDC. The event is to be held at Pinhoe Primary School on Wednesday 29^th August from 3pm to 7pm. (Directions here)

Pinhoe is set to grow

There are a number of significant developments in the pipeline for the Pinhoe area. Planning permission has already been granted for building much-needed new homes in the Ibstock Quarry & Brickworks sites, and there are now consultations underway from Barratt Homes and Eagle One to build more homes in the Monkerton and Hill Barton area.

In the City Council's Core Strategy, the Monkerton and Hill Barton area is allocated for the development of up to 2,500 new homes. Development in the area is guided by the Monkerton & Hill Barton Masterplan, which was consulted on and agreed in 2010. The Masterplan was designed as a supplement to the Core Strategy, and indicates how the site could be developed based on key principles. It is an important document guiding planning applications for the site, but it is not a definitive plan and planning applications may propose slightly different combinations of land use. 

Checking new EDDC plans with
Labour County Cllr Saxon Spence

Meanwhile, in neighbouring East Devon, permission is being sought for several new developments on the edges of Pinhoe that would undoubtedly have an impact on our ward. At the June meeting of its Planning Committee, ECC objected to development at Pinn Court Farm on the basis that EDDC had not adequately considered the traffic implications for Pinhoe village. We will certainly be lobbying Tory-controlled EDDC to ensure that any future developments over the border make allowances for the added pressures on infrastructure in Pinhoe. You can keep up to date with these developments at http://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/

You can view the Core Strategy, Masterplan and planning applications at the Civic Centre, Paris Street, or online:
www.exeter.gov.uk/corestrategy
www.exeter.gov.uk/monkerton
www.exeter.gov.uk/planning

The upside!

With development comes resources to invest in community infrastructure. Your Exeter City councillors, Moira MacDonald and Simon Bowkett, recently attended the Pinhoe Community Association Family Fun Day to talk to local residents about the services they feel Pinhoe village currently lacks.

Public toilets, warden-assisted housing for older people and youth facilities scored very highly. What do you think? Email your ideas to simon4pinhoe@gmail.com

We are also keen to speak to residents in or around the Summerway area of the ward about the possibility of a new community facility for your area. Would you like to get involved? Contact either cllr.simon.bowkett@exeter.gov.uk or cllr.moira.macdonald@exeter.gov.uk to set up a meeting with us.

Pinhoe Developments: Have Your Say

On Saturday, Councillor Moira MacDonald and I had a very good day at the Pinhoe Community Association Family Fun Day, a celebration of the diamond jubilee of our community centre, America Hall. The event was very well attended, and though overcast, the day was largely dry. Moira and I used the opportunity to talk to local residents about their ideas for new community facilities in Pinhoe.


We asked locals three straightforward questions:

• What do you most like about Pinhoe?
• What do you least like?
• What does Pinhoe lack that you would like to see?

The top answers to question one were no surprise to Moira and I. People overwhelming like the sense of the community here, the facilities and the friendliness of the people:

What do you most like about living in Pinhoe?

When we asked what people dislike most about living in Pinhoe, the answers were similarly predictable. Most people dislike the traffic - particularly at peak times - and there is concern that this traffic will get worse with planned developments in the area. Traffic "pressure points" that came in for specific mentions included the double mini-roundabouts in the village, Chancel Lane bridge, and turning right out of Venny Bridge onto Pinhoe Road. Many were concerned about further development generally, and this scored second-highest after traffic as an issue.

What do you least like about living in Pinhoe?

However, with increased development will come increased community investment. Moira and I wanted to get a sense from local residents what they feel Pinhoe lacks - what the community most needs. Here's what people told us: 

What does Pinhoe most need?

Public toilets (possible sites mentioned were adjacent to the changing rooms at Station Road Playing Fields, and next to Lloyds Bank on the Main Road); supported, warden-assisted housing for older people; and a base for youth-work in the area were the ideas most commonly suggested. What do you think? Email me your thoughts: Simon4Pinhoe@gmail.com or add a comment to this blog.

Whether there will be development in our area is not up for debate. The Exeter Core Strategy was agreed by a cross-party meeting of Full Council in February 2012; and the Monkerton Masterplan was consulted on in 2010, and duly adopted. However, what is not yet set is the density and design of developments, and the allowance for open spaces and community facilities within them. There is still much for people to examine and have their say on.

On 14th June a meeting was held with residents in the area immediately around the Hill Barton site to discuss ways of getting more involved in the planning process. As a result of that meeting, it was agreed that the Council would hold a community consultation event to allow residents to view and comment on current planning applications. This will also give residents the chance to raise important issues for the future development of site, including things like open spaces, housing density and housing styles, access and transport links. 

Make sure you have your say!

The consultation events will be held at St Lawrence Church, Lower Hill Barton Road on the following dates:

Monday 2nd July, 7.30pm - 9.30pm 
Thursday 5th July, 3.30pm - 7.30pm

This will allow residents time to submit responses to the planning applications before the earliest planning committee meeting on 23rd July. City Council planning officers will be available to answer questions at both these events, and officers from Devon County Council's Highways team have been invited.

You can view the Core Strategy, Masterplan and planning applications at the Civic Centre, Paris Street, or online:
www.exeter.gov.uk/corestrategy
www.exeter.gov.uk/monkerton
www.exeter.gov.uk/planning

There will be additional consultations shortly on developments around the Tithebarn Lane area, keep an eye on the local press and this blog for details. 


Finally, East Devon District Council are also considering applications for major developments at Pinn Court Farm and Old Park Farm, each of over 400 units. Exeter City Council has already expressed concern that one of these developments does not pay adequate attention to transportation issues, and we will be lobbying Tory-controlled EDDC to ensure that any developments over the border make allowances for the added pressures on transport infrastructure in Pinhoe. You can keep up to date with these developments at http://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/

Sleepwalking...?

Shaun (Simon Pegg) gloriously oblivious to the
catastrophe unfolding around him
[Universal Pictures 2004]

I have a guilty secret. I like zombies. Well, not so much the things themselves, but I have a modest collection of films, books and comic books all set on a post-apocalyptic earth where humans (the living ones) face a breakdown of all the systems they have previous relied on, fighting a daily battle for survival. 

There is something reassuringly formulaic about the genre. Most zombie stories start before things go so catastrophically wrong. The zombie-spoof movie "Shaun of the Dead" opens with the hero waking up, and sleepily stumbling his way to the electrical goods store where he works. All is normal it appears, and people are going about their lives. Yet every radio he passes, every TV in the shop, and every newspaper hoarding outside each shop is carrying a news story about the spread of a mysterious new virus. Yet it is never more than background chatter to Shaun, and he (along with everyone else) is unaware of the significance of the reports, and oblivious to the news as he sleepwalks towards his new destiny... 

Sometimes I feel a little like Shaun, stumbling through day-to-day living while seemingly every news bulletin carries a story - often lower down the news order - about some new disturbance in the national or global economic markets. Greek elections fail to secure a government that will see through austerity measures... Spanish banks may require a bailout... UK manufacturing index falls... billions wiped of global markets as US recovery stalls... all stories from the past few weeks that could be pointing to a wider storm that threatens to undermine the security we have all taken for granted, and to be propelling us to a harsher new world. 

Locals queue at a soup kitchen in Athens
[Guardian Newspaper Group, 2012]

Two years ago, my partner Jenny and I went to Athens for her birthday. It was a busy, bustling and glamorous city. The food and drink in the elegant bars and bistros were expensive, and designer outlets for every major western fashion house stood on every major street. Now the images coming out of Athens are of food banks, soup kitchens, riots and social upheaval. In April, a 77 year-old man committed suicide, shooting himself outside the Greek Parliament because, his note revealed, his dignity would not allow him to "search the garbage for food."

Greece still maybe feels a little distant from us, so Shaun-like we stumble on, the news of social unrest in Athens remains background noise. It couldn't happen here, could it? Maybe we sit up a little more when Spain is mentioned - after all, we have heard of Santander Bank. Still, it's the Eurozone. "Thank God we didn't join," we think, and go back to our cornflakes.

The present government came into power likening the UK deficit to a household budget that had been left vulnerable by too much spending on the family credit cards. After the harshest budget in a generation in June 2010, George Osborne "hit back at accusations that his spending cuts will plunge the economy into another recession" saying that he had "no choice" but to cut, and that  "...we are shaping the economy of the future by promoting a pro-growth agenda."

Spain next?

Less than two years on, the then-feted "Plan A" has failed. The UK is back in recession. Manufacturing is in free-fall. Greece may have this weekend seen the very close election of the pro-bailout New democracy Party to form a new coalition, but after initial relief, most observers feel even this step is still simply delaying the advance of the Eurozone "virus". How long the Greek people will stomach the levels of austerity demanded of them is anyone's guess, and prolonged and sustained social unrest could well bring any newly-formed government down quickly. Other economists say Greece is a mere sideshow, and the real threat is Spain's banks falling. Today, interest on Spanish government bonds exceeded 7% - above the "danger levels" that indicate a banking system in profound peril. The collapse of a Spanish bank would have global consequences, as the collapse of the Lehman Brothers Bank did in 2008.


And here's the point. This is a global economic market. Likening the economy of UK Plc to a household budget of overspent credit cards, storecards and overdrafts is crass, and simplistic. However, it provides a useful scare story if your true intention as a government is to promote cuts and austerity as the necessary "medicine" to get things right again, while pursuing a more ideological agenda of shrinking the state and public sector, and out-sourcing to the private corporations that fund your party. In a global economy, my spending is your income; and your spending mine. If we both simultaneously cut our spending, you become deprived of income, and so do I. The debt looks scarier when faced with this reduced income, so in panic we cut still deeper... You see the problem. The lesson of every good zombie story is that no one survives by simply barricading themselves in and seeing their resources deplete. They survive through co-operation, communication, and trading. 

Ed Balls has overtaken Osborne as most voters' preferred Chancellor
to handle the UK economy

The solution to the economic crisis is not more austerity. It is not working, and it will not work. The solution is to increase investment in the programmes and projects that will create social infrastructure, that will support growth, that will provide jobs to give nervous households greater income. As these businesses and households feel more hop and less fear, they will begin to spend and invest again themselves, and the ever-decreasing circle of austerity is reversed as once again my spending provides you with an income, and your spending provides for me. In France, the people have chosen a government with such a policy; and in the UK people are increasingly supporting Labour. Last week, for the first time, opinion polls started to show that most voters trust Ed Balls, not George Osborne, with our stuttering economy. 


The people of Greece are facing desperate times. Spain may soon follow. In the UK we still have choice - do not let the Tories tell you otherwise. There is a way to deliver growth and jobs, and Labour is arguing hard to see it made policy.  If you agree with us, join us

All different, all equal

It was so good to see Exeter's Respect festival even bigger and better yesterday, with well over 10,000 attending in a single day (and hopefully even more of the same today!) Exeter Respect is Exeter's largest annual cultural event, and celebrates our community in all its diversity, to increase awareness and understanding, and to challenge ignorance and prejudice.

Unplugged and colourful in the acoustic tent

Although Exeter has a non-white ethnic population of just 2.4% (according to the 2001 census) compared to an England & Wales average of 9.1%, the city nonetheless has significant communities of people of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, and Middle Eastern heritage. There are also significant numbers of people who are living and working here from Poland, Russia, Bulgaria and other Eastern European nations. 2.6% of our population who have a faith, describe themselves as "non-Christian", while 20.5% of us have "no religion." The city is fortunate to have a vibrant multi-cultural University that does so much to promote learning between people of different backgrounds, and the city's sizeable lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community contribute enormously to the city's economic, cultural and political life - including a strong annual Exeter Pride event.

One of the reasons I am most proud to live in Exeter, is that it is a city of tolerance and understanding, with a rich cultural scene that regularly showcases and celebrates arts, food and cultural life that orginates in - or is influenced by - other countries, races or communities. Organisations that would seek to divide us tend not to fare too well in our city, and I have happy memories of the day that Exeter's people - Christians, Jews and Muslims; trades unionists and students; men, women and children, turned out in numbers to embarrass a tiny cohort of EDL demonstrators. Exeter Respect is an extension of that spirit, and is a free, two-day festival held in Belmont Park to revel in the diversity of our city and to enjoy the added depth that this diversity brings. The strap line "All Different - All Equal" sums up the values of the weekend. 

To die for! A Hindu hearse at Respect.

Walking into the park, your senses are immediately engaged by a gamut of colours, noises, rhythms, smells, song, chatter and laughter. Aromas of the many foods on sale got my stomach rumbling almost immediately: Thai, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Eastern European, Mediterranean... Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free, kosher and halal (and even burgers and pizzas!) For those curious about faith and spirituality, there were colourful stalls staffed by adherents to Islam, Hinduism, Bah'ai, several strands of the Christian faith, spiritual healing, meditation, and shamanism. For those with little time for such ethereal pursuits, there was always the Devon Humanists' stand. Music catered for (almost) all tastes: acoustic to hip hop, folk to Samba, reggae, rock and roots; and the small craft and fashion stalls and other little retail outlets included everything from incense sticks to magic sticks, jewellery to massage oils, books, beads and banners. 

Part of the effective Amnesty display

Exeter Respect is a lot of fun - and there was a real party atmosphere throughout. The police were present (in fact they had a display) yet there presence was extremely low-key, and although well in excess of 10,000 people attended, I didn't see any trouble at all, nor did it look like there might be any. Maybe that is because Respect is a celebration of values - tolerance, understanding, peacefulness and, well, respect. Respect for the essential common value we all place on humanity - we may all be different, but we are all equal; no matter our nationality, our ethnicity, our (dis)ability, our sexuality, gender, and faith (or absence of faith.) So the festival also hosts organisations that have values that resonate with those of the festival itself - the Cooperative movement, trades unions, environmental and social campaigning organisations - all of them organisations that seek to celebrate common humanity, and that believe, as I do,  that communities like ours in Exeter are better when we come together, rather than when we allow prejudice, fear and ignorance to divide us. 

Cllr Roger Spackman, me & Jenny, Cllr Greg Sheldon &
Cllr Phil Bialyk

Week one!

The new picnic (feasting?!) table at Arena Park

It's been a funny old week. On the one hand, a lot has happened - or at least there has been a lot of activity - on the other, no "proper" meetings have started at the Council yet. Last weekend I spent time with the family, and sleeping a lot, to get over the exhaustion of the campaign. That said, I still stopped by the family fun day at a rather blustery Arena Park with my partner, Jenny, and Cllr Moira MacDonald where the new outdoor sports cage and the stunning new picnic tables (courtesy of Carving Communities) were unveiled. I was quickly put to work by David & Cathy Coles who were telling me about the area's community composting scheme. The estate has two large composting bins, but as we enter grass-cutting season, these are insufficient, leading to people simply scattering their cuttings on verges and in hedges, which in turn leads to rancid odours as the vegetation rots openly. I am now working with the County Council trying to find a way to secure two more bins for the area.

Best thing I've seen at the Bike Shed Theatre
this year... and that includes a hustings!

On Monday night, Jenny and I went to see the Exeter Blitz Project at the Bike Shed Theatre. If you haven't seen it, it is on until 19th May and really is excellent - please do go and watch and support this important local work. The production is based on interviews with survivors of the blitz attacks on Exeter in 1942, and the excellent characterisations really brought home the impact of the war on ordinary civilian households. It is also hugely interesting to hear how those bombing raids have shaped the modern face of the city - and as I was to learn later in the week, also shaped the economics. Large areas of Sidwell Street and Newtown, South Street and Fore Street were badly bombed. These areas were subsequently rebuilt by the City Council, and the council retains the freehold on the sites, deriving a healthy rental income from the city centre businesses that now occupy them.

Dodgy Council photo!

After the Bank Holiday, on Tuesday I went in to meet some of the Member Services team - the team from Exeter City Council that help support councillors' work, and arranges and offers administrative support to the Council's committees. The days immediately post-election are a busy time for this department as new councillors need setting up with I.T. and new email accounts,   security badges, parking permits, web pages and organising councillor inductions and training. However, the team were very welcoming, and after I signed my declaration and submitted my various forms, we chatted about the role of councillors in Exeter, and how best we as elected representatives could work together with officers for the best outcomes for the city. It was a very positive meeting... except the quality of my now "official" Council photo on my profile page!

Tuesday evening was great. Exeter Labour HQ in Clifton Hill was buzzing with 24 Labour Councillors, 5 of us newly-elected. This was the meeting to sort out who would serve on which committees, who would hold which portfolios, and who would hold which offices within the local Labour Group for the next civic year. The results of the meeting (and all appointments) will become public after tomorrow's (15th May) Full Council meeting...

Looking forward to working with Sarah Ward
again... a fellow refugee from W&PBC!

On Thursday, 5 new Labour councillors, plus Pennsylvania's new Tory councillor, Jake Donovan, attended an introductory meeting with the Exeter City Council Directorate team - Philip Bostock, the Chief Exec; with Karime Hassan and Mark Parkinson as strategic Directors. It was good to hear some of the things from Council officers that we had been saying on the doors just weeks before: Exeter is "bucking the trend" as far as the national economy is concerned, and is growing, attracting business growth and start-up investment. Furthermore, Exeter has the lowest district Council tax in Devon, and the 5th lowest in the country. Real value for money for local tax payers! I was also pleased to be hearing that I will soon be joined at Exeter City Council by another refugee from the shared-services Councils of Weymouth & West Dorset as Sarah Ward, a very able Housing Manager joins ECC as Assistant Director for Housing. Sarah is a very able manager, and I look forward to working with her on Exeter's significant housing challenges, but also I hope she embrace our enthusiasm for new housing solutions, including co-operative models of housing for the city. 

Pinhoe Pantomime - one of the highlights of America
Hall's year, every year.

Finally for now, it was a privilege to be approached by Angela Roberts, Hon Sec of the America Hall committee to be asked if I would join the committee. America Hall is a valuable community facility and hub in Pinhoe, but like any community venue, it needs to have one eye on its own future survival. I know that community resources like that are more often than not kept alive by the hard work and dedication of a few community activists, and I look forward to joining them at their AGM on 31st May. If you would like to get involved in helping this great project why not drop Angela a line at secretary@americahall.co.uk? 

So now what...?

Early tension at the count soon eased as it was clear this
was Exeter Labour's night

As the dust settles on the stunning Labour results in last Thursday's elections, I have been catching up on sleep, and spending some time with the family after months of hard campaigning. I have been grateful for the many messages of congratulations I have received on the street and by emails and Twitter. However, my favorite was a message from my new friend John Maclean. John is a former serviceman, a successful businessman, and a former Lib Dem Councillor and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. He is a straight-talking, no-nonsense Scot, and has no party allegiance any more. Like many, he has become deeply sceptical about party politics, but he has nonetheless been very supportive of my campaign after I got to know his son, Steven, who is a "free journalist" and activist. In the early hours of Friday morning he sent me this Tweet:

I could almost hear him say it!

What we know about the result in Pinhoe is that while turnout in the ward overall was the highest in the city at 43.34%, turnout in the more "traditional" Labour polling districts of Whipton village and Arena Park were significantly lower, in the mid-twenties. Given that Labour had a frankly startling majority of 280 something significant has happened in Pinhoe. It's not the UKIP effect either - even if you add the Tory & UKIP votes together Labour still would have won in Pinhoe. The only explanation is that there were a lot of people in the traditionally Conservative-voting Pinhoe village  and White City areas voted for Labour, and for me. People who would normally vote Conservative are instead trusting me to represent them. Some people who would normally vote Labour, chose to stay home and not vote at all. Yet also people like John, who view all politicians with a healthy degree of cynicism, actively supported my campaign. 

John is right - it is now time to get working. I want to show those that voted Labour against their natural voting instincts that their trust in me and in Exeter Labour was not misplaced. I want to show the voters of Whipton village and Arena Park that their voice does matter, it is worth voting, and that Exeter Labour councillors are working for and with them to improve our communities. I want to show John, and the many people like him, that not all politicians are self-serving and that the best politicians can be community activists too. 

Cllr Dawson, one of our colleagues from
neighbouring Mincinglake ward

This week I shall be inducted into Exeter City Council life and find out what committees I will serve on and any specific responsibilities I will carry, but already I have been talking to my colleagues about how we can work better for those we represent. Cllr Catherine Dawson, from our neighbouring Mincinglake ward, wasted no time in suggesting that all the Labour councillors for Pinhoe & Mincinglake get together monthly with our County Councillor Saxon Spence to take a joined-up approach to tackling issues in the area - an idea that was embraced by all of us. We acknowledge that many of our communities "straddle" the somewhat artificial boundaries of the city's political wards, so by working together we will be able to achieve far more.

I have committed to having a dedicated website where residents can report issues to me, and to be able to see openly what action I am taking to resolve it. I will continue to use social media as a quick and convenient way to communicate, but will also be available in person at surgeries to talk. I intend to alternate surgeries between the Pinhoe "end" of the ward, and the Whipton "end", and will suggest to my colleagues street surgeries at Pinhoe shops and Whipton shops so people can informally tell us about what matters to them.

Communities working together can achieve amazing things,
like this picnic bench at Arena Park

I am very proud that Pinhoe had the highest turnout in the city, almost double that of some wards. I believe it is not politicians’ jobs to “fix” things for communities, but rather to work with communities to improve and develop them, and I am delighted that the Pinhoe ward has so many people who are active already. So I shall be particularly pleased to hear from you with your ideas and to hear about your projects, and if you would like to make a difference within Exeter Labour Party itself, why not consider joining us? See  http://www.exeter-labour.org.uk/ for more details, or call the office on 01392 275004.