Devon is Best - Official

Country Life have published a survey today on which is the best county. As we all know the best county is Devon; I'm glad to say Country Life realise this, and have named Devon as the best county.

In the Landscape, Green, Pubs and Food, categories Devon was first. You can read an abridged version of the article on Country Life's website http://www.countrylife.co.uk/ .Teignbridge District Council's outstanding recycling record was used to illustrate the Green category.

Boost for Cycling But No New Bridge

Whatever the Herald Express front page story says there isn't going to be another bridge over the Teign.
But Cycling in South Devon has received a boost, thanks to Liberal Democrat led Devon County Council's £5 million investment in cycle routes. As part of the investment Haldon Forest cycling trails will be getting an upgrading, and £1.3million will go towards an important commuter and leisure route between Newton Abbot and Teignmouth. This is welcome news, this investment will create a lasting legacy for South Devon. Cycling is an important part of the tourist market. With the drop in the pound more people are deciding to holiday in Britain rather than abroad, these routes will put South Devon at the forefront of attracting more tourists for cycling holidays, which potentially could have a healthy impact on the local economy.

Creating a comprehensive network of cycle routes in Devon can encourage more people to cycle to school or work, which will benefit people's health and the local environment, and it is further proof of Devon's ambition to be even greener.The council hopes the investment will stimulate the local economy by putting the county on the map as a premier destination for cycle tourism.The money from the Investing In Devon fund, generated by the sale of Exeter Airport, will not only add to the extensive network of designated cycleways in Devon but will also build on the County Council's efforts for Devon to become England's greenest county.The funding will be used to develop commuter and recreational routes, many of which will attract visitors for short cycling breaks.

Money you might be missing out on

One of the problems with the Government inventing lots of complicated tax credits and benefits is that people very often don't get what they are entitled to. One example is something called the "children's tax credit" (not to be confused with the 'child tax credit' which is what you can get now). This ran for just two years 2001/02 and 2002/03 and the deadline for claiming for 2002/03 is the end of January 2009. The 'children's tax credit' was introduced in 2001 to make sure that people with children did not lose out when the married couple's tax allowance was abolished in that year. It is too late to claim for 2001/02 but you can still claim for 2002/03.
It was worth about £520 (or double if you had a child born during the year) and was payable once per family. You could qualify if you paid tax during 2002/03 and were responsible for a child under 16. People who paid higher rate tax got less help, and those on the highest incomes got nothing.
If you think you didn't get the money at the time and might be entitled, you need to act quickly. You can download the claim form from here and it needs to go back to your local tax office by 31st January.
Good luck!

Torbay to copy Teignmouth

Torbay Mayor Nick Bye has announced plans to build a copy of Teignmouth’s popular Den play park in Paignton. In his New Year message Mr Bye admitted many people from Torbay visited Teignmouth because of the Den facilities, and consequently spent their money in Teignmouth shops and cafes. He said he had had numerous letters calling for a similar facility in Torbay.

I’m very proud to have played a part in getting the play park on the Den; which has attracted visitors to Teignmouth. I’m not worried by the challenge after all Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I still think people will come from Torquay and further a field; parking is cheaper in Teignmouth, and our traffic wardens are a lot friendlier than Torbay’s!
The Adventure Golf and Den play park represent nearly £1million of investment by Teignbridge Council over the past few years.
The Den won the award in the children's play category in this year's Local Government Network Street Design awards. It is the latest in a line of awards for the Den including a Green Flag award and a highly commended in the ILAM Best Playground 2005 competition.
This places the play park, adventure golf, multi-use games area and open space among the best designed resorts in the country.