Teignmouth Hospital Minor Injuries Unit

Proposed closure of Teignmouth Hospital's Minor Injuries Unit, to be discussed at town council meeting on Tuesday (6.30pm Bitton House). Public may attend. "Agenda item 7. Teignmouth and Dawlish Health Services – To inform members of the proposals for how the community health services should be delivered in the future. Jenny Turner and Dr Matthew Fox will be speaking" Teignmouth is a wholly NHS owned hospital; however Dawlish is a PFI hospital.I can't help but wonder if the decision to centre MIU at Dawlish could be financially based, for instance, the NHS is paying for the hospital and the MIU at Dawlish presumably it 'pays for the space' even if the MIU is shut - on the other hand, if you mothball Teignmouth MIU you save money.

Injustice

Richard Weeks is a small farmer, whose family has owned and farmed land near Dawlish for over half a centaury. Richard does not want housing development on his land, he just wants to continue farming; he has rejected the large amount of money be could make by selling up. Unfortunately Teignbridge Council want to force him to give up a third of his land for a 'coastal park'. The council is required to offset the loss of land for the very building on the countryside Richard opposes and provide alternative green space. Richard argues that taking a third of his land would put him out of business. Richard is fac

ing at a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for his land at agricultural price. This is Conservative run Teignbridge District Council.

Solar Energy takes a step closer to replacing Gas and Coal

Australian company CSIRO has used solar energy to generate hot and pressurised ‘supercritical’ steam. Supercritical steam is a breakthrough for solar energy and means that the sun could be used to drive power stations, currently only driven by coal or gas.

Conservatives Lose Majority

It's official two Teignbridge councillors have left the Conservative group, Kingsteignton councillor Joan Lambert and Chudleigh councillor Lorraine Evans. The Conservatives are now a minority administration with 22 and Lib Dems, Independents and one UKIP with 24.

Garden Tax

Teignbridge Conservatives are introducing a new “tax” next year for the collection of garden waste. We are now organising a petition to try and get this decision reversed. This new charge is due to start this time next year, but if like us you think it is wrong to charge for the service the Lib Dems provided free when we ran the council, please log on to SignMe.org.uk/963 where you can get a petition form and either sign on line or print off and send to us by snail mail (free of charge) This new charge is not compulsory, but if you don’t pay it you simply won’t get your green bin emptied, and will therefore have to make other arrangements…..either compost at home (which is fine if you have the room) or take to the recycling centres or some may be tempted to fly tip or put in the “wrong” bin,none of which will help. signMe.org.uk/963

Twenty is Plenty

I've been supporting residents,to get a 20 limit on Kingsway and Mill Lane for a number of years. http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/decision_making/cma/cma_document.htm?cmadoc=minutes_tbh_20120705.html Sadly my efforts haven't been helped by the Highways committee. I've been asked to try again; there are many benefits to a 20 limit. Professor Danny Dorling (Halford Mackinder Professor of the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford), is something of an expert. Prof Dorling has produced a report on the benefits of a 20 limit. Dorling’s report highlights that, for 5 – 25 year olds, road casualty is the most likely cause of death, injuries are more likely to affect poorer people and there are enormous benefits from 20mph limits in promoting active lifestyles. He says: "I was asked to provide the evidence base for a single workable policy to reduce inequalities in health and improve public health in general. There is now a mountain of evidence to show that reducing car speeds with 20mph limits does this in a way that is far more directly obvious than any other single health policy. The health effects range from reduction in fatalities and serious casualties of road traffic crashes at speed, right through to the encouragement of more healthy walking and cycling when people are less afraid of fast cars driving through their neighbourhoods. The cost is minimal and the benefits are enormous."

Council want to Ban the Banners

I'm totally opposed to Teignbridge Council's plan to ban the banners. After a plethora of complaints about the proliferation of unauthorised commercial banners being displayed in Teignmouth by the Shaldon Bridge, the bottom of Exeter Road and near the Teign Heritage Centre, Teignbridge Council chiefs are planning to ‘ban the banners’. I believe banning is an overreaction and unfair; why should community groups and charities suffer because of the inconsiderate actions of a selfish minority. We pride ourselves in Teignmouth on having many healthy and vibrant community groups. Lots of great events put on by volunteers, who rely on being able to publicise the event at these locations. I'm suggesting the town council take responsibility for approving banners, and notifying Teignbridge as the local planning authority. The town council could check the sites, making sure they do not become untidy or a hazard for motorists and removing unauthorised commercial banners. A notice could be put at these sites requiring people to get permission from the town council. If the town council acted as agent for the Highway Authority, it would have the common law right, as well as the power under Section 132 of the Highways Act 1980, to remove any unauthorised signs from the public highway if they are considered to be a potential hazard.