Monthly Archives: April 2018

My latest motion which will go to May’s full council, before being referred to cabinet and then returning for debate in July…

This is Devon County Council’s letter to Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, urging him to commit to an appropriate timeframe for enshrining animal welfare legislation in law, as part of the post Brexit fallout of leaving the European Union.

This (see third par) was a result of my motion which was supported unanimously (bar one councillor) at full council in February.

I have just sent this email to the South West Area Manager for Lloyds Bank….

Dear Mr Evans

I am writing to express my deep disappointment at the news of the proposed closure of Ottery’s Lloyds Bank branch.

I am also disappointed that you did not write to me personally as the Devon County Councillor for Ottery St Mary, to let me know of the situation.

If you’re interested in making a contribution to your local community, or simply hearing about the latest news on local political issues, come along to this event, hosted by the East Devon Alliance.

I will be speaking, as will my Independent Devon County Council colleague, Martin Shaw, who I work with on a range of issues, but mostly the NHS.

See link below for details…

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/east-devons-time-for-a-change-peoples-conference-tickets-45482525458

I’ve been following this story closely and have been completely appalled at by the never-ending revelations of the awful suffering experienced by people who have lived here completely legitimately for almost all their lives.

A recommendation will be put before Devon County Council Chairs of Scrutiny Committees on relaxing the rules around asking questions of members of the public, following today’s Procedures Committee meeting.

I proposed that there should be flexibility in the rules relating to public speaking in allowing questions from councillors on the committee.

Devon County Council’s Procedures Committee will consider my proposal to relax public speaking rules at committee meetings, at tomorrow morning’s meeting.

I asked for the agenda item, following the January Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee meeting, where I was prevented from asking a question of Dr Mike Slot, Sidmouth GP, who had addressed the meeting about his concern that care at home may not be working as effectively as it should.

There are 15 members of the UN Security Council, but a splinter group of three decided to break away from convention, common sense and possibly international law, to launch a military attack on Syria’s chemical weapons factories.

Even more recklessly, the US and UK took this action (and possibly France too) without the backing of congress and parliament and in just a few days after the chemical attacks were reported to have taken place.

See Devon Live story - https://www.devonlive.com/news/health/senior-councillor-apologises-accusing-rival-1450395

The use of chemical weapons is appalling ... but how can our Prime Minister POSSIBLY justify taking military action alongside the reckless US (and France), with only the backing of her Conservative cabinet?

So we’re not going to get a UN Security Council resolution because Russia holds a veto… BUT….

... In a parliamentary democracy the decision to go to war with another country is a deadly serious issue. Even more so when it concerns getting involved in one of the most dangerous, complex and febrile conflicts in modern times.

Her decision not to recall parliament for a democratic vote is a sickening indictment of the autocracy that appears to be running our country right now.

A minority Conservative government propped up by the DUP does NOT have the moral right to take this massively significant decision.

Mrs May might also like to reflect on the UK’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia which has resulted in widespread deaths of innocent adults and children in Yemen…

Parliament MUST be recalled for an urgent debate.

The all Conservative Devon County Council Cabinet has thrown out its own health watchdog’s resolution on deferring the implementation of Devon’s Integrated Care System, while a range of assurances were received.

Dozens of objections from members of the public came flooding in at the 22 March Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee meeting and my resolution on the thorny issue, which can be found here - https://www.claire-wright.org/…/devons_nhs_asked_to_provide_… ... had been backed unanimously by councillors.

The Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee’s resolution had, I believe, been agreed by all except one Conservative councillor, Richard Scott, who voted against it.

Devon County Council’s cabinet will decide tomorrow whether to back the Health and Adult Scrutiny Committee’s resolution on deferring the implementation of the controversial Integrated Care System, which many local people have huge concerns over.

At the last Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee on 22 March, I proposed the following which was supported by the majority of the committee.