Monthly Archives: November 2018

See letter below from Leigh Edwards, deputy chair of the Ottery Health and Care Forum….

It baffles me that an initiative that should be a positive and helpful way forward has resulted in such vitriol. 

Incidentally, the suggestion for a working group under the umbrella was made by me in a meeting last month with Elli Pang (Health and Care Team Chair), Leigh, Margaret Hall, Geoff Pratt and me. There was no objection from either Leigh or Elli.

A recommendation urging no further community hospital bed closures in Devon has been voted down by Conservative councillors on Devon County Council’s Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee.

An Extraordinary Town Council meeting to ‘re-examine’ a decision to set up a working group to retain Ottery Hospital, will take place next Thursday (29 November) at the unusual time of 2.30pm.

Four councillors - Dobson, Holmes, Gori and Edwards have signed the paperwork required to trigger the meeting, at which councillors will decide to ‘support or rescind’ the decision made earlier this month to set up the working group.

A scrutiny review into the system that’s designed to replace community hospital beds is recommending a raft of measures that will be debated at Devon County Council’s Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee, on Thursday this week.

Retired GP and Chair of West Hill Parish Council, Margaret Hall, has written to Ottery’s Mayor to explain the need for a town council working group to work to retain the hospital.

The letter is issued as rumours circulate that town councillors opposed to the creation of the group, plan to revoke the decision at an Extraordinary Meeting set to place later this month.

Here’s Dr Hall’s letter…

Last night I heard the prime minister’s second speech in two days outside No 10 Downing Street.

As a constitutional crisis the like of which I have never seen in my lifetime unfolds before my eyes, and:

- as Mrs May stares into the gloomy abyss into which her Brexit plan has disappeared
- after an unprecedented NINETEEN cabinet members have resigned in disagreements over Brexit
- after media rumours that the required 48 signatures have been submitted to the chairman of the right-wing 1922 committee, enabling a vote of no confidence in the prime minister to be called
- as it is now patently obvious that Mrs May’s Brexit agreement will not make it through a parliamentary vote…

... One might have thought that Mrs May might be preparing to fall on her sword.

Ottery’s Silver Street, which has been closed since Friday 14 September following a fire above the Pine Store, will reopen tomorrow with traffic lights. 

Brook Street will remain closed until the remainder of the scaffolding is removed before Christmas.

The road was originally intended to reopen with traffic lights last Tuesday (6 November), however, highways officers re-evaluated the situation following concerns that the footway next to Roberts was still unavailable due to scaffolding.

... But with eight abstentions, the proposal was voted through!

For the first time in many years, I left an Ottery Town Council meeting in pure frustration last night, at councillors arguing against the creation of a working group to help secure the future of Ottery St Mary Hospital.

I made essential but many failed attempts to get decent photos of the barrels.

But it’s tricky to get a decent shot when trying not to get burnt! Wild and raw… and yes very definitely edgy, tar barrels.

I explained to a worried 10 year old that the effigy on top of bonfire was def not a real man (at least now).

The hedgehog friendly bonfire is ready! This year Ottery Tar Barrels goes plastic free, thanks to the Tar Barrels Committee and Plastic Free Ottery!

Robin Wickham ‘s wife talented wife, Emma has designed a keepsake recyclable plastic tankard that should help out massively with the clear up afterwards which is all done by EDDC streetscene by about 6am on the 6th November….

The Paper for Honiton has recently gone on sale in Pearson’s Newsagent in Ottery and I can thoroughly recommend it.

It carries Ottery news and from around the district as well as stories from Honiton. It was launched last year following the sad closure of the Pulman’s View From Series.

It has quite a strong health focus and its editor is Tim Dixon, who formerly edited the Western Daily Press. If you’re in Pearson’s don’t be put off by the title, buy a copy and see what you think. It’s a great newspaper!  ....

Ottery’s Silver Street access from the Square, which has been closed since the dreadful fire on Friday 14 September, is set to reopen with traffic lights from 6.30am on Tuesday (6 November).

The builders have worked really hard to progress some tricky work in a tricky place after a devastating fire. Thanks to them, the owner of the building and the insurers for helping to speed this work along.

This should mean that the town’s traders will get a much needed boost in the run-up to Christmas, after a difficult six weeks with trade being understandably slow because of the closure of one of the main arteries through Ottery.

The works are still on schedule to finish mid December, so all is going to plan… so far!

Many thanks to everyone’s understanding through what has been a challenging time for drivers and residents.