Torridge and West Devon Liberal Democrats
PeopleLiberal Democrats Representatives and Prospective Candidates at all levels of government. Adam Symons PPC
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Adam Symons NewsFor more information on any of the news items below contact Adam Symons on 01237 431498 or 07786 277470
West Devon Workers Almost the Lowest Earners in CountryNearly £10,000 Lower Than the National AverageSaturday 17 January 2009 Figures released this week by the Office of National Statistics show that West Devon and Torridge workers earn the second lowest wage in the country, only £9 pounds higher than the lowest. 
Cllr Adam Symons talking to local Holsworthy business leaders in December about the need to improve skills and investment. These figures have been highlighted by West Devon and Torridge Lib Dem PPC, Adam Symons, who has focused on the desperate need to improve skills and draw in investment to the area. The data, which ranks the 643 constituencies in England, Wales and Scotland in terms of annual pay for all jobs, ranks West Devon and Torridge as number 642. Only Berwick-upon-Tweed in Scotland, is lower, by £9. West Devon and Torridge employees earn an average £16,025 per year, nearly £10,000 lower than the national average of £26,020. Male employees earn over £12,000 less than their fellow average Britons, and female employees over £6000 less. Adam said: “The figures say it all – our workers are pounds from being the lowest earners. We are the area with the lowest wages in the whole country, and we are not improving. While bottom placed Berwick increased wages by nearly 14%, wages in West Devon and Torridge dropped by 0.8%. I am disappointed, but committed to help change this.” “We know that this is a reflection of the type of employment in the area – heavily dependent on agriculture and tourism. However, I am desperate to see that we improve the quality and range of employment. The County and District Councils are aware of this problem, and all of them, especially Devon County Council, are investing in a range of projects to encourage regeneration, and raise wages. The Princetown regeneration project is an important part of bringing investment into West Devon. Likewise, the Holsworthy Market redevelopment, and associated Agri-business park is an important part of bringing investment into Torridge.” 
Cllr Adam Symons with West Devon and County Councillors supporting investment into Tavistock College. (l-r, Roy Connelly, Adam Bridgewater, Alison Clish-Green and Adam Symons) “I don't think this problem is going to be dealt with overnight. We really need to invest in the skills of our young people, and give them the aspirations to set up businesses, and add to the economy of our area. The significant investment into Tavistock College and sports facilities and into Holsworthy College will help. We need to invest in training specifically suited to the economic needs and profile of our area. I have a great deal of optimism, so let us play to our strengths!”
Note: Figures contained within the following report: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2008 (includes figures by local authority and by parliamentary constituency)
Government ‘Blind Spot’ to Low Paid Areas Like TorridgeWorkers in Rural Areas Experience Low PayTuesday 13 January 2009 Torridge and West Devon PPC, Adam Symons, has backed up an influential think tank's report which says that ‘high levels of low pay....reveal a blind spot in the Government’s....record.’ The finding is contained in report called Nice Work if You Can Get it, which has been published this week by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR). The report states that: “Persistently high levels of low pay and in-work poverty in the UK reveal a blind spot in the Government’s otherwise impressive record on employment and poverty. This report makes the case for a coherent strategy to deal with the twin challenges of low pay and in-work poverty that emphasises job quality and career progression and recognises the needs of different families.” The report goes onto say that workers in rural areas, like Torridge, “are more likely to experience low pay.” It recommends that “Decentralisation of objectives, targets and funding related to employment, skills and economic development would enable local agencies to make decisions based on their knowledge of the local labour market.” Furthermore, the report recommends that “Locally organised and delivered services around employment, skills and business support should be better placed to find solutions to the particular challenges faced by rural communities.” In 2006, Torridge had the second lowest annual average gross workplace wages in the country Adam Symons said: “This report backs up what we have been campaigning for; more locally tailored work and training programmes which focus on the strengths of our area, and increase productivity. With 37% of the jobs in Torridge based around highly rural areas, we need to make sure that our employment generation is grounded in these rural areas.” “I specifically support the recommendation that low wage workers should also be able to use Skills Accounts to borrow and save so that they have access to the resources to co-fund higher qualifications. We have a deficit of skills in the area, and I believe this keeps wages and productivity low.” In 2004, the productivity (measured in Gross Value Added per head (GVA)) was 53% in Torridge,the lowest in the UK. The Commission for Rural Communities, which supported the study, said low pay was a persistent feature of some rural labour markets. “In-work poverty is increasing and this highlights a need to address the prevalence of low skilled, low paid jobs in rural areas,” said a Commission spokesman.
MP Sends Off Daisy On Her Travels‘Love My Devon’ Campaign BeginsMonday 12 January 2009 Daisy, the face of the ‘Love My Devon’ campaign, has been given a rousing send off this weekend by North Devon MP Nick Harvey, as she heads off for pastures new. She is departing for the rest of Devon and the UK, to spread the word about what a fabulous place Northern Devon is. 
Cllr Adam Symons, Andy Bell and Nick Harvey MP, waving goodbye to Daisy as she begins her tour of the rest of the country. Daisy interviewed the MP for North Devon while watching over the stunning panorama of North Devon's Biosphere reserve. Andy Bell, the Biosphere reserve manager, was also on hand to tell Daisy about the important of the reserve to Devon's environment and tourism. Adam Symons, the Torridge and West Devon PPC, formed the trio who sent Daisy on her way into the great unknown outside Northern Devon. Nick said: “I was delighted to see Daisy off from North Devon. The glorious sweeping view of the North Devon Biosphere in the background got the whole journey off to an ideal start. Devon has so much to offer, and with the pound in its current state we must hope to attract more visitors this summer.” Adam said: “We are quite excited that Daisy is off to spread the word about all the things she has seen. This week in Torridge and West Devon she has visited Rosemoor, and was shown how we compost grass and green waste. The amazing view of the Biosphere reserve, which is shared between Torridge and North Devon, topped off her week. We wish her well.” Note: Visit Devon held ‘Love My Devon’ X factor style auditions, with judges including celebrity chef Michael Caines, to find the three finalists who would compete against each other to gain publicity for Devon and win a £10,000 prize.
Daisy Learns About RecyclingSpreading the Recycling Message Throughout Devon and the UKMonday 12 January 2009 On a Friesian cold afternoon, Lead Member for Recycling Adam Symons met Daisy the Cow. Lead Member for Recycling in Torridge, Councillor Adam Symons, has been giving the bovine face of ‘Love My Devon’ - globe-trotting cow Daisy - a guided tour to see how ordinary grass cuttings are recycled into something other than milk throughout the District. 
Cllr Symons with Daisy at Deep Moor. Daisy visited Deep Moor composting site near Torrington, run by Devon Waste Management, whilst on her journey around North Devon. Torridge delivered over four thousand three hundred tonnes of green garden waste there last year, including a high proportion of grass, which was turned into compost and soil conditioner for local farmers to use. Daisy said: “I am fascinated to learn why and how much grass is composted here - my friends and I spend our days just lazily munching on it. It’s udderly marvellous how Torridge District and Devon County Councils work in close partnership to remooove and recycle garden waste.” Daisy’s mentor, Helen Blackman, said: “Daisy needs to learn more about Northern Devon before she goes out into the wide world. This is part of showing her what happens to people’s garden waste. I think she was very interested to see just how people are trying to improve the county by proactively composting.” Cllr Adam Symons said: “Torridge District and Devon County Councils work hard to deal with people’s rubbish. Deep Moor is an exceptionally well-run site and I am pleased that Daisy came to visit to learn about composting. Hopefully she can spread the message in the rest of Devon and the UK that recycling does work. She was also fascinated by the gas turbines at the Deep Moor site. She thinks that all her friends could do with one of those to deal with all the gas they produce. Good job the Government has announced £10,000 of new funding to help farmers set up systems to use biogas.”
Torridge Farms Get New Year Boost For RenewablesFarmers Have Incentives to Generate Their Own EnergyWednesday 7 January 2009 Torridge parliamentary candidate, and local farmers son, Adam Symons, has welcomed that news that £10,000 of support could be available to each farm in Torridge under the South West's Renewables for Farms (R4F) programme. 
Adam Symons with on-farm slurry digestion storage and digestion tank. The funding is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) which is a £3.9 billion programme of economic, environmental and social measures designed to develop farming in the South West over the next six years. The funding is to encourage agricultural businesses to install small scale renewable energy capacity as a way to help to combat climate change. It could be used for the purchase of a small wind turbine, solar energy system, or a slurry bio-gas and heat exchange system. Adam, who lives and works on a local farm, said: “I welcome the boost that this will give farmers. At a time when energy prices have risen, giving farmers the incentives to generate their own energy can only be a good thing. I think many farms in the area have a lot of potential, and the more we generate locally, the less energy we need to import. “Often farms have huge surface areas on their sheds which would be ideal for solar systems. They are also often located away from settlements, and therefore are ideal for the installation of wind turbines. Combined with efficient slurry bio-gas systems, each farm could help provide electricity to local villages.”
Note: Full details of this programme will be published shortly on the SEGEN South West web page.
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