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
Ruby Country Can Be Model For Rest Of WorldLocalism Is Going To Become Increasingly ImportantWednesday 26 November 2008 “Ruby Country can be a model for the rest of the world”, was the message from Local Councillor Adam Symons, at the second annual Ruby Country Lecture at Bratton Clovelly last night. Professor Les Firbank, Head of North Wyke Research, gave the second annual Ruby Country lecture, focusing on how to make Ruby Country sustainable. He highlighted the unique assets of Ruby Country, and how, through the interactions of agriculture, biodiversity, and local industry, settlements within Ruby Country could provide a template for a greener future. Adam Symons, Councillor for Bradworthy and Hartland, said: “Professor Firbank set out that we have a great opportunity in Ruby Country to capitalise on the financial and resource pressures that we are facing. Localism is going to become increasingly important.” “We need to focus on Ruby Country promoting its strengths of local food, biodiversity, leisure, agriculture and tourism. If we can do this, and make sure that the money spent stays within the local economy, then Ruby Country can be a model for the rest of the world.”
Note: Ruby Country covers the 45 parish areas in West Devon and Torridge, focusing on the market towns of Hatherleigh and Holsworthy.
Government Urged to Abandon Loss of Rural GPs’ Rights to DispenseProposals do not provide any benefits to patientsMonday 24 November 2008 Adam Symons, Lib Dem PPC for West Devon and Torridge has urged the Government to abandon controversial proposals that would make life more difficult for rural patients in Torridge. The recent consultation on the Government’s Pharmacy White Paper, which closed last week, detailed plans to withdraw a GP’s right to dispense medicine. Currently, rural GPs can dispense drugs if the nearest pharmacy is more than a mile away. But the consultation details plans to withdraw GPs' right to dispense medicine. Adam Symons is worried that some rural GPs’ surgeries could be forced to close if the Government presses ahead with its plans. He said: “Many GPs rely upon income from their dispensary services to help them deliver other services. I am concerned that where this income is lost, services and staffing may have to be reduced. This would be devastating in West Devon as, because of its highly rural nature, large numbers of GPS' surgeries have their own dispensary.” “These changes proposed by the Government could lead to the closure of many of these dispensary services. We should be encouraging GPs to provide a one-stop shop service, so that patients can be examined and treated at one location. I do not believe the Government has properly thought through the outcomes of their proposals, but they will be alarming to Rural medical practitioners.” The Dispensing Doctors’ Association said the proposals didn’t appear to provide any benefits to patients, patient choice or rural services.
Note: For the White Paper, a full review and assessment documents see Pharmacy White Paper.
Lib Dems Will Reopen Tavistock Line With No Housing ‘Bribe’Injection of Additional Funding Into the Public Transport SystemThursday 20 November 2008 The Lib Dems today announced that they will reopen the Tavistock to Bere Alston railway line without the need for extra housing in Tavistock. Norman Baker, Shadow Transport Minister, announced that a Lib Dem administration would reopen a number of railway lines, including the Tavistock line, by injecting additional funding into the public transport system. Lib Dem PPC for West Devon and Torridge, Adam Symons, welcomed the support to reopen the line without the further development pressure in Tavistock. He said: “Everyone can see the sense in reopening the line. However, the case for 750 new houses has not been made. Effectively the reopening of the railway line was a ‘bribe’ to sweeten the new housing.”
“Today the Lib Dems have committed to reopen the line without the need for this over-development of Tavistock. We are committed to improving local public transport, and will invest in the long term future of our country, not only by reopening this railway line, but by building high-speed cross-country links across Britain.” Councillor Alison Clish-Green, Lib Dems Group Leader on West Devon Borough Council said: “The reopening of the line using housing has not been properly thought through. Most people I have spoken to do not want another 750 houses built just so that we might reinstate the rail link. We also need to consider how people access work on the outskirts of Plymouth, as they would need to get from the station out to places like Derriford or Plympton.”
BT 'Sabotaging' Phone Lines to Save MoneyStopping Access to BroadbandWednesday 19 November 2008 BT has been accused today of “deliberately sabotaging” resident’s phone lines in Torridge & West Devon in order to reduce their running costs, by local Lib Dem Prospective MP, Adam Symons. The matter first came to light when a resident in Beaford contacted Mr Symons about problems he has been having in obtaining broadband. Mr Jordan had been trying to get BT to connect him to broadband, only to find that a digital access carrier system (DACS) device had been placed on his line, which stopped him being able to access broadband. DACS is used by BT to double the capacity of ordinary telephone lines, but renders them unusable for broadband, and slows down dial-up speeds.
The device came to light when Mr Jordan tried to obtain broadband in December 2006. The device had been installed in 2001, but they had not informed the two affected houses, so neither was able to obtain broadband when they ordered it. Early in 2008, when BT were installing a phone line in another property close to Mr Jordan’s, they tried to put yet another DACS device on his line without his knowledge. Mr Jordan said “Instead of investing, BT uses DACS to gain extra phone line space, whilst disabling any chance of obtaining broadband. For nearly 2 years, BT has refused to remove the DACS device from my line. They were the ones who disabled the line in the first place. I am furious.” Adam Symons, local Prospective MP said: “I am taking this case up for Mr Jordan. BT seems to be deliberately sabotaging phone lines just to keep their investment costs down. BT continues to install DACS devices without permission. This is an abuse of power.” “BT seems unwilling to invest in the installation of new cables in rural areas. They must stop this draconian practice of blocking customer’s access to broadband, and get down to the serious business of investing in new lines and new broadband services.”
Labour U-turn on Post Office Card AccountWelcome for Government Change of MindSaturday 15 November 2008 Liberal Democrats in West Devon have welcomed a decision by the Government to abandon proposals to hand over the payment of pensions and benefits from post offices to a private company. Thousands of elderly people, carers, disabled people and claimants in West Devon currently use their local post offices to receive their pensions and benefits through the Post Office Card Account. But earlier this year ministers invited bids from private companies as well as the Post Office for the contract to pay out pensions and benefits from 2010. Had the Post Office lost the contract, up to 6,000 more post offices could have gone to the wall as a result of the lost business. These unmanaged closures would have been in addition to the 2,500 “managed” closures which the Government has already announced. “The Government’s u-turn is welcome here in West Devon,” said Cllr. Alison Clish-Green, Leader of the Lib Dems group. “It means our post offices have a better chance of staying open. “But this is a u-turn that should never have had to happen in the first place. The Government should have realised the importance of post offices to communities and awarded the new contract to the network without these months of delay. “Instead, local branches have had to deal with the uncertainty that ministerial dithering and unnecessary contracting processes has caused. “Hopefully, local branches can now plan ahead knowing they will continue to pay out pensions and benefits. But we are also calling on the Government to carry out another u-turn. “They must stop putting pressure on pensioners and benefit claimants to get their cash paid through the banks. People should have a choice.” “ I really don’t think the powers that be in Whitehall have any concept of real, sparsely populated rural areas such as West Devon” said Cllr. Alison Clish-Green.
Relief for Local Post OfficesThey Will Continue to Operate Post Office Card AccountsFriday 14 November 2008 Post Offices in Torridge and West Devon were breathing a sigh of relief today as the Post Office finally won its long-running battle to continue distributing pensions and social security payments.
The decision allowing the Post Office to continue to operate the Post Office Card Account (POCA) was announced by the government yesterday. Adam Symons, Lib Dem PPC for Torridge and West Devon said: “We are all relieved that at least the Government have had the sense not to make further cuts in Post Office services. This account is important for rural branches and is seen as vital in securing a future for 3,000 post offices which were threatened with closure.” “This is particularly important for rural residents and people without bank accounts who would otherwise have to travel further afield to access benefits, state pensions and tax credit payments.” Adam Symons wrote to the Government earlier this year about the damaging impact on local communities if the Post Office lost the POCA contract, on top of the tranche of Post Office closures through the Torridge and West Devon constituency.
Digital Disaster for Westward Ho!?Residents Receive Digital Signals Only From WalesThursday 6 November 2008 Thousands of local residents are in danger of being left “in the digital dark” in the move to a new TV age, Adam Symons warned today. In July next year, the analogue signal for the Torridge area is due to be switched off, potentially plunging thousands of residents into the digital dark, even though they have television sets which can receive digital signals.
The problems are most acute in and around Westward Ho! where many residents receive digital signals only from Wales. Mrs Mavis Blow, who lives in Westward Ho! said: “In Westward Ho! we have awful digital reception, and only get channels via Wales. We get better reception from analogue, but when that is switched off, we don’t know what we are going to do. Even the tides affect how bad the digital reception is.” Adam Symons, the Prospective MP for Torridge and West Devon said: “We need to find where the problem spots for people are. Today we have been surveying householders in the area to find out what problems they have. Over the coming days volunteers will be knocking on doors and asking people how bad the problem is.” “Nick Harvey, MP for North Devon, has been very active in trying to help people, tabling an Early Day Motion to Parliament to try to remove blind spots and allow all residents in Devon to have access to Digital TV. It is quite possible that thousands of Torridge and West Devon constituents will not be able to access the new digital Freeview service – and we need to make sure their voice is heard.” “From the surveys we carried out today, we have already identified large areas of Westward Ho! which have no digital coverage at all. When the signal is boosted, many of these still might not be able to get digital. Those that can receive it, who are not paying for Sky or some other package, will only be able to access a second rate service called ‘Freeview Lite’ which omits many of the channels. Over a quarter of residents in the Southwest will be able to access no more channels after the digital switchover next year.” “One gentleman we talked to had bought a new digital TV, only to find that he gets no signal at all. We are in danger of leaving thousands of people in the digital dark!” The plan is for all parts of the UK to be ‘switched over' by the end of 2012. Adam has suggested that the licensing of digital TV should follow the same principles as that of licenses for mobile phone networks, where the licence requirements demanded that huge parts of the United Kingdom were covered.
Note: Over 150 properties were surveyed in Westward Ho!, and every area had problems. The following areas which were surveyed have no Freeview coverage: Galleon Way, Ridgeway Close, Aysha Gardens, Ridgeway Drive. The following areas surveyed get a digital signal only via Wales: Ocean Park, Kingsley Terrace.
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