Denise Bickley
hoping to remain as your EDDC Councillor for Sidmouth Town ward in May 4th 2023
why no leaflet?
with apologies to those voters who like a leaflet through their door, I don’t want to waste the paper and ink, so please forgive me
ask me anything
If there is anything about me or East Devon District Council that you wish to ask me about, please do! Email me here
Sidmouth
Worth protecting
I work so hard, along with the other Sidmouth Plastic Warriors and plenty of other volunteers, to keep Sidmouth looking beautiful. Being within the council gives me a louder voice to help influence policy regarding:
reuse, refill, recycling
waste collection and treatment
water quality improvement
green spaces
renaturing
LED (pools, gyms etc)
housing including affordable and social
planning decisions
What have the last 4 years been like?
in opposition for year 1
despite independents technically being the largest group, one faction decided to usurp the rest and work with the Conservatives to form an administration
In the Democratic Alliance for years 2-4
the poor running of the Ingham ‘independent/Tory’ alliance led to its collapse at the beginning of the pandemic. The Democratic Alliance was formed to work together to run the council, made up of iEDA, indies, LDs and Greens. And sometimes Labour!
Meetings attended
*this may be an exaggeration ?
Years of Experience
residents represented
What makes me tick?
I am an environmentalist. Discovering my passion for the environment has led my life in a different direction to where I was heading, but I am so grateful for the wake up call.
Litter collected in Sidmouth!
Rubbish
Why do I do bang on about litter so much?
Reducing our waste footprints is vital
Nature needs our help
My own mental health
There is a lot more to do
What I would like to see next for eddc
Idea 1
Environment is everything, We need to speed up action on climate – even if we can only affect our tiny corner of the world. Joined up thinking between environmental groups and the council has been a project of mine and is starting to pay dividends, I want to continue this work, encouraging towns to help shape their local environment – moving away from short grass to flowering perennials that encourage wildlife, and implement sympathetic cutting regimes to ensure no damage is done.
Idea 2
The Sidmouth Beach Management Plan has needed a great deal of teamwork, advice and diplomacy to get to a workable solution. I want to continue working on this, as part of the detailed design team, getting the right outcome for the town.
Improving Port Royal, and getting decent toilets in the right places is also vital. Smartening up that area will give the town a well-needed boost.
Idea 3
Social and affordable housing is in desperate need. While none of us want to see huge housing estates being built, we do need housing for local people . There are way too many second home owners and not enough housing . I also want to be part of pressuring government to ensure homes are planned to be much ‘better’ – properly insulated, solar power, bike storage, mould resistant.
Idea 4
Work with the Recycling and Waste team to continue the work we have done at ensuring transparency – plus working towards effectively implementing the new policies of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Deposit Return Scheme (DPS) which should see a great improvement in litter and waste volume generation and treatment.
Want to help me get re-elected?
Please talk to friends who live in the town
I am grateful to anyone who can help pass my message on to anyone who lives in the town and might vote for me. I feel I have an important voice and I want to continue being heard, for the people and nature in our beautiful town and East Devon
Hey, friend
Can you vote for this great woman who wants to help?
Testimonials & Reviews
Some very kind words about me
Ed Dolphin
I am pleased to endorse Denise in her candidacy for East Devon District Council. I am closely involved in several areas of community action in Sidmouth and have always been impressed with Denise’ commitment to making our town a better place to live and a better place to visit. She listens to people’s concerns and is prepared to tackle problems and vested interests head on with sound arguments, and she is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get stuck in when something practical needs doing. Denise works very hard on behalf local people, but also has a vision of wider issues and shows a remarkable commitment to problems and their practical solutions in the environment.
Jane Mortimore
I have worked with Denise for 8 years and she is always full of energy, and is a happy and kind person. An extremely loyal hard worker who is always up for a challenge.
