Despite having decided that I couldn’t face standing again, due to personal reasons, here I am. I’m stepping down at Sidmouth Town Council, purely because something had to give, and I don’t quite have the time to give as much as I would like to two different councils. The thought process has been that I ought to stay at the council that I have the loudest voice in – and that is District level – and throw myself into it. So here goes!
This time I am not standing as East Devon Alliance of independents. I want to be my own boss and whilst, if I get back in, I will remain in the Democratic Alliance, I like the idea of answering only to myself and the electorate.
I’m only standing on environmental grounds. I guess I’m one of those people you either love and agree with, or detest with a vengeance. I certainly have attracted my fair share of critics – mainly about my love of longer grass and my loathing of destruction of habitats by those people who just want ‘neat’. It’s been the habit of the English for years to mow grass an inch long, spray it with chemicals to get rid of ‘weeds’, put slug pellets down, block fox and badger holes, ‘cull’ animals (why isn’t it kill?) who dare to be in the way etc etc. and nature has had enough and is screaming at us to protect her.
So I am very proud of what we have achieved in the Sid Valley. Through the STC Environment Committee, of which I was chair, we helped to establish the Sid Valley Bodiversity Group, made up of representatives of the Arboretum, Plastic Warriors (me), Devon Wildlife Trust and Sidmouth Science Festival, along with many other extremely knowledgeable people, all volunteering to come up with plans to improve nature in our area.
Enough rambling for now but I will continue my blogging throughout this election period that we are about to embark upon.
I’m resisting pressure to do leaflets by the way – this will be my electioneering, along with talking to people in the street, and if you want to ask me anything or want to have a chat, please get in touch…
[UPDATE – seeing the recent mayhem caused in Plymouth where 100 sixty year old trees have been felled due to council incompetence all in the name of regeneration makes me sure that I need to keep my seat and stop someone who doesn’t ‘get it’ getting in. If trees provided us with WiFi we would protect them, but they only give us oxygen, reduce ground temperatures, provide habitat for many species, etc etc]
