Listen to the DIG candidates on Waterwaves Radio

Two of the DIG candidates were interviewed on Waterwaves Radio this week. To hear their interviews click on the images below:

 

Adam Edsall Interviewed on Waterwaves Radio
Graham Webb Interviewed on Waterwaves Radio

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4 Comments

  1. Listening to DIG members Adam Edsall and Graham Webb on the radio has been a shocking experience and Dartmothians would be well advised to acquaint themselves with their goings on before considering voting for them in May.
    They are proposing what they call flat pack democracy which is formulating what they would do on the council after they have been elected, rather like in the Ukraine where voters have elected a comedian to be their president without him saying one word about his intentions
    It seems DIG would do this by sharing coffee in a local restaurant with residents to find out what they want the town council to do and they would then consider how to do this
    Well town councils can do what is laid out in the 1972 local government act and most of the governance of Dartmouth is in the hands of the District and County Councils. So for starters the DIG candidates are standing for election to the wrong council and they could tell us if they have actually read the 1972 local government act and whether they intend to do any more than keep the Dartmouth Chronicle informed of their coffee morning wish lists.
    In the case of the local NHS facilities the town council has no responsibility or influence and the decisions to fund and build a new NHS centre in Townstal has been taken and the funding is secured.
    As regards the local neighbourhood Plan the town council did strive manfully to progress this but public attendance at the planning meetings was apalling and one could ask what roles Adam Edsall and Graham Webb played in that. My own understanding is the process was eventually taken over at District level and that District would be mad to open up this process again in Dartmouth and go round this pointless merry go round again
    As regards affordable housing the town council has no function except that regarding properties it owns itself. And now that planning for the 400 houses in Townstal is progressing with a component of 80 affordable units Mr Edsall and Mr Web are arriving at the end of this scene too.
    If God forbid any of these people are elected to the town council they will soon find out that they are powerless to achieve any of the lofty aims they talk about and when many or most of them resign their council seats it will cost Dartmouth council tax payers £2000 to replace each and every one of them
    Or maybe everyone is missing the obvious DIG objective which is to get its hands on the council precept and the Dartmouth Trust money to fund an as yet ill defined campaign to save the declining High Street
    But a number of the DIG candidates are themselves failing shopkeepers and as town councillors they would be forced under standing orders to declare a prejudicial interest and withdraw. Which is why presumably Mr Edsall believes the council standing orders should be rescinded. The result - chaos and individual shopkeepers lining their pockets at the tax payers expense

    • Brian it is so disappointing to see how bitter and twisted you have become. The DIG candidates are saying they want to listen to the community to help define their priorities. They are saying this because the current council tends to go into committee at the drop of a hat and show no interest in what the community actually needs. The economy of the town is declining because peoiple like you say “all high streets are suffering” without recognising that we are not a high street we are a tourist destination and that is how we should judge our situation. Dartmouth is falling off the tourist map for many reasons and solving that problem should be a priority, which I believe the DIG group understand. This council failed to deliver the Neighbourhood plan for one reason only, the failure of leadership to make it happen. The community got involved enthusiastically including myself but the follow up and effort was simply not there from the council. I even challenged the Mayor of the day to answer the question “do you think the neighbourhood plan is important?” and he could not answer the question. This council failed to reverse the decline in the towns footfall and even refused my request to simply discuss the problem. As far as they were concerned it did not exist. And never forget Brian without the businesses in this town there would be no employment and your prediction of it becoming a retirement home would come true. I for one do not agree and believe that with the right investment in promoting the town we can resurrect its tourism income and make the town thrive again. Without a strong economy you cant invest in public services and without services the town will decline further.

  2. While I agree with many of your comments, Brian, the neighbourhood plan for Dartmouth is not in the hands of the District Council, and there will be an effort to revive it. As I understand that you no longer live in the town, you would be unlikely to know that.

    You are correct, of course, in your comment that neither Mr Edsall or Mr Webb had any input. In fact hardly any of the DIG candidates have attended a council meeting or even a committee meeting. How can they change it when they know nothing about it? Frankly, from their uninformative leaflets to their vague claims that they want to do whaht the town wants, I don’t think they have a clue what their own intentions are.

    Declaration of interest: I am also a candidate in the town council elections.

  3. I and my family still visit Dartmouth and we enjoy a holiday home there

    In addition we have a weekly Dartmouth Chronicle though its coverage of town events is nothing like it used to be

    i am glad to see that there is anxiety about DIG candidates winning seats on the town council and i suggest there should be anxiety about other candidates who support them

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