This is a new blog, begun at the end of 2024, by a Green councillor in North Devon. It will reflect on my council work and various activist roles, alongside my lives as a writer – mainly, at present, on politics, wildlife and a memoir – and also as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where I served as curator of photographs. My name is Mark Haworth-Booth. Thank you for reading thus far. This is me.
The last weeks of 2024 brought the good, the bad and the…extraordinary.
First – please bear with me – I should explain the local council set-up. I was elected in May 2023 to represent Landkey ward on North Devon Council. This ward embraces the villages of Bishop’s Tawton, Gunn, Landkey itself and Swimbridge. Our neighbouring local authority to the west and south is Torridge. The two councils often work closely together – especially on formulating the Local Plan and on a shared Economic Strategy – as Northern Devon.
The good was a meeting in the office of the new Bishop of Exeter, Mike Harrison, and his team of archdeacons and heritage advisers. Bishop Mike welcomed three representatives of Save St Petroc’s Petrockstowe (SSPP), including the MP for the area, Sir Geoffrey Cox KC, and Cllr Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, who lives in and represents the ward where Petrockstowe sits, and is the cultural lead for Torridge District Council. Two more members of SSP joined online –Emily Wapshott, an award-winning community archaeologist, and myself. I involved myself in the SSPP project as a member of a new Cultural Partnership Board between the two local authorities in Northern Devon. (I also help look after my local – grade 1 listed – church in Swimbridge).
The SSPP hopes to save the grand but now dilapidated and disused church of St Petroc (currently listed grade 2 starred by Historic England) – and preventing its sale by the diocese – by finding a new use for it as a heritage skills centre. There is certainly a growing need for these skills and nurturing them is part of Northern Devon’s Economic Strategy 2024-29. The SSPP Members felt very well listened to and understood by Bishop Mike and his team. Although saving St Petroc’s will not be easy, we feel greatly encouraged.
The bad was the government’s sudden announcement of drastic changes to local government that it calls devolution and reorganisation. It has somehow persuaded itself that removing the district council tier of government – abolishing councillors like me – will lead to more democracy. It favours larger local authorities and groupings of them led by regional mayors. I’ll be writing more about this but my initial response is this: if the Labour government is so interested in better democracy it should have started with how we elect central government. It should be getting rid of the outdated and unfair ‘First Past the Post’ system in favour of Proportional Representation and it should replace the embarrassingly antique House of Lords in favour of a fully elected second chamber.
Now, the extraordinary. On Boxing Day my wife and I went walking with our two daughters on Northam Burrows. Towards the end of the walk, nearing the Greysands car park, a fast-flying, compact bird swooped close to us and down to the beach out of sight then reappeared spiralling at an astonishing speed high above us – it had to be a peregrine falcon. It swooped again at fantastic speed, aiming to make a kill among the many wading birds (including curlews and oyster-catchers). It was my older daughter’s first sighting of a peregrine – and one of my best ever.
Finally – on a walk the next day my wife and I saw daffodils in flower. Our winters have become alarmingly mild but they were a stirring sight.
Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.
