CLLR MHB BLOG

Blog 23 Gaza – our new county cllr – Devon Buildings Group – Parracombe Festival

Jun 01, 2025

Vigil for Gaza – week 81 – in Barnstaple High Street last Wednesday. The world is witnessing human-created – Israeli government created – famine. Trump could end it in five minutes, by threatening to withhold billions of dollars of aid and munitions – but does not. Our own government is complicit by continuing to supply parts for Israel’s F-35 planes. The BBC is seriously at fault by failing to grill ministers daily, weekly or even monthly on the government’s position, which is morally untenable. Nor does the BBC rate as newsworthy the march by hundreds of thousands through London on Nakba Day (17 June), nor the open letter signed by 800 lawyers, nor the open letter signed by 350 of our best-known authors – all attempting to bring an end to this cruel and criminal famine imposed on innocent men, women and children in Gaza. Shame on the UK government and the BBC.

On a much brighter note, I was delighted to meet Ed Tyldesley, our new county cllr for Chulmleigh & Landkey. We had lunch at our house on Thursday, followed by a walk on Codden Hill to enjoy its spectacular views of much of Devon, including Barnstaple and the Taw estuary. Ed is only 30 and teaches chemistry for three days a week at the academy in Chulmleigh, where he lives. I was very impressed that Ed already knows a lot – from canvassing in the villages – about the problems we discussed. These included the poor state of Berry Lane in Gunn, the shocking speeding along Mount Sandford Road and Landkey Road down into Newport, the widespread pothole problems, the highly unsatisfactory treatment by Devon Highways of applications by villages for 20 mph limits, plus drain clearing issues and road safety problems in Bishop’s Tawton. It is great that the LibDems are now running Devon County Council with the Independents / Greens as the next largest grouping. I am looking forward to working with Ed on getting a cycleway/footpath all the way up Landkey Road and Mount Sandford Road. It is a priority of Landkey Parish Council, sorely needed by residents and those who wish to walk or cycle between Landkey and Newport. Highways have already done a drone survey of the proposed route.

The photo above shows a 16th century plaster ceiling at Bogan House in Totnes High Street. On Saturday I visited the house, with colleagues from the Barnstaple Buildings Preservation Trust, as part of an informative study day arranged by the Devon Buildings Group. During the week I also attended a meeting of Save St Petroc’s Petrockstowe (SSPP), the excellent group of volunteers, chaired by Cllr Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, which aims to transform a handsome deconsecrated church into a heritage skills training hub and community space. The next step is an application to the Architectural Heritage Fund for a feasibility study.

Last Sunday I read with Jane Lovell and other poets on the theme of nature / wildlife at the Fox & Goose, Parracombe, as parts of the art and literature festival up there on the edge of Exmoor. The pub was packed and the audience – which included valiant friends – was gratifyingly appreciative. Jane and I finished the evening by reading poems which put forward different months as the best of the year – March for me, May for Jane. But maybe June is best, with its dog roses and luxuriance –