Last night saw excellent debate in Sidmouth around the elections for the District Council:
Futures Forum: East Devon District Council elections: Meet the candidates: Hustings in Sidmouth >>> 7.30pm Wednesday 15th April >>> and further reports
Meanwhile, things are also heating up in other parts of the District - as reported in the latest Pulman's press:
HONITON: Tories face fight for district seats
14th April 2015 by Jack Dixon jack@pemedia.co.uk
HONITON’S Conservative councillors will face a fight to hold onto their seats at next month’s elections, after challengers from across the political spectrum stepped forward to fight them at the ballot box.
The town will head to the polls on May 7th, following three weeks of fierce campaigning by local candidates.
Honiton’s five East Devon District Council seats are up for grabs, with the Conservative Party bidding to return a full quota of candidates once again.
Current councillors Phil Twiss, Mike Allen and John O’Leary will seek re-election, while Dean Barrow and former Mayor David Foster are bidding to secure a full complement of Tory representatives on the district authority.
But they will face perhaps their toughest test for decades, with UKIP announcing no fewer than five candidates last week.
Two independents, one from the Labour Party and another standing as an East Devon Alliance candidate will also contest the election.
Honiton Mayor and long-serving district council representative Peter Halse is a notable absentee from the list, while former Conservative Roger Boote will stand as an independent in the St Paul’s ward.
The campaign starting gun was fired last week as the names of those candidates standing for a seat were finally revealed, following months of speculation.
A further 26 days on the campaign trail are to follow for Honiton’s prospective councillors, as election fever grips East Devon.
UKIP has emerged as the strongest challenger to the Conservative group in Honiton, with five candidates standing for district council seats across the town’s two wards.
Ashley Alder, Brian Smith and Bernard Walker will represent the party in the St Michael’s ward, with Graham Leslie Smith and Roy Coombs standing in the St Paul’s ward.
Current town councillors John Taylor (independent) and Jackie Wadsworth (EDA) are also in the running for St Michael’s, while Henry Brown is Honiton’s only Labour candidate.
HONITON: Tories face fight for district seats - View from Sidmouth
AXMINSTER: Veteran councillor John Jeffery stands down from the district
14th April 2015 by Anders Larsson anders@tindlenews.co.uk
AXMINSTER will have at least one new district councillor as long-serving John Jeffery has decided not to seek re-election to the rural ward.
The current Mayor of Axminster, Jeremy Walden (Labour) and former town councillor Ian Hall (Conservative) will compete for the seat at the local elections on May 7th.
The two candidates know each other well, having served together on Axminster Town Council until Mr Hall resigned during the most recent term after serving for 14 months.
Commenting on his decision not to stand after more than 16 years on the district council, Mr Jeffery, a former mayor of Axminster, said: “I retire. I’m nearly 70 years of age. I’ll stand back and let younger people have a go at things.”
In the town ward, long-standing councillors Andrew Moulding (Conservative), deputy leader of East Devon District Council, and Douglas Hull (Liberal Democrat), a Devon County Alderman, will be challenged by five candidates.
The Conservatives are also fielding Stephanie Jones, who currently represents Seaton on East Devon Council, but is not seeking re-election for that ward, while the Lib Dems are also putting forward Martin Spurway, a former town councillor.
The UK Independence Party will be represented by Lindy Bailhache, new political umbrella organisation for independents, East Devon Alliance, will be represented by current Axminster town councillor Paul Hayward, and the list of candidates is completed by independent Chris Tipping, former Chamber of Commerce vice-chairman.
AXMINSTER: Veteran councillor John Jeffery stands down from the district - View from Sidmouth
OTTERY: New local party targets council seats
14th April 2015 by Jack Dixon jack@pemedia.co.uk
A NEW political party seeking to flood East Devon District Council with independents at next month’s election has made Ottery St Mary one of its key battlegrounds in the run-up to polling day.
The East Devon Alliance is targeting a double return of district councillors in Ottery, when voters head to the polls on May 7th.
Three weeks of fierce campaigning are still to come, but the party believes it can take two important seats away from the Conservatives in the Ottery Rural ward.
Matt Coppell and Crawford Winlove were confirmed as ‘Independent East Devon Alliance’ candidates for the ward last week, standing against Alasdair Bruce and Paul Carter for the Conservatives.
A total of four district council seats are up for grabs in Ottery, with five other hopefuls set to scrap for two positions representing the Town ward.
Long-serving councillor Roger Giles (Ind) will seek to retain his seat against Conservatives Nick Partridge and Tim Venner, Labour’s Andrew Blackwell and fellow independent Peter Faithfull. The EDA is bidding to swamp the Conservative-controlled district authority with councillors after May 7th, and a total of 22 ‘Independent EDA’ representatives are standing across East Devon.
EDA chairman Paul Arnott, who is standing for the Coly Valley, said the party’s challenge represented a “genuinely historic” achievement.
He said: “Taken together with the unstoppable rise of independent parliamentary candidate for East Devon, Claire Wright, this phenomenal offer by 37 independents [22 as ‘Independent EDA’] to the people of the district proves that East Devon better represents the desire for change in democracy than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.”
The campaign starting gun was fired last week as the names of those candidates standing for a seat were finally revealed, following months of speculation.
A further 26 days on the campaign trail are to follow for Ottery’s prospective councillors, as election fever grips East Devon.
OTTERY: New local party targets council seats - View from Sidmouth.
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