Dawlish Discussion

There are local elections on May 2nd both to the town council and to Teignbridge District Council.

Election material has already been coming through my letterbox.

I've raised the issue of the play park on the lawn on the title of this thread because although it is a contentious issue I have not heard much about it of late.

As far as I am aware the wind is blowing in the direction of there being a play park near to the TIC and toilets where the flower bed is presently sited.

If anyone knows any different to that or has any more up to date information then please post here/put in the Gazette/put something on the town council website/put something in your election material. 

Thank you.

Hi Lynne, to be honest I have not heard a peep. I have written to the Council and never recieved any reply. I'm not for the playpark in this location. I see problems down the road, not with just maintainence but ASB during the late hours with the noise. I have informed the Council that it's become a natural habitat for wildlife that live in and around the plants and trees. During the hours of darkness there is a family of Hedgehogs that live in there, often at night you can see them walking around. We need a difinative answer from the Council as to what is planned if at all. 

I suspect it’s all gone quiet as those councillors who want the playpark also want to be re-elected but wouldn’t be if they were to speak the truth about their wishes and plans. I suggest you don’t vote for anyone who has not spelt out very clearly what they propose to do for the town. 

Town Council Elections 2019

Town & District Elections – Thursday, 2 May 2019

Your chance to have YOUR say!

Elections to fill 16 vacancies on Dawlish Town Council and 5 vacancies for Teignbridge District Councillors representing Dawlish will take place from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, 2 May 2019.

Dawlish Town Council

The Town Council consists of three Wards, electing 16 councillors as follows:

•Dawlish North East Ward – 9 councillors
•Dawlish South West Ward – 6 councillors
•Dawlish Teignmouth Road Ward – 1 councillor

If you would like to be a Town Councillor, nomination papers can be obtained from the Town Clerk at The Manor House, Old Town Street, Dawlish or by emailing townclerk@dawlish.gov.uk 

From what I understand, that even if we wanted a playpark, even if we had a public vote for it, even if it was successful....do we still have the funding available? As I understand section money is now expired.

Teignbridge have approved an allocation of £75K in their recently approved budget for 'provision for Dawlish play space flagship provision (S106)'.

Bid44 - top of page 4 of the below link

https://democracy.teignbridge.gov.uk/documents/s3342/Report%20app%207%20Capital%20Programme.pdf

@maki1 - is this £75k (S106) money the amount that is presently left from the £200,000 S106 money that Sainsbury's handed over to TDC to be spent on things related to Dawlish town centre as part of the planning permission granted back in 2008/9?  

No idea - but it would appear that Teignbridge has allocated funds for a play park which would suggest they believe one may be coming forward in the not too distant future?

Thanks. I'll ask one of our district councillors for an explanation then.

See below extract from minutes of full Dawlish Town Council meeting held last week (6th March).

A letter had been received from Teignbridge’s Planning Department regards the preliminary enquiry to the suggestion of siting a playpark near to the Tourist Information Centre on The Lawn. The response was such that if the height was no more than 4m and curtilage was less than 200 cubic metres or 368 square foot, it could potentially be classed as permitted development and not require planning consent. Anything bigger would likely need specific planning approval. The Conservation Officer would welcome a discussion on the detailed proposals going forward. The Lawn Working Group would meet to discuss the next steps. 

@The Observer re your post above dated 15th March.

@ November 2018 there was £68,195 and 41 pence left of the just over £200,000 S106 Sainsbury money.  This money has to be spent by 4th March 2021. If not spent by that time then any money left over has to be returned to Sainsbury's.   

Give the £68,195 and 41 pencne to me, I'll spend it pronto.

Well, well. Would you Adam and Eve it. 

Just had a Lib Dem Focus delivered and lo and behold there is a bit in it about the future of the lawn.  It says that detailed designs will be presented for further public approval before any final application is made.  

Confirmed: The £68,195 and 41 pence (@November of last year) left of the £200,000 Sainsbury S106 money has been allocated by TDC towards funding a play park on the lawn in Dawlish.

So..........don’t vote Lib Dem! Narrows the field! 

Anyone know what the Conservative line is on the playpark proposal? I ask as I can't see anything referring to the playpark in their election literature.  

I'll just point out that it is the policy of Dawlish Town Council that there should be a playpark on the lawn - somewhere.

For those who feel strongly about this issue, whether pro or con, here are some questions to ask candidates.

1. Do they agree with the town council policy that there should be a play park on the lawn?

2. If the answer is 'Yes',  then where do they think the playpark should be sited?   

The speaker of the house is John Bercow, the speaker of Dawlish town council is the clerk. If he/she want the play park on the lawn somewhere, then it will come about. If he/she say's no, no ,no, then there will be no play park on the lawn. That's how it works, that's how it has always worked. councillors are ignorant of how the system works. it's not a case of towing the party line, it is towing what the system requires. People voted in someone in the hope that changes will be made, but many have an uphill struggle to achieve their goal.

Wrong comparison.

If the person who sits in the chair of the House of Commons is the Speaker, then the equivalent of that post in the town council is the Mayor. The Mayor chairs the town council meetings.

The town clerk is an employee. The town clerk, amongst other things, advises the elected councillors on procedural matters. The equivalent of that in the House of Commons would be something like the Clerk to the House of Commons. If you ever watch the House of Commons on tv you will sometimes see the Speaker asking for and/or taking advice from the clerks who sit in front of him. Just as I have seen mayors (and other councillors) ask for, and take advice from, a town clerk.  

Clerks give advice. It is MPs and councillors who determine policy ( although whether or not they then determine policy by heeding the advice they have been given is another matter entirely).

They are only the Mayor in name, they take advice from the clerk and usually but not always the clerks advice is taken. Whilst the clerk may only be an employee, they do weald a lot of power if the situation requires it. The Mayor as I understand it, will always take the vote no matter what meeting it is if he is called by the clerk to attend. So if for instance there is fifty/fifty vote for and against. then the mayor will vote on the advice from the clerk to decide which half will gain the day.

And the reason that the clerk's advice is taken is that s/he will be well versed in legislation pertaining to local government.  Cllrs may not have the legislative knowledge that town clerks have. (and if cllrs are in doubt about what the town clerk is advising then they can always check independently).

The Mayor (or indeed any other councillor) does not need to seek the town clerk's advice on whether or not, for example, they think there should be a playpark on the lawn.  That is a matter of policy decision making . Cllrs may however need to seek the town clerk's advice on how to proceed in accordance with legislation pertaining to local government as to how to achieve that aim. 

Of course the Mayor (or Chair of any committee) has the casting vote in the case of a fifty/fifty vote for and against.  

An example is below which shows that in June 2016  the then Chair of the town council's Civic Amenities Committee (Linda Petherick) used her casting vote to pass a recommendation to the full town council that there should be a playpark on the lawn.  

RESOLVED To recommend to the town council that a play park be provided on The Lawn. Councillors Linda Petherick and Lisa Mayne voted in favour. Councillors Terry Lowther and Rosalind Prowse voted against. Councillor Linda Petherick used her casting vote in favour

www.dawlish.gov.uk/edit/uploads/1968_2097641342.pdf

So beit, but in reality it is different. How many cllrs would check the advice given by the clerk independently?

Thanks Lynne, that gives a good steer for the folk on here about who to vote for if they want a playpark or don’t want a park. Could you do a letter to the gazette with the same information?