General Discussion

Were you aware that Dawlish Town Council has Town Councillor Surgeries?

Every 2 weeks - Saturdays 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. In 4 different locations;

Dawlish Library

Holcombe Village Hall,

Cockwood Village Hall

St Mary’s Hall Dawlish Warren

It is a “...surgery system, similar to those operated by many MPs, where any concerns within the parish may be raised.” and “Councillors will be on hand to discuss any issues raised by members of the public, to give general advice on any local issue and provide help and support where required. Where issues raised fall outside of the Town Council’s jurisdiction, residents will be directed onto other relevant authorities, if possible.” https://www.dawlish.gov.uk/councillor-surgeries/

2 Councillors will attend each session. But it is pot-luck! You won’t know who is holding each Surgery – because the Town Council cannot publish this information.

Maybe this will be how the NHS will operate in the future, if you can actually get a face-to-face appointment with a Doctor at your local Surgery. You’ll get 'any old', random Doc. Thankfully (for now) the NHS understands that you might want to speak to a certain Doctor, over another and that you also have the right to choose.

Unfortunately Dawlish Town Council does not.

You might want to discuss a specific issue with a specific Councillor who is on the Planning Committee for example. Whereas the Councillor who’s on the Riverside Centre Committee just won’t be able to help you.

You might not want to speak to a certain Councillor or Councillors because you don’t rate them; maybe you feel they don’t listen or that they won’t take any action based on your previous experiences with them.

Or maybe you think they're incompetent or a bloody nuisance.

If you walk into the venue it is pot-luck. You are taking your chances with who’ll be there waiting for you. It could be a wasted journey.

Not all Councillors are involved in the surgeries anyhow, so it's hardly representative. some Councillors are more accessible than others.

Dawlish Town Council will not publish which 2 Councillors will be in attendance in advance, because of safety concerns.

Although when asked Council staff cannot give any examples of incidents at previous Surgeries or elsewhere in Dawlish concerning Councillor welfare.

So what safety concerns you may ask?

You the public are seen as a threat, Rishi Sunak has warned about the dangers of 'mob-rule' and now our sham of a democracy can start to bolt the doors and lord over us all from a safe distance.

Isn't that convenient? especially for the local Lib Dems under the leadership of Westminster obsessive, Dawlish Cllr Martin Wrigley. The bloke with the yellow scarf who so desparately wants to be a MP. The bloke who runs one of the most disgraced and anti-democratic District councils in the country and who pulls the strings in Dawlish, Teignmouth, etc as Lib Dem party Leader for Teignbridge, with subservient Councillorrs who pledge to follow the party-line. read the account from former Lib Dems Eden and MacGregor and former TDC Leader Connett's predictable Lib Dem response in the MDA here;

https://www.middevonadvertiser.co.uk/news/no-surprise-as-councillors-quit-lib-dem-party-605776

You can call the Council office who will eventually provide you with the names of which Councillors will be attending the next surgery, but they'll make you wait and in the first instance forget you even called sevral times and make you work for it.

Then expect to go through the same old rigmorole if you want to discuss anything further/else two weeks later. They clearly don't mind wasting their own time either, as well as ours in maintain what passes for democracy.

On other channels it has been described as a chance to 'chat' to Councillors as if it's a 'Richard and Judy' type affair as I imagine they'd prefer not to properly discuss concerns the public raises, answer any difficult questions and come under any scrutiny at all, preferring a 'cosy social' and wishing they'd stayed in bed.

The Lib Dem Town Councillors who are also Teignbridge District Councillors hate being asked about offering their support for former Dawlish Cllr Gary Taylor, despite his violent misconduct, they hate anyone referring to their roles in the District Council in relation to the breaches of an opposition Councillors human rights and being part of an administration labelled a Rotten Borough on three occasions now by Private Eye. They detest any mention of how all this was investigated by the Local Government Ombudsman who found in favour of the Opposition Cllr Richard Daws of the SDA. They would much rather you focused on their volunteering efforts, their recycling/re-use schemes and litter picks.

Dawlish NE Cllr Martin Wrigley does not participate in Dawlish Councillor Surgeries, presumably because presently he fears having to confront rightly furious traders and residents from Newton Abbot who are denied the right to be represented by opposition Cllrs  in Forde House - Because Wrigley and his cronies 'know best', they're not interested in debate, democracy or representing the public.. I'd make the trip to have my voice heard if I were them, even if it involved closing on a Saturday. They risk going out of business and losing their livelihoods because of this man, his party and their Tory partners.

He won't be at a Surgery. He's too busy appearing to run at Teignmouth Park run or appearing to paint over graffitti'd walls in Teignmouth in front of photographers given it's General election year. Of course he's unpopular with people in the Dawlish area too, so best to let Cllr Dawson and the new Lib Dem recruist brave the 'mob' and superficially appear to be democtatic and 'community-facing'.

For a party that's in denial and buries its head in the sand (and that does include new Councillors like Heywood, A, James Graham-Ellis, Pyne, etc) and does it's best to avoid debate and scrutiny it's likely that they'll use the Councillor safey excuse to put an end to Surgeries.

Weren't Surgeries just one of the areas that the Lib Dems and Independent Voices for Dawlish had a territorially spat over in last years general election? In an attempt to appear democratic and more community-centred than the other - scoring some political points fighting over the same thing like dogs over a bone. Well now the Lib Dems won their majority and the Pethericks are licking their wounds and 'cutting back' the Surgeries have surely served their purpose.

Have you been to one of these Surgeries?

What do you think?

Do you love the Lib Dems?

Or do you know what they've been up to?

Is yellow your favourite Colour?

Discuss.