Four out of 13 members of Colyton Town Council represent the nearby village of Colyford and those four are becoming increasingly annoyed as Colyton appears to be grabbing all the goodies for the town rather than sharing them with the smaller village.
Editor of the View newspapers, Philip Evans, criticised Colyton Town Council for trying to stop reporters writing
” … on matters that the council would prefer not to be publicised, despite such matters being discussed in open council, the inference being that we should onbly report on the positives and never the negatives. That view, of course, is contrary to the basic prinnciples of democracy and we have resisted any attempt to stop us doing our job responsibly.
We really upset the council recently when we had the audacity to record their deliberations at a particularly controversial meeting, to ensure we got it exactly right. To do was contrary sto the council’s standing orders (rules). We had never been sent a copy of tose standing orders and they are not listed on the council’s website, at the library, on the council notice board or any other place.
The council threatened to report us to the Press Complaints Commission for contravening their rules but common sense prevailed and if we want to record their meetings in future, we have to seek permission, which, from time to time, we will do.
[The Editor is wrong in this matter: since 6 August 2014 it has been illegal for ANY council to stop anyone recording, tweeting or videoing their meetings as long as they are not causing an obstruction].
He continues: ” … But it was his [The Mayor of Colyford’s] democratic right to riase the matter and he should not be unnecessarily castigated because he did not toe [not tow as appears in the editorial} the party line.
East Devon Watch 
Thank heaven for the councillors who have the courage of their convictions and don’t just sit back and ‘go with the flow’ for an easy life – as most do!
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Ah – I seem to have heard something similar about minority councillors being sidelined somewhere else …
Oh – of course – it was our very own EDDC.
Like father like son?
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The first line of this needs clarifying. In fact, only 3 Colyton Parish Councillors live in Colyford – one has recently moved to Colyton. There is no right for Colyford to have any councillors and it is easy to see matters develop at a future election where there would be none at all. And in this matter only Howard West has had the guts to look after Colyford interests – the other two are either silent or back the status quo
Colyton Parish Council is dominated by landowning Tories and it is chaired by the husband of EDDC planning chairman, Helen Parr. It is decades past being fit for purpose and virtually nobody outside a tight circle of feeble-minded timeservers would ever want to stand to be a member under the current ethos.
The most active of the Colyford councillors, Howard West, was lambasted by one of Colyton’s other husband and wife double acts, Cllr Caroline Collier, for daring to raise concerns on behalf of his constituency and backed up in this by Andrew Parr from the chair. Two bodies dominate Colyton life – its Chamber of Feoffees, and its Parish Council. 28 people. 2 women, one of whom is a Feoffee’s wife. Welcome to 1914.
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Howard West is to be much admired for what he bravely does, he deserves and needs the support of others; he is the main councillor to whom Colyford residents speak to, he is approachable, listens to what people say and actively seeks for solutions. He did not dream up the issues that he listed at the Parish Council meeting- they were genuine concerns voiced by people of Colyford- albeit not all major issues. The CPC does not devote the same time and energy to Colyford affairs, they are in the main not really interested. The councillors should remember that they were voted in to represent all Colyton and Colyford people.
I have spoken to Colyton people who are not even aware that Colyford is part of the Colyton parish, (“well I never ” said one man, been here for many years and did not know that” )! So council needs to take a lead to demonstrate that we are one parish. I am sure that nobody wishes to see any sort of ‘wedge’ between the people of Colyton and Colyford, we are one community.
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