That’s the situation in the NHS, according to Dr David Drew (author of Little Stories of Life and Death), in his BBC Radio 4 interview broadcast this morning.
The councillors (coincidentally none from the ruling Party) who have been hounded by EDDC, may identify with the situation the NHS whistleblowers are in. The latest to be bullied is Axminster Town Councillor, Paul Haywood, whose letter to the press is copied below. It was published in Pullman’s View from Sidmouth this weekend.
‘On the evening of Monday 13th October, during a public session of Axminster Town Council, I was subjected to an uncalled for attack on my personal character by Cllr Andrew Moulding of such enmity and vitriol that it took my breath away. Supported by Cllr. Graham Godbeer, he claimed that I had brought the town council into disrepute, and caused acute embarrassment to his County Council colleagues, by way of my use of Facebook to show support for the campaign group seeking to retain Axminster library.
With regards to the spurious basis of his diatribe, and his claim that I had breached the Councillors Code of Conduct and should thus be reported to the Standards Committee at EDDC, I have no option but to await a formal complaint against me, something which should be done in a proper, and pre-determined manner according to the rules laid down for such complaints.
However, as Cllr Moulding and Godbeer now steadfastly believe that disagreements between Councillors – be they Town, District or County – can be reasonably aired in public, I would ask to be allowed to put a question to both of these gentlemen via your publication.
Are both of you content and happy at the way in which Axminster is being treated by all and sundry?
Having already lost DCC funding for our youth service, having our library chronically underfunded, our hospital at risk of losing its beds; we now find ourselves further adrift from the District Council, which seems intent on moving its HQ as far as humanly possible from Axminster, without adequate transport links being put in place. There is no Local Plan in place, the DC has been taken to court by the ICO for failing to divulge information under the FOI Act, our Chief Executive is summoned to Westminster to explain his failings in improving voter registration number and is accused of breaching electoral law.
Draconian public speaking restrictions are scheduled that will prevent both members of the public and town councillors alike from objecting to unnecessary and unsustainable planning and development in our town.
Our pavements are a disgrace, there are weeds on every road and in every car park, the wall outside the Guildhall remains collapsed, the additional dog bins remain uninstalled, the town centre remains an eyesore – sadly mentioned by all visitors – and has been so for decades despite years of your stewardship at all levels of local government. Axminster has no town centre regeneration plan in place at EDDC and yet you, Cllr Moulding, inexplicably sit on the regeneration board for Exmouth!
Our young people have so very few job prospects presently, but when another 1000 houses are built to the north and east of town, what is the plan for employment then? ; According to you both, the answer lies West! Get on the train to Cranbrook, to Skypark, to SciencePark, to Exeter… that is your local plan, and the bedrock of the proposed local plan for the whole of East Devon.
If you are both happy with this state of affairs, and stand firm in your belief that the people of Axminster should pay their taxes AND deliver the services as volunteers too, and if you believe that a polite cartoon poking fun at a professional, well paid politician who showed the utmost disrespect and disdain to the people of Axminster, our MP and our Town Council is more important than the long term interests of the people of this town who you claim to represent, then I think it is time that you have a long, hard look in the mirror and decide who you really represent – the public, or your party… because you can’t serve them both!’
Other cases of dissenting councillors being harrassed by EDDC, will be the subject of another EDA post soon.
East Devon Watch 
Well said, that man!
And, by the way councillors, lampooning and cartoons have been expressly allowed recently on social media – by law.
These people do not like lights being shone upon them so that other people can see them as they really are and not as how their spin doctors portray them.
Keep up the good work – this district needs independent people prepared to tell it as it is more than ever
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