Your Ilfracombe District Council Candidates
Terry ElliottI became a Town Councillor nearly 4 years ago to fight for better housing and health for the people of Ilfracombe. Covid and the ‘cost of living crisis’ have increased the needs of the most vulnerable people in our Town but they have also affected us all. There has never been a more important time for me to continue to push to save our existing public services and to insist that we improve what we have. Cuts being imposed by all levels of Government are affecting the resilience of our Town and we cannot be expected to rely on more and more voluntary efforts to look after the welfare of our local population. Ilfracombe deserves decent affordable housing, health services close to home, a clean, safe environment and better outcomes for all of our residents. I have worked tirelessly on these issues for many years but I can do more. At District Council I can, and will, be a passionate campaigner for the people of Ilfracombe and North Devon. If you know me already you will know that I work hard to help and support the people of Ilfracombe. If you don’t know me, ask those who do.
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Toby EbertI found my home in North Devon more than 20 years ago, having previously lived in Sussex, Germany, London, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. We immediately felt "home at last". I've worked at housing charities, as a teacher and a computer programmer. I have various hobbies including flock and floll dancing, rambling, sea swimming, gardening and playing the saxophone badly. If you choose me as your councillor I will listen to your concerns and try to make the town work better for all of us.
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A message from Town Councillor Terry Elliott
North Devon Labour Party is committed to reducing health and housing inequality in Ilfracombe and to protecting and enhancing our beautiful natural environment. As your District Councillor I will continue my work of practical solutions, support for the most vulnerable, advocating on behalf of Ilfracombe and championing its many positive aspects. I want a thriving Town with good quality public services, decent truly affordable housing and good outcomes for all our residents.
Housing - What are the issues?
Ilfracombe has a long standing problem with a lack of good quality, affordable homes but over the past two years it has experienced an unprecedented housing crisis. Many local people have been forced out of rented accommodation as a result of the boom in holiday lets and second homes, with private landlords choosing to cash in on the changing market. Unfortunately with rising rents and house prices there are few affordable alternatives and we have seen a significant rise of households in temporary accommodation in our Town. A lack of housing affects us all and we have already seen some local businesses struggle to recruit and retain staff due to the lack of housing.
What can we do?
As a Labour Town Councillor I have been working hard in partnership with other agencies to highlight this issue and to find solutions. I am Housing Champion for the Town Council and have been trying to tackle homelessness in Ilfracombe by providing advice and support to individuals, particularly through my work at Belles Place. I partner with all the emergency agencies in Town and will continue to lobby for a Housing Officer at the Town Council on a regular basis. At District Council level we need to ensure any new house building schemes achieve the 30% quota of affordable homes rather than the paltry 11% agreed as part of the Southern Extension development. I lobbied for this at the planning stage but unfortunately I was unsuccessful. As a District Councillor I would hope to have more of an impact on this. The long term solution is to build more social housing in Ilfracombe that is truly affordable to rent and which gives security of tenure to occupants. I am a founding member of Ilfracombe Community Land Trust which is established to draw down central Government funding to build local homes for local people that are affordable to rent. We are already progressing an exciting project that could see up to 17 new homes built for social rent. I also want to support current District Council initiatives around empty homes and council tax increases for second homes.
Health inequality - What are the issues?
Ilfracombe sadly suffers from some of the worst health statistics across Devon with significantly lower life expectancy and higher rates of chronic ill health both physical and mental. Some of this inequality is linked to poor housing but general deprivation and low income has also had an impact. The aftermath of Covid and the current cost of living crisis has deepened these existing inequalities for some.
What can we do?
As someone who has been Secretary of the League of Friends of the Tyrrell Hospital for the last 8 years I know how important it is to lobby to keep our health services local and accessible. We must actively campaign to stop the loss of health services, such as the Link Centre, from our Town and ensure that we have Town based services to meet our local needs. As a member of the League of Friends we were successful in campaigning to bring back the Minor Injuries Unit at the Tyrrell albeit not as permanent and comprehensive as we would like. I am a member of the Patient Participation Group at our local surgery and regularly attend multi agency meetings to lobby for better public health services to address the health inequality we see in our Town. I coordinated the Warm Spaces initiative in Ilfracombe to deal with people struggling to keep warm. As a District Councillor I hope to have a stronger voice to enable me to highlight issues around poverty and ill health in Ilfracombe and to seek solutions in partnership with others.
Our local environment - What are the problems?
As a holiday Town with many hospitality businesses we rely on our Town being attractive to visitors and residents. Underinvestment and cuts to services have meant that issues like street cleaning, fly tipping and litter continue to be a problem. We also have local environmental issues with plastic pollution on our beaches and the water quality in our seas and rivers affected by sewerage and other contaminants.
What can we do?
I am part of a team of volunteers that work hard to try to enhance Ilfracombe and maintain areas around the Town. I take part in beach litter picks and I have been a lead volunteer at Cow Green Community Garden for nearly 20 years. I also weed around Town regularly and undertake pocket gardening at some of the smaller sites. I have been working with partners such as the Fire Service and Building Control to tackle the dangerous blight of empty derelict properties. We should not be depending on volunteers, however, to ensure that our Town is clean and environmentally friendly. As a District Councillor I want to make sure that Ilfracombe has the same level of service as other Towns in North Devon and that we have sufficient ways to dispose of waste and to recycle. I want to continue to work with partner agencies, such as the Earth Repair Shop, to ensure that we tackle pollution and reduce its impact on our beautiful natural environment.
Public Toilets - what are the issues?
A seaside Town should not be without public toilets. These should be a necessity for tourists and local people. The current District Council has made a decision to pass on the responsibility and cost of providing public toilets to Parish Councils. Some parishes and Town Councils might decide not to commit to public toilets meaning that they will close. This absolutely must not happen in Ilfracombe
What can be done?
I am part of the Town Council working group looking at ways to take over toilets in the Town and ensure that they stay open. We are considering various options but I am determined that our Town should always retain this essential service.
Employment - what are the issues?
As a coastal Town Ilfracombe has a local economy that heavily depends on seasonal employment. This often means low wages and zero hours contracts. The impact of the housing crisis also means that local businesses can struggle to recruit.
What can we do?
Businesses and investment are attracted to areas with good local infrastructure. Companies are more likely to succeed in an area with good transport links and decent public services such as health and education. Good quality housing is also something which companies need so that they can attract and retain staff. As a District Councillor I want to work on strategies to improve the public services we have in North Devon and halt their decline. I want to ensure that there are well paid job opportunities in the area and better employment conditions and this can be achieved by attracting more high quality employment and skilled jobs.
Housing - What are the issues?
Ilfracombe has a long standing problem with a lack of good quality, affordable homes but over the past two years it has experienced an unprecedented housing crisis. Many local people have been forced out of rented accommodation as a result of the boom in holiday lets and second homes, with private landlords choosing to cash in on the changing market. Unfortunately with rising rents and house prices there are few affordable alternatives and we have seen a significant rise of households in temporary accommodation in our Town. A lack of housing affects us all and we have already seen some local businesses struggle to recruit and retain staff due to the lack of housing.
What can we do?
As a Labour Town Councillor I have been working hard in partnership with other agencies to highlight this issue and to find solutions. I am Housing Champion for the Town Council and have been trying to tackle homelessness in Ilfracombe by providing advice and support to individuals, particularly through my work at Belles Place. I partner with all the emergency agencies in Town and will continue to lobby for a Housing Officer at the Town Council on a regular basis. At District Council level we need to ensure any new house building schemes achieve the 30% quota of affordable homes rather than the paltry 11% agreed as part of the Southern Extension development. I lobbied for this at the planning stage but unfortunately I was unsuccessful. As a District Councillor I would hope to have more of an impact on this. The long term solution is to build more social housing in Ilfracombe that is truly affordable to rent and which gives security of tenure to occupants. I am a founding member of Ilfracombe Community Land Trust which is established to draw down central Government funding to build local homes for local people that are affordable to rent. We are already progressing an exciting project that could see up to 17 new homes built for social rent. I also want to support current District Council initiatives around empty homes and council tax increases for second homes.
Health inequality - What are the issues?
Ilfracombe sadly suffers from some of the worst health statistics across Devon with significantly lower life expectancy and higher rates of chronic ill health both physical and mental. Some of this inequality is linked to poor housing but general deprivation and low income has also had an impact. The aftermath of Covid and the current cost of living crisis has deepened these existing inequalities for some.
What can we do?
As someone who has been Secretary of the League of Friends of the Tyrrell Hospital for the last 8 years I know how important it is to lobby to keep our health services local and accessible. We must actively campaign to stop the loss of health services, such as the Link Centre, from our Town and ensure that we have Town based services to meet our local needs. As a member of the League of Friends we were successful in campaigning to bring back the Minor Injuries Unit at the Tyrrell albeit not as permanent and comprehensive as we would like. I am a member of the Patient Participation Group at our local surgery and regularly attend multi agency meetings to lobby for better public health services to address the health inequality we see in our Town. I coordinated the Warm Spaces initiative in Ilfracombe to deal with people struggling to keep warm. As a District Councillor I hope to have a stronger voice to enable me to highlight issues around poverty and ill health in Ilfracombe and to seek solutions in partnership with others.
Our local environment - What are the problems?
As a holiday Town with many hospitality businesses we rely on our Town being attractive to visitors and residents. Underinvestment and cuts to services have meant that issues like street cleaning, fly tipping and litter continue to be a problem. We also have local environmental issues with plastic pollution on our beaches and the water quality in our seas and rivers affected by sewerage and other contaminants.
What can we do?
I am part of a team of volunteers that work hard to try to enhance Ilfracombe and maintain areas around the Town. I take part in beach litter picks and I have been a lead volunteer at Cow Green Community Garden for nearly 20 years. I also weed around Town regularly and undertake pocket gardening at some of the smaller sites. I have been working with partners such as the Fire Service and Building Control to tackle the dangerous blight of empty derelict properties. We should not be depending on volunteers, however, to ensure that our Town is clean and environmentally friendly. As a District Councillor I want to make sure that Ilfracombe has the same level of service as other Towns in North Devon and that we have sufficient ways to dispose of waste and to recycle. I want to continue to work with partner agencies, such as the Earth Repair Shop, to ensure that we tackle pollution and reduce its impact on our beautiful natural environment.
Public Toilets - what are the issues?
A seaside Town should not be without public toilets. These should be a necessity for tourists and local people. The current District Council has made a decision to pass on the responsibility and cost of providing public toilets to Parish Councils. Some parishes and Town Councils might decide not to commit to public toilets meaning that they will close. This absolutely must not happen in Ilfracombe
What can be done?
I am part of the Town Council working group looking at ways to take over toilets in the Town and ensure that they stay open. We are considering various options but I am determined that our Town should always retain this essential service.
Employment - what are the issues?
As a coastal Town Ilfracombe has a local economy that heavily depends on seasonal employment. This often means low wages and zero hours contracts. The impact of the housing crisis also means that local businesses can struggle to recruit.
What can we do?
Businesses and investment are attracted to areas with good local infrastructure. Companies are more likely to succeed in an area with good transport links and decent public services such as health and education. Good quality housing is also something which companies need so that they can attract and retain staff. As a District Councillor I want to work on strategies to improve the public services we have in North Devon and halt their decline. I want to ensure that there are well paid job opportunities in the area and better employment conditions and this can be achieved by attracting more high quality employment and skilled jobs.