It's Nub News' 'Hughes Report' No.2 bringing you bang up to date with issues I've been working on over the last week or so.

It's that time of the year where I, along with my neighbourhood highways officer, compile a list of highway maintenance schemes and it's a case of spreading the available funding as far as possible across the Sid Valley.

Higher Woolbrook Park, Convent Road, Bennett's Hill, Harcombe Lane, Corehill, Elm Way and Blackmore Drive are now included with work commencing next week on Higher Brook Meadow Sidford and Lower Wheathills while Cotford Close & Salcombe Hill are programmed for early April.

Ashley Crescent, Ladymead along with Cotford Close are included in the slurry seal footway programme for 19/20.

I've put in a request for two principle A road schemes from Vicarage Road Primary School to All Saints Roundabout on the A375 & Trow Hill A3052 between Harcombe Lane and Harcombe Lane East, so fingers crossed.

The business case for the £800,000 surface water scheme in Sidmouth that I've worked hard to get has now been approved, with financial contributions from Devon County Council (DCC), Local Levy and Defra.

This allows the scheme, which will benefit more than 100 residential and commercial properties, to progress to more detailed designs with the hope of getting on site with Phase 1 after Easter 2019, and finished prior to the busy summer period.

Phase one of the scheme will look to install an improved and upsized drainage scheme on All Saints Road to intercept overland flow, phase two will incorporate storage of flood waters in the grounds of the Knowle Park.

The county council is still in discussions with East Devon District Council, Sidmouth Town Council and developer Pegasus Life to decide the best location and form for this feature. Once this has been agreed a planning application will be submitted with construction following on after approval.

All Saints Road will then be resurfaced, which I'm sure will be welcomed by all the local residents.

Finally I had the pleasure of meeting the Zapinamo team at County Hall and following their presentation on their highly innovative rapid and portable charging solution for electric vehicles have thrown my weight behind their bid to government to fund the unique technology, which can charge cars much faster than traditional methods and can be deployed wherever it is needed.

I would like to think that Sidmouth will become the electric vehicle holiday destination in East Devon while Zapinamo's technology will dramatically increase their uptake by Sid Valley residents by overcoming current barriers caused by the limited availability of charge points, slow charging times and localised grid capacity constraints. I'm certainly looking to convert.

Written by Sid Valley county councillor Stuart Hughes.