News in Sidmouth

Concerned about the impact of Brexit I have campaigned for a second referendum now for over a year.

But Mrs May would rather waste parliamentary time and use it instead to blackmail and bribe her colleagues with a no deal Brexit, while suggesting that she is acting in the interests of the entire nation. So now thanks to her disingenuous and irresponsible handling of the situation, it is now looking more likely than ever before.

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.

It was a pleasure to meet up with both Karl Hancock Chief Exec and Joe Bulmer Editor of Sidmouth's very own online newspaper Nub News who asked if I'd be willing to contribute to this very exciting new initiative. Welcome to this, my very first 'Hughes Report'.

East Devon's Cabinet met this week and made what must surely be the right decision in agreeing that their preferred bidder for the Drill Hall site Rockfish-ticks all the boxes and this must surely be a win win for Sidmouth.

Written by Claire Wright – Independent county councillor for Otter Valley

I am chairing a scrutiny review into how unpaid carers in Devon are managing and would really like to hear from you if you are caring for a relative, spouse or friend.

I went "local" and wow did I enjoy it.

As we all lament the transformation of the British High Street while at the same time showing great reluctance to abandon the convenience of on-line shopping and the daily trip to our favourite national coffee chain franchise, has the time now come to "cut the High Street some slack" and show it a little more support?

Novak Djokovic is pathetic and will rightly face criticism for taking advantage of an exemption in Covid-19 rules to avoid being vaccinated ahead of the Australian Open.

The 20-time major champion has been condemned for his distrust of vaccines and his alternative approach, which appears to rely on the supposed healing power of water and positive thinking.

I'm not really one for brunch, normally opting for a bowl of porridge in the morning and a sandwich at lunch.

But now I'm fully convinced.

Wednesday (20 October) was a particularly wet, windy, and confused day in terms of weather - and nothing makes me hungrier than walking around town with damp socks.

I saw a sign pointing the way to The Bagel Shop on Cross Lane as I walked through the town centre, and decided to try it out.

The EDDC Conservative Group is very disappointed that the Jurassic Coast Centre in Seaton is now closed, hopefully temporarily, after the operator Devon Wildlife Trust pulled out of the multi-award-winning site in the middle of September. As with many other venues the pandemic has led to a huge drop in visitor numbers and is clearly a major factor in this sad decision.

It is difficult to see how an attraction designed around the story of rocks and time can be repurposed for something else, an idea being floated by the current administration at EDDC. There is no evidence that a change of style would work and continue to draw visitors to Seaton, as was the case previously.

Following the sentencing of a former member of East Devon District Council (EDDC) after being found guilty of despicable sexual crimes against children, the Conservative Group of councillors on EDDC are calling for Disclosure and Barring (DBS) checks for all existing councillors.

The Conservative Group wants every prospective candidate and all existing councillors to undergo the checks which show any criminal convictions now, with the enhanced version required if an individual is expected to work with vulnerable people, including children, being demonstrated as necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.