On May 1st, you get to decide what kind of council Devon should have, one focused on keeping taxes low and services running well, or one obsessed with headlines, vanity projects, and blaming everyone else.
I’m backing the Conservatives – not out of tribal loyalty, but because I believe they’re the only party serious about the real issues facing families and businesses across Devon. Fixing the roads. Sorting out special educational needs. Supporting care for the elderly. Getting value for taxpayers’ money.
You’ll hear a lot of noise from the Liberal Democrats about how things are broken. But they’ve got a track record too. and it’s worth looking at. In Bath, which they run, they’ve borrowed tens of millions to put in bollards and unwanted cycle lanes. Residents complain they weren’t listened to. Roads have been narrowed, traffic has been made worse, and the debt left behind will cost residents for decades to come.
That's not responsible local government, it's political vanity dressed up as progress.
Here in Devon, the roads absolutely need more investment, and the Conservatives have secured extra government funding to do just that. With over 8,000 miles of road to maintain, the most of any county in England, this isn’t a quick fix.
On children’s services and SEND provision, yes, there’s more to do – and that’s exactly why we’ve brought in new leadership, fought for more funding, and started to turn things around. The alternative is more noise from the sidelines, more leaflets, more finger-pointing, but no plan.
The same goes for adult care. Conservatives are working quietly with care providers and the NHS to make sure people aren’t stuck in hospital beds when they could be home. No one’s pretending it’s easy. But the idea that the Lib Dems can wave a wand and fix it all overnight, without raising your council tax or cutting elsewhere, just isn’t serious.
This is the difference. The Conservatives are focused on delivery, not drama. On getting the basics right, not chasing headlines. On lower taxes, not borrowing to build bollards.
If, like me, you want a council that concentrates on the essentials – roads, care, education, local jobs – and believes that taxpayers' money should be spent wisely, then vote Conservative on May 1st. Devon doesn’t need more slogans. It needs councillors who show up, take responsibility, and get on with the job.
