AFTER the second named storm in quick succession, the clean-up is underway; thankfully the second storm didn’t bring the same level of flash flooding as the first, but still there was an amount of damage and local flooding across the district, writes Cllr Martin Wrigley.

I spoke to a household locally after the first storm who had been flooded three times in the last five years, each one being ‘once in 200 year event’.  

The frequency and ferocity of these storms is demonstrating how much our climate has been changing.  We can expect more and fiercer storms on a regular basis.

One of the sadder casualties of the wetter weather has been the cob wall of the Ship Inn at Cockwood.  All over local news has been the image of the end of the building collapsed into the road.  

Fortunately, no-one was injured, but the family run pub will be out of operation for some months.

Teignbridge declared a climate emergency back in 2019 and has been reducing its carbon footprint since then.   

While one district council won’t make enough of a difference, we have to do what we can, and then together across the country and the world, carbon emission reductions will add up to stop making things worse.   

After looking after day-to-day operations and doing as much as possible, Teignbridge now needs to start helping local residents and industry to also reduce their carbon footprints.  The most straightforward and simple thing to do is to make sure that home insulation is up to standard.  

Good insulation improves fuel efficiency which not only reduces the amount of carbon emissions, but also reduces the cost.

At Teignbridge this week the Executive team considered the next steps in the Future High Streets Funded project for building a four-screen cinema in Newton Abbot.  

We are in very different economic times now, and it is time to revise the plans.  

As the cinema project comes to an end, I have been delighted to set up a group of local Newton Abbot residents to help advise how we can now make the most of the government money.  

We are limited by government red-tape and restrictions on what we can do with the funds, and time is not on our side.  

However, I am convinced that the new, more collaborative and inclusive approach will get us to a solution that will be transformational and suitable to moving the town centre forward regenerating both the indoor Market Hall and the Alexandra Theatre.

In the local elections in May, the Lib Dems ran on the idea of increasing community involvement in major projects such as regeneration.  

Building on a model of changing Teignbridge to become a Community Powered Council will bring dividends to residents and the council operations alike.  

It is a major change in how we work together, and co-produce solutions that meet local needs.  However, it isn’t an abdication of responsibility, but it is looking to find more inclusive ways to make decisions.

Last week in Teignmouth there was a by-election for the town council.  This was a straight contest between the three main parties.  

I am delighted to say that Lib Dem Dan Comer was elected, with 52 per cent of the vote, and would like to commiserate Labour who came third, after the Conservatives. Perhaps a forerunner for the general election next year?

Congratulations Cllr Comer.