I cannot be the only person to notice how much the buses waiting at both the St Lawrence Green stop and the stop outside the Museum, are causing traffic chaos (and probably leading to increased pollution) in the town.

The buses that run every 20 minutes or so, have a habit of sitting at the stop on the green for 5 minutes, backing up traffic at the traffic lights on the green, especially during peak work/school run times.

The more serious issue is the bus that I quite often see sitting at the stop outside the Museum. It's not uncommon for it to wait there for 10 minutes before driving away, and as such a bus seems to do this every 20-30 minutes, there are often queues of traffic sitting behind it for long periods. The stop is also in a stupid location in my opinion, directly on the junction of Searle Street. Anyone attempting to exit Searle Street has limited visibility because the bus blocks their view, and they take a risk pulling out if a vehicle is attempting to drive around the bus.

Can nothing be done about either stop locations or the time periods the buses sit at these stops waiting (especially outside the museum).

Community
01 April 2025

Mid Devon District Council (MDDC) has seemingly allocated over £200,000 to assist with traffic flow improvements in the Western Gateway, St Lawrence Green, and/or High Street areas. This sum includes approximately £35,000 from McDonald's and over £80,000 from Lidl, as published in MDDC's financial statement in November. Councillor Downes mentioned he was unaware of the specific purpose of these funds as the management falls under the county council. But are any other Town Council members aware of what this money is to be used for?

If the answer to the above question is "no", can I ask why the Town Council is not consulted at all regarding such significant funding decisions that relate to Crediton?

What progress has been made with regard to new toilets at Newcombes Meadow?

Given that you have found it impossible to keep a toilet open on Union Road, will the town council consider offering to run the single toilet at St Lawrence Green instead?

The council continues to liaise with Mid Devon District Council with regards to the provision of new toilets and more information will be shared as soon as firm dates are available. 

The council have not been approached to run such a facility, certainly since its change of use.

Update 14 October 2024: we are continuing to work with MDDC on this matter. The legal side of the project is being finalised. 

The name of the company that provided the quote cannot be shared at this point as a further quotation is being obtained, and when being considered by councillors the names of those providing the quotes are not disclosed to reduce the possibility of undue influence, and to judge the quotes on their respective merits.

Update 5 August 2024:

The council sought views of the public as to portrait and as a result will not be ordering a copy of the portrait at this time. The deadline of 2 February you refer to is, we understand, for eligible institutions including principal Local Authorities, courts, schools, police forces and fire and rescue services. Portraits for these eligible institutions were expected to be delivered between February and April 2024. Starting in February, the second phase of the scheme was planned to be extended to include town, parish and community councils and Ministry of Defence-sponsored cadet forces - this is because the scheme is being delivered in stages, to help manage the supply of portraits.

Update 14 October: A decision was made to apply for a copy of the King's portrait at the last Oversight Committee meeting as mentioned below.

Update 5 August 2024: Following further representation from members of the public, this issue will be reconsidered at the September meeting of the Oversight Committee

Planning & Town Strategy 
02 January 2024

Cllr Brookes-Hocking advised that a consultation had been available online for the public to have their say regarding on-street parking. She also commented that the main issue with holding surgeries on the town square is getting information across to a wide variety of people. Holding surgeries is useful for the town council profile but not for visitors. It was suggested that an alternative location to the town square might be outside the Ship Hotel at the top of Market Street to attract a wider variety of people. Cllr Cochran advised that he has attended previous surgeries and would be useful for more newsletters to be printed. Cllr Fawssett agreed to attend the next surgery.

Update 14 October 2024: Two Full Town Council meetings have been held with a 30 minute public discussion beforehand - the next discussion will be at 19.00 on 19 November 2024 - please come along! 

Council Affairs & Finance
12 December 2023

The LGA and CIPFA may indeed suggest those pots but whether you have one or fifty you still need to know from a bottom up approach what is there - having umbrella titles is all very well but one needs to be aware of what is held and why. In Crediton we do not have the issues faced directly by local government, but at a time where almost a fifth of council leaders and Chief Executives in England think it is very likely or fairly likely that their Chief Financial Officer will need to issue a Section 114 notice this year or next due to lack of funding to keep key services running highlights just how essential it is for the Town Council to be both mindful of its obligations, and to plan financially accordingly. 

Council Affairs & Finance
12 December 2023

As a chair of one of the committees the reason I do not need to ask fellow committee members to give their opinion is because members usually offer comment without needing to be asked, others that remain quiet do not necessarily need asking as many, myself included do not feel the need to speak if what I would say has already been said. There is a possibility that it may reinforce the view of something previously mentioned and so should possibly be considered. Views of other chairs and councillors are included but may differ……..

Update 5 August 2024:

Many of the councillors are experienced and certainly would not hold back if they wished to add their thoughts to the discussion. Some of the newer councillors may require the confidence to speak but over recent months and meetings all councillors have provided input.