PLANS are being made to try to bring together all organisations involved in health and social care in Crediton to give people a chance to find out what is available as well as saying what they would like.

At Tuesday’s meeting of Crediton Town Council’s policy and forward planning committee, it was said the town council was the only body that was sufficiently independent to be able to do this.

Town clerk, Mrs Clare Dalley, commented: “Unless we try and we engage with people we have no chance. We might as well begin somewhere and hope to get everyone around a table and work to get the best deal for Crediton.

“We say we want integrated care, that is what this would be about,” she added. It was anticipated to take the whole day with guest speakers in the evening.

She explained that the suggestion had been to invite all the health and well-being organisations it could find so that people could see what was available in Crediton and the town council could get feed-back about what was needed by local people.

Cllr Bill Dixon said the responsibility for care and health lay with Devon County Council and the government; the county council has closed its only nursing home in the town and the health authority has closed the only hospital beds, where did people go for care?

PARK FENCES

A need to emphasise how unhealthy it can be if dog walkers were not responsible enough to pick up their dog’s faeces led to a suggestion that the town council could issue “poop bags.”

Cllr Heather Sansom commented: “Something has to be done. People complain to me about this.”

She had wondered about putting out a leaflet that showed how children could lose their sight if they came into contact with dog faeces.

It was felt many people did not realise how serious the consequences could be if a child should fall over and be unfortunate enough to land on dog poo - never mind the annoyance of getting it on shoes and treading it into car mats or elsewhere.

It was pointed out that dogs were supposed to be kept on leads in Newcombes Meadow, but frequently ran free.

One problem was with the children’s play area where part was unfenced. The committee was told that Mid Devon District Council, which owns the Meadow, had now decided not to have children’s play areas fenced.

Newcombes Meadow Community Group had asked that fencing around the toddler’s play area should stay for a number of safety reasons.

Councillors were puzzled - the community wants the fences, they are already there. Surely the district council could not take away the railings without prior consultation?

Committee chairman, Cllr Andi Wyer, also a member of the Community Group, said the district council were replacing the temporary fencing near the paddling pool to create a bigger grassed area but also removing the permanent fencing near the zip wire so the play area was not separate to the rest of Newcombes Meadow. Dogs were now getting into the play area.

One councillor commented that if the fencing went, the whole park would be a play area.

Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking said it was “appalling” that the district council had not consulted on this, and had not told the town council.

The committee agreed a letter should be sent to the district council saying that the town council objected strongly that there had been no consultation over removing the railings and pointing out the harmful effect on humans of toxocariasis carried in dog faeces. Also that the district council was not implementing its dog policy.

Notices about dogs having to be on a lead needed to be at the entrances to the park.