EARLY this year electoral area boundary changes were not going to affect Uton, Hookway and part of Venny Tedburn, but now they are.

Crediton Hamlets Parish Council was upset at the prospect of losing some of its area, an area that has always been linked with Crediton and which was now proposed to join Newton St Cyres in a ward that stretches up to Kennerleigh.

At the Hamlets meeting on Monday (October 5) at the Boniface Centre in Crediton, everyone wearing masks and sitting at the proper distance apart, members were told that people have until November 9 to put in comments to the new proposals from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

Mid Devon District Councillor Derek Coren explained that Crediton Hamlets area was intact in the draft recommendations published on February 4 this year.

But, last week, he had received an email from the Boundary Commission. “I could not believe it,” he said.

“I do not like politics at parish council level but this report is set out by the Lib Dems. This would suit them at the next Mid Devon District Council election in 2023. They are only doing what any other political group would,” he said.

The 14-page report on the draft recommendations explained that it received 68 submissions after the February report was published. Forty were from local residents.

The Mid Devon District Council Liberal Democrat Group and the Central Devon Liberal Democrats “outlined significantly different boundaries to those we had proposed in our draft recommendations in the rural west of the district.

“Accordingly we have been persuaded to amend our proposals and publish further draft recommendations for the wards of Morchard, Newbrooke and Sandford, Taw Vale, Upper Yeo and Taw, Way, and Yeo.”

Further on, the report said the Boundary Commission’s proposed Newbrooke and Sandford ward would now include Hookway village “where all the respondents stressed its proximity to Newton St Cyres and its strong links with the neighbouring villages”.

It said this would split Crediton Hamlets parish between two district wards - Newbrooke and Sandford ward and Yeo. It would also take half of Venny Tedburn.

As for the wards of Upper Yeo and Taw and Yeo, the Commission report said that the Liberal Democrat Group and the Central Devon Liberal Democrats had opposed the Commission’s Upper Yeo and Taw ward saying that Colebrooke and Coleford shared closer links with Bow and Copplestone, citing close transport links and community ties between the villages.

The two Lib Dem submissions also argued that Coleford and Colebrooke did not share strong community links with Cheriton Bishop, Hittisleigh or Yeoford.

The Commission said: “We consider the evidence persuasive here and have therefore transferred Colebrooke parish into our proposed Upper Yeo and Taw ward.“

Among the Commission’s comments for Yeo ward was that there had been evidence that community and transport links were “not particularly strong” to keep Hookway and Uton with Crediton Hamlets, so they had been moved to join Newton St Cyres and Shobrooke.

Cllr Coren said he had understood there had been agreement to keep Hamlets as it was - until last week.

“I have tried to get more information but it is not easy with people working from home. I have asked how this would affect our parish council and was told the parish council ward boundaries were being looked at after 2023.”

Hamlets’ chairman, Cllr George Mortimer, wondered how it would work having at least two different ward representatives on the council.

Cllr Coren stressed the importance of people making representations to the Boundary Commission on the proposed changes. The full report and maps can be read through the district council website: www.middevon.gov.uk/boundarychanges or the Commission website: www.lgbce.org.uk (Local Government Boundary Commission for England).

Members felt that an area of housing and population was being taken away from Hamlets council and it could even mean three district council representatives from three different wards included in Hamlets meetings.

Councillors were not at all happy about the proposed changes. There was a strong feeling that Hamlets had a lot of history relating to Crediton.

The War Memorial on Union Road at Crediton was not just for the town but included Hamlets, something about which councillors were very proud. Cllr Andy Cole added that the names of people from Hookway and Uton were on that Memorial.

The printed map was so fuzzy, the details on the website map were not very clear either and there were questions councillors needed answered.  The council will decide how to respond to these recent changes at its next meeting on November 2.

These changes do not affect parish council boundaries. It is only for the district council wards.

Sue Read

• Other local representatives from councils have expressed shock and disappointment at the Liberal Democrat party proposed changes which were recently published.