By Crediton Rural County Councillor Frank Letch MBE

ALMOST six months as a county councillor and I have attended a number of virtual briefings which have given me an overview of the services offered by Devon County Council and what role councillors can play in their implementation.

The two latest briefings I have had have been on budget and the environment.

It will be no surprise to any of us to know that officers are engaged in the very difficult task of maintaining services, with all the inevitable increases in salaries, utilities and materials, and maintaining a budget within the permitted guidelines Council Tax rules allow.

The revenue component comes from council tax, so we shall all look with interest to the spring to see what we shall have to pay.

The second briefing was on the environment! This was just three days before the COP26 conference in Glasgow began.

What we know is that the largest contributors to the corporate emissions are the school buses which represent 42 per cent.

For those of us who see the buses trundling through our towns and villages it is no surprise.

The buses are old, and here in Crediton they often have to negotiate very narrow roads which means that they idle for some time emitting their smelly polluting fumes.

I wonder how they pass the emissions test which they surely need to do to be roadworthy. I’m pleased however to report that the officers are in talks with the bus companies to improve the service and to look at electric buses in towns.

The County Council intends to install 240 electric vehicle charging points throughout the county by December 2022. There is also an on the street charging grant which could potentially be used by other groups throughout the county. I was also surprised to learn that wind turbines are more than twice as efficient as solar panels at generating electricity!

While on buses I have to report that Queen Elizabeth’s School in Crediton is often reporting to me that buses are late getting pupils to school. I have raised this with the relevant officer who is in talks with the companies.

In the winter months I hope to carry on with my surgeries but I have to admit that December, January and February are always very cold and damp so I may not turn up.

Do not worry because I much prefer people to email me rather than telephone. My reason for this is that if you email me I have a record of what you are concerned about and can then forward it to the relevant officer. With this in mind I reiterate my email address which is: [email protected] .

As winter approaches I would like to think that those people who live near grit bins would kindly check to see how full they are.

If they are not as full as you think they should be please contact your local parish or town council who can then make requests to the County highways department.