THE story entitled "District councillors reject monthly Crediton surgery service plan" appeared in the Crediton Courier on Friday, September 29, issue 1157.

The efforts of Crediton Town Council to reinstate a surgery service, which offered information and advice to people in the Crediton area, hit a stumbling block when district councillors failed to back the scheme.

The chairman of Crediton Town Council, Mayor of Crediton, Cllr Frank Letch has been campaigning for the reinstatement of the surgery on a monthly basis (it previously ran fortnightly). It was set up when MDDC closed the Council office in Crediton where residents could previously pay council bills and get information and advice in person.

The surgeries offered information and advice to residents on topics including housing, Council Tax and refuse as well as dealing with other queries, scanning documents and presenting identification.

Mr Letch is asking that Mid District Council (MDDC) carry out a real review of the

customer services at Tiverton with a view to bringing them in line with the rest of the district.

Both Crediton and Cullompton have had their surgeries removed while Tiverton has retained its face-to-face service which runs for five days each week.

In addition to this MDDC has cut the funding to the Citizen’s Advice services in Crediton, which now only operates one day each week.

Do you think the Council Taxpayers in the Crediton area are getting a fair deal?

Please let me know.

You can contact me at: 102 High Street, Crediton or by email at: [email protected] .

What you told us ...

I think Crediton gets an unfair deal compared to Tiverton. There’s no direct bus from Crediton to Tiverton and I often give people lifts to Tiverton. People need to be able to make enquiries face-to-face, especially older people.

Crediton Resident

How cynical of Mid Devon to take their services away and then try to say the building is underused! I have noticed in the last 18 months or so, through my connections with various organisations in the town, that Crediton no longer appears on correspondence etc. It seems to me that Crediton is being wiped off the map. The heart is slowly being ripped out of Crediton - the Council Office is that heart.

John Higgs, Crediton

I would like the Council Office to stay open. You can go there for Mid Devon business. It’s difficult to get to Tiverton and I don’t want to have to drive all the way there. I don’t like sending important documents if the post as I’ve had some go missing in the past.

Hazel John, Bow

It’s typical isn’t it? Everything goes to Tiverton. It’s like we don’t matter any more.

Sandford Resident