Bethany Collins - Ottery St Mary EDDC Councillor

23/04/2024

With a heavy and conflicted heart, I have decided to leave the Labour Party with immediate effect. I intend to continue to serve the residents of Ottery as an independent councillor.

Having been in the party for almost 10 years it was not any easy decision to make. I was, and still am, very proud to have been the first Labour councillor for Ottery since 1999.

However, in my constituency a tactical vote is the only chance to unseat the incumbent Tory MP and I was unable to act on and vote with my conscience as a member of the Labour Party.

There are other reasons and, whilst I still believe a Labour government is better than the alternative, it is no longer a party I can call home. I look forward to the freedom that being an independent councillor will bring.

17/11/2023

We have handed out enough food to make over 200,000 meals in the last 3 years. Later this week we will be launching our 4th Christmas Campaign, hoping to top the 97 toy bags we have out last year. Watch this space for more details!

16/11/2023

The StreetScene team working hard as ever! Well done to all involved and a huge, huge thank you 👍🏻

🙌A big thank you to the StreetScene team, who at the start of the month, were out before 5am clearing up after the Tar Barrels of Ottery St Mary

30/10/2023

30/10/2023

❄️From Wednesday, 1 November 2023 to the end of March 2024, you can park until midnight for just £2 at car parks owned by East Devon District Council 👉 https://eastdevon.gov.uk/news/2023/10/2-all-day-winter-parking-offer-returns-to-east-devon/

25/10/2023

We are hoping to launch our Christmas campaign shortly. We need your help! Last year we did not receive any sponsorship at all and volunteers made personal donations as well as huge time sacrifices to make sure we could distribute nearly 400 gifts around Ottery. This year we are asking for your help to reach even more people who may be alone or in need at Christmas in Ottery St Mary.

24/10/2023

Very happy to share that the application for 63 houses on Sidmouth Rd was refused today 👍🏻

There was a fantastic turnout from Ottery residents at the meeting alongside the hundreds of online objections.

21/10/2023

I am extremely concerned about the safety of residents if this controversial development is approved.

The road is too narrow to accommodate a pavement of an acceptable and safe width for pedestrians. It is a very busy road already struggling with the volume of traffic passing through daily.

If you’re as concerned as I am, please attend the planning committee meeting this Tuesday 24th at EDDC’s offices in Honiton. It starts from 10am and is the first item on the agenda.

I have been out leafleting this afternoon about the controversial planning application for 63 houses, Sidmouth Road, Ottery St Mary. It is recommended for *approval* at Tuesday's Eddc planning committee despite nearly 500 letters of objection from residents. I hope as many people as possible will attend the meeting at Eddc's offices in Honiton at 10am to convey the strength of opposition!

There are so many reasons this application should be turned down, including the further pressure on our already stretched GP practice.

What particularly concerns me as the County Councillor for Ottery is the danger this proposal represents for pedestrians. Behind me in the photo, a substandard pavement is proposed to lead to the new development. The pavement is going to be below the recommended minimum width - the road is just too narrow.

This is a really busy road with lots of fast moving traffic and I kept having to hop out the way just to take this photo.

Highways officers opposed this application (and previous versions) for years - only to to then suddenly drop their objection in May this year. I wrote to the head of highways at DCC and called for senior officers to attend a site visit - as I was so concerned. They attended a site meeting but declined to reinstate their objection.

The Gerway Action Group have been doing a great job in keeping the momentum up in opposing this application. Ottery Town Council are opposing it as are district Cllrs Vicky Johns, Bethany Collins and Peter Faithfull.

In my experience developers go on and on hoping the opposition eventually gives up!

Let's show them on Tuesday that's just not happening! 💪 💥

31/08/2023

Have you been impacted by crime?

Whether or not you have reported what happened to the police, you can contact the new Victim Care team for advice.

You can access support via the website or the 24/7 phone line:

https://victimcare-dc.org

0808 168 91111

22/07/2023

Lots going on this Summer! ☀️