A by-election is taking place on Thursday, March 10 for four seats in the St Michael’s Ward of Honiton Town Council. Six candidates are standing, five of whom have provided statements on what they would like to achieve as elected councillors. These statements have been edited to give all the candidates an equal amount of space; the full statements can be seen on the Honiton Forum website. The sixth candidate, John Taylor, has not provided a statement at the time of writing.
Lisa Beigan lives in Honiton with her family; they run the Honiton Wine Bar.
“Honiton has been my home since 1994 where I’m thankful to have found a supportive and unique community. I feel now is the right time to give a little something back.
"As a business owner, I believe I have a good insight into how our High Street can be improved. As a parent of young adults, I hear their voices and hope I can use their ideas by working with schools and clubs.
"I believe that the only way to understand people’s needs is to truly listen, to open all avenues of communication. I feel Honiton has lost its voice recently, mainly due to the pandemic. Working with the public has allowed me an insight into people’s opinions and the anxieties of the world we live in today. I seek to aid the recovery by supporting people and bringing back confidence and community spirit.
I am extremely enthusiastic about all of Honiton’s upcoming events, and committed to help, organise and be a part of them.
"If I am elected, you can be sure I will bring my passion for the community onto the town council and work hard for the people of Honiton."
Jenny Brown: "My husband and I ran The Monkton Court Hotel from January 2008 until we finally ended the business, having been closed due to Covid, in January 2021.
"I understand the struggle that businesses have had and indeed are continuing to have.
"I also have a great interest in antiques, and we ran antique centres for a period. This love of antiques and interaction with the public led me to become the regional representative for The Historic Houses Association for Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, organising tours and events.
"From 2016-2019 I was the lead councillor for tourism for East Devon District Council. This was a role that gave me a great sense of achievement as I could promote the town in which I live.
"I worked with South Western Railway to adopt our part of the railway that runs between Axminster and Pinhoe, naming it 'The East Devon Line'. This was all done with a view to achieving greater footfall within our community and therefore supporting local business.
"I wish to now build on past successes and, as a town councillor, represent my hometown.
"I want to celebrate the strengths of Honiton, to seize opportunities, to create and nurture revenue-generating services."
Robert Fowles: "I have been both self-employed and employed in small to major international organisations, living and working mainly in the UK but also in Iran, Afghanistan and Dubai. During this time, I have gathered lots of experience in working and leading effective multi-disciplinary teams to deliver business and service improvement. This has required listening to and understanding the issues, influencing the decisions of others, effective communication, understanding both finance and detailed documentation. These skills and experiences are readily transferable to the role of Town Councillor and I want to use them for the benefit and support of all our community.
"I am particularly interested in the areas of:
-
Working with local charities on their enablement and their co-ordination with other organisations to provide enhanced services to local residents.
-
Improving the offering of the town market to bring in more local produce, promote local businesses and services.
-
The regeneration of the town centre to encourage more visitors and further diversity of independent businesses.
-
Contributing to the sustainable and balanced growth of Honiton, whilst maintaining the unique character of the town. In particular, the development of infrastructure, facilities and services appropriate for additional housing and business premises.
Cathy Maunder (Image: Cathy Maunder)
Cathy Maunder: "I have lived in Honiton since 1970; however my maternal family have lived in Honiton for generations. My father was the first local community police officer. I have worked in hospitality venues and retail for many years and built and maintained many strong friendships within our community. For the past 15 years I have worked in health and social care supporting adults with learning difficulties. Four years ago I set up my own business supporting families with children and young adults who have additional needs.
"My hope going forward is to have more accessible events providing all-inclusive activities and essential information for the vulnerable members of the community. Honiton has a large, supported living community who currently have limited opportunities and I am passionate about rectifying this situation - I strongly believe that everyone has a voice and a choice!
"I have spoken to parents and the main point that repeatedly comes up is the lack of facilities for our children and teenagers in Honiton. I would love to give the next generation the opportunities to make happy memories, like I have.
"Having lived in Honiton for over 50 years I would love to continue the traditions whilst also embracing the opportunities to create new ones."
Andrew Pearsall: "I have lived in East Devon since 1981. I have been a member of Widworthy Parish Council since 2015, and have been chairman for the majority of the time.
"It is important to maintain stability, financially and socially, as these impact on Honiton’s surroundings as well. Small communities are reliant on their strengths.
"My particular interests on the town council would be road safety and improvements, social care, economic stability, and environmental issues.
"As an elected town councillor I will dedicate my time to listening to and serving the residents of St Michael's Ward, to ensure their views are heard and to continue to improve quality of life in Honiton.
"I supported Honiton Fire Station’s successful campaign to stay open, as well as supporting other local stations and other services - buses, trains etc.
"In my role as acting Volunteer Flood, Road and Snow Warden for the Widworthy Parish I am aware of many of the road issues throughout the local area. I am working to get the A35 improvements for Wilmington and the surrounding villages and into Honiton, and have had one-to-one meetings with Neil Parish MP. I acknowledge there are many concerns for the traffic and the safety of the Honiton community which need addressing."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here