At the opening of a Q and A session, there were more councillors than residents, to answer questions about the merger of South Hams and West Devon councils at the Flavel in Dartmouth on Wednesday, September 20th.

The invitation given on South Hams website was: “Pop along to the Flavel Centre, Dartmouth between 4pm and 7pm to find out more about the One Council Consultation.” The session was to help residents find out the facts behind the merger and to have their questions answered. South Hams councillors: the leader of South Hams, Councillor John Tucker and Cllr Rosemary Rowe, were on hand with two officers to answer questions.

Two handouts were given: “Frequently Answered Questions” and another on “Key Facts”. The former covered questions such as “Why Change? How much will it cost? and How much will it save?” Both handouts repeat information available in the same form on the South Hams website.

County Councillor Jonathan Hawkins was at the Flavel and remarked that some residents of Kingswear had not yet received the card asking residents for their views on the proposal to form one council. Cllr Tucker explained: “There are some cards still due to be distributed but they will go out. Apparently, the method of distribution chosen allows postmen to determine, within a month, when it fits with their rounds to distribute the cards. There is also the additional problem that some residents may discard the cards as junk mail.”

The card is not necessary to access the consultation information or questionnaire which can be found at www.onecouncil.org.uk. The closing date for responses is Sunday, October 8th.