On May 1st, you’ll have a choice about the future of Devon. Not just about roads or schools, but about the kind of local government we want. One that quietly gets on with the job, or one that churns out headlines, blames everyone else, and lets standards slide. This May back the Conservatives because you believe in lower taxes, better local services, and a council that knows the difference between sound management and soundbites.
Let’s start with the obvious, the roads. What the Liberal Democrats won’t tell you is that Devon has more road miles than any other council in the country. Over 8,000 miles – more than the distance from here to Australia and back. Maintaining that network costs real money, in Devon the Conservatives have fixed twice as many potholes as Liberal Democrat run Somerset over the border.
We’re investing even more this this year, thanks to the Conservative Government reallocating HS2 money, Devon will receive an extra £10 million to resurface and repair our roads. The Lib Dems say they’ll bring highways “in house”, fine, but they’ve run councils like Bath and Somerset before, and the potholes didn’t magically vanish in fact they just put in more cycle lanes. It’s not the structure, it’s the funding and follow-through that matter.
Conservatives have secured more government funding, recruited extra staff, and are rebuilding trust with families in SEND education. It’s not fixed yet – but the solution isn’t to throw stones from the sidelines. It’s to stay the course, reform the system, and actually deliver the support children need.
Underneath all of this is a simple truth; we believe in local services, but we also believe you should keep more of your own money. Every pound wasted on bureaucracy is a pound not spent on fixing a road, paying a carer, or supporting a vulnerable child. The Lib Dems would grow the state, raise taxes, and pretend there’s no cost.
If you want a local council that fixes problems without fanfare, that balances the books and delivers what matters – vote Conservative on May 1st.