South Hams, England News

SOUTH Hams councillors have voted to share the recession pain with their electorate - by freezing their council 'pay'. For the second year running, district councillors have refused to take any increase in their allowances, the cash they get paid for running the council and attending meetings.

A CHRISTMAS night fire that destroyed a barn at a South Hams farm was started accidentally, investigators have confirmed.

SLEET and ice may have dominated the landscape over the past week, but a new holiday guide serves as a reminder of the tranquil getaway haven the Westcountry is at its best.

BUSINESSES registered for VAT are being urged to prepare for changes to the way their paperwork and payment is filed.

A STAGECOACH bus was involved in a minor collision with an ambulance as it waited to respond to emergencies in yesterday's ice 'carnage'. A front line ambulance was involved in the collision in Newton Road just after noon.

SOUTH Hams people are being urged to show they care about their district's hard pressed businesses by signing up to an on-line protest petition.

THE family of a 92-year-old woman who died at a South Hams care home are being supported by specially trained police officers.

DEVONPORT should be home to any planned energy from waste incinerator, MP Gary Streeter has told a public meeting in Ivybridge.

SOUTH Hams Council is ready to take on the Government in a legal battle rather than face local government extinction without a fight.

AN 82-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 92-year-old woman was found dead at the residential home they shared in a quiet Devon village.

MINISTERS have been accused of covering up the true scale of unemployment in Plymouth.

CANDLELIGHT climate change protestors were forced to have an embarrassing whip round to pay for public liability insurance after they were barred from a public square in Totnes without the cover.

WHEELCHAIR bound motorcycle accident victim Kane Roberts has the Totnes home he desperately needs so he can live near his family thanks to the latest initiative by a South Devon housing association.

A Devon council which was previously named among the worst in England is now performing among the best.

CANNABIS destined for the streets of South Devon has been seized by Teignbridge police.

AFTER watching The Politics Show last Sunday week I have to write about the insensitive comments by Linda Gilroy, MP for Plymouth Sutton, that rural areas must come to terms with the proposed increase in housing to help solve this national crisis.

NHS Devon has backed a report which warns potentially dangerous sunbeds are more common in areas where people already have poor health.

A WARNING has been issued over a council tax scam in the South Hams. Unsuspecting residents have been targeted by a caller claiming to be from the council and asking for their bank details.

Supporters of the plan believe there is time to force legislation through Parliament before a General Election, expected in May next year.

DOZENS of primary schools in Torbay and South Devon are celebrating after improving their SATs results.