Meet your Councillors: Cllr Victor Abbott

I am the South Hams District Councillor for Ivybridge East (and also the Vice Chair of the South Hams Liberal Democrats). I was first elected to the District Council in 2019 and am interested in seeing local government funding restored, housing issues and infrastructure, and the implementation of a more representative electoral system.

I've lived in Ivybridge for 30 years, with the preceding 2 years in London and 10 in Ireland. I worked offshore, making charts and supporting the exploration industry around Ireland, the North Sea, and elsewhere. On moving to Ivybridge I taught hydrographic surveying at Plymouth University. Plymouth Sound was a great place to run field trips afloat. The University Campus and the Sound were mapped time and time again!

I retired in 2017 but I'm still an External Examiner at the University of East London. However, I've been pleased to pick up interests in local history, especially working with the Ivybridge Heritage and Archives Group. I have strong contacts with Ivybridge Methodist Church, and a few groups of the University of the 3rd Age (U3A) - if you've free time during the day, you should see what might interest you!

Being on the Council has brought many activities, including, as you might expect, reporting to Ivybridge Town Council. The boundary of the Town with Ugborough Parish Council does not line up with the boundary of Ivybridge East Ward, so I also attend Ugborough Parish Council where I can represent residents east of Godwell Lane up to the Ugborough District Council Ward boundary. Across the whole Ward, I've worked with residents on parking, footpaths, the Leisure Centre, litter & waste disposal, play parks, grass cutting & trees, fireworks, planning enforcement, Council Tax and other monies. The largest issues are the ongoing debate about the discount supermarket and the consequences of Covid-19.

Indirectly, as they are not District Council issues, I've also been involved with vehicles exiting onto major roads, drop curbs, street lighting, schools, riverbank erosion, road surfaces, and the local effects of second homes. Very early on, I was challenged to give a report on local activities and was pleased to do that as a guest visitor in the bar of the Constitution Club, an impressive building I had not visited before.

If you feel the topics listed here are important to you, I'd be pleased to discuss them further. I was recently written to by a resident concerned about Black Lives Matter. My latest on this is on my Blog.

Contact Victor

Email: victor.ivybridge@gmail.com

Blog: https://ivybridge.mycouncillor.org.uk/

Twitter: @VJA_Ivybridge

Tel: 0.77.57.26.29.19