Colyton resident Paul Arnott re-elected as East Devon District Council leader

East Devon District Council has re-elected its leader and Colyton resident Cllr Paul Arnott – described as the man "who has steered them through choppy waters" over the past year.

Cllr Paul Arnott, from the Independent East Devon Alliance, first took on the role in May 2020. He was re-elected at the council's annual meeting last night (Tuesday) by 29 votes to 21 over Conservative candidate, Cllr Colin Brown.

The meeting was held in-person at Westpoint in Exeter due to social distancing guidance, meaning it could not be held at Blackdown House in Honiton, and lasted just 46 minutes as councillors sped through the ceremonial business.

Cllr Arnott will now continue to lead the council, which is run by a coalition of the Independent East Devon Alliance, Liberal Democrats, Greens and some Independents.

Nominating him to continue in the role, Cllr Eileen Wragg said: "It is with pleasure and pride that I nominate Cllr Paul Arnott for the next year.

"The past year has been uniquely challenging to adapt to new systems and ways of working and continue with projects started by previous administrations like Queen's Drive and Cranbrook.  

"Bold decisions have been made like withdrawal from the GESP and granting consent for the Lower Otter Restoration Project.

"Under Cllr Arnott, huge strides forward have been made, with a willingness to listen and engage, and relationships have improved. He has steered the council through choppy waters with his hand at the helm.

"I hope you support the nomination and we will work together for the people of East Devon and our outstanding environment and put it ahead of political differences.

"We are being led by a caring councillor who does that and leads by example."

Seconding the nomination, Cllr Olly Davey added: "As a Green, I welcome the commitment to climate change and sustainability and make it a guiding principle of the council.

"He has steered us through a difficult year and he has assembled a great team around him and he will take us forward in the way we need to go."

But putting forward an alternative candidate, Cllr Bruce de Saram proposed on behalf of the Conservative Group that Colin Brown should be the leader.

He said: "He is the chair of the scrutiny so we know he plays a positive and ganging role in the life of the council, and he would make an outstanding leader off the council."

Seconding the nomination, Cllr Philip Skinner added: "Colin Brown would bring a marked difference to the authority and I would like to think other members would get behind him as well."

Councillors voted by 29 votes to 21 in favour of Cllr Arnott, with eight members abstaining and not voting for either candidate.

Cllr Arnott reappointed Cllr Paul Hayward as the deputy leader of the council, and named an unchanged Cabinet.

Leader outlines plans for the future

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Arnott, who also serves on Colyton Parish Council, said: "I have spent a quarter of a century now living in East Devon and am very fortunate to have been everything from a student in Topsham to the parent of a now grown-up family in Colyton.

"I love this area, and it is a great honour to have been elected by the council to serve for a second term as Leader, not something I will ever take for granted.

"I believe that the majority of people in East Devon, of all ages, are progressive, forward-thinking people, wishing for their local governance to be a national exemplar of transparency and accountability.

"We have put much in place to achieve this and I wish to thank the very many officers at the council who have joined us on this mission. The work goes on."

Axminster to be a focus of coming year

Cllr Arnott said his entire first term of office as leader was conducted on Zoom, and the extra burden of the pandemic on councillors and officers alike, was considerable.

He added: "Now, we are hoping for more capacity to make progress with our key aims.

"The town of Cranbrook needs much attention to help it emerge from some tangled knots remaining from its first ten years.

"Axminster, so full of potential, will be another focus of the coming year, as Exmouth has been in the past year, and will continue to be.

"I stand ready to help in whatever way I can for Honiton, where the green shoots of a revitalised town council are now emerging.

"Across the district, from Seaton to Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary to the Blackdown Hills, we want to engage with and help in the culture, leisure, sport and tourism economies.

"East Devon has so much talent and potential in this, and we want to help this sector thrive.

"There will be financial challenges too. The government said it would cover losses from the pandemic, and unfortunately it has not, in particular leaving us with more than a million pounds in losses with LED.

"We also have to take on challenges ducked by previous administrations. What to do with our ageing public lavatory provision, or with our car parks?

"In climate change issues, we now have a new dedicated officer to help us guide this process, and all emerging policy will need to pass through this filter.

"We have a new Poverty Action policy, and we will be working with county to help us realise this.

"And finally, as an absolute priority, we need to put into action challenging ideas for more social and attainable homes for local people. I can't wait to get on with all this over the next year with colleagues of every political colour."

East Devon elects new chair

The meeting also saw Independent Trinity ward representative and former leader of East Devon, Cllr Ian Thomas, elected as the new council chair, winning the vote 36-20 over Axminster's Conservative councillor Andrew Moulding.

Proposing him to be the new chairman, Cllr Geoff Pook said that as East Devon is a polarised council of near equal number of opposing views, and the chair had to be independent of party and of political bias, and give every councillor the voice that they represent.

As Cllr Thomas was the leader of the Independents, Cllr Pook said: "He will bring intellect and skill and total independence and integrity and ensure the reputation of the council is both enriched and enhanced."

Seconding the nomination, Cllr Susie Bond added: "He has a decade long experience and during his leadership gained the trust of all sides, and this offers an ideal opportunity and era of collaborative working."

On accepting the office of chair of the council, Cllr Thomas said: "I thank you for the endorsement and it is a great honour to serve the council."

He takes over from Cllr Cathy Gardner who did not seek re-election to the post.

Cllr Arnott said: "I am very pleased to see Ian take the chair, which I am sure he will fill with distinction. I would also wish to give the council's huge thanks to his predecessor, Cllr Cathy Gardner, for a superb job, done in the most trying circumstances any chair has faced.

"These thanks extend also to all our officers for an extraordinary year's work - up against the odds throughout."

Cllr Val Ranger was re-elected to her role as vice-chair of the council, by 31 votes to 23 over the Conservative Cllr Mike Howe.