The decision to suspend birthing services at North Devon District Hospital is unacceptable. I can appreciate there are staffing issues, but the suspension of services should not have been an option. The Secretary of State needs to step in and stop this. For an expectant mother living in Ilfracombe journey time to hospital has increased from 20 minutes to over an hour and a half. And what about family and friends who want to support their loved ones during this momentous occasion.

My colleague, Jess Bailey, has called an emergency meeting at County Hall. We have invited all the district councillors from Torridge and North Devon to attend and speak if they wish. It will give us an opportunity scrutinise the decision. Our residents deserve answers. The Chief Executive (salary package of around £400K) needs to explain himself and why he has allowed this to happen. Who is going to take responsibility for this dangerous and unacceptable fiasco. All too often the buck is passed, and no one is to blame. We need to make a stand.

All this comes at the busiest time of year in Devon with our hospitals already under increasing pressure. There are also fears about the future of Torbay hospital and service provision including the cardiology unit. Bean counters may see savings in centralising services but it is local residents and patients who will pay the costs.

At the same time an academic report has highlighted how we lag behind in educational achievements. The failure of successive governments to invest in our young people, giving disproportionately more to other areas, means we have an unfair handicap. Whilst the narrative often refers to a North-South divide, it is clear we have a South West issue too. The new Prime Minister has talked about prosperity and growth in every postcode. He has referenced both urban and rural and indeed the South West. If he is to be true to his word, then he need look no further than these two examples of how we are being left behind.

The Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) option for Devon has only increased the concerns of rural communities. Government’s decision was based on the preferences of our two cities in Devon, Plymouth and Exeter and appears to be urban centric. This, even though most of Devon is rural. People are proud of our cities, but we also understand delivering services across a vast rural area brings many challenges and extra costs. Carving Devon up into these four new unitary councils, far from creating savings and efficiencies, will have the opposite effect. Rural Devon will end up paying more for less.

I suppose the hosepipe ban was inevitable and I have every confidence that the vast majority of residents will do what they can to conserve water. I also remember at the beginning of the year the incessant rain. In January alone Devon recorded 170% of our average rainfall and some places recorded 40 days of consecutive rain. Climate change isn’t a new phenomenon; it’s been around for decades. Perhaps South West Water could explain what steps it has taken to mitigate these extremes. Afterall, it’s what their job is. We know we ‘ve had a pretty shabby service and yet executive pay has continued to increase. It seems to be a habit in this country for senior executives to be rewarded for failure. Something has to change otherwise we will continue to see further decline matched only by increasing bills.