Hillhead and Brixham
Today I spent the morning canvassing opinion in Hillhead, to hear about how communities suffer when they lose vital amenities like local shops. Communities need meeting places like village halls, churches and pubs and, especially where bus services are limited, people can feel very isolated.
Fortunately, there are very low rates of serious violence in this part of Devon, but even so, antisocial behaviour is a concern and people want to see this addressed by the local police. We also need to tackle some of the causes of problem behaviour, like binge drinking and taking a tougher line with offenders.
Several people wanted to clarify policy on immigration, and there is a clear message about Conservative proposals if you follow this policy link.
I later met up with Imke Henkel, London Correspondent for Focus magazine, one of Germany's leading weekly magazines. I attended an open meeting in Brixham's Conservative club, again to hear local views before again heading out to listen to people on the doorsteps. It was particularly interesting to hear how often Europe is raised as an issue and to also hear from Imke how Britain is regarded from the other side of the Channel.
