Visit to Baltic Wharf, Totnes
This was a fascinating day with a briefings housing issues and opportunities to visit small, medium and hi-tech businesses in Totnes.
Tor Homes operates the largest housing association in the South Hams, having taken over the entire stock of council housing from SHDC in 1999. It is a registered charity and functions as a social enterprise. It employs 160 staff, half of them in direct maintenance including 2 apprentices. This was a meeting to discuss with Howard Topliss, CEO, the challenge to increase the level of affordable housing available to local people. A mixture of rented and shared ownership is required with a house building programme that is supported by local people.
Conservatives will ensure that the benefits of development will remain within the community in perpetuity. We will encourage the creation of new bodies - Local Housing Trusts - for those villages that wish to develop new housing to benefit their community. These bodies will have power to develop new homes and other space for community use, provided there is strong local support.
Later I visited a DT media, a high-tech business operating from Totnes and employing 17 staff. CEO, Tim Dewing, shared his views on how Government can help to support growing businesses.
Totnes is also home to Devon Life and its partner magazines including Cornwall Life, Somerset Life and Wiltshire Life. This is a major local employer as well as providing opportunities for hundreds of freelance contributors.
It was also good to catch up with Tony Osborne of Windeatts Solicitors, another important local employer and meet the Totnes Town Clerk, David Evans for a discussion about Local Government.
