A COUNCILLOR has asked her Tavistock colleagues to speak with one voice rather than individually when asked to fill in surveys from other authorities.

Former mayor Cllr Mandy Ewings said the council had been elected to speak for residents and was important as a ‘collective’.

She made her plea as the latest council meeting was told that the development management and licensing committee had not commented on a consultation by Devon County Council over the proposed new recycling centre at Crowndale because there was not time to refer it to all members before the closing date.

Chairman Cllr Paul Ward said the committee did not have the delegated authority — the full council’s permission — to do so on their behalf.

Cllr Ewings said, however, that she felt the council did not reply to consulations as a town council and added: ‘We are here to represent the residents of this town and the town council is more important as a collective.’

But deputy mayor Ursula Mann said online consulations by either West Devon Borough or Devon County Council did not have a mechanism for responses by organisations such as the town council and were ‘very much for the comments of the public’.

She queried whether it would be better just to write to them and town clerk Carl Hearn said he would bring that up with the Devon Association of Local Councils and ask that they should be communicated with directly so they could respond in future.