MOST of us are in the process of adjusting to the recent huge increases in council tax, and there is a broad recognition that they derive at least in part from factors outside the control of West Devon Borough Council itself.
Nevertheless it is important to maintain a sense of perspective at this time. Tourism is probably our largest industry, and under the auspices of South West Tourism, together with this association and other members of the Dartmoor Partnership, a major effort is being made to increase its rate of growth on the moor, with major benefits for all residents and visitors as well as accommodation providers.
However some things are letting us down. One speaker at last week?s Dartmoor Partnership Conference described the public toilets and other facilities as ?a cringe factor? for overseas visitors from the US, Scandinavia and Northern Europe where standards in the national parks are immeasurably higher. Yet as part of its budget proposals West Devon Council has reduced the funds available for public toilets in tourist areas by up to 25%.
For a village like Lydford, whose toilets are more for the convenience of outside visitors than for local residents, this means that it must either close the facility for a period over the winter, divert funds from other urgent village needs or reduce its high standards of hygiene and cleanliness.
There?s nothing like smelly loos to deflate the magical experience that a visit to Dartmoor can be! And the resulting saving is insignificant.
Both Dartmoor National Park Authority and West Devon Borough Council need to ensure that their strategic plans include a progressive enhancement of the toilets and other public facilities to at least equal those in the areas from which our visitors come.
R J Williamson
Director and vice chairman
Dartmoor Tourist Association Ltd