West Devon Borough Council will start a monthly drop-in surgery for residents at North Tawton Town Hall from Tuesday, January 23. The surgery, which will be held from 2pm to 5pm, aims to help people in the rural community take up scores of council services they may not be aware of. The event will be held every fourth Tuesday in the month. Council officers will be joined by representatives from a wide range of organisations who will all be offering help and advice. Cllr Nick Morgan, who represents North Tawon on West Devon Borough Council, said: 'It's an excellent initiative which I hope the residents of North Tawton will find very useful.' Council customer service advisers will be joined at the first drop-in session by borough planning and environmental health officers as well as representatives from West Devon Citizens Advice Bureau, Devon's Energy Efficiency Advice Centre, Nextstep for advice on learning and work, the keep active organisation 5X30, OCRA (Okehampton Community Recreational Association) and Devon Agency for Renewable Energy (DARE). The next surgery in North Tawton will be held on Tuesday February 27. l See page 56