POTHOLES are the number one concern for voters says Holly Greenbury-Pullen, the Lib Dem candidate for WDBC’s North Tavistock ward.

Holly, who lives in Princetown with her two daughters and runs a small business there, is a passionate would-be politician. She is a seasoned campaigner for public services with a particular interest and background in health and ensuring the NHS is meeting people’s needs.

Top of her agenda are replacing the broken down Tavistock Hospital X-ray machine and supporting, as an active advocate, parents fighting for their children to have their special educational needs met adequately and the parents’ voices to be heard by the county council.

She said: “As a local resident and owner of my own small business, I share the frustration and dissatisfaction felt by the local community at problems that have been constantly brushed aside by a complacent council.

“Everyone I speak to locally complains of failing infrastructure, including the state of the roads with potholes a disgrace. The town centre is struggling, independent shops and pubs are fighting for survival. Health care provision is in crisis and access to dentists a pipe dream. Sustainably affordable housing is almost non-existent.

“Our wonderful facility, Tavistock Hospital, has recently had its X-ray department closed, forcing yet more people into the chronically overstretched Derriford, while promises of a rail link to Plymouth remain just that - promises.”

Holly, an academic, has a background in environmental services and is pressing for an upgrade to the sewage infrastructure, to include it being mandatory for new estates to have the network improved to deal with the extra burden from more homes without pollution from storm surges. There should also be regulations to ensure truly affordable homes promised for new estates remain so in the long term, she added.

Police operational strength is another of Holly’s concerns: “There are too few response officers covering West Devon to guarantee the safety of the communities and there are not enough blue-light trained drivers to give a sustainable service.”

The by-election for the Tavistock north ward takes place on Thursday, May 2. There are four canditates: Michael Fife Cook (Independent); Judy Hughes (Conservative); Udo Uwem (Labour); Sara Wood (Green); Holly Greenberry-Pullen (Lib Dem).