Campaigning...

I know the election campaign doesn't start for a couple of weeks, but things have certainly started moving fast.

In Launceston Central we have delivered a survey and a newspaper to every house and the replies are coming back thick and fast. Combined with the discussions I'm having with people on the doorstep it is giving me a valuable insight into local people's thoughts about the area.

I'm proud to say that I've been on every doorstep of the ward already (and will no doubt do so at least once more before the end of the campaign).

Two issues that have been mentioned more often than others are at the two ends of the ward. Once concerns the state of the advertising billboards on Western Road. They haven't been used properly since they advertised the BBC serial Britz about 18 months ago. More recently they were pasted over with blank paper but that was well before Christmas and they are now falling into a state of disrepair again. Local people are complaining and it seems to me that the company that owns the site should either make sure it is used and maintained properly or remove the hoardings altogether.

The second issue are the play areas on the Ridgegrove Estate. There are two areas with a few swings and so on, but they are hardly what you might call up to date. Local parents complain that there is always dog mess around and often broken bottles. Of course the owners and users of the area should behave responsibly but I noticed that there are no dog mess bins and no litter bins for people to use.

I've written to the Council about both issues and will keep you updated when I get a reply.