The guest speaker for November's meeting of Dawlish & District u3a will be Councillor Martin Wrigley. He is a very well-known figure in the community, having served for many years at all tiers of local government – Dawlish Town Council, Teignbridge Council and now Devon County Council. His commitment to the people of this area is outstanding, and he is respected across the political spectrum, regardless of party allegiance. There is no doubt that the challenges facing local government in the years to come are going to be ever more daunting. Almost every aspect of our lives will be affected by the decisions of our local councils – social care, social services, buses, recycling, public health, environmental health, planning, housing, education, arts and recreation – the list could go on. Central government makes decisions about budgets and strategic issues, but it is at the local level that everyone will be most directly affected.

Martin Wrigley will talk about this most challenging area of public provision, but he promises not to do so from a partisan perspective. Indeed, one of the most refreshing aspects of local government is that very often, party allegiance matters far less than it does at Westminster.

There is sure to be a good gathering of u3a members to listen to what Martin has to say, but as with all its monthly meetings, guests are very welcome to enjoy the occasion with members.