17/07/2026
Now the election is over
I feel i need to address comments made by cllr Rowsell in relation to my lack of communication with her directly and why I am not engaging with her.
I am speaking from my own personal experience here.
Back in April 2025, during the run-up to the Devon County Council elections, Lynne Rowsell stood as a candidate for the Holsworthy Rural division. Competition is healthy in a democracy, and I applaud anyone—particularly women—who are willing to put themselves forward for public office.
During the campaign, Lynne and I had some exchanges on social media. From my perspective, these discussions were generally amicable and part of normal political debate. There were, however, comments made during the campaign that I felt upset some local residents and drew attention to issues that, in my opinion, were not particularly relevant to a local election.
At the time, although I supported some Reform policies, I did not personally feel that Lynne was the right candidate for Holsworthy and the surrounding parishes. That was simply my opinion, based on what I considered to be limited local knowledge, a relatively short period of residence in the area, limited experience of local government, and comments she had made regarding local traditions.
The election took place, and Lynne won by a margin of 88 votes over my preferred candidate. As a town councillor, I democratically accepted the result and actually looked forward to working with her in her new role, having worked with the previous county councillor.
My first interaction with Lynne after the election left me disappointed when she attended the town council meeting in June 2025, I greeted her warmly, but I felt the response I received was distant rude and unfriendly. Others may have interpreted the interaction differently, but that was my personal impression.
Subsequently, I was informed that concerns had been raised about my conduct and that allegations of harassment and bullying had been made against me. I was advised not to contact Cllr Rowsell directly and instead to communicate through our town clerk. As a result, I gathered and retained records of our communications in case a formal complaint was submitted. To the best of my knowledge, no formal complaint has been lodged to date.
Regarding communication, I understand that a county councillor is not legally required to provide reports to a town or parish council. However, in my view, a county councillor should maintain regular communication with the communities they represent. As our direct link to County Hall, I believe updates on relevant county-level issues would be beneficial for councillors and residents alike, no matter if its a repeat from what district councillors have reported, good communication is paramount in local government to enable open channels of communication between the lower government structures in my view.
Personally, I feel there has been limited communication since the election. At the time of writing, Lynne has attended one town council meeting and submitted a small number of reports. As a result, I often rely on information shared by other county councillors to stay informed about developments at county level, even though those updates are not always specific to Holsworthy.
I was one of the first people to say that we should give Lynne time to settle into the role. By her own admission, she was new to local government, and I was prepared to support her and help where I could. Unfortunately, that opportunity never materialised.
Cllr Rowsells relationship with the town council is poor, various attempts have been made by councillors to engage with her and establish a constructive working relationship. However, from my perspective, those efforts have not achieved the level of cooperation that many of us had hoped for.
In local government, disagreements are inevitable. Councillors frequently hold different views and debate issues passionately. In my experience, those disagreements are usually set aside once council business is concluded because everyone is ultimately working towards what they believe is the best outcome for the town and its residents.
These are my personal views as a taxpayer, resident, councillor, and someone who has been accused of bullying without, to my knowledge, any formal complaint being brought forward. I understand and respect that others may have different perspectives on these events and i also understand why concerns have been raised regarding communication from the county councillor. Personally, I remain unconvinced that residents are receiving sufficient information about county-level activity, and that has contributed to my own dissatisfaction with the current situation, as a result I was asked not to contact cllr Rowsell directly or to communicate with her on social media
