Councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate for Exmouth & Exeter East, Charlotte FitzGerald, has expressed pride in the work of her Liberal Democrat colleagues for prioritising children’s safety and securing a pause from Angela Rayner in her party's “runaway local government reorganisation project.”

 “Finally, Andy Burnham has seen sense where Steve Reed and previously Rayner did not.” Says Cllr FitzGerald.

 “As Liberal Democrat led council teams, we were desperately worried about pressures on children’s services in particular from the proposed ‘rest of Devon’ arrangement, which would have thrown most of rural Devon into a perilous situation from the start, with an underfunded unitary administration,” she continues, citing the work of county leader Julian Brazil and District council leader Paul Arnott, alongside Cllr Richard Jeffries as Head of Childrens Services at Devon County Council.

 “My Lib Dem colleagues have approached negations with a relentless focus on the lack of consideration for equalities made by government in its decision to carve out rural areas from the economic hubs of Exeter and Plymouth, which went against everyting our party stands for.”

Whilst acknowledging the relief felt by the team, Charlotte remains concerned that councils will not be recompensed for the administrative expenditure so far. "Millions of pounds of taxpayer money has been spent already on this botched plan,” said Charlotte, adding, “but this isn’t the end of reorganisation, and we need to take the opportunity to forge a good plan that works for all Devon postcodes - rural and urban alike."

### ENDS ###

Local campaigner Charlotte FitzGerald and the Exmouth Liberal Democrat team have launched an urgent community campaign and petition calling on Post Office Ltd to protect essential postal, banking, and government services in Exmouth.

The town’s main Post Office branch, located inside TG Jones, is scheduled to close on Monday 28th September following the closure of its host store.

With more high street banks closing and public services shifting online, Charlotte FitzGerald and her local team are highlighting how vital the main Post Office remains for residents - particularly those who rely on in-person assistance for banking, pensions, driving licenses, and passport applications.

While Post Office Ltd has opened applications for a new host business in Exmouth, Charlotte remains concerned that any gap in provision during the transition could cause significant disruption to the community - and that any replacement branch may not provide the same services.

Charlotte FitzGerald said:

"With more public services and banks pushing people online every month, Exmouth Post Office is a critical remaining facility - helping to make sure everyone can access vital services whenever they need to.

"It’s great to see the Post Office have invited applications for new hosts for Exmouth’s main Post Office branch, but I'm worried that this may not be enough.

"We’re calling on the Post Office to act urgently to make sure their new Exmouth home is open as soon as possible after 28th September, to provide temporary cover to make sure there is no gap in services - and to guarantee that any new branch offers the same services so Exmouth residents don’t lose out."

Charlotte and the Exmouth Lib Dem team are urging Post Office Ltd to commit to three key actions:

• Fast-track a new location so a permanent branch opens as soon as possible after 28th September.
• Provide temporary cover to ensure zero interruption to local services.
• Guarantee full service parity so Exmouth residents retain access to the complete range of counter services.

Residents can support the campaign by signing the petition online at www.EEELibDems.org.uk/SaveExmouthPostOffice.

### ENDS ###

Photo: Todd Olive / Exmouth & Exeter East Liberal Democrats

Charlotte FitzGerald, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Exmouth and Exeter East, has warned the Prime Minister and Andy Burnham that their devolution vision risks creating a left-behind Britain, pitting community against community as winners and losers, with Exeter, East Devon, and the wider county of Devon set to lose out without a metro-mayor.

Liberal Democrats have long called for a proper shifting of power away from Whitehall and into local communities, but Charlotte FitzGerald today raised urgent concerns that new plans to give areas with a metro-mayor additional income tax powers or revenues will deepen an already stark regional divide.

Government figures already show a significant gap between areas with and without a metro-mayor. As things currently stand, areas with mayors receive over nine times as much in capacity funding than foundation authorities - £2.26 million compared to £250,000 in 2026-27. Areas in the Devolution Priority Programme receive investment fund allocations of between £11 million and £44 million per year, leaving non-mayoral regions on the back foot.

Mayors across England also hold exclusive access to additional powers that would widen the gaps between those who have a mayor and Burnham’s left-behind areas. These powers mean regions with a Mayor get exclusive ways to keep money in the area where it is raised - funding critical public transport, infrastructure improvements, and providing more cash for local business growth. This means areas like Exmouth and Exeter East, which relies heavily on strained infrastructure on the East side of Exeter - including the Exeter-Waterloo rail line, which only next week is seeing half of its timetable lost - risk being left even further behind.

In response to the Government saying that areas without a Mayor will not miss out on devolution powers, Lib Dem candidate Charlotte FitzGerald says that Exmouth and Exeter East have been given no timeline, no fair funding, and no guarantee that Devon will ever see the powers that places like London and Manchester have been granted. As areas with a Mayor will not see these powers come into force until next April or even 2028, the Lib Dems say regions without a Mayor are being asked to wait even longer for less.

Raising concerns about Devon and the Westcountry forming part of Burnham’s ‘left-behind Britain’, Charlotte FitzGerald has urged the Prime Minister to rethink his devolution plans to provide direct support to local people in Devon, rather than focusing all the financial benefits on big metropolitan mayoralties.

With Parliament currently in recess, FitzGerald also criticised the lack of detail surrounding the proposals and the resulting inability to formally scrutinise the Prime Minister’s agenda. Ed Davey, Zöe Franklin (Lib Dem Spokesperson on Local Government), and Liberal Democrat council leaders jointly wrote to Andy Burnham earlier this month about his devolution plans and their shared concerns.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Exmouth and Exeter East, Charlotte FitzGerald, said:

“Moving more power into local communities is something I and my party have championed for years, but these plans risk creating a left-behind Britain, while big city regions with a metro-mayor move further and further ahead.

“The Government’s own figures show that areas without a mayor - including here in Devon - already receive only a fraction of the funding available to strategic mayoral authorities. Adding new tax powers that are exclusively tied to mayors will only widen that gulf.

“Rather than create growth in every postcode, these plans create a dangerous postcode lottery - and communities across Exmouth and Exeter East aren't even being given a ticket. Rather than leaving Devon behind, the Prime Minister and Andy Burnham must rethink these devolution plans to make sure rural and coastal communities benefit just as much as major cities from devolving power out of Westminster.”

### ENDS ###

Photo: Todd Olive / Exmouth & Exeter East Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats have announced Councillor Charlotte FitzGerald as their candidate for Exmouth & Exeter East in the next General Election. 

An established local campaigner on high streets, sewage pollution, and the local economy, Charlotte hopes her track record of action will stand her in good stead to win at the next General Election. 

Stuart Mole, President of the Exmouth & Exeter East Liberal Democrats, commented: “We are hugely impressed by Charlotte’s energy, her commitment to the area and the fresh ideas she can bring in tackling local problems. At the 2024 general election, in a tight three-way fight, the Liberal Democrats came close. Since then, while Conservative and Labour support has declined, the Lib Dems have continued to advance, most recently gaining a seat on Exeter City Council. We believe that, with Charlotte as our champion, victory is within reach.”

Charlotte believes her local knowledge gives her the edge over the opposition. “Exmouth & Exeter East is a diverse constituency – I lived in East Exeter and now in rural Budleigh & Raleigh, so I know it well.” On choosing to settle in Exmouth & Exeter East, Charlotte says, “My mother’s family are from Honiton, and my partner grew up on a dairy farm near Colyton. Raising our family here has brought us close to the issues that matter to people. We are lucky enough to own our house, but this is not a realistic option for many who have grown up here.” 

From her first day as a councillor, Charlotte has advocated strongly for building and maintaining sustainable communities. “I know it is harder than ever for people to buy their own house, and that making the leap to home ownership is delaying people from moving on in life. The whole system is clogged by ill-considered policies. I am committed to getting the housing that fits the needs of local people, in the right place.”

Commenting on the demise of the traditional high street, Charlotte says, “The high streets in Exmouth, Topsham and Budleigh are the lifeblood of their areas – as they undergo inevitable changes, these spaces are something worth supporting and actively reimagining.” She points to Love Topsham, Shop Budleigh and Exmouth’s Gate to Plate as leading rejuvenation projects, seeing them as green shoots of recovery.

Charlotte is passionate about health. She helped win support at East Devon District Council for a combined leisure, health and wellbeing facility at Cranbrook. Her recent community roundtable on the future of the local libraries attracted hundreds of people – many more were turned away at the door. “The community roundtable I held in Budleigh drew overwhelming support. Libraries represent everything that is good about our communities, which is why I am working hard to protect them.”

Sewage problems affecting the constituency have come under close scrutiny by Charlotte, particularly since Budleigh Salterton lost its Blue Flag status earlier this year. “Dealing with the water company, regulator and citizen science groups has opened my eyes to shocking truths about the sewage treatment problems and resulting water pollution in our constituency,” says Charlotte. “Our rivers and coastline are among the most polluted in the whole country. It’s damaging to residents, to nature and to our valuable tourism industry, particularly in Exmouth, where repeated outflows in summer months have caused so much harm to local businesses. My team is the only one with a credible plan to tackle the issue, after years of Conservative inaction and Labour’s refusal to clean up the mess.”

Charlotte will focus on securing support for local businesses and skills, which she says are necessary for future-proofing residents' careers and the local economy. “In addition to championing training and skills for early and mid-career professionals, I will continue to work hard to deliver support for local businesses, especially those in the green economy and the science and tech sector, where Exeter is leading the way.”

Charlotte is determined to break from the norm in the way she serves the community. “Trust in politicians needs reviving. This is what I have been hearing on the doorsteps around the constituency. I am determined to be that change, being a local champion for Exmouth & Exeter East.”

### ENDS ###

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• Charlotte was elected to East Devon District Council in the May 2023 elections, initially as an independent, before joining the Liberal Democrat group in October 2024
• The Liberal Democrat candidate, Paul Arnott, finished a strong third in the constituency at the 2024 General Election, increasing the party’s vote share in the constituency against the notional 2019 result by nearly 20% - more than any other candidate
• The 2024 General Election result makes Exmouth & Exeter East a close three-way marginal parliamentary seat, with the main parties separated by only 3,000 votes, and was the seventh-closest result for the Liberal Democrats nationally in a constituency not won by the party
• Fourteen Liberal Democrat District and City Councillors are currently in office within the constituency, more than twice as many as any other party, and the party saw their first Exeter City Councillor within the constituency elected in St Loyes ward in the 7^th May elections

Photo: Fran McElhone / Liminal Media