Draft:South Devon Alliance

The South Devon Alliance is a political party based in Newton Abbot, Devon. It is registered with the Electoral Commission and fields candidates for District, County and General Elections.

POLITICAL BIAS

The South Devon Alliance has no particular bias in terms of left or right. Its members range from socialist to conservative and classical liberal. Conservative Leader Phil Bullivant has called the group ‘anarchist’ in the press and on social media, although none of the group professes to follow an anarchist philosophy. Members Richard Daws and Liam Mullone have refered to themselves as ‘ageing punks’ however, and have been known to quote Clash lyrics in their communications.

The manifesto of the party stresses protection of the environment and wildlife habitats, transparency and proper consultation, the unilateral rejection of Westminster housing quotas on the Southwest and the investigation of financial and planning irregularities within local government in South Devon

HISTORY

The South Devon Alliance began as Newton Says No, a campaign group established to fight the decision by Teignbridge District council to allow the construction of 1400 houses on Wolborough Hill, a local beauty spot and part of the South Hams Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Later the group broadened its scope to one of transparency and promoting direct democracy. The South Devon Alliance has made several allegations of corruption, particularly planning corruption, against Teignbridge District Council

The South Devon Alliance in Newton Abbot benefited from a longstanding distrust of local government in the area which has its roots in the controversy surrounding the sale of Penn Inn Park in 1985. Sentiment that local government was opaque and untrustworthy was enflamed over the ‘golden goodbye’ afforded to the former head of Paid Service, Nicola Bulbeck, in June 2017. The size of the payoff, said to be £320,000, and the reason for its suppression was revealed by the Sun newspaper that August. The long tenure of MP Anne Marie Morris and the historical lack of any support for the Labour Party in South Devon left a vacuum for a proactive opposition which the South Devon Alliance has largely filled.

GAINING OFFICE

Four candidates stood for election in the 2019 Teignbridge District Council Elections. These were Liam Mullone, Janet Bradford, Richard Daws and Kirk Field. Mullone, Bradford and Daws were elected to College and Ambrook wards, Field missing his seat by 30 votes.

In 2021 Janet Bradford was elected to Devon county for Newton Abbot south, while Liam Mullone came second to the Conservative Phil Bullivant.

In 2023, standing now as candidates for the South Devon Alliance, the original three were re-elected along with six others. As they were joined by one of the council’s three independents, Andrew MacGregor, they became the second largest group in the chamber and the official opposition in place of the Conservative group.

In June 2024 the South Devon Alliance nominated founding member Liam Mullone as a candidate in the General Election.

TACTICS

Newton Says No had begun as a satirical website meant to ridicule the politicians and decsiions of Teignbridge District Council, Devon county Council and the national government as a rallying point for like-minded local people opposed to the NA1, NA2 and NA3 developments. It was at first aimed at the Conservative administration headed by Jeremy Christophers, but targeted the Liberal Democrats following their victory in the 2019 election and the lack of any progress towards environmental protections and an unconciliatory approach to the party taken by Liberal Democrat Leader Gordon Hook, who had featured several times in NSN articles.

Although the website was not updated following the group’s elevation to the council it remained a subject of conflict, and Liam Mullone was made subject to  a disciplinary procedure in July 2020 for comments about officers and councillors made before taking his seat. Councillor Richard Daws was subject to a similar procedure in the same month for allowing the public into a meeting, claiming they had right of access under the 1972 Local Government Act.

Both Mullone and Daws accused the council of contravening their right to free speech. The hearings were recorded and uploaded by the council to Youtube but have since been redacted.

CAMPAIGNS

The South Devon Alliance has campaigned to prevent the commencement of the NA3 housing project in Newton Abbot, to bring about an inquiry into alleged planning fraud surrounding the decision on Langford Bridge in January 2021, to investigate land sales between the council and landowners that they claim amount to predetermination before decision.

They have presented motions to council in pursuit of damages from South West Water for sewage pollution and they supported the campaign to save Holcombe Beach near Teignmouth from development by Network Rail.

They have also campaigned to prevent the internal demolition of the Alexandra Theatre and against the council’s part-pedestrianisation and removal of most parking from the shopping area of Queen Street, Newton Abbot.

At the time of the General Election they announced an intention to fight a more general campaign against London-centric planning edicts, overdevelopment of green spaces and corruption in local and national government.

LEADERSHIP

Liam Mullone was the nominal leader of the Newton Says No group. Following the May 2023 election for which the name changed to South Devon Alliance, leadership was shared with Richard Daws for three months. In June 2023 Liam Mullone stood down to become an ordinary party member.

MEMBERSHIP

Cllr Richard Daws, Leader, member for Ambrook Ward

Cllr Paul Parker, member for Ambrook ward

Cllr Liam Mullone, member for College Ward

Cllr Janet Bradford, member for College ward, DCC member for Newton Abbot South

Cllr Keeley Gearon, Member for Kingsteignton East

Cllr Jane Taylor, Member for Kingskerswell with Coombe ward

Cllr John Radford, member for for Kingskerswell with Coombe ward

Cllr Alex Hall, member for Buckland ward, member for Newton Abbot Town Council, Mayor (2024)

Cllr Mike Ryan, member for Buckland ward

Affiliated with group: Cllr Andrew MacGregor (Independent)

CONFLICT

South Devon Alliance members have a history of conflict with the district’s ruling Conservative and Liberal Democrat executives as well as with the council’s civil servants. These conflicts have resulted in several headlines in local newspapers and a local polarisation of local people in opposition or support of the group.

Liam Mullone, who is openly neurodivergent, is especially known for disrupting council meetings and swearing at members, which he has variously called ‘cretins’, ‘twats’ and ‘nodding dogs’. During a heated exchange concerning the decision on Langford Bridge in September 2021, Mullone’s microphone was turned off to prevent him delivering a statement, with the result that he approached the Chair and continued reading from a prepared piece  that accused the council of fraud. He was physically confronted by the Liberal Democrat portfolio holder for planning, Gary Taylor. Cllr Taylor was briefly suspended by the Liberal Democrat party and chose to issue an apology to the chamber rather than to Cllr Mullone

Mullone has had altercations with three mayors in meetings at Newton Abbot Town Council, causing Mayor Alex Hall (SDA) to remark in May 2024 ‘You’re not really the mayor of Newton Abbot until Liam has told you to f*** off’.

The group has organised and participated in many protests, including a march to save the Alexandra Theatre, a show of defiance on the day of works commencement in Queen Street and several protests against NA3 in front of the council offices at Forde House that have spilled into the chamber when their supporters filled the public gallery. Several meetings have been suspended due to disruption by SDA support.

ACHIEVEMENTS

In January 2023 the Local Government Ombudsman found in favour of the South Devon Alliance in respect of sanctions drawn against group leader Richard Daws. It concluded that the Liberal Democrat Execuive under leader Alan Connet had broken its own constitution, the law in terms of the Local Government Act 1972 and Article 11 of the UK Human Rights Act which concerns free speech and the right of elected members to express opinions. The council was ordered to apologise to councillor Daws. It remains a point of disagreement whether this apology was meaningfully or sincerely made and the South Devon Alliance has made it known that it has approached the LGO to complain that its demands for reform of the council have been ignored.

The South Devon Alliance successfully delayed the commencement of NA3 for three years until April 2024.Ultimately however they have suffered from the overwhelming majority of the Liberal Democrat Party in all council decisions. The Liberal Democrats hold 26 seats against their 9 plus one independent. The Liberal Democrat group also enjoys broad support from the Conservative group in most major decisions affecting the district.