Welcome to Nick Bye, a new guest columnist for the Torbay Weekly. Over the coming weeks, the plan is to introduce more names and faces to our community editorial coverage.
Mr Bye is a well-known political figure in the Bay.
He was the resort's first directly-elected mayor - a hot potato as elected mayors are the talk of the town in current government devolution plans - and has been a Conservative councillor for a number of years.
His current cabinet portfolio has him overseeing children's services
A politician's lot is not a happy one (with apologies to W.S.Gilbert) or in more straightforward language: there's simply no pleasing some people.
Over the last few years Torbay Council has pulled itself up by its bootstraps, has got to "Good" in Children's Services, has more than balanced its books whilst other Councils face bankruptcy, is getting better at the day to day stuff like collecting the rubbish and keeping the streets clean, has negotiated a five year contract for integrated health and social care services plus delivered special events such as the Bay of Lights and the Air Show.
Most importantly Councillors ARE working together constructively to deliver the much needed regeneration of the Bay. The Strand regeneration project is a taste of things to come and is already acting as a catalyst for private investment in the immediate area.
Very much the same thing happened in Brixham some years ago when the New Fish Quay and Old Market House projects (remember all the fuss then!) were followed by a tremendous makeover at most of the businesses around the harbour. You now have a flourishing destination for all seasons.
The latest cause for upset seems to be investment in new hotels by the Singapore based Fragrance Group. On the one hand folk are taking a pop because they are not going ahead with the plans for a new hotel on the old Palace, Torquay, site yet equally upset they ARE close to completion of their new flagship project at Corbyn Head. Try working that out!
These are the facts as I see them: the new Corbyn Head Hotel will be the Bay's tenth new purpose built branded hotel in recent years, the third new "Fragrance" hotel and part of an investment of circa £50 million which must be the envy of all other seaside towns.
Yours Truly has visited Morecambe, Bexhill on Sea, Eastbourne and Weston Super Mare in recent times (I know how to live) and can only recall seeing one modern hotel. Even in dear old St Ives the other week I was sorry to see one of the larger places closed down and looking very sad.
Here we have a shot in the arm for our tourism industry with new hotels, significant investment in many of the long established ones, a constantly evolving eating out scene plus more new bars and entertainment venues. I just wish I had the energy to get out and about more.
None of this has happened by accident. Our English Riviera Tourism Company has been beating the drum and its Chief Executive Carolyn Custerson deserves a statue in due course next to the one soon to be put in place for Agatha Christie.
Councillors of all parties and none have proclaimed the Bay is open for business and taken sensible and pragmatic decisions at the Planning Committee.
Indeed anyone who has a dim view of how Councillors work together should turn up and observe thoughtful and polite discussion, appropriate questioning and challenge in a setting where it would be difficult to judge who belongs to which political group.
Of course the scale and style of some of these new buildings might not suit all tastes but just imagine how the old cottagers of Torquay must have thought 150 years ago when our first wave of hotels were built, dwarfing existing structures.
It's worth reflecting that half our most famous buildings, Oldway being perhaps the best example, would never get past the planners now. "Completely out of scale" would be the cry!
I am optimistic about the Bay's future, although challenges remain, not least trying to meet the health and social care needs of an ageing population when the working age population continues to contract and too many bright young people move away. More affordable housing seems to me to be the key to tackling our deep rooted social and economic problems.
So good luck to my colleagues on the Local Plan Working Party as they attempt to find the space for the 900 new homes per year that the Secretary of State says we should build.
Even when I disagree with decisions made in the Town Hall I have the greatest respect for those who are prepared to put their heads above the parapet, trudge the streets to get elected and put in the hours listening to briefings, reading reports and trying to make budgets come together. It's easy to snipe; so much harder to serve, but ultimately more rewarding as things take shape.
