Latest news with #AngusForbes
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
UK caravan park 'just a short walk' from one of country's best beaches
Melvich Bay Caravan Park covers 25 acres and is located on the north coast of Sutherland on the world-famous North Coast 500 scenic driving route As July reaches its end, the summer season is swiftly passing by, signalling that now's the time to snap up a family holiday before autumn makes an appearance. Scotland's staycation scene is bursting with potential, offering everything from serene woodland escapes to lively seaside adventures – the choice is yours. Yet, for many, the charm of a classic caravan park remains unbeatable. Melvich Bay Caravan Park, a newcomer already receiving rave reviews, stands out as a prime destination. Nestled on the north coast of Sutherland and gracing the famed North Coast 500 route, this 25-acre haven for caravans and campervans boasts nearly 70 per cent occupancy, according to the team on the ground. Angus Forbes, a local farmer and director who opened the park in March alongside two co-directors, said: "Demand from visitors has been exceptional. Customer satisfaction has been overwhelming and we're heading towards 66 per cent occupancy on the site." Forbes expressed surprise at the park's rapid success, saying: "We were only expecting 25 per cent occupancy in the first three months. We've even had an enquiry from a couple interested in coming up from the central belt to get married on our park-which is unexpected-but flattering!". With sweeping views of Orkney and the North Atlantic Ocean, Melvich Bay Caravan Park is just "a short walk away" from the quaint village of Melvich and the idyllic sands of Melvich Beach, reports the Daily Record. According to the Daily Record, Melvich Beach has recently been recognised amongst Scotland's finest coastal destinations by The Times, with the publication celebrating the bay as perfectly suited for motorhomes and describing it as a "wide curve of ochre sand". The proprietors of Melvich Bay Caravan Park established their venture to tackle the lack of accommodation options for tourists exploring the increasingly sought-after North Coast 500 route, with aspirations to build their customer base through word-of-mouth and the allure of their scenic locations. The facility boasts 30 pitches spanning 12 square metres each, catering to campervans, motorhomes and fellow travellers, with overnight rates set at £35 and including contemporary washroom facilities plus chemical waste disposal services. Amongst satisfied guests is Kelvin Pitt, who penned a glowing Google review declaring the beachfront vista as "second to none" and stating he would "recommend this site all day long". With visitor numbers exceeding projections, management are prioritising eco-friendly tourism practices, as evidenced by director Malcolm Morrison's correspondence to local authorities including Highland and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council, advocating for the Leave No Trace initiative - which encourages North Coast 500 tourists to remove their rubbish - to be "beefed-up". Morrison penned: "The North Coast 500's Leave No Trace policy already makes it clear on its website that illegal disposal of waste is unacceptable, but it is the belief of my co-directors and I that a substantially beefed-up campaigning should be developed and broadcast widely throughout the region ahead of this year's busy tourist season." He continued: "While thousands of annual visitors to our Highland communities have been an economic boon, the environmental disruption of litter and, worse, recklessly discarded biological waste, has been a rightful source of local complaint."
ITV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Plymouth votes against directly elected mayor model in historic referendum
Plymouth has voted against moving to a directly elected mayor model following an historic referendum. The city will continue to be run by a council leader and cabinet, after narrowly voting to maintain the status quo. Turnout in the referendum was 19.1 per cent. A total of 19,840 people voted in favour of the 'leader' model; 18,044 opted for the mayor choice. Charlotte Holloway, who led the 'Plymouth Knows Better' campaign, said: 'This was a rejection of the failed city mayor model. Today Plymothians have shown that it won't work here. 'This was always a pointless referendum, it cost £410,000, that's money we all want to see spent on children in care, on filling our potholes. 'Plymouth is a marginal city. I don't see this as a movement or a momentum or a swelling of discontent. I would describe this more as a murmur. 'We've got to look forward, we're a city on the up, the hard work continues.' 'Democracy has been trampled on' The Government plans to introduce legislation which would stop the creation of new city mayors, while accepting the continuation of 13 existing mayors. Angus Forbes, who led the pro-mayor campaign, said: 'We accept the result, we trust the process. But democracy has been trampled on over the past few months. 'We came up against the full might of the Labour party, local MPs and Westminster. Our team worked extremely hard. There is a desire for change and change is coming. This is the first step. 'Janners are great people, they are resilient people and they want change.' 'Dead end' Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: 'This referendum was always a dead end, and I'm pleased Plymouth has rejected this costly, failed experiment. It was clear from the start that it would never lead to a city mayor for Plymouth. 'I told Mr Forbes last year that this model was being scrapped, and yet he pushed ahead regardless. 'At a time when our city needs every penny focused on frontline services - on social care, helping kids in care, and filling our potholes - £410,000 has been wasted on a vote that changes nothing.' Fred Thomas, Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, said: 'I am really pleased that the people of Plymouth have voted to reject this model that has been tried, tested and failed across the country. We now need to move on and put the division behind us. 'This referendum was a waste of time, money, and energy. The government has already made clear that no new city mayors will be created – the referendum was pointless. 'I know that people want to see change in Plymouth and that is why they may have voted for a Mayor, I want to see change too. But this referendum was never going to deliver it – so let's move on and work together to make our city an even better place to live.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Plymouth rejects directly-elected mayor in referendum
People in Plymouth have rejected a directly-elected city mayor model in a of the campaign against the introduction of a city mayor said the people of Plymouth "knew better" and the city was "on the up", as Plymouth Council said turnout was 19.1%.Even if there had been a vote for a city mayor, the government had previously stepped in to postpone any election until May 2027 and said it would scrap the introduction of any new directly-elected city mayors before Forbes, the millionaire Australian businessman who funded the campaign for a mayor, said "democracy has been trampled on" and that many people in Plymouth thought the referendum had been cancelled. Under a directly-elected mayor system the council would have been run by the mayor, rather than the current system where the council is run by the leader, an elected councillor chosen by other referendum was triggered by a petition with more than 10,000 signatures calling for change. Nearly 200,000 people were eligible to vote and Plymouth City Council said the turnout was 19.11%.Charlotte Holloway, a Labour councillor and one of the co-organisers of the Plymouth Knows Better campaign against a directly-elected mayor, said: "Plymouth really does know better."People saw straight through this failed, costly experiment and they made that known at the ballot box."This referendum was always a waste of time and public money. Voter turnout was one of the lowest Plymouth has ever seen - not because people didn't care, but because they knew it was pointless." 'Frustration' Forbes, who is married to former Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell, said: "Democracy was absolutely trampled on - let's make that absolutely clear."When you have intervention and frustration by Westminster as aggressive as it was - a lot of Plymothians thought this was cancelled."The businessman said his campaign had "come very close" and he was proud of what he described as "a grassroots initiative". The city mayor referendum in Plymouth was completely separate from the moves towards introducing more strategic mayors around the country, like those that exist in Greater Manchester and the West part of its local government reorganisation the government is abolishing district and county councils in favour of unitary unitary authorities are then expected to work together as strategic authorities with directly-elected mayors who would have increased powers in areas such as planning and in Devon said at first they would like to create a strategic authority with Cornwall but councillors in Cornwall rejected that possibility.
Daily Record
14-07-2025
- Daily Record
The Scottish caravan park 'just a short walk' from one of country's best beaches
One visitor described the views as "second to none". As we enter the middle of July, the summer season is officially halfway over. That means time is running out to book a family holiday before autumn rolls around. When it comes to staycations in Scotland, the only limit is your imagination. Whether you are looking for a quiet woodlands retreat or a fun coastal getaway, you have plenty of options. However, sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned caravan park. One new park that has already earned positive reviews from visitors is Melvich Bay Caravan Park. The 25-acre caravan and campervan park is located along the north coast of Sutherland, on the popular North Coast 500 scenic driving route. According to staff, the site is approaching 70 per cent occupancy. Director and local farmer Angus Forbes, who launched the business in March with two co-directors, commented: "Demand from visitors has been exceptional. Customer satisfaction has been overwhelming and we're heading towards 66 per cent occupancy on the site. "We were only expecting 25 per cent occupancy in the first three months. We've even had an enquiry from a couple interested in coming up from the central belt to get married on our park—which is unexpected—but flattering!" Melvich Bay Caravan Park benefits from panoramic views of Orkney and the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies on the outskirts of the village of Melvich, "a short walk away" from the sandy Melvich Beach. As reported by the Daily Record, Melvich Beach was recently named among the best beaches in Scotland by The Times. The newspaper praised the bay for being well-suited to campervans and described it as a "wide curve of ochre sand". Melvich Bay Caravan Park owners launched the business to address a shortage of facilities for travellers on the increasingly popular North Coast 500 route. They hope to grow bookings month by month on reputation, recommendations, and the appeal of its pitches. The park features 30 pitches of 12 square metres for camper vans, motorhomes, and other visitors. It charges £35 for an overnight stay, with amenities including modern toilet and shower facilities and chemical waste disposal. Among the happy visitors to Melvich Bay Caravan Park are Kelvin Pitt, whose Google review describes the outlook of the beach as "second to none". The holidaymaker adds that he would "recommend this site all day long". With demand well ahead of expectations, the directors are increasing their focus on sustainable tourism. In a letter sent to local stakeholders, including Highland and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council, Melvich Bay Caravan Park director Malcolm Morrison calls for the Leave No Trace campaign—which urges North Coast 500 holidaymakers to take their litter home—to be "beefed-up". Morrison wrote: "The North Coast 500's Leave No Trace policy already makes it clear on its website that illegal disposal of waste is unacceptable, but it is the belief of my co-directors and I that a substantially beefed-up campaigning should be developed and broadcast widely throughout the region ahead of this year's busy tourist season." He added: "While thousands of annual visitors to our Highland communities have been an economic boon, the environmental disruption of litter and, worse, recklessly discarded biological waste, has been a rightful source of local complaint."
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Mayor for Plymouth: The case for and against
As Plymouth prepares to vote in a referendum to decide whether the city should have a directly-elected mayor, two arguments appear to dominate the debate. Depending on who you talk to, a directly-elected mayor could bring massive investment to the city or it will be a huge waste of money. The man driving the campaign for a mayor for Plymouth - and footing the bill - is Angus Forbes, a millionaire Australian businessman married to former Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey No campaign is being run by Labour councillor Charlotte Holloway, who said the city mayor model was a waste of money, outdated and had been tried and failed in other the lead-up to the referendum, the government intervened, saying last month it would bring in legislation to scrap city mayors, making the consequences of the vote on 17 July irrelevant, but that position was contested by the Yes campaign. Forbes said the city needed a figurehead who would be accountable for the fortunes of Plymouth and help the city achieve its enormous said: "We've got to change this city, we've got to progress, we've got to have great leadership that people want. We want the city to be unified and have a vision and we need to alleviate poverty."When asked how a change in governance would change anything, Forbes said: "You cannot underestimate the power of collective belief - when people actually choose their leader directly and get the person they absolutely believe in, the vision of what they see for the city, then everybody is galvanised."The businessman said having a directly-elected mayor would mean "the power transfers to the people of Plymouth". Forbes said he was "passionate about making space for great leadership" in Plymouth but would not be a mayoral candidate himself and was not aligned to any political would not be drawn on how much he had personally spent on promoting the referendum, saying that was "a private matter".Forbes said the £410,000 being spent by Plymouth City Council on holding the referendum was an amount "not to be sniffed at" but said this was a "once-in-a-generation event" and "the price of democracy". Charlotte Holloway, a spokesperson for the Plymouth Knows Better campaign against a directly-elected mayor for Plymouth, said the model was ineffective. Throughout this debate campaigners on her side have said local authority mayors were on their way out and claimed the whole process of having a referendum was a waste of council a Labour member of Plymouth City Council, said: "The city mayor model is one that has been tried, tested and failed in city after city across the UK and in places like Bristol and Torbay just up the road."They tried it and they scrapped it and that's why the government themselves said back in December this was a model they were discontinuing." 'Janners really care' The referendum also comes at a time when the government is overhauling local government across the country in plans which will see regional mayors in charge of several local authorities - as opposed to city mayors - introduced said: "Plymouth is a brilliant, fantastic city on the up but this city mayor model is on the way out and what we need to do in the city is draw a line under this sorry saga."She said there were "always strong feelings in Plymouth" as "Janners really care about making our city better"."Whatever happens on July 17 I want us all to come together and stay focussed on working together and making our city even more brilliant and overcoming some of those longer-term challenges that we've had," she said. Government steps in The referendum was triggered in February after more than 10,000 people in Plymouth signed a petition calling for it to government stepped in towards the end of June with an announcement that no new city mayors would be Government Minister Jim McMahon said the move was "of particular relevance to the Plymouth referendum" and any mayoral election would be moved from May 2026 to May Forbes said Plymouth City Council would be obliged to make constitutional changes "almost instantly" in the event of a vote in favour of a directly-elected mayor in spite of the government announcement.A city council spokesperson said "preparatory work" would take place if there was a Yes vote "to ensure the council is ready to implement the new governance model in time for the anticipated 2027 election"."This will include reviewing and updating the council's constitution to reflect the mayor and cabinet structure - such as changes to the roles of scrutiny and oversight - unless or until legislation dictates otherwise," they said.
