THE new chairman of pressure group DIRECT has started his term of office with a stark warning to West Somerset District Council members - listen to the public or pay the price at the next elections in 15 months' time. Arthur Phillips, who has been credited with helping to keep Minehead library in its town centre location, has taken over from outgoing chairman Graham Sizer. Mr Sizer said he had decided to step down to concentrate on his role as chairman of Minehead Chamber of Trade. He said: "I will certainly remain closely involved in the DIRECT campaign and it has my full support. "Arthur has the skills and determination to see our work through to the planning stages." DIRECT was set up just over a year ago to challenge the district council's plans to develop a number of Minehead's car parks and the now abandoned centralised office scheme on land alongside the town's railway station. Mr Phillips spearheaded opposition to proposals to relocate Minehead library to the railway station site and it was partly the collapse of that element of the scheme which led to Somerset County Council withdrawing its support for the district council's relocation plans. However, since then, DIRECT has continued to maintain a high profile presence, opposing the district council's plans to create a retail development on Minehead's Vulcan Road car park. Mr Phillips said he was honoured to take over the reins from Mr Sizer and said he was indebted to him for the hard work and dedication he had given the group over the last year. Mr Phillips said: "We all want the regeneration of the town centre so that it is an attractive and convenient place to shop. "With the planning stages of the Vulcan Road development impending and the council determined to embark on a development which will undermine many of the businesses in the town centre, the traders need all the help they can get." He added: "I note that the leader the council, Cllr Steven Pugsley, was in print recently stating that the council could not achieve its goals without public support and stating that he wants to work in partnership with the people of West Somerset. "Although he is quite right, I do wonder why he has taken over 12 months to realise this. "Perhaps now he will re-think the damaging policies that the council has been imposing on us and our area without public support. "Either way, the public will have the final say at the elections in just 15 months' time and, hopefully, it will not be too late to salvage the future of the town." Outgoing chairman Mr Sizer is pictured, left, with new chairman Mr Phillips.
