Former Mayor stands down to concentrate on business

THE former Mayor of Minehead and Alcombe, Councillor Nick Messarra (pictured, left), has resigned from both the district and town councils.
Councillor Messarra officially stepped down on Friday, after several weeks agonising over the decision.
He had represented the Alcombe East ward as a Conservative councillor on both West Somerset Council and Minehead Town Council since 1999.
Councillor Messarra told The Post: “I have been thinking about this for quite a long time and I am really sad to be standing down as I love helping the town and the people who live and work here.
“But I have to concentrate more on my business, which is taking me all over the country at times, and I am finding it harder and harder to find the time for council duties.
“I also have a young family who are growing up and need me to spend more time with them, which adds to the time pressures on me.
“Being a councillor can be a full-time job just in itself and I am full of admiration for anybody who manages to do it well.
“I have always tried to do everything to the best of my abilities and so I think it is better that I stand down now and let somebody else take over.
“It has really been an honour to serve the public and I have enjoyed being able to achieve lots of things for them, whether it has been the small projects like getting a bus shelter or a seat, or the grander scale of pulling in millions of pounds of investment money from Europe.
“At the end of the day I have helped to make a difference to the quality of life for many, many people, and I am proud of that.”
Councillor Messarra said a highpoint was when he served a term of office as Mayor of Minehead and Alcombe.
He also held the economic development and business liaison portfolio on the district council for four years, and was previously a commissioner for finance.
Before serving on the council, he was chairman of Minehead Chamber of Commerce and Trade for eight years, and he was also a founder-member of Minehead Lions Club.
As a councillor, he was branded the ‘people’s champion’ because of his tendency to cut through red tape in order to make sure community projects were carried out without undue delay.
A by-election is now likely to be held for the district and town council vacancies, which could take place during April.

Kate is given job of keeping West Somerset people healthy

A DEDICATED portfolio for health and well-being has been created at West Somerset Council to reflect the importance of such issues in a district with the third-highest proportion of pensioners in the country.
The work has been separated from that of the housing portfolio holder who previously held responsibility for both roles.
Newly-elected Councillor Kate Kravis (pictured) has been given the cabinet job of covering health and well-being, while one of the longest-serving councillors, Councillor Peter Humber, retains his housing portfolio.
Council leader, Councillor Keith Ross, said: “This is another positive step towards delivering our community priorities.
“Councillor Humber has made very real progress in the area of housing, health, and welfare.
“However, he has expressed a wish to devote his considerable energy to strengthening existing partnerships and forging new ones to provide affordable housing and decent homes for local people in West Somerset.
“I respect his wishes and commend his commitment to this vital area of work.
“In order to maximise the benefits to our local residents, I have appointed the final seat on the cabinet to Councillor Kravis, who has agreed to become portfolio holder for health and well-being.
“It is an area that is critical to the current and future welfare of local people and communities.
“She has ability, determination, and vision and will be a real asset not only to implementing and promoting initiatives designed to improve the health and well-being of local people, but to the running of cabinet itself.”
Councillor Humber said: “Councillor Kravis and I will share what is a very wide-reaching portfolio in order to deliver the best service possible to local people.
“Housing is very close to my heart. I wish to concentrate on this area so I can help make real and positive differences in the provision of affordable housing for local people, the development of eco-friendly homes, and ensuring as many people as possible live in homes that meet the decent homes standard.”
Councillor Kravis, who represents Old Cleeve, said: “I am delighted to share the workload because I believe that the health and well-being of people is essential to the overall contentment and sustainability of our communities.
“We are lucky to still have close-knit, caring communities in West Somerset, and my aim is not only to ensure their well-being, but to also make sure that they are inclusive of everybody irrespective of age, ability, gender, background, or belief.
“We have developed strong partnerships to help improve conditions for local people and I intend to build on those foundations so that local people and communities get the best support available.”