Cllr mike hocking, mayor of Newton Abbot, writes:

Following a fantastic Christmas, where we saw record numbers for the switch-on of the Christmas lights and lantern parade events, packed car parks and thousands thronging the streets for our three late night shopping events, I thought it was opportune to provide your readers with an update.

Newton Abbot is a town centre fit for modern-day living and we are proud of it. We are proud of our huge number of independent shops and businesses, which occupy a high proportion of sites in the town centre.

We are proud of our indoor and outdoor retail markets, which have survived when others have folded. How delighted we are that Austins, the best department store in the region in my opinion, has continued to invest so heavily in the town and we are privileged to have one of the few town centre-based M&S outlets in the country.

Newton Abbot has responded to the modern-day demand for our town centre to become relevant and be more than just a place to do the shopping. As people increasingly use the town centre for other things, shops now sit side by side with a variety of establishments – an almost full range of banks and a huge choice of excellent places to eat and drink.

Do not take banks for granted, as in many high streets they are disappearing. Many of our pubs are still in business or are changing their focus to include 'food and family'.

There seems to be some criticism of charity shops in Newton Abbot. I urge those of you who haven't visited one recently, to take a closer look. charity shops attract a great number of visitors to our town who also spend in the surrounding businesses. 

Town councillors and myself listen to what our residents and visitors like and do not like regarding the town. The annual town meeting is held on a Saturday in the town centre where a great number of people take the time to provide important feedback.

An example of the town council being proactive in encouraging a thriving town was to recruit the post of town development manager. The economic vitality of the town is central to the role of this post which the town council considers has been a great success.