Since being elected, the work up at Exonia Park continues.But the fact that they now have 2 councillors working alongside the Exonia Park Residents' Association appears to be paying dividends. So much so, we are both anxious to see this work rolled out to other Park Home sites across Exeter.

At last week's Scrutiny: Community committee meeting, Heather and I pushed for a Park Homes Residents' Forum to represent the views of Park Home owners in a similar way to the Tenants and Leaseholders Committee [TALC] does.

And we succeeded.

Anne Byrne followed this up with an article in today's Express & Echo.

EXETER housing bosses are to look into forming a forum for residents of mobile homes in the city.

The move follows pressure from Cowick councillor Heather Morris who has been working with residents of Exonia Park.

Cllr Morris said that she has been working hard in Cowick to help all residents but recognised early on that residents in park homes can have different problems.

She added: "Exeter City Council are the authority responsible for issuing the licence to park site owners, and therefore as a council we have a duty to ensure that the licences are not being breached.

"Given that the Residential Tribunal Service now has jurisdiction to deal with disputes between mobile home site occupiers and park site owners, it is time for the council to support residents in park homes."

Following the meeting, Cllr Morris said she was delighted that Councillor Rob Hannaford, the city's portfolio holder for housing and community involvement, had agreed to the setting up of the forum as she felt it would help residents understand their rights and help them to resolve matters.

She said: "It also sends a clear message to site owners that the council will not accept any breaches of site licences."

Cllr Hannaford said: "The park home developments in Cowick, Topsham and St Loyes already have their own residents' associations that deal with on-site issues.

"To assist and support these groups, the city council will convene and set up a new Park Homes Forum to help bring people together, discuss issues, give advice and ensure that site licences are not being breached. We already have similar meetings for council tenants and housing associations, so it is logical to extend this format to park homes.

"It's my intention that these meetings will also involve local city and county councillors, community police teams, housing and environmental health officers, and other agencies as agreed and suggested by the residents."