She was first elected to West Devon Borough Council in 1999. Prior to that, she was the Clerk to Burrator Parish Council.
As a West Devon Councillor, Diana has chaired the Future Planning & Housing Committee – one of the council’s two main strategic policy committees – since 2007. Her external public appointments include membership of Dartmoor National Park Authority and the Rural Commission of the Local Government Association (and has been elected nationally as one of only two Conservative Councillors representing the South West on their Policy Review Group). She also represents West Devon on the Building Control Partnership, having spent two years as its Chair.
Within her ward, she sits on the Burrator Advisory Group and regularly attends Parish Council meetings.
As an experienced senior councillor, she regularly meets Government Ministers during their consultations on rural policy development, providing West Devon with a direct line to the heart of government.
She passionately believes that we must protect the West Devon that we all love and the scenery that makes people want to both live and visit here. Development must be sensitive to the needs of this sparsely-populated rural area.
Diana is known both locally and nationally for speaking her mind. She does not shrink from taking a controversial or unfashionable line if she thinks it is right. She is happy to plunge in to fight for a cause she believes in strongly .