Cllr Alan Connett

Teignbridge Council has confirmed that the rural skip will be in: 

• Kenton – Triangle car park on 10 April.

• Starcross – sports field car park on 17 April.

£167,000 of taxpayers’ money is to be spent on new training and conference facilities by Devon County Council.

The Conservatives, who control the council,  approved the plan which will mean the money — from a Government grant for road safety work — will be used to extend and improve the Devon Drivers Centre at Westpoint, near Exeter.

It’s said the scheme will save money on hiring outside rooms and bring in new business. But further enquiries by local councillor Alan Connett have confirmed that the room hire ’savings’ are in fact mostly from within the county council.

Also, the county council confirmed it did not have one new contract to back up its projection about new business.

“The room hire savings are an internal accounting arrangment for the council. It’s not money they actually spend on outside facilitites. It’s what the county council charges its own departments for hiring its own rooms,” explained Cllr Connett.

The £167,000, which comes from the Department for Transport, could have been spent on one or two road safety schemes in the county rather than new offices and furniture, he added.  

Grants of £250 - £5,000 are available to voluntary and community groups in Devon (including Torbay and Plymouth) which meet the following criteria, reports Cllr Alan Connett.

Groups must have an annual income of less than £30,000, have been in operation for at least 12 months, be volunteer led and address local community needs.

Fast Track Grants (£250) are processed within two working days upon receipt of completed applications. Express Grants (£251 - £900) are processed within two weeks upon receipt of completed applications. Standard Grants (£901 - £5000) deadlines are approximately every 8 weeks.

The remaining deadlines are: Monday 15th March 2010, Monday 10th May 2010, Monday 5th July 2010, Monday 13th September, 2010 Monday 8th November 2010.
For details ring Devon Community Foundation on 01884 235887 or visit www.devoncf.com where you can download an application form or apply online.

Residents in Thornes Meadow at Dunchideock are concerned that cars mount the grass verge, churning the surface and leaving it untidy. Earlier today, I led a site visit with Highways, representatives from the Parish and District Councils and met with some residents.

After much discussion about the problem and potential solutions, highways agreed that simple, thin plastic bollards could be put either side of the road to discourage drivers from mounting the verge. All residents will now get a letter from Highways asking for their views.

If there is general agreement, Devon Highways will go ahead with the work and Cllr Beer, chair of Dunchideock Parish Council, kindly offered to ask the Parish Council if it would be willing to help maintain the verges to keep them looking smart, which a local resident has been doing so far.  

Residents in Teignbridge have seen the lowest rise in Council Tax over the past seven years compared to other district councils in Devon, new figures reveal. 

The highest increase has been in West Devon where residents have seen a near 40% rise in their council tax.

Over the seven years since 2003, council tax for Teignbridge District Council (excluding all other authorities like police, county council) has gone up by 19.1% — the lowest for any of the eight district councils in the county and well below the average rate of increase, reports local councillor Alan Connett.

The seven year increases for each council are:  

• Teignbridge       19.1%.
• Mid Devon         25.9%.
• East Devon        26.3%.
• North Devon       26.8%.
• Exeter                 27.5%.
• South Hams       28.2%.
• Torridge              31%.
• West Devon       39.6%.

The average increase over the seven years is 28.2% and the average amount payable for a band D property is £151-64.  The Council Tax for Teignbridge Council’s services is £150-17 – equivalent to £2-88 a week, added Cllr Connett. 

He explained:” Since our first budget in 2004, we have set ourselves the target of low or no increases in council tax in Teignbridge and the fruit of that work is now being seen.

“Council Tax in Teignbridge has fallen below the Devon district average compared to being above average seven years ago. In addition while every other district council in Devon has seen a seven-year increase above 25%, we are well below at 19%”. 

Last week (22 Feb) Teignbridge set a lower than predicted council tax of 1.97% — equivalent to a rise of six pence a week.   

The trustees of the Exeter Northcott have decided to place the theatre into administration.
Trustees were presented with financial information this week which showed the theatre to be insolvent, As a result of this the trustees decided they had no alternative but to appoint Ian Walker of Begbies Traynor in Exeter as joint administrator earlier today.

Exeter City Council and the University of Exeter have agreed to explore with the administrator ways of continuing to use the Theatre as an arts venue for the benefit of local people. They were among various organisations who contributed to the refurbishment of the Theatre in 2007 and provide annual grants towards its operating costs.

Chairman of Trustees Geoff Myers said: ‘We took this decision with a heavy heart, but when presented with the latest financial information we had no choice but to place the Theatre into administration. It is to be hoped that a way can be found to effect a rescue of the Theatre.

In the meantime I would encourage theatre-goers to continue to support the Exeter Northcott in the knowledge that those who book their tickets while the Company is in administration will, in the event of any performances being cancelled, be issued with a full refund. I have been greatly encouraged by the response of stakeholders, who have agreed to do all they can to ensure the Theatre continues in some way as a performance venue.’

Administrator Ian Walker said: ‘In the short term is it our intention to try and ensure that all performances in the spring programme can continue and announcements will be made in the press and on the Exeter Northcott website as soon as possible. In the longer term I believe it is important to ensure a Theatre can be maintained in Exeter and I intend to hold discussions with all existing and possibly new stakeholders at the earliest opportunity.’

‘As regards ticket sales, anyone that has purchased tickets prior to today is unfortunately an unsecured creditor of the company. However, if we are able to ensure that productions do take place as planned, it is hoped that all existing obligations to ticket holders will be honoured. If it is not possible for any productions to take place, details will be posted on the theatre’s website and existing ticket holders will be unsecured creditors of the company. In practice, it is likely that most people will be covered by credit card guarantees in any event.

‘As regards the future, it is vitally important that members of the public do continue to support the theatre as without such support the theatre will not survive. Any tickets that are purchased from today will, in effect, be protected and, in the event that a production does not take place, such ticket holders will receive a refund. ‘

Philip Bostock, the Chief Executive of Exeter City Council, said: ‘The City Council will play an active role in any discussions to look at a way forward for the Northcott. We are wholly committed to the arts and the provision of high quality theatre for the city.”

Drama Professor Nick Kaye, of the University of Exeter’, said: ‘The Theatre is a high quality venue and will continue to be made available for public performances. We will work with the other stakeholders to try and find a sustainable model to continue providing artistic events there.’

The Northcott Theatre was built on the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus in 1967. It is run as an entirely separate organisation from the University with its own board of trustees.

Council tax for Teignbridge District Council will rise by 1.97% from April — that’s just 6pence a week for the authority and takes its share of the annual bill to a little over £150.

Savings and efficiencies totalling £919,000 have been made for the new financial year and just over half of that figure comes from cutting the council’s wage bill, writes local councillor and Leader of Teignbridge Council, Alan Connett.

Teignbridge will be saying goodbye to a number of its senior managers in the next few weeks, while also making some other savings and improving efficiency.

An example of this is Teignbridge leading in the south west on a scheme with around 18 other councils and public authorities to purchase insurance through a new scheme. The saving alone for Teignbridge is expected to be £80,000. 

General fees and charges, including car parking, will rise by an average 3%. Parking charges have not risen for two years for Teignbridge and even from this April there will be no increase in the fee for up to one hour parking and it is free to park between 6pm and 9am.

Meanwhile, at Devon County Council, the Conservatives voted down a lower council tax increase put forward by the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives forced through a 1.98% increase — just over £20 a year rise.

They also voted to cut rural bus services, reduce funding for youth services and have cut back on the highway maintenance spending for next year.

I voted against that budget, and instead supported the cheaper option from the Liberal Democrats of a 1.66% rise — £5 a year cheaper and supporting the bus and youth services as well as highway repairs. The County Council has over £60 million in reserves, so a little of those ’savings’ could have been used to assist the council tax payers. Cllr Alan Connett      

The main road in Exminster will be closed from next Tuesday (March 2) to the following Saturday (March 6) inclusive while Devon County Council undertake the highway works in the centre of the village. The diversion is out of the village at either the ‘Stowey’ or ‘Royal Oak’ end and along the by pass.  Cllr Alan Connett.

Updated 25 February: I understand Devon County Council’s school transport staff are sorting arrangements for the homeward journeys next week, when the contract coaches will not be able to get through the village centre. As soon as I have further information, I will add it below:

Important news regarding school buses next week, while the Main Road in Exminster is closed for the road works on Tuesday and Wednesday (2^nd and 3^rd March)   (*).

The morning services for DAW002, DAW003 & DAW085 (Stagecoach 2 service) will operate normally with students getting on at their normal pick-up point.  

In the afternoon, as the road will be closed, DAW002 & DAW003 will go via

The Stagecoach 2 service will also operate the Reddaway loop for the afternoon journey, but as a public service the county council cannot stop students getting off at the Swans Nest and walking back towards the Royal Oak on the section of road which has no pavement. 

 (*) – the road closure is listed for four days but the highways staff hope to complete it all on the Tuesday and Wednesday, depending on weather.

Rural bus services across Devon face the chop today (18 February) as £286,000 is axed from the budget which helps support public transport to some of the most remote communities.

Devon County Council is refusing to say where the axe will fall but has confirmed the funding cut will mean less frequent buses from when the new summer timetable starts this May.

The cut to rural bus services is being brought in by the new Conservative administration at Devon County Council despite saying a year ago that services ‘are still not good enough’, say the opposition Liberal Democrats who oppose the bus cuts.

Local Lib Dem Cllr Alan Connett said:” The county council supports 200 bus services across the county and these are relied on by many residents. However, from May they are likely to find the frequency has been cut back.

“I have been trying to find out which services will be affected but at the moment where the axe will fall is being kept under wraps – or is still be worked out by the council’s officers.”

 “It is so often the case that the devil is in the detail and we just do not know how or when local communities with county council supported bus services will be told about the cut backs in their area.”

Councillors are being asked to back a £136,000 cut in development and contributions under the public transport section along with a further cut of £150,000 in rural bus subsidies when they meet later today to set the budget and Devon’s Council Tax for next year.

The Lib Dems argue that there is no need to cut the rural bus services at all. In an alternative budget – which would also deliver a lower council tax increase than the 1.98% put forward by the ruling Conservatives – the opposition Lib Dems say they would keep the rural bus budget and, with other changes, they argue Devon’s council tax need only go up by just 1.66%.

Teignbridge has given planning permission for stables at Mamhead, close to Home Farm and down the track towards the coarse fishing pond.

Although recommended for refusal by planning officers, councillors felt the use was consistent with the country side and would help retain local employment and support an existing local business, writes local councillor Alan Connett.

There will be some planning conditions in relation to the approval. These relate to agreeing the materials used for the buildings, agreeing the treatment of surface and foul water and any night lighting.

English Heritage raised no objection and the Historic Garden Society made no comment about the application. Councillors considered the application yesterday (February 15).