Friday 22 March 2024
 Devon awarded £5.3 million for zero emission buses
A fleet of 41 electric buses are set to take to Devon’s roads in North Devon, Torridge and Exeter by early 2026.
Our successful joint bid with Stagecoach has secured £5.3 million from the second round of the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.
Stagecoach will be investing a further £15 million into the project to roll out new Electric Vehicle buses in Exeter on Service 4, Service A and the Green Park and Ride service, while in North Devon and Torridge they will operate on Services 21/21A, as well as town services in Barnstaple.
Read more in the full story on the news page of our website.
 Illegal tobacco products and vapes seized
Our trading standards officers seized illegal tobacco products and vapes with an estimated value of over £166,000 during a joint operation with police earlier this month.
Officers from Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, accompanied by tobacco detection dogs and Devon & Cornwall Police, searched a location in south Devon. A positive indication by detection dogs led to the discovery of a significant quantity of illegal products.
The seizure, one of the largest to date, consisted of over 18,000 illegal tobacco products (counterfeit and non-duty paid cigarettes and tobacco) and over 2,000 illegal vapes (not compliant for the UK market).
Several people are under investigation by Trading Standards and enquiries remain ongoing.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
 Business case submission for new M5 junction follows public support
We're going to submit a business case to Government for funding to deliver a second M5 junction and bridge at Cullompton, following overwhelming support from local people.
Earlier this year almost 900 people responded to our proposals to reduce traffic queues at Junction 28 (M5) by building a second bridge and junction to the south of Cullompton as well as a Cullompton Relief Road, from Duke Street to Station Road and supporting walking and cycling infrastructure improvements.
The delivery of a new junction would help alleviate congestion at peak times – currently there are long queues to use Junction 28 on weekdays, often stretching all the way along Station Road between High Street and Junction 28. And the number of vehicles sitting ‘idle’ while waiting to use the junction also reduces the air quality and therefore the quality of life for local people in the town.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
 Government cash support for Devon’s special needs education
We’ve signed an agreement with the Government which will see an extra £95 million of national funds set aside to reduce our deficit on special needs education.
Our cumulative spending on education for children with special needs and disabilities (SEND) over the past 10 years is set to create a deficit (the gap between the budget allocated and the budget spent) of £163 million by the end of this financial year.
We’ve set aside £10 million this year to help reduce it, and in common with councils across the country, we’ve been negotiating with the Government for extra funding for special needs education under the so-called Safety Valve programme.
The new agreement will see the Government contribute an extra £38 million by the end of March with the remaining cash being spread out over the following eight years.
Read more in the full story on the news page of our website.
 Are you taking old electricals to a recycling centre? They could be refurbished…
On your next visit to one of our recycling centres you may be asked whether any electrical goods you have brought to the site are still usable. It’s all part of a new scheme to ensure that items that could be refurbished don’t go to waste.
Staff at SUEZ, who operate our Household Waste Recycling Centres for us, will be looking at items such as TVs, monitors, audio equipment, guitar amps, vacuum cleaners, speakers, lamps and record players that are still working and are in good condition.
Once separated, these items are then taken to a newly created electrical testing hub. From there, a specially trained member of staff will sift through the items and if they can be used again, they will be cleaned, safety and function tested before being priced for resale.
Read more in the full story on the news page of our website.
 Easter holiday food support for low-income families
Families in Devon who receive benefits-related free school meals for their children will continue to be supported with food costs over the upcoming Easter holidays. Approximately 21,500 children have been sent supermarket vouchers worth £30 to spend during the two-week break to replace the meals they would have had at school during the day.
Vouchers are being sent to families this week, so please check you’ve received them and redeem them as soon as possible before they expire. Please get in touch with our free school meals team if you were expecting to receive a voucher but didn’t. Email freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk or call 0345 155 1019.
If you didn’t previously qualify for free school meals but your income has recently reduced or stopped, please visit our website or call 0345 155 1019 to check if you are eligible for this support as soon as possible.
More information about the free school meals holiday voucher scheme is available on our website.
 Devon awarded more than £7m to deliver more Electric Vehicle charging points
We’ve been awarded more than £7m of Government funding to support the delivery of thousands of new, publicly accessible, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points across Devon over the next few years.
A key barrier to the uptake of EVs in Devon is the availability of suitable charging infrastructure, particularly in remote and rural areas. To address this, we want to support the delivery of 2,000 more charging points by 2030, with a particular focus on residential streets in rural and remote areas with electric grid constraints, where higher uptakes of EVs are forecast and communities without or with limited access to off-street parking.
The scheme is set to begin in 2025 and will significantly expand on an already growing network of on and off-street EV charging points in Devon.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
 Autism and Us workshop - sensory processing and integration
The next Autism and Us workshop will be taking place on 26 March, 9.30am to 12pm. We'll be going over sensory processing and integration.
This workshop will explore:
- the eight senses, sensory integration and how this may affect how autistic children and young people respond to the environment and sensations they are feeling.
- raise awareness of sensory processing differences that may impact on an autistic person’s life.
- provide a range of approaches and strategies to support through sensory regulation approaches within the home / family context.
 Devon awarded ‘safer roads’ funding for A361
We’ve been awarded more than £5m by the Government's Department for Transport to deliver safety improvements on the A361 in North Devon.
The route, which runs between Ilfracombe and Barnstaple, is one of 17 roads in England to be allocated funding from the Safer Roads Fund.
We are looking closely at what potentially life-saving improvements could be made at a number of locations along this important route, and while no final decision has yet been made, they are likely to include speed management, junction upgrades, better pedestrian crossing points and improved community connections to the Tarka Trail to encourage future growth in walking and cycling.
Read more in the full story on the news page of our website.
 Thought about becoming a childminder?
In order to meet the growing demand for childcare across Devon, we are looking to increase provisions in Early Years careers. One way to enter this career is via one of our Childminding courses, with the next one starting Wednesday 17 April.
Unsure if childminding is for you, hear from one of our current Nursery Managers who started as a childminder:
"Becoming an Early Years Practitioner both in childminding as well as in a nursery setting is an extremely rewarding career choice. It allows you to support the child’s development in a caring and nurturing environment, helping them to build on skills they will take through to their adult life."
 Latest section of Tarka Trail delivered with Nethercott Road upgrade
Work to upgrade a missing section of the Tarka Trail on Nethercott Road has been completed.
The upgrade, funded with the Government’s Active Travel Funding, has created five passing places alongside the existing road with retaining walls and timber fences above. These passing places will improve the safety of walkers and cyclists should they meet oncoming vehicles. New signs and road markings have also been added to make drivers more aware of the possibility of people in the road and to reduce speeds.
Work on the next section of the route, from Buttercombe Lane to Foxhunters, is expected to start in the summer.
Visit the news page of our website to read the full story.
 It's time to tackle that leftover fruit and vegetables lingering at the back of your fridge
You've bought a whole bag of carrots, but really only needed a couple of your spaghetti bolognese recipe, so the rest have sat in the fridge going bendy, waiting to be thrown in the bin. Sound familiar?
The theme for year's Food Waste Action Week is 'Choose What You'll Use' and aims to encourage people to buy fruit and vegetables loose instead of packaged, so you can just buy what you need.
Visit the Love Food, Hate Waste website for lots of helpful hints, tips and guidance to help you get the greatest value from your food, making sure it’s eaten and saved from the bin.
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