Friday 6 December 2024
 Devon braces for Storm Darragh
The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning as the county braces for high winds and rain from Storm Darragh.
The red warning is in place from 3am this evening (Friday 6 December) until 11am tomorrow morning (Saturday December 7) for South West England, which will affect the North Devon coastline.
The Met Office has also published a series of yellow warnings and an amber wind warning across Devon from 3am Saturday morning to 9pm Saturday evening.
Safe travel
We are advising Devon’s motorists to take extra care during the severe weather forecast for this weekend.
The Met Office advises that the public should avoid travelling in an area where a red weather warning is in place, where possible.
As a precaution the A361 Taw Bridge at Barnstaple and A39 Torridge Bridge at Bideford will be closed from midnight tonight in advance of the weather warnings.
The windy and wet weather will continue through the weekend and may cause disruption to travel, with difficult driving conditions likely and flooding resulting in some road closures. Rail, air and ferry services could also be affected. There may also be hazards with fallen trees, flying debris while beach material could be washed onto coastal roads.
Stay up to date
Our Network Operations Control Centre (NOCC) team regularly post updates on social media with the latest travel information and advice. You can follow Devon Alert on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
We are prepared
We are well prepared to deal with the impact of the forecast wind and rain and there will be extra resources available at our Network Operations Control Centre.
Extra highways teams are on standby ready to respond to any incidents and additional crews, such as tree surgeons, will be available if needed. However, to ensure their safety they may not be able to respond immediately to reports or incidents during the period of the red weather warning.
Despite the disruption caused by Storm Bert two weeks ago, highways teams ensured that most of the incidents were dealt with quickly and the majority of the road network was running smoothly just 48 hours after the storm had landed.
Household Waste Recycling Centres closed
Our Household Waste Recycling Centres will be closed tomorrow, Saturday 7 December, due to expected severe weather relating to Storm Darragh and risk of flying debris.
They will reopen on Sunday 8 December if it is safe to do so, however some centres may stay closed depending on local weather conditions.
 Find out more about becoming a councillor
Do you care about your community? Want to help improve people’s lives? Feel strongly that the voices of residents should be heard? Then you could be just who we are looking for.
The next county council elections are in May 2025 and if you think you've got what it takes to represent your local area, please sign up to our information session next week to find out more about the role and responsibilities of a county councillor.
The session is on Tuesday 10 December at 5pm, and you can attend either in person or online. The County Returning Officer, Maria Price, and our Democratic Services team will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about what it's like to be an elected member, such as the commitment needed, support and the training we provide.
To register your interest in advance either visit our website or contact the Democratic Services team at members.services@devon.gov.uk or call 01392 380 547.
It’s all part of our commitment to have a diverse and representative local council, with councillors from a variety of backgrounds bringing their varied experiences to the heart of the decision-making process.
We’ve also published a special edition of this newsletter, with lots of information about being a councillor, to give you an idea about the role, what it involves, and who can be a councillor. You can read it online.
 Night-time road closures next week near the Devon Hotel in Exeter
The A379, between the Ellacott Road junction and Devon Hotel roundabout in Exeter, will be closed on Monday 9 December until Friday 20 December overnight from 7pm to 6am, except on Thursday's where the start time will be delayed until 10pm. (Monday to Friday nights only.)
It's one of a number of night-time road closures taking place during December and January due to the infrastructure works related to the South-West Exeter development, between the A30 overbridge and the Matford Park and Ride roundabout.
The works are conducted on our behalf by multiple contractors who have coordinated the closures to minimise disruption. Fully signed diversions will be in place.
A list of the other closure dates is in the full story on the news page of our website.
Time is running out to check if you qualify for pension credit, and if so, to apply for it in order to receive the winter fuel payment.
You must apply for Pension Credit by Saturday 21 December 2024 to qualify for a 2024 to 2025 Winter Fuel Payment.
Pension Credit is separate from your State Pension. It gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. It can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges. You could also get additional benefits depending on your circumstances.
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you're single; or your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner. You can get it even if you have other income, savings or own your own home.
To find out if you are eligible for Pension Credit, visit the Government's website.
Children must be in full-time education at the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday. If your child is due to start primary school in September 2025, there's only a few weeks left to apply for a place.
Parents of children born between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021 have until Wednesday 15 January 2025 to apply for a primary school place for the academic year starting in September 2025. It is important to apply before the deadline as late applications will not be processed until after all those submitted on time, and by then it is possible that some schools will already be full.
Before you apply we encourage you to find out which school is designated for your child’s address and the admissions information for your preferred schools. Our school information pages has the admission policies and number of places available for each school in Devon.
Please be aware of our school transport policy as it is important that you understand who will be responsible for getting your child to and from school before applying or accepting a place.
We've created a step-by-step guide to normal round admissions which includes details about how the application process works, what you need to do and how to appeal a decision if you are not happy.
Visit our website for more information.
Learn Devon, our Adult Learning Service, has new courses to support your skills for home and work that could give you a great start to 2025.
There's a selection of in-person courses on offer, as well as a large number of online courses accessible from anywhere in the county.
Whether you are looking to learn something new, gain a qualification or just brush up on your skills, Learn Devon has you covered.
There's even several 'fast track' courses to help you secure essential qualifications in a short space of time, for example GCSE maths.
Visit the Learn Devon website to view all the courses.
If you look after an adult who couldn’t manage without your support, Devon Carers is there to offer you support, advice and information.
They can also arrange for you to have a Carers Assessment, which is an important opportunity to discuss your caring situation and identify any needs that you may have so that additional assistance can be provided if necessary.
They're holding an event at the Nightingale Hospital in Exeter on Monday 9 December from 1pm until 4pm where you can pop in and find out more about the support they offer unpaid carers.
Looking for the perfect Christmas present? Give the gift of a library card to those you love this festive season!
A library card opens the door to books and a wealth of free digital resources, including BorrowBox, eAudiobooks, eBooks, ePress, Theory Test Pro, GoCitizen, and more!
With 54 libraries across Devon and Torbay, an extensive digital resource collection, and reading challenges like Libro’s Friends to spark a love of books in children, there’s something for everyone.
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