Friday 13 December 2024
 Councillors back Devon’s farmers and demand withdrawal of family farm tax
Councillors have agreed to give the council's full support to farmers and is calling for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed family farm tax.
They've also confirmed their wholehearted support for the council's own farms estate which aims to give people a start in agriculture.
Members of the council have backed an emergency motion that will see the council writing to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, expressing its concerns about the inheritance tax policy, outlining the detrimental effect on the future of farming in Devon, food security, environmental stewardship and the need to sustain rural communities.
The motion was put forward by Councillor Lois Samuel, with an amendment added by Councillor Alan Connett.
Councillor Samuel told the council that the imposition of the inheritance tax would jeopardise this country’s food security, environmental safeguards and the rural way of life which depends on farming, and that it was a threat to the existence of many family farms.
You can read the story in full on our news page.
 Our bill for getting children to school is one of the highest in the country
All-party protest to plans to cut funding for rural communities
It costs councils more to provide public services in rural counties - our bill for getting children to school, for example, is one of the highest in the country.
Previously, there has been a Rural Service Delivery Grant for local councils in rural areas, to help fund those increased costs. Devon's received £10.1 million from the grant this year - the highest in the region.
But the government has announced plans to re-purpose the grant, and instead to target funds to deprived areas.
It means that we will have to cut £10 million from our operating costs and from the money we were expecting to spend next year.
So, the council has agreed to write to government, urging them to provide more cash in Devon's overall grant settlement, which we're expecting to hear about this month, to mitigate the £10 million loss.
Read the full story on our news page.
 Streetlights in Teignmouth
For many years we've been using part-night streetlighting in residential areas, and rolling out more efficient LED lighting to reduce energy use, carbon emissions and cost, while keeping the public safe.
Earlier this year we trialled earlier switch-off times and additional dimming of street lights in a few towns, using upgraded technology that allows adjustments to streetlighting to be made remotely.
Following feedback from residents in those trial areas, councillors this week approved a 12-month county-wide trial to amend the dimming of streetlighting on residential streets in Devon.
The proposal took into account the separate needs of city, market towns and rural communities, as well as recognising the importance of dark skies and the benefits to wildlife and the environment.
The extended 12-month trial will start early in the next financial year, but will not change the current policy on streetlighting on main roads.
You can read more in the story on our news page.
Councillors have taken steps which will enable us and our suppliers to continue reducing carbon emissions.
Our Cabinet has agreed our Carbon Reduction Plan 2024–2027 and adopted our Low Carbon Supply Chain Strategy 2024–2026.
We declared a climate emergency in 2019 and the reduction of carbon emissions is one of our priorities.
We have made good progress towards our target to reach net-zero by 2030 (a 70% absolute reduction in corporate emissions with the remainder, including those in the supply chain, being offset).
Carbon emissions in 2022/23 were 56% lower than in 2012/13 thanks to a number of measures including retrofitting of nine of our buildings, the roll-out of LED lights on streetlighting and traffic signals and upgrading some of our vehicle fleet to electric vehicles.
The Carbon Reduction Plan sets out ambitious proposals for further carbon savings over the next three years through retrofitting more of our buildings, completing the upgrade of LED streetlighting, encouraging school transport providers to switch to electric vehicles, and installing more electric vehicle charging points.
The adoption of the Low Carbon Supply Chain Strategy 2024–2026 will aim to address the level of carbon emissions from our supply chain, which is roughly 19 times larger than the corporate carbon footprint directly controlled by us.
Read the full story on our news page.
 Seaton Esplanade
A bus stop and shelter that we’ve installed on Seaton’s Esplanade is offering a modern, eco-friendly upgrade for public transport users.
The shelter’s “living roof”, planted with low-maintenance greenery, attracts pollinators like bees and insects, providing a connection with nature.
Bus passengers will also benefit from an electronic ‘real-time’ information display, improving the overall travel experience.
The innovative design is part of a countywide initiative to upgrade public transport facilities, with over 70 similar shelters already in place.
We’ve funded the Seaton stop using Department for Transport Bus Service Improvement Plan funding, with a significant contribution from Seaton Town Council towards the associated works.
East Devon District Council has also laid out the next steps to further improve the surrounding area.
Read more in the story on our news page.
 Inside our Network Operations Control Centre
Devon’s highways teams went the extra mile responding to Storm Darragh
Thankfully the weather has calmed down a little this week!
Storm Darragh kept our highway teams busy last weekend responding to hundreds of issues on Devon’s roads caused by severe winds.
During the period covered by the Met Office’s weather warnings, our Network Operations Control Centre received more than 680 calls, with more than 300 of those relating to tree issues.
The highest wind gust recorded over the weekend was 78mph at Taw Bridge.
Councillor Hughes, our Cabinet Member with responsibility for Highway Management, said that Storm Darragh was one of the most challenging storms that he can recall in his 32 years with the County Council.
He thanked our teams and everyone involved in keeping people safe for their hard work and commitment over the weekend.
You can read more in the story on our news page.
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