Our crews have a done a fantastic job in maintaining collections over recent weeks, notwithstanding the need for some to self-isolate.

They are not working on either the Good Friday or Easter Monday bank holidays. A revised collection timetable is in place. Please check to find out when your collections are due over the next two weeks.

For any disruption caused by coronavirus, please keep an eye on our updated daily information on collections.

You can sign up to receive the team’s regular Recycling ReZine newsletter. 

Since the coronavirus outbreak, one of our priorities has been to work with our partners and communities voluntary sector to support local people needing help during this pandemic:

This has included providing basic necessity food parcels to some of our most vulnerable people who are isolating in their homes for 12 weeks under the Government’s Shielding Scheme. The first parcels have now been delivered, and we are now looking at providing additional food items for some of these people who have special dietary needs, such as gluten intolerance.

We are also identifying and providing support for people who are are unable to shop or cater for themselves due to mobility problems or other disabilities.

Our list of people needing weekly food parcel deliveries is growing steadily, and we want to make sure that we know about everyone in our district who needs this vital support throughout this crisis. 

If you have signed up on the Gov.uk website as vulnerable, you also need to notify your GP to confirm your status as Vulnerable Shielding.

Our staff are able to source a limited range of ‘free from’ products at local food stores for delivery to those on lockdown with special dietary needs.

At Teignbridge Council our staff are working flat out to keep our residents safe, support our vulnerable communities and local businesses, and keep our services running as normally as possible through this crisis. 

Like everyone else, our staff are doing this under increasingly difficult circumstances, many working from home and with the same pressures and anxieties we are all feeling in these uncertain times. 

We would all ask our residents and customers to please treat our staff with respect and kindness, and to bear with us while we try to process the huge volumes of enquiries we are currently taking.  A little kindness goes a long way in times like these.

In order to provide an additional essential food outlet within the town centre, we have permitted essential food traders only to remain open at Newton Abbot Market’s food hall.

This decision is in line with government guidelines on food sales during the national lockdown and the food hall is following strict social distancing procedures, which have been carefully followed.

Stall-holders have reported that customers are pleased to have local access to vital provisions without having to visit a large supermarket. Specialist produce such as gluten-free is proving particularly welcome.

Customer numbers have been averaging 100 a day and traders have received lots of positive comments and support.

All non-food sales at Newton Abbot Market have been suspended until further notice.

The Food Hall will be closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. It will be open on Saturday.

Payment of business support grants is now well underway with council staff working flat out to process applications.

As of today, 932 payments have been made totalling £11,120,000 since the news software went live at lunchtime on Monday. Each payment is sent by BACS transfer, a process which takes three working days so there will be some delay due to the bank holidays in funds reaching individual accounts.

If you are one of those who have not yet received their grant, please do not contact us about progress as this will simply slow down payments, as staff will have to divert from processing these to responding to your question. If we need to contact you about the information provided in your application we will do so.

To date 1,851 have applied for a grant and the council will also be writing to those businesses our records suggest are eligible but who are yet to apply so as to ensure that they are aware of the support to which they are entitled.

Any business which has not applied can do so here.

Consultation on the new draft Local Plan (part 1) runs until 15 June. It contains a set of rules, or ‘policies’, which guide the decisions we make on applications for development.

The new Local Plan proposals will require great design of new developments, more homes that are truly affordable for local people, support for new jobs and businesses wanting to expand, carbon neutral development, and an environment that both nature and people can enjoy.

This plan does not contain new sites for development. There will be a separate consultation over the next 12 months on the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan and the Local Plan Part 2.

Because any Local Plan is long and complicated, we’ve made it easy by writing a ‘Need to Know’ Guide and by sharing videos on social media and our website that explain what Part 1 of the Local Plan is all about.

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Our Leisure Centres might be shut, but we’re making Easter eggs-tra special this year, with our Online Extravaganza Virtual Easter Egg Hunt!

Keep an eye out for our daily clue, which will point you towards each of the eggs that we’ve scattered around our website. Once you’ve managed to locate all 7, the letters on each egg will spell out a mystery word. You can then enter our draw to win a month’s free membership!

To get going, go to our Leisure Pages 
and follow the link to the competition.

There will also be daily prompts on our Teignbridge Leisure Facebook page.

Remember – it’s fun, it’s free to enter AND you don’t need to be a member to take part.

Please think carefully before lighting bonfires whilst the Coronavirus controls are in place. Smoke or smell from them might affect neighbours and could aggravate any health conditions.

Cut up your woody garden waste and store it somewhere safe to dry out for the next few months.

Never burn garden waste that is still green or recently cut, and never burn any other household waste.