Residents' newsletter: keeping you informed

Teignbridge District Council sent this bulletin at 11-03-2022 04:11 PM GMT

The latest information and guidance to support you and our communities

Teignbridge attracts more national funding

Government design code pathfinder illustration

The Government announced today that Teignbridge has been selected as one of 25 local authorities to take part in a national ‘design code pathfinders programme’, attracting £160,000 funding to the district.

The aim is to raise standards of local developments by involving local communities in shaping a design code, ensuring they have a chance to help establish attractive places to live.

The successful bid to be part of this programme is recognition of the council’s innovative planning work such as its garden community, urban renewal and compact home initiatives.

This year long pilot project will dovetail with the design policy work already undertaken in the current Teignbridge local plan review. It will strengthen Garden Community neighbourhoods which aim to protect the natural environment, setting the standard for greener homes, community spaces and active recreation.

Welcoming today’s announcement Executive Member for Planning Cllr Gary Taylor said: “As was demonstrated by the huge response to the design principles consultation in our local plan review, there is great interest among local people in helping to shape future development design.

“Being part of this pilot will provide additional funding to build on the positive garden community work already undertaken, extracting the best ideas and creating a design code which can be adapted to local needs and which will inform developers bringing forward proposals for the future.”

More information is on our website

Council tax bills arriving soon

Annual council tax bills are being dispatched to just over 63,000 residents, the majority of which will be hitting doormats from Monday 14 March onwards.

Around 800 will be delivered to the inboxes of those who have already registered for e-billing. If you are interested in going paperless next year you can register for a Teignbridge My Account. You can then link to view your Council Tax and Benefit information online where you can access all of your bills dating back to 1993, view payments made, payments due and check your account balance.

Our website provides lots of information on council tax and is the best first point of contact for answers to any queries.

Teignbridge has increased its share of 2022/23 council tax for a band D property by £5 a week. Along with the use of grants and other measures, this will enable Teignbridge to continue to deliver its key services and to achieve the aims as set out in the council’s strategy.

Bar chart showing how council tax is allocated across authorities

New affordable home being built at Ashburton

Ashburton new homes available soon

The first properties from a new development of high quality, social rented and shared ownership homes in Ashburton will soon be released for people who have a local connection to the town.

The development, which is expected to be completed by the autumn, consists of 25 social rented and 14 shared ownership homes ranging from one bed flats to four bed houses, all built to high energy savings standards by housing provider, LiveWest, resulting in a high EPC B rating.

To apply for any of the properties, applicants need to have a local connection to Ashburton as set out in Dartmoor NP planning policy. Residents with a connection to Ashburton interested in the social housing should register with Devon Home Choice or phone 01626 215315 so that they are able to apply when properties become available.

The development is a result of a partnership between LiveWest, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Ashburton Town Council and Teignbridge District Council which have all worked together to get the development to this stage.

Due to the commitment of Teignbridge Council to increase the availability of social housing within the district and a higher grant from Homes England, the rented properties will be set at the lowest affordable rent.

Have your say this spring!

Next week Devon Climate Emergency (DCE) is launching a month long consultation (17 March to 14 April) to give local people a final chance to comment on the county’s top climate issues before it releases its final Devon Carbon Plan.

The consultation follows last summer’s Devon Climate Assembly which came up with a number of resolutions. The Devon Climate Emergency partnership has since worked hard to transform these resolutions into actions, updates, and areas of exploration to include in the Devon Carbon Plan.

The consultation will give people the chance to say whether the Climate Assembly’s resolutions have been properly dealt with.

More information and a questionnaire will be available on line from next week and also in local libraries.

To keep up to date with the latest news on the consultation, take a look at DCE’s website, and follow @devonclimateemergency on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

DCE will be hosting on 22 March an online webinar between 6 and 7pm to explain the background to the consultation, as well as explaining how local people can get involved. For those who cannot attend, a recording of the event will be made available afterwards and posted on the Devon Climate Emergency YouTube channel.

Cutting carbon emissions: volunteers wanted for a new district-wide climate project

Action on Climate in Teignbridge is planning to launch a project that will support community-based volunteers or groups who are looking for ways to enthuse and inspire their community to reduce their carbon footprint.

It is looking for people who love communicating (maybe even public speaking), organising fun events, creating colourful posters and graphics, and achieving miracles on a tight budget!

If you are interested in any aspect of this role and want to find out more, please contact kate@actionclimateteignbridge.org

Training and ongoing coaching will be provided to help successful applicants to deliver small-scale projects and more information is on Action on Climate in Teignbridge website.

People urged to stay away from hospitals if they have Covid

“Please don’t visit friends and family in our hospitals if you have Covid or other illnesses” – that’s the message from Devon’s NHS, as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 remains high.

Many of the restrictions brought in to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the community have come to an end, but people are still required to wear a mask in health settings and are being asked to wash and sanitise their hands.

And anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 or other illnesses that can spread easily, such as flu or norovirus, is urged not to visit patients in hospital.

New grants to help communities tackle food and climate change

Grants of up to £5,000 are being offered to any local food partnership, local authority or community group in the UK by Sustain, an alliance of organisations and communities working together for a better system of food, farming and fishing.

The grants, which are part of the Food for the Planet project, aim to support communities to campaign and advocate to make food in their area better for people and the planet. An online workshop is being held on 14 March for groups interested in applying.

The closing date for applications is 5 April.

Alice Cross Centre

The March newsletter is now available and includes details of some special events being held at the centre this month.

Legal changes to protect people from scam adverts online

Consultation on how online advertising is regulated

The government this week announced that it is strengthening internet safety laws and that social media sites and search engines will be forced to stamp out fraudsters and scammers on their platforms

The government also launched a consultation which runs until 1 June and is part of a wider review of how online advertising is regulated in the UK, including proposals to improve transparency and accountability and tackle harmful, fraudulent and misleading adverts.

A new legal duty will be added to the Online Safety Bill requiring the largest and most popular social media platforms and search engines to prevent paid-for fraudulent adverts appearing on their services.