Agenda and minutes

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 13 May 2025.  To follow

The Minutes were not available to be considered and would be presented at a future meeting

None

Members of the public may ask questions of the Chair. A maximum period of 15 minutes will be allowed with a maximum period of three minutes per questioner. The deadline for questions is no later than three working days before the date of the meeting i.e. should the meeting be on a Thursday the deadline would be the Friday before at 5pm.

The question and answer to the question raised by a member of the public is attached to the Agenda of the meeting.

The supplementary question would receive a response in writing in accordance with the Council’s procedure and Constitution.

To note forthcoming issues anticipated to be considered by the Executive over the next 12 months. The Executive Forward Plan can be found here.

The Executive Forward Plan was noted. The Chair indicated that he would be requesting a meeting with the Leader to encourage more items to be added to the forward Plan to help this committee fulfil their role effectively.

To review the Committee’s forward plan which can be found here

The Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme was heavily populated, although it was recognised that the Outside Bodies Updates represented a large number of these, and the Chair will be working with Democratic Services to review the list and the work programme.  Other Councillors were invited to join in with this work. All Councillors will be invited to the next Informal Overview & Scrutiny Committee 15 July which would consider the Work Programme.

The Executive Minutes can be found at https://democracy.teignbridge.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=135&Year=0

The Committee were appraised of the Executive’s recent decisions. It was advised that the Rural Prosperity Funding streams could be accessed straight away.

Inspector Sean Roper

The Chair welcomed Inspector Sean Roper (Sector Inspector leading Neighbourhood Teams) and Rebecca Hewitt (Community Safety Partnership Manager). 

During the presentation he highlighted the following:

·       The team has a good relationship with Rebecca

·       The figures don’t tell the whole story

·       There have been significant improvements in call handling with customer satisfaction in the 80’s%

·       There is a 2 weekly Police & Partners meeting which Rebecca attends

·       One of the projects is Project Nighttime which focusses on the nighttime economy, pubs clubs etc and violence, drugs and knife crime

·       Violence against women and girls is a priority

Following the presentation, a number of points were raised including:

·       Regarding CPWs (Community Protection Warnings) it was noted that these can be a useful tool as there is 92% compliance and if necessary it includes an escalation process.  Monitoring ifs carried out by the Police and other partner agencies

·       Clarification was given that each number quoted represented individual occurrences, not cumulative with some exceptions e.g. harassment

·       CCTV evidence can be very useful as a reasonable line of enquiry and currently covers the main town areas.  Increased access to technology e.g. smart phones and ring doorbells helps

·       Use of private agencies may exist in other areas but need to be aware of vigilantes

·       There is a Government Home Office Funded ‘Hot-Spot’ in Newton Abbot which is focussed on tackling knife and serious assault crime

·       Antisocial behaviour should be reported and the opportunities and methods to report communicated widely.  Beat surgeries were helpful in rural areas

The presentation can be viewed following this link:

Agenda for Overview and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday, 17th June, 2025

Report attached

Cllr Palethorpe introduced the report that had been circulated and invited questions that he or Rebecca Hewitt would be able to answer.

Questions and points raised included the following:

·       Assurances were received that it will it be possible to spend the money from the UK Prosperity Fund in time and other funding opportunities would be sought

·       Engagement with schools was raised which was delivered as part of the work with the wider community and Devon County Council.  It was recognised that Schools were under huge pressure and in some ways overwhelmed by the range of information to share.  It was important to raise awareness however and the priority in schools is Threat/Risk/Harm

·       Resources – can Hot-Spot funding be distributed to smaller communities?  This Government funding is specifically directed to a very small area (2 Super-Output areas in Newton Abbot) with no flexibility.

·       More than half are harassment cases

·       We should celebrate the contribution that Teignbridge has made to the Community Safety Partnership

·       It was noted that here are also issues in the rural areas so support for this was encouraged to continue seeking external funding opportunities if possible

.

Update from Matt Barrow Connecting Devon and Somerset Officer Devon County Council and Cllr Nuttall, the Council’s representative on the Connecting Devon and Somerset Board

The Chair explained that this item would be covered by Cllr Nuttall later in the Agenda as part of item 15

Report to follow

Amanda Pujol introduced the report on the Voluntary Sector which focussed on the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau, CVS (Community and Voluntary Sector) and the two Transport organisations. As set out in the recommendation, the Committee was asked to support a two year funding agreements to aid their stability and planning.  This Chair recommends that this is considered by the MTFP Task & Finish Group in the first instance due to the financial position of the council.

Comments/questions raised included the following:

·       CAB are dealing with more enquiries, particularly relating to PIP hence requesting stability of funding

·       The funding levels had been held therefore it represented a real terms cut

·       The work of the various organisations was applauded by members of the Committee

·       Are there any alternative accommodation options?  This could be reviewed by the MTFP group

·       Best wishes were extended to Cllr Goodman-Bradbury

Report to follow

Cllr Keeling introduced the report that had been circulated. 

·       The Chair opened the questions and comments by focussing on the areas identified as ’red’, particularly around housing

·       Planning: we should take into account the percentage of delayed delivery when setting targets

·       Affordable housing – overachieved but can always do better

·       Strategic Planning should work more closely with Developers

·       Thanks were expressed to Graham Davey who was at his last meeting before retirement

·       It was acknowledged that Cllr Rogers has been working tirelessly on housing issues for the residents of his area

·       What channels do Teignbridge have to improve housing delivery in Dartmoor National Park as that covers a large proportion of the geographical area? A response will be provided

·       The Council is permitting more homes than are actually being developed due to a number of factors including interest rates and skill shortages

·       Need to share success stories

·       Some residents have no confidence in Devon Homes Choice so are not registering

·       Cost of living pressures impacting on anyone renting

·       Targets set nationally are considered unrealistic by officers i.e. for those threatened with homelessness the target is 90 when in 2023/24 we achieved 37 and in 2024/25 36

·       HMO’s (House in multiple occupation) licencing requirements are followed up but additional resources would be required to address issues in those which are not required to be licenced

Report attached

The new Procurement Strategy report was introduced by Cllr John Parrott who handed over to Rosanna Wilson (Corporate Procurement Officer) to respond to any detailed questions. Thanks were expressed to those councillors who had contributed through the briefing.

Comments made included:

·       Social value – national metrics has a cost

·       Value for money and transparency important

·       Boosting local SME’s (small and medium sized enterprises) required a less ‘corporate’ approach and needed to be proportionate

·       TOMS – Themes, Outcomes and Measures.  Working with the Economy team to develop a set

·       It was noted that Supply Devon was more user friendly than the Tender Portal

·       The process for JMEs must be proportionate and less ‘corporate’

Members of the committee were supportive of the new Procurement Strategy which would be presented to the Executive for adoption in due course.

To receive biannual updates from Executive Member for

-        Neighbourhood Services, Cllr Goodman-Bradbury (deferred from last meeting)

-        Corporate & Strategic areas, The Leader, Cllr Keeling

-        Environment, Climate & Sustainability (to include an update on Carbon Action Plans 1 & 2), Cllr Hook

-        Leisure & Recreation, Cllr Nutley

-        Housing & Homelessness, Cllr Buscombe

The Chair introduced this item by explaining that in future he would be requesting that each Executive member who would be presenting an update to complete a template that would be circulated in advance setting out the legal position, the strategic priorities and the delivery plans for their areas of service.  Also to identify what help could this Committee give to support them.

Cllr Palethorpe gave an update on Neighbourhood Services on behalf of Cllr Goodman-Bradbury across the following areas:

Environmental Protection

The service continues to address environmental concerns, including nuisance complaints, air quality monitoring, and animal welfare licensing.

As part of the Modern 25 initiative, a risk-based charging scheme for residential mobile home sites is being developed.

Training has been delivered to Customer First, Community, and independent living teams at Teign Housing to improve collaboration, with plans to expand this to other registered social landlords.

A new chargeable pest control service, introduced in November 2024, has reduced overall costs to the council.

Community Environment Wardens

Efforts to tackle littering, fly-tipping, dog fouling, stray dogs, and abandoned vehicles continue.  The Dog Public Spaces Protection Order was renewed in March 2025 for another three years.

A grant from Clean Devon facilitated the purchase of mobile CCTV cameras and new signage, which are being deployed at fly-tipping and litter hotspots.

Food, Health, and Safety

The team oversees food safety, health protection, shellfish classification, Port Health at Teignmouth, mosquito surveillance, business health and safety, and skin piercing registration.

Officers participated in ‘Operation Machinize’, a police-led investigation into barbers, vape and other shops suspected of criminal activities.

A Food Standards Agency audit on shellfish traceability was conducted in October 2025, yielding positive feedback.

The annual Food Law Service Plan is in progress, alongside an ongoing health and safety project focusing on preventing zoonotic infections at visitor attractions.  A zoonosis is an infectious disease that has jumped from a non-human animal to humans. Zoonotic pathogens may be bacterial, viral or parasitic, or may involve unconventional agents and can spread to humans through direct contact or through food, water or the environment.

Licensing

Work continues across multiple licensing areas, including hackney carriage and private hire, premises licensing, gambling, and street trading.

A review of the Licensing Act Policy is currently underway.

Parking

Parking Services enforce regulations across 89 sites in Teignbridge, generating over £4 million last year, which supports other council services.

A review of the Counting House facility, which provides financial services to several local authorities, is being conducted with the aim of achieving cost neutrality and expanding the service.  Additionally, a project to install EV charging points in council car parks is in development.

Planning Enforcement

The team continues to respond to all planning enforcement complaints, with a particular focus on high-profile cases where developers have failed to comply with conditions.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Recent recruitment challenges have impacted service response times, but triage processes are in place to manage workload effectively.

Service Restructure

A restructure is underway to integrate teams and bring Planning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110.

The Council’s representatives are invited to report on any meetings of the appointed outside organisation, the role the organisation(s) they represent plays in promoting and aligning with the Council's priorities, policies and strategies, their impact and results, and advising on partnership discussions which are open and in the public domain.  Feedback is scheduled across a full year cycle once per annum for most organisations and twice where meetings are more frequent (greater than 5)

Connecting Devon and Somerset Board – Cllr Nuttall

Devon Communities Together – Cllr Palethorpe

Newton Abbot Community Interest Company (CIC) – Cllr Goodman- Bradbury

Police and Crime Panel - Cllr Palethorpe

Teignbridge Citizens Advice Bureau - Cllr Palethorpe

Any information received in advance of the meeting will be circulated as a Supplementary Report

Cllr Nuttall – Connecting Devon and Somerset Board (CDS)

This Partnership of local authorities have been supporting 340,000 premises across the region to have improved Internet speeds of 30MB or higher (67,839 in Teignbridge with 21,914 connected to date).  In parallel, BDUK (Building Digital in the UK) Project Gigabit is working with commercial operators to deliver Internet speeds of over 1,000MB to 99% of businesses premises.  The national rural Gigabit voucher scheme is supported by CDS with bespoke solutions.  £250,000 has been set aside by Teignbridge to help CDS deliver to the 2,079 premises who are planned to be helped by September 2027.  A spend profile has been requested for the current and next financial year.  Commercial (without input from CDS) development has supported an additional 39,401 with a further 663 planned.  After all of the interventions, there will still be 3,782 premises which fall into the ‘challenging’ category.

There were no questions.

Cllr Palethorpe – Devon Communities Together, Newton Abbot CIC, Police and Crime Panel and Teignbridge Citizens advice panel

Cllr Palethorpe referred to the reports that had been circulated on the four areas above and offered to take questions at the meeting or to accept written questions later.

·       With regard to the forthcoming Police and Crime Panel meeting to be held on 25 June 2025 Cllr Palethorpe would be raising questions regarding the serious violence strategy and how they are progressing with violence against women and girls, anti-social behaviour, domestic violence and knife crime.

·       Thanks were expressed for the help that the CIC had given to the Buckland Centre.

The priority Task and Finish Groups will be the MTFP and Planning.  Membership and Terms of Reference of the groups to be confirmed.

The Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) Review Group are meeting and all members are welcome to get involved.  The Planning Group will be formulated next.

Members of the Council may ask questions of the Chair of the Committee subject to procedural rules (updated at Council 20 May 2025). The deadline for questions is no later than five clear working days before the meeting.  The member raising the question has the opportunity to precis it at the meeting and for the Chair/Portfolio Holder to briefly respond with the answer and ask if there would be a supplementary question.  Each member has no more than one minute to ask a supplementary question.  The total time allowed for Member questions and answers is 30 minutes.  Any member submitting a question that was not able to be heard will be asked if they agree for the question to be raised at the next meeting or to receive a written response.  Questions will be considered in the order received and in rotation if a member(s) asks more than one question  

There were none.