Parish Council meeting: Tuesday, 1 July 2025

County Councillor's Report July 2025

We have ended the last financial year in balance – but tough choices lie ahead

We have ended the 2024/25 financial year without going over budget, but only by relying on temporary savings and one-off government funding.

A report presented to cabinet today showed that we managed to stay within its £637.5 million budget and ‘balance the books’  despite growing demand for services like social care and support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

We had been expecting to overspend by nearly £4 million in November but managed to avoid this through a mix of short-term measures, including delaying some projects, not filling vacant jobs, and using a one-off grant from government.

The report also showed that £40 million in planned savings were delivered across council services, though this fell short of the £50 million target.

Councillor James Buczkowski, Cabinet Member for Finance, said:

“This isn’t a moment to celebrate, but it is a moment to be honest.  Officers have worked incredibly hard to help balance the books, and that deserves recognition.

“But let’s be clear: this balanced position was only achieved by using temporary fixes. “It’s not a sign that everything is fine.  We’ve inherited a fragile financial position, depleted cash balances and a special educational needs deficit now over £169 million.

“The public deserves honesty. We are facing some of the most difficult financial conditions in decades, and we cannot keep doing things the old way. Our new administration is committed to rebuilding trust and making services more sustainable, by working differently, being open about the challenges, and focusing on what really matters to people.”

He added that the Council must now plan ahead carefully and work closely with partners to find better, more sustainable ways to support Devon’s communities.

Council to trial pothole repair blitz as part of £83 million road maintenance programme

Our highways teams will carry out a repair blitz on potholes in a few trial areas of the county following a decision by Councillors today (Wednesday 25 June).

While approving an £83 million programme of capital funded highway maintenance schemes, our Cabinet heard from Councillor Dan Thomas, Cabinet Member for Highways, who stated that the condition of Devon’s roads is not up to scratch because the county is “grossly under resourced by central government”.

Councillors backed proposals to trial areas where all potholes would be filled, rather than just dealing with safety defects. Although the exact details are still to be agreed, this pilot would be used to establish the budget implications of changing maintenance procedures.

Councillors also agreed that a task group from the Audit Committee should be formed to review the previous Cabinet’s decision from last November on the future delivery model for highway maintenance.

The Cabinet at the time resolved that a procurement process should get underway for a Term Maintenance Contract to deliver core highway work such as safety defect repairs, gully emptying and winter service, supported with smaller “Framework Contracts” for additional patching, surfacing, drainage and other improvements.

It was also agreed to examine the costs of accelerating the remarking of white lines across the county.

Councillor Dan Thomas, Cabinet Member for Highways, said:

“We’re being very honest that the state of the roads is not as we would want; that’s our starting point. The one message that I would like the public to hear today is that every single member of the Highways Department, from the director to the neighbourhood highways officers that we deal with on a daily basis, are all acutely aware that we are not able to do the things the public wants us to do as quickly as we would like. It is simply because we are grossly under resourced by central government and I think we have to make that very clear from the start of this Council.

“We have a repair backlog of around £390 million, and to keep us in a steady state it costs around £102 million a year. We don’t have that, so whatever we do under the current funding formula, we’re not going to solve the problem – we have to be clear about that. We’re not alone in this, but that’s little consolation to residents in Devon.

“We’re asking for a trial in a few areas to fill all potholes, not just safety defects, when visiting a site. By asking to trial this change it’s a very different notion from where we were before and we want to establish what the cost implications are and how effective that would be on the lower category roads.”

The capital funded highway maintenance programme for 2025/26 sets out our plans to maintain our highways assets and road network, which at 8,000 miles in length, is the largest highway network in the country.

The independent National Highway and Transport (NHT) Network’s latest 2024 survey results has shown that by adopting more efficient practices, we saved over £2.6 million in the 2023/24 financial year.

Upgrading streetlights to energy efficient LEDs since 2016 has also led to an annual financial saving of £6 million at today’s prices, as well as annual carbon savings of 10,900 tonnes Co2e (carbon equivalent), compared to usage in 2016, which is the equivalent to an 80% saving. A current 12-month trial of overnight dimming across the county offers potential to provide even more savings.

Innovative new materials are being adopted for use. A new road repair material called Elastomac, which is partly made from recycled materials, is being used on our roads following successful trials on small to medium size patches. It reduces waste and carbon emissions while also being quicker to cure than traditional pothole repair materials, which reduces traffic disruption.

Road markings are being carried out using Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) which is applied cold, so it is safer to use than the previous thermoplastic product that has been the historic standard. It is more reflective, so improves road safety, and a three-year trial in Cheshire found a 62% reduction in collisions, while the longer lifespan of the product means fewer return visits are needed to repaint the lines, leading to a 50% reduction in network disruption and at least 10% cost saving over a 10-year period.

Around £56 million of this year’s highway maintenance capital budget will be invested in road maintenance and surface treatments, with the remainder being allocated to bridges and structures, streetlighting, traffic signals, public rights of way and other highways assets.

To ensure principal roads across the county are retained in a condition where less than 4% require immediate attention, £8.7 million has been allocated for preventative treatments and resurfacing.

This includes resurfacing on:

• A379/A3015 – Rydon Lane (from Pines Hill to Countess Wear) in Exeter
• A3015 – Frog Street, Exeter
• A381 – Totnes to Littlehempston
• A3052 – Hangmanstone to Southleigh junction
• A3052 – Half Way Inn to Goosemoor, Aylesbeare
• A385 – Coronation Road Roundabout, Totnes
• A390 – Callington Road, Tavistock
• A390 – Ford Street roundabout, Tavistock
• A39 – Alexandra Road, Barnstaple
• A361 – Mullacott Cross, West Down
• A373 – Hembury Hill to Colliton Cross, Broadhembury
• A375 – Two Bridges Road, Sidmouth
• A377 – New Bridge, Bishops Tawton
• A377 – Bugford Cross, Morchard Bishop
• A386 – Bassets Cross, Hatherleigh
• A386 – Dartmoor Inn, Lydford
• A386 – Fox and Hounds Pub, Bridestowe
• A386 – New Road, Bideford
• A396 – Exeter Road, Tiverton
• A396 – The Walronds, Tiverton
• A396 – Exeter Inn roundabout to Riversmeet Cottage, Bampton
• A399 – Watermouth Road, Ilfracombe

Extensive patching, drainage improvements and resurfacing schemes on B-roads and C-class roads are set to receive £14.5 million.

A further £3.5 million is being allocated to patching and small resurfacing schemes on highly trafficked main routes that link communities or connect to economic hubs.

Preventative maintenance treatments such as surface dressing, micro asphalt and footway “slurry sealing” are used to preserve and extend the life of highway surfaces that are already in a reasonable condition. This work will receive an investment of £11.2 million.

Our fleet of Dragon Patchers provides another option for patch repairs – with £1.6 million earmarked to support their work, while £12.9 million will be used to deliver a programme of large safety defect patching repairs.

An investment of £9.5 million will support the maintenance of bridges and structures, including the replacement of Martinhoe bridge and repairs to Pinhoe Railway and Crediton Leat Bridges. The reinstatement of Coleridge Footbridge in Ottery St Mary, which was closed due to damage sustained by a fallen tree, is also due to be completed subject to approval by the Environment Agency.

Drainage remains a key focus for us, in order to tackle a key cause of deterioration of local roads. This is due to receive £2.95 million.

To support active travel, public rights of way and cycle networks across the county will be maintained with £1.2 million, with an additional £750,000 for the Renewal of Access Trails infrastructure.

New cabinet vows to improve the outcomes of our most vulnerable children through new 10-year plan

A new long-term plan to improve the outcomes of Devon’s most vulnerable young people by overhauling how they are supported and cared for has been approved by our cabinet.

In a bold move away from the council’s previous preference to commission, rather than directly deliver, residential places for children in its care, councillors today (Wednesday 25 June) agreed to an ambitious multi-million investment programme to establish 12 new children’s homes; 20 specialist foster places; and up to four new therapeutic schools, over the next 10 years.

‘Growing Futures: Homes for children and young people in care in Devon’ aims to provide new homes, support, residential therapeutic care, education and treatment for children with complex psychological, emotional and behavioural needs.

Our plan will be delivered through a strategic partnership worth up to £156 million and aims to address deficiencies in current care arrangements.

We are required to provide suitable homes for children in care; but nationally an over-reliance on for-profit providers has contributed to rising costs and poor value for money.

In Devon for instance costs have almost doubled in five years amid rising demand.

There has been a 29 per cent increase in Devon children in residential homes since 2020 and many of those are not in the county.

The new strategy will aim to reduce costs and improve long-term outcomes for children through more stable, local, and therapeutic housing and education options.

Councillor Richard Jefferies, our Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care said:

“It’s not fair that so many children are living far away from their support networks, their friends and family; they want to be looked after by people who are nurturing and friendly, and they want to be close to activities and their school and they want to be able to make friends.

“The way things are now this is difficult to achieve, and it can result in many having several homes, relationship breakdowns and disruptions.

“Children in care are more likely to have poorer outcomes than their peers with a more settled homelife, they are more at risk of being excluded, and more likely to have a criminal record.

“We have been failing many of our children for too long and his needs to change; this plan aims to improve outcomes for all children in care.”

District Councillor's Report July 2025

Have your say on local government re-organisation

Last week we launched the first phase of our engagement on Local Government Reorganisation.

Please continue to encourage your residents to have their say.

Messages for residents:

• We need your help to shape the future of local government in Devon by letting us know what matters to you.
• Everyone with a connection to the South Hams is being asked what matters to them to help shape our final proposals so they reflect the needs and aspirations of people living and working in the area.
• Take part in the short survey here - www.southhams.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation
• Over the next few months, a series of engagement events around the South Hams will also be taking place. Details on how you can get involved will be available soon.

We are promoting the survey via social media so please do re-share to any of your local community groups and other networks.

Catbikes scheme launching later this month

Totnes’ new e-bike scheme is all set to go live on Friday 20 June.

We've announced the launch date, unveiled the Catbikes page on the website with full details on the scheme, and published a video showing off Totnes and the scheme.

Messages for residents:

• The Catbikes scheme goes live on Friday 20 June
• Anyone wanting to hire a Catbike will need to download the Appbike app and register for the scheme on their smartphone before going for a ride
• The app is available to download from both the App Store on iPhone and the Google Play Store on Android phones
• The e-bikes will be available to hire from eight “bases” around the town
• It’s free to sign up, and users can choose from two tariff prices depending on how long they want to hire an e-bike
• The scheme has been funded by a UK Government grant to help promote cycling in rural areas
• Watch our video on the scheme
• Visit the website and read our PR for more information

Government response to remote attendance and proxy voting consultation

Following time-limited Covid remote attendance permissions that expired in 2021, local authority meetings have been required to be held in a single, specified, physical ‘place’.

On 24 October 2024, the government published a consultation on remote attendance and proxy voting at local authority meetings. The consultation closed on 19 December 2024 and received 5,844 responses. The consultation sought views on the practical implications of allowing remote attendance and proxy voting at local authority meetings.

In summary: 

• The Government is of the view that in-person authority meetings remain vital for local democracy, but that hybrid and remote attendance, and proxy voting, will enable local authorities in England to develop more modern, accessible, and flexible working practices.
• The Government have carefully considered arguments for and against remote attendance and proxy voting, and we plan to legislate to support permanent provision in relation to both policies, when parliamentary time allows.
• On remote attendance, the Government plan to permit local authorities to develop their own locally appropriate policies, if they decide to hold remote meetings.
• On proxy voting, the Government plans to require principal (unitary, upper and second-tier) councils to implement proxy voting schemes, to provide consistency for members who are absent when they become a new parent, or for serious or long-term illness. We plan for this requirement to apply to meetings of full council. For all other meetings, proxy voting may be used but will not be required, and substitute or pairing schemes may be more appropriate. The Government plan for other local authorities not listed above to be enabled but not required to implement proxy voting schemes, for any of their meetings, in the context of member absences for serious or long-term illness or becoming a new parent.

Read the full consultation results and Government response here.