Teignbridge plans for covid recovery

Seven projects, but cost not yet known

Teignbridge councillors have backed an outline covid recovery plan for the district.

It describes how the council will help companies, communities and itself recover from the pandemic through seven projects over the next twelve months.

The streams include training support for businesses, facilitating more sustainable transport choices and a recycling campaign to help communities to reduce waste.

Members at an extraordinary joint meeting of Teignbridge District Council’s overview and scrutiny committees heard how the projects are at varying stages of completion and how each relates directly to one of the authority’s five key theme areas – economy, place, environment, community and ‘vital viable council’.

They voted to send the plan to the council’s executive for implementation, who will then work on the details and costs. These will then be brought back to the committee for another look.

The report introducing the recovery plan says: “We consider the approach outlined above to be the most effective means of facilitating our recovery from the impacts of covid-19 given available resources.”

One of the projects debated most is about travel hubs that incorporate community transport, e-bikes and public transport for Newton Abbot and other main towns. They were of a need for improved facilities if residents are to shift from car journeys.

Councillor Gordon Hook (Lib Dem, Buckland & Milber) said it was “an opportunity for us to make Newton Abbot the accessible town of Devon” and it would mean “not only are we open for business as a town, but we’re welcoming to one and all [and] all ages and all levels of mobility will be catered for”.

Councillor Mike Hocking (Independent, Bradley) added that while Newton Abbot is “well fixed” for buses going to Exeter and Torquay, this isn’t the case for buses going in and around the town.

“I think it’s about time that, if we want to encourage people to leave their cars at home and to use public transport, we start looking at the service that is being provided to our residents within the area,” Cllr Hocking said.

Despite the plan being sent to the authority’s ruling executive, there were some concerns that the projects are “loosely defined” and that a residents’ survey on it is “underwhelming” – only 175 people in the district completed it.

Executive member Councillor Stephen Purser (Conservative, Teign Valley), allayed fears expressed by some councillors that they were being asked to approve the schemes without knowing how much they would cost. He said budgets would be worked up for each project and then brought back to the relevant committees for scrutiny.

PROJECTS

• Business training events led by businesses leaders, focusing on assisting start-ups and increased or improved online trading
• Promote delivery of transport hubs incorporating community transport, e-bikes and public transport for Newton Abbot and other main towns
• Recycling campaign to promote best practice and support local communities to reduce waste
• To create a section of the Teignbridge District Council website for suppliers to register and say what goods, services or works they can provide.
• To look at council’s internal processes to make sure it is working productively and remotely post-covid
• Improving engagement with the voluntary and community sector in Teignbridge
• Combined data demand analysis pilot scheme