Half Time

Almost halfway through the administration at South Hams. A good time to reflect on how things have gone. We always knew we had to get the core services; the bread-and-butter issues sorted. A complete waste service has been rolled out across the district. It will never be perfect, but it’s been a massive improvement on how it was before. A great achievement by all involved. A big thank you to all of you, our local residents too. Without your willingness to be part of our recycling schemes it wouldn’t work.

We’ve moved from the bottom of the pile, to one of the top recycling authorities not just in Devon but across the country. It all helps to achieve our environmental goals. We’re electrifying our fleet of diesel vans. The roll out of solar panels across the council’s estate is imminent. Starting with Kingsbridge leisure centre and Follaton House, the other leisure centres are to follow. We have funding for a feasibility study for a solar canopy over car parks. Whether you believe in man-made climate change or not, these initiatives will provide cheaper and greener energy.

Community Woodland Creation.

The community woodland at South Brent is up and running. You can see it from the A38, opposite the pylons. Just circles of saplings at the moment but there are actually 12,000 trees planted with another 10,000 to follow next year. It’s all part of our plan to plant a tree for every South Hams resident, about 80,000 by the end of 4 years. There has been a catastrophic fall in biodiversity in the UK. We must all do our part to reverse this trend.

The whole project has been an example of how working in partnership you can achieve so much. For me, it’s also a model on how local government can rise to the challenge of delivering more with less. DEFRA have helped with funding; the Woodland Trust have provided the trees and fencing. Parklife SW and Sustainable South Brent have all been involved. Just as important has been the community and hundreds of volunteers from all over Devon who are turning this woodland into a reality.

Housing Frustration

Addressing our local housing need continues to be a source of disappointment and frustration. The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) trumpeted by government as the solution has been a damp squib. Nothing has changed, it’s still a developer’s charter. The one thing that has changed is the demand for us to give planning permission for 1000’s more houses. It’s a top-down policy that will not deliver. Developers claim lack of viability to limit the number of supposedly affordable houses. At the same time, they won’t build if they can’t make enough profit which is why you’ll see so many half-finished sites across the district. The builders are the blockers. When will government finally learn that the market will not deliver the houses we need?

We do have a number of successes. The new council houses at St Annes Chapel, the Westville flats in Kingsbridge and a dozen or so new houses brought to help reduce the pressure from homelessness. All small steps in the right direction much of it funded by the second home council tax premium. Again, how disappointing and frustrating to see the County Council refuse to follow our lead. It’s a once in a generation opportunity to address our housing need, especially for key workers. While the districts in Devon have all chosen to invest the monies in housing, the County has chosen to use it to prop up their failing finances. It’s because of this short-term thinking that they find themselves in such a financial predicament. We need new thinking.