DCC Report Dec 24
County councillors back Devon’s farmers and demand withdrawal of family farm tax
Councillors have agreed to give the council’s full support to farmers and is calling for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed family farm tax.
They’ve also confirmed their wholehearted support for the council’s own farms estate which aims to give people a start in agriculture.
Members of the council have backed an emergency motion that will see the council writing to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, expressing its concerns about the inheritance tax policy, outlining the detrimental effect on the future of farming in Devon, food security, environmental stewardship and the need to sustain rural communities.
The motion was put forward by Councillor Lois Samuel, with an amendment added by Councillor Alan Connett.
Councillor Samuel told the council that the imposition of the inheritance tax would jeopardise this country’s food security, environmental safeguards and the rural way of life which depends on farming, and that it was a threat to the existence of many family farms.
All-party protest to plans to cut funding for rural communities
It costs councils more to provide public services in rural counties – our bill for getting children to school, for example, is one of the highest in the country.
Previously, there has been a Rural Service Delivery Grant for local councils in rural areas, to help fund those increased costs. Devon received £10.1 million from the grant this year – the highest in the region.
But the government has announced plans to re-purpose the grant, and instead to target funds to deprived areas.
It means that we will have to cut £10 million from our operating costs and from the money we were expecting to spend next year.
So, the council has agreed to write to government, urging them to provide more cash in Devon’s overall grant settlement, which we’re expecting to hear about this month, to mitigate the £10 million loss.
Devolution White Paper – local government reform
Yesterday, (Monday 16 December 2024) the English Devolution White Paper was published setting out the Devolution Framework and Local Government Reorganisation.
A factual summary of this and the response to the announcement by the Local Government Association can be seen via this link Home | Local Government Association
 Calendar of meetings – 2025 Next month is set to be another busy month of meetings which includes the annual budget consultation events with representatives from the business community, voluntary organisations and trade unions. To keep up to date with meeting dates and any changes you can subscribe to updates and download meeting dates via the Calendar of Meetings Monthly meetings calendar – January 2025 – Democracy in Devon on our Democracy Pages. |
Resources from Prevent, Security and Safety development session
Following last week’s successful All Member Development Session covering terrorism, cyber security and safety, additional resources of recordings, presentation slides and guides and handbooks are now available on the Members Sharepoint.
Please remember these resources are only for Members of this council and should not be shared with others. Access to these using your council device are via this folder Prevent, Cyber Security and Operation Ford 12th December 2024
Right Care, Right Person joint Masterclass
Tuesday 14 January 2025 at 10.30am via Teams
Members are being invited by the Chair of Health and Adult Care Scrutiny, Councillor Sara Randall Johnson to a joint masterclass for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. Members will provide an overview of the Right Care, Right Person approach. This has been implemented locally by a partnership comprising of local authorities, health care providers, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and Devon and Cornwall Police.
Right Care, Right Person is an approach designed by the National Partnership Agreement and relates to how vulnerable people (children and adults) in crisis are dealt with by the appropriate emergency service and subsequently by other services. The police are often the default option, especially when a 999 caller isn’t sure which service they need.
In Devon there is a phased approach to implementation and the Masterclass will brief Members on:
- The background of the Right Care, Right Person approach
- The work already undertaken through Phase 1 and Phase 2
- Impact of implementation
- The future timeline
- Open discussion with Members.
Consultation on School Admission Arrangements 2026/27
Stakeholders are being invited to give their views on the the admission arrangements put forward by Plymouth City Council.
Further information and details of the proposed changes are available on the Plymouth City Council website at www.plymouth.gov.uk/admissionconsultation
The closing date for the consultation is Sunday 12 January 2025 and any comments should be submitted online using the online form available at www.plymouth.gov.uk/admissionconsultation. If you have any queries about the consultation please contact the School Admissions Team by e-mail at .
Thank you to teams for Storm Darragh response
Colleagues who were kept very busy with Storm Darragh have been thanked by Councillor Stuart Hughes, our Cabinet Member for Highway Management, for responding to hundreds of issues on Devon’s roads caused by severe winds.
Councillor Stuart Hughes said:
“A huge thank you to everyone involved in one of the most challenging storms I can recall since joining the County Council almost 32 years ago.
“You’ve all gone the extra mile and our teams on the ground deserve a huge round of applause. I should ask that you pass on my thanks as well as from Members as I’ve received many emails from them expressing their gratitude.”
Despite the challenging conditions, the county’s road network quickly returned back to normal, allowing residents and visitors to travel as they needed to, and keeping Devon moving.
During the period covered by the Met Office’s weather warnings, Devon’s Network Operations Control Centre received more than 680 calls, with more than 300 of those relating to tree issues.
Acceptable behaviour and how to report concerns
Devon County Council is committed to providing a working environment where everyone feels safe, is treated fairly, with dignity and respect. We believe that a positive and respectful work environment is key to our success. Our commitment to maintaining a culture of integrity, respect, and collaboration is reflected in our Acceptable Behaviour Policy, which sets our expectations of behaviour for all including governors, volunteers, workers, contractors and elected members.
You can also find out about three key policies that you can use to report a concern.
24 days of top Christmas budget tips from Recycle Devon
With Christmas just around the corner we are all being mindful of our budget – and with this in mind Recycle Devon is counting down to the festive period with 24 tips and ideas to help people reduce their spend and their waste this year.
In the UK we are each forecast to spend £1,328.88 over the six-week Christmas period as we splurge on gifts, food and drink, travel as well as our usual essentials.
With many consumers remaining cautious about overspending 43 per cent of us plan to buy fewer gifts this Christmas compared to last year and plan to buy alternative or cheaper gifts to help our money go further.
Further news headlines:
- Young people learning new skills for their future
- Devon adopts latest Carbon Reduction Plan
- Seaton’s new bus stop brings eco-friendly innovation to seafront
- Streetlight dimming trial will cut carbon and costs