DCC Report Sept 2026

Report From Devon County Council – Belstone Parish Council – 7th September 2026

Local Government Reorganisation (added note from Parish Clerk – since superseded by Government announcement on 7/9/26)
DCC will decide in cabinet this week if they are going ahead with a Judicial Review of the government decision on new unitary councils. A review could be very expensive and take months to complete so needs careful consideration. In the meantime we must work together with all the districts and current Unitary councils to plan ahead. New Joint Committees have been arranged, and I have applied to join the Devon Council Joint Committee.
You will have seen the new interim warding arrangements – Belstone will be in a new ward called North Tawton and Sampford Courtenay with one Unitary councillor covering all services. Elections to take place next May to set up a Shadow authority until vesting day on 1st April 2028.
A new website has been set up containing all the latest information on LGR
https://www.futuredevon.org.uk/

Highways
The long, dry summer has enabled Highways to catch up on some road maintenance which is encouraging – for example, in July I had 3 potholes in Spreyton that I reported, were inspected, marked up and repaired in one week. However we do need to anticipate that a possible wet autumn/winter will quickly cause problems – particularly if drains/gullies/cattle grids have clogged up; please report these now.
Several road closures locally have caused issues recently, particularly with the signage. The contractors may not be as diligent about putting the correct sign in the right place. Please report them if causing a problem. The contractors believe that ‘Road Ahead Closed’ is distinctly different from ‘Road Closed’, even though the closure may be several miles away. Local drivers may be able to figure out the best alternatives but for visitors it mainly causes them to go elsewhere. I have raised this issue with the cabinet member for Highways, and they have agreed to communications with the contractors.
On Thursday 10th September I am out with our Neighbourhood Highways Officer, Jade Ash. If there are any particular problems you would like me to discuss with her please let me know.

Electrical Safety Fund
Link attached for a new fund – only available for applications until 27th September. May be of interest for the village hall, or Christmas lights
The Electrical Safety Fund is now open for new applications

Carers in Devon
The service to support unpaid carers is changing, and from 1st October all services will be brought in-house, including the Carers Alert line. Currently this line is not working and carers are reminded to share their emergency contact details with as many family/friends as possible in case something untoward happens to them. Please encourage all carers to sign up to the new service so they remain informed, and are kept up to date with these changes in service. Please let me know of any queries, or problems with the new service. A smooth transition would be welcome but as we know problems can arise that DCC may not be aware of.
Latest information for carers in Devon – News

Crisis and Resilience Fund
I have mentioned this before, but would like to raise awareness of this fund to support families and households particularly effected by the upcoming increase in energy prices.
Energy bill rise highlights importance of support available through Devon’s Crisis and Resilience Fund – News

Cllr Sue Davies
Hatherleigh and Chagford Division
[email protected]