To receive any communications or announcements from the:

i)          Civic Mayor – this will include a presentation by YES Brixham;

ii)         Leader of the Council (including an update on the Heart of the South West Joint Committee);

iii)        Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinator; and

iv)        Interim Chief Executive.

The Worshipful the Mayor of Torbay welcomed Katherine Oliverio from YES Brixham to the meeting.  Members then received a presentation from Ms Oliverio and Andrew Wade on the work of YES Brixham, including the good work to assist the community during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The Worshipful the Mayor thanked YES Brixham for supporting the community and advised the Council that she had presented them with the Civic Mayor’s Certificate of Recognition to thank them for their community contribution.

The Worshipful the Mayor announced that options were being explored to hold a virtual memorial service in memory of the late former Councillor Ian Doggett to enable the community to be able to pay their respects.

The Worshipful the Mayor then provided an update on the work being undertaken by the Riles, who had Freedom of the Borough of Torbay, which included details of Operation Tosca, a United Nations peace and security mission between the Greek and Turkish forces based in Cyprus.

The Leader of the Council:

a)         provided an update on Covid-19 and the implications of Torbay’s move into Tier 2.  Members were advised that he and the Deputy Leader of the Council had written to the Prime Minister to raise concerns over the significant impact the pandemic has had on Torbay’s hospitality and tourist industry and concerns in respect of South Devon’s hospital capacity and encouraged the Government to fully fund Torbay Hospital’s HIP2 programme and to accelerate its development;

b)         acknowledged the success in obtaining funding from the Government for Torquay Town Deal and Edginswell Railway halt.  He also advised Members of the importance of the Council’s decision to purchase the Debenhams building in Torquay, especially in light of the recent announcement of the closure of all Debenhams stores, which would enable the Council to have control and influence over the future of this key harbour-side site; and

c)         praised and acknowledged the hard work of the Council’s staff who had gone above and beyond their roles, in one of the most challenging years in recent times, to help the most vulnerable in our communities and businesses with support grants.

At the request of the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Housing, updated the Council on his attendance, as the Council’s representative, at the Heart of the South West Joint Committee held on 9 October 2020 including:

·         Heart of the South West Budget update and achievements influencing Government and supporting housing, transport and coastal communities schemes; and

·         South West Industrial Strategy, which had been developed with the Government, but due to Covid-19 had not been able to be signed off by the Government, but in recognition of the importance of the Strategy, the Heart of the South West Joint Committee had agreed to proceed with the Strategy.

The Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinator provided an update on his attendance at the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel, who had undertaken a deep dive into waiting times and failures in the 101 phone service, as well as investigation into county lines, policies on serious and organised crime and child exploitation.