To receive any communications or announcements from the:

Ø  Civic Mayor, including an update from the Armed Forces Champion on the Armed Forces Covenant;

Ø  Leader of the Council;

Ø  Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinator; or

Ø  Chief Executive.

At the invitation of the Worshipful the Mayor of Torbay, the Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Spacagna, provided a briefing (as attached to these minutes) on the work being undertaken on delivering the Armed Forces Covenant. 

The Worshipful the Mayor of Torbay reminded Members of the forthcoming Annual Civic lunch, due to be held on Friday 19 September 2025 at the Headland Hotel, Torquay, and encouraged Members to attend to support her chosen charity, Rowcroft Hospice.

The Leader of the Council updated Members on the response to the Council’s consultation on Local Government Reorganisation, which concluded on 31 August 2025.  Members were advised approximately 1500 responses had been received, with 68% voting in favour of Torbay Council staying within its existing boundaries, followed by option 2 (a new unitary council covering a similar catchment area of the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust) and then option 3 (a new unitary council covering the area of Torbay, South Hams, West Devon and Teignbridge – the 1, 4, 5 option).   The Leader of the Council reported that the results of the public consultation would inform the final decision of the Council at the end of November 2025 when all consultation results would be brought together in an option appraisal.

With the consent of the Worshipful the Mayor of Torbay, the Leader of the Council invited the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services to provide an update on the implementation of auto enrolment for free school meals in Torbay.  The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services announced that the implementation had been a success, with an additional 235 pupils within Torbay identified who qualified for free school meals.  He added, along with the children receiving a meal at school, the schools they attended received additional pupil premium funding, which totalled approximately £200,000 for primary schools and £87,000 for secondary schools.  The Cabinet Member advised 27% of children in Torbay were now receiving free school meals and Torbay was one of the first councils to introduce the initiative.  On behalf of the Council, the Cabinet Member, expressed thanks to Torbay’s schools and Council officers for working together to implement the scheme.