Author: Guy Henderson

This author has written 26 articles

Torbay fishermen generate £1.5m for local council

Torbay fishermen generate £1.5m for local council

Guy HendersonLocal Democracy Reporting ServicePiers Mucklejohn/PA WireThe council will spend almost £4.4m running the harbours in the 2026/27 financial yearTorbay Council has made more than £1m through fishing tolls since April, a tax on fishers who operate in the authority's three harbours.The toll, levied by the council on catches through its Brixham, Paignton and Torquay harbours, tops £1.5m in the current financial year.It is a levy on fish and shellfish landed, sold, or shipped in the bay, and…

Continue ReadingTorbay fishermen generate £1.5m for local council

Torbay given ‘good’ rating for adult social care

Torbay given ‘good’ rating for adult social care

Care for vulnerable adults in Torbay has been given a 'good' rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) but inspectors said "significant waiting times" for care plan reviews need to be tackled.The CQC said the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust provided "joined up" services and partnership with the community and voluntary sector. CQC inspector, Chris Badger, said staff were "committed to early intervention" to avoid unnecessary care home admissions and help people be independent at home.Anna…

Continue ReadingTorbay given ‘good’ rating for adult social care

Exeter City Council to borrow more than £1m for solar panels

Exeter City Council to borrow more than £1m for solar panels

More than £1m is to be borrowed to fit six buildings with solar panels, a city council has said.Exeter City Council estimated the initiative would save it about £100,000 every year and cut emissions.Members of the full council voted in favour of installing solar panels at six sites including Exeter Arena sports centre, St Sidwell's Point leisure centre, Wonford Leisure Centre, the Guildhall car park, Exeter bus station and the Senate offices, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.A…

Continue ReadingExeter City Council to borrow more than £1m for solar panels

Torquay taxi driver suspended after conduct complaints

Torquay taxi driver suspended after conduct complaints

A taxi driver has had her licence suspended with immediate effect following a series of complaints.Torbay Council's regulatory sub-committee made the decision after viewing CCTV footage of two traffic incidents, including the driver reversing into oncoming traffic at a Torquay taxi rank and a near-miss at Paignton railway station, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.Other allegations included sleeping in her cab while on duty, refusing card payments, failing to queue properly, and aggressive behaviour.The unnamed driver, who denied…

Continue ReadingTorquay taxi driver suspended after conduct complaints

Plans for nine homes to be built at hospital in Brixham

Plans for nine homes to be built at hospital in Brixham

Nine new homes could be built at a hospital site.The development was proposed by the Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust and approved by Torbay Council in principle, with more details to be filed later.The land off Greenswood Road, in Brixham, is on a greenfield area within the built-up confines of the hospital.Brixham Town Council did not object to the plans, which were approved by officers and have not been on the agenda for Torbay Council's planning committee.The…

Continue ReadingPlans for nine homes to be built at hospital in Brixham

Paignton faces big changes as council unveils ‘vision’

Paignton faces big changes as council unveils ‘vision’

A town could lose its bus station but gain a new supermarket and multi-storey car park under a plan for its future. Torbay Council's cabinet has signed off on a document outlining a "vision" for regeneration for Paignton, which will now go out for discussion with residents and developers."It is about promoting Paignton to the outside world," said deputy leader, councillor Chris Lewis."It is about sharing the fact that we are serious about the regeneration of the town.…

Continue ReadingPaignton faces big changes as council unveils ‘vision’

Torbay Council plans to sell historic monastery despite campaign

Torbay Council plans to sell historic monastery despite campaign

A Devon council is looking to sell the former Victorian-era monastery despite campaigners wanting to turn it into a community centre. Councillors and campaigners in the Clifton with Maidenway ward proposed the building in Paignton to be used for a community centre. The former monastery opened in 1883 and once was home to the Marist priests, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.A report meeting of the cabinet committee said the building should not be listed as an asset…

Continue ReadingTorbay Council plans to sell historic monastery despite campaign

Plans for new Aldi in Ivybridge refused by councillors

Plans for new Aldi in Ivybridge refused by councillors

Plans to build an Aldi store have been refused by councillors due to concerns over its impact on neighbouring properties.More than 1,200 people supported the application for the site in Ivybridge, Devon, which the supermarket's real estate director Elliot Saunders said was the highest level of support for one of its UK stores, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.South Hams councillors backed planning officers who said the store off Rutt Lane, near the railway station, would be "overbearing"…

Continue ReadingPlans for new Aldi in Ivybridge refused by councillors

Torquay factory building faces demolition after years of decay

Torquay factory building faces demolition after years of decay

A once-thriving factory which helped power a town's engineering legacy is set to be torn down. The Elektron building on Woodland Trading Estate, formerly home to Sifam, was a major employer in Torquay, producing electrical instruments and fibre-optic tech in the 1980s. It shut in 2007 after Sifam was bought by Elektron Instruments and the building became a magnet for vandalism and anti-social behaviour, with smashed windows boarded up and the site falling into disrepair.Now, drinks wholesaler Tolchards,…

Continue ReadingTorquay factory building faces demolition after years of decay

Call boxes in Torbay could be replaced with multi-media hubs

Planning applications have been put forward to replace street payphones with three-metre-tall multi-media hubs. BT is bidding for four of the hubs in Torquay to provide free ultra-fast wifi, phone calls and phone charging. The proposed hub locations are near Poundland at Fleet Street, at Tor Hill House and in two places outside shops in Union Street.The hubs have been rejected in some other parts of the country but BT said they would provide a "sleek and modern…

Continue ReadingCall boxes in Torbay could be replaced with multi-media hubs

Former Exeter policeman named honorary alderman

A former lord mayor of Exeter who served in the police for 30 years has been appointed an honorary alderman.Percy Prowse, 72, is only the 16th person to be awarded the recognition since 1981.Mr Prowse, a familiar figure in Exeter's streets as a cape-wearing police officer, said he was "truly honoured".He had served more than 30 years with Devon and Cornwall Police and was often seen cycling through Exeter in his blue serge cape, said the Local Democracy…

Continue ReadingFormer Exeter policeman named honorary alderman

Application for new vintage arcade in Exeter put forward

Application for new vintage arcade in Exeter put forward

Guy HendersonLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceSupervideo/Exeter City CouncilA planning application has been put forward for an amusement arcade in Exeter City CentreA planning application for a new amusement arcade in Exeter has been submitted. Paignton-based company Supervideo Ltd, trading as Boneyard Exeter, said the arcade would feature vintage arcade games from the 1970s and 1990s. A spokesperson said it would feature titles which included Space Invaders and Pac-Man, alongside select modern games such as dance machines.It said there were…

Continue ReadingApplication for new vintage arcade in Exeter put forward