Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor A Brenton.

Confirmation of the Minutes of the meeting held on 16^th July 2025.

It was proposed by Councillor Bach, seconded by Councillor Smith and –

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 16 July 2025 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

(Vote: For, Unanimous)

15 minute period for public contributions. The deadline for registering to speak is by 2pm on Monday 8 September 2025.

None received.

Members with interests should refer to the agenda item and describe the nature of their interest when the item is considered.

Members were reminded that declarations of interest should be made as and when the specific agenda item to which they related was under discussion.

None

Chair noted a report had been received from DCC in relation to Family Hubs and advised members this would be discussed in action list.

To receive an update presentation from Torridge Voluntary Services.

Chair welcomed officers from TTVS to the meeting and introduced Beki Sharples (Chief Executive), who went on to deliver a detailed presentation for members, summarised below.

Councillor Johns joined the meeting at 10:02

The Chief Executive for TTVS provided an overview of service provision and highlighted their commitment to providing free services for those in need. Detail was provided on the projects they deliver and their impact. This included a homelessness pilot run earlier in the year, which had provided a drop-in service for the homeless and statistics were then shared with Public Health.

Further detail was provided on TTVS projects like Hidden Stars (support for young carers), Financial Inclusion work (for pensioners), community development initiatives, befriending services, memory café, peer mentoring for those recovering from addiction and cancer awareness / smoking cessation. It was noted that the Financial Inclusion work alone continued to provide a huge cost benefit, with over £3 million in unclaimed benefit bought back into the community.

The Chief Executive confirmed that Torridge District Council (TDC) provide annual funding of £16,900 and this contributes to paying the core costs; the importance of this funding was noted given their grant funding doesn’t cover these costs.  Examples were provided of how TTVS projects contribute to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government outcomes through the prevention of homelessness, supporting those with multiple disadvantage, tackle child poverty and health inequality and loneliness in the community.

The Chief Executive advised members that TTVS had recently restructured and made redundancies to reduce core costs further, and it was felt that further cuts were not possible.  It was explained that without further support to cover core costs TTVS would need to close in June 2026. A request for funding was put to members to provide stability till September 2026 (£45,000), and to increase the annual investment from £16,900 to £50,000 to sustain core services.

Councillor Shepherd joined the meeting at 10:21.

The potential impact of TTVS closing was explained to members in terms of the community impact, as well as the potential financial and service impact for statutory services – with an increase in referrals felt to be inevitable.  

During the presentation members were shown videos of TTVS service users sharing their experience of the services mentioned above, and a video of an employee who had also used the support services of TTVS before being successfully recruited.

Members were asked for their questions.

Members recognised TTVS support for community groups and noted their support of the Walk and Talk group.

Following a question about NHS funding the Chief Executive advised current funding contributions were for the cancer and smoking cessation projects, however in the longer term with the move to more community-based care it was anticipated that support may increase. Concern was raised that the changes may not come in time for TTVS.

Members noted discussion at County level regarding a lack of specialist support for vulnerable households and noted the pilot TTVS ran for homeless at the start of 2025.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 327.

To receive a presentation from Sarah Logan, Next Steps Education.

Members heard from Sarah Logan (Director) and Giovanna Guarino (Relational Learning Lead) from Next Steps Education.

The Director for Next Steps Education provided a summary of the project, noting their work with schools and the local authority to provide support to children & young people not attending school due to exclusions, special needs or mental health – with a total of 60 to 90 tutors across northern Devon.

It was explained that a second Community Interest Company (CIC) had been established to meet the gaps in provision for children under 16 not accessing education – some of the gaps and barriers to accessing support were highlighted for members. Members were advised that the company aims to provide a family mentoring hub for North Devon and Torridge and to fill the gaps in support that current funding is not reaching.

The need for earlier intervention was stressed alongside the impact of making children under 16 years of age wait to access support till they turn 16. The lack of a Youth Hub in Torridge was noted as one example.

The journey for children and young people was explained for members and it was stated that some cases will start with a meeting outside a child’s bedroom door. It was explained there was a lack of provision for children who were not confident to join groups or youth clubs and then navigate their way back to school – the impact of this gap was restated for members, for children and their parents.  The Relational Learning Lead explained her role in terms of the support to the children accessing Next Steps Education, and how this then leads into supporting parents need in terms of advocating for their children.

Members were advised of the new CIC have set up tuition groups for up to 6 children, struggling with anxiety, providing maths and english tuition face to face. Following advertisements in June there was now a waiting list of 20 for this support. 

Parent hubs were also highlighted and it was explained how this provided an opportunity for peer support where parents could support one another to navigate services and access support.

The Director restated the risks associated with making children wait for support until they are 16, and noted how some of the young people who have accessed their support are now  mentoring other young people and the impact of Counselling provided to parents.

The following figures were shared:

•           61 miles to the nearest independent exam centre.

•           30.4% of students eligible for free school meals are persistently absent in Devon.

•           774 parents chose to electively home-educate their children for mental health reasons.

•           78 weeks average wait in the neurodiversity service to first contact.

•           27% of children and young people in northern Devon report feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope.

The Director finished the presentation by sharing their vision - to create a space to support children who are not in school along their journey. Working with them at home and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 328.

To review the action list.

Chair reviewed the action list with members and the following was agreed:

220- Family Hubs Model – A report to be circulated to members following the meeting.

272 – CAB funding breakdown. The Head of Legal updated on access to rural support and the potential costs.  No response has been received. 

To review the forward plan.

Chair reviewed the forward plan with members, and confirmed 15^th October will be item on Broadband and November is CSP.

Dem Services and Chair to meeting outside the meeting for future items.