Agenda and minutes

Due to the absence of Councillor C Hodson, Councillor S Harding assumed the role of Chair for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Mr Dengate, Councillor D Smith with Councillor S Andrews present as substitute, and Councillor W Lo-Vel with Councillor C Wheatley present as substitute.

Confirmation of the minutes from the meeting held on the 22^nd July 2025.

It was proposed by Councillor S Inch , seconded by Councillor C Bright and –

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 22^nd July 2025  be agreed and signed as a correct record.

(Vote: For – 6, Against – 0, Abstentions - 3)

The Committee discussed and updated the Action List.

With regard to the action on the waste from holiday homes, Members noted that the following response from the Operational Services Manager had been circulated prior to the meeting:

‘The department has just sent out approximately 1000 letter to owners of properties in who are in receipt of small business rate relief, these include, and holiday lets.

Approximately 60% of the business owners have acted with 4323 trade waste bags being purchased at £4.50 per bag. The trade waste bags are collected on the same rounds as the domestic waste, so no additional running costs are incurred, this not only generates income for the authority but diverts commercial waste from the domestic waste tonnages we report to DCC, the disposal authority.

Small businesses with less than 10 FTE’s do not have to legally recycle until 1st April 2027, if they do wish to recycle then we advise them to contact Coastal Recycling who undertake commercial collections on the authority’s behalf.

We are also taking legal advice on how a second reminder letter should be worded and any follow up action for those business who do not comply’.

A 15-minute period for public contributions.  (The deadline for registering to speak is by 2pm Friday 29^th August 2025. To register please email dem.services@torridge.gov.uk).

There were two public speakers:

·         Mr J Puddy discussed the work of the SS Freshspring Trust and its’ need for support from the Council.

·         Mr A Green raised concerns regarding waste collection from holiday homes, including a letter received from the Council. Mr A Green advised that further information would be sent to the Chair.

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.

Councillor C Hodson joined the meeting at 18.13pm and resumed position as Chair.

There were no declarations of interests.

There was one Part II item on the agenda.

It was proposed by Councillor C Hodson, seconded by Councillor S Inch and –

Resolved:

That the agenda, as circulated, be agreed.

(Vote: For – Unanimous).

To receive a verbal update from the Planning Manager. The draft Enforcement Plan will be circulated in advance of the meeting.

The Planning Manager presented the item, the purpose of which was to provide Members with an update on the Planning Enforcement Service & Draft Enforcement Plan.

The presentation included information on:

·         Cases received 2020 – 2025 (to date)

·         Outstanding Cases August 2025

·         Key actions over the last 12 months

·         Enforcement Appeals – 2024 to date

·         PS1 Government Return 2024 Q4

·         PS1 Government Return 2025 Q1

·         Statistics Update

·         QBR 2024/25 – Full Year

·         QBR 2025/26 – Q1

·         Enforcement Plan

·         Draft Enforcement Plan – Highest Priority, Medium Priority, Lower Priority

·         Actions and Outcomes

·         Service Improvement Actions

The Chair requested that the presentation slides be circulated to Members.

A discussion occurred.

Members questioned the ten-year property immunity, and the Planning Manager explained that once an Enforcement notice is served, the timescale is paused. Members noted that the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act brought changes to the immunity timescale. The Planning Manager outlined how the initial assessments and enforcement process functions under current legislation. The Committee were informed that the process can be lengthy and involve various departments.

The Committee raised concerns over resources and the timescale of cases. The Planning Manager clarified that there is enough resource, and that the improvement actions will be beneficial in reducing case numbers. Additional admin support will also aid this. The Planning Manager highlighted the proactivity of Officers, and reiterated that the process is extensive and difficult to shorten, even with additional staffing.

Councillor P Hames requested to ask a question but was informed this would not be permitted due to his role as a Member on the Community and Resources Committee.

In relation to the Planning Manager’s presentation, Members raised concerns over the accuracy of data. The Planning Manager detailed issues surrounding methods of data input, which will be addressed if the enforcement plan is adopted. Members noted that this will allow for increased accuracy and monitoring. The Planning Manager outlined the investigation process and timelines.

Members acknowledged that the presentation summarised the key measures that will be taken to improve planning enforcement. The Chair outlined that the Committee should have a role in monitoring the progress of the improvement actions.

The Committee questioned if the draft enforcement plan needed to be agreed by Full Council, and the Chief Executive advised that the appropriate Committee for consideration of the plan will be determined following the meeting.

Members noted that under the Forward Plan item, the Committee could schedule a date for the Planning Manager to return with an update.

The Chair proposed that an update report, detailing how the action plan is being delivered, be brought to the Committee when the QBR3 is presented.

It was proposed by Councillor C Hodson, seconded by Councillor S Gibson and –

Resolved:

That an update report is brought to the Committee when the QBR3 is presented.

(Vote: For – Unanimous).

To receive a report from the Service Improvement Officer.

The Service Improvement Officer and the Principal Accountant presented the item, the purpose of which was to update Members on the Quarterly Business Report 1.

The presentation included information on:

·         Performance Management Cycle

·         The Council’s CIPFA near neighbours

·         Theme 1 – Local Economy - Highlights and Benchmarking

·         Theme 2 – Communities, Health & Housing - Highlights

·         Theme 3 – Our Environment, Our Future - Highlights

·         Theme 4 – Our Council - Highlights

·         Performance Reporting 2025/26 (Budget Monitoring – Revenue – Highlights)

·         Budget Narrative – Key Significant Adverse Variances, Key Significant Favourable Variances

·         Key Income Streams

·         Salaries Monitoring (Variance to Budget)

·         Temporary Accommodation

·         Budget Monitoring – Capital

·         Capital Narrative

·         Budget Monitoring – Earmarked Reserves

·         Investments

The Committee commended the Principal Accountant for the presentation, and the Chair congratulated the Housing team for their work.

The Committee were directed to the Supplementary Agenda Pack containing the QBR1 question and answer document.

A discussion occurred. The Chair invited Committee Members to confirm whether the responses provided in the supplementary document were satisfactory.

In response to a question regarding variances and staff wages, the Principal Accountant explained that the figures were the annual projection and that grant income and agency costs are not included in the budget.

The Chair queried the presence of questions from Councillor P Hames, who is a Member of the Community & Resources Committee. The Chief Executive outlined that this should have been addressed on receipt of the questions. The Head of Legal and Governance (& Monitoring Officer) reiterated that Members should not have conflicting interests, and that Members of the Community & Resources Committee should only ask general questions, not ones relating to decisions made at the Community & Resources Committee. The Chair advised that further clarification was needed, and recommended that a review of the process for handling QBR questions be conducted after the meeting.

In relation to a QBR question, the Committee enquired if the Council has an inward investment policy. The Head of Communities and Place explained that the Council does not have a policy, and outlined the difficulty of monitoring inward investment activity.

To be presented by the Chair.

The Chair introduced the report and invited comments from Members.

The Chair thanked Councillor S Newton and the Corporate Services Officer for the report.

Overall, Members noted the report.

To review the Forward Plan.

The Committee discussed and updated the Forward Plan.

Alongside the presentation of the QBR3, Members added a report on service improvement actions from the enforcement plan to the meeting on the 10^th February 2026.

The Chief Executive explained that the Housing Delivery Plan will go to the Member Briefing in November, with an update to be brought to the Committee on the 2^nd December 2025.

The Grounds Maintenance (18 month update) was moved to the meeting on the 13^th January 2026.

Members were informed that the meeting on the 2^nd December 2025 is likely to be moved to 6pm, subject to approval by the Senior Leadership Team.

The Chairman to move:-

That the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

It was proposed by Councillor C Hodson, seconded by Councillor S Inch and -

Resolved:

That under Section 100(a)(4) of the Local Government Act (as amended) the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business because of the likely disclosure of exempt information by virtue of Paragraph 3 of Part 1 and Paragraph 10 of Part 2 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972

(Vote: For - Unanimous).

To be presented by the Chair.

The Head of Communities and Place presented the report, the purpose of which was for Members to scrutinise the decision of the Community and Resources Committee.

A lengthy discussion occurred.

Councillor D Bushby put forward a proposal, which was seconded by Councillor S Andrews.

Councillor S Inch put forward an alternative proposal, which was seconded by Councillor S Harding.

It was proposed by Councillor D Bushby, seconded by Councillor S Andrews and –

Resolved:

That the first proposal be approved.

(For – 6, Against – 4, Abstentions – 0).

The motion was carried.

It was proposed by Councillor C Hodson, seconded by Councillor C Bright and –

Resolved:

That the meeting exit Part II and close.

(Vote: For – Unanimous).