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South Hams District Council joins over 100 councils to address the homelessness crisis

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Tel: 01803 861368 Email: communications@swdevon.gov.uk

South Hams District Council joins over 100 councils to address the homelessness crisis

9 November 2023

South Hams District Council has joined forces with councils across the country to urge the Government to take action to support people facing homelessness and in need of shelter.
Eastbourne Borough Council and the District Councils’ Network have announced details of a letter which calls on the Chancellor to address the homelessness and temporary accommodation crisis that threatens local government's financial sustainability and the services upon which England's most vulnerable people rely.
South Hams District Council is one of 108 district councils to sign the letter.
The letter is endorsed by councils from across the country led by Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Independents. It follows an emergency summit on 31 October, co-hosted by Eastbourne Borough Council and the District Councils' Network.
According to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the cost of temporary accommodation to councils reached £1.7bn last year and is increasing rapidly.
Two-thirds of councils across the country have signed. District councils are often the administrative tier of principal government closest to communities and they oversee services including housing, leisure centres and waste collection. The rising cost of temporary accommodation hits district councils particularly hard due to a large proportion of their budgets being devoted to housing.
Councillor Stephen Holt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said: "119 council leaders, representing areas across England and of all political persuasions are asking Jeremy Hunt to recognise the gravity of this situation and provide local government with the appropriate funding and response.
"I have no doubt that the Chancellor and the Prime Minister understand that this is threatening the very future of services that support and maintain hundreds of thousands of vulnerable residents. They cannot allow the safety net we provide to fail; they must act now.
"I am also grateful that so many authorities have responded so quickly and positively to our joint letter. We are all in agreement - this is a national crisis."
In addition to asking for a meeting with the Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Statement, the letter urges six key actions:
  • Raise Local Housing Allowance rates to a level that will cover at least 30% of local market rent and commit to annual uprating.
  • Provide £100m additional funding for Discretionary Housing Payments in 2023-24 and an additional £200m in 2024-25.
  • Provide a £150m top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2024-25.
  • Review the cap for housing benefit subsidy rate for local authority homelessness placements.
  • Develop policy to stimulate retention and supply in the privately rented sector.
  • Give councils the long-term funding, flexibility and certainty needed to increase the supply of social housing.
Councillor Hannah Dalton, the District Councils' Network Housing spokesperson, said: "The fact that 119 council leaders from all political groups have joined up to demand urgent action from the Chancellor on homelessness demonstrates that we are in an emergency situation, right across the country.
"Councils simply do not have the money to cope with this surge of demand for temporary accommodation and without action from Jeremy Hunt they will have no option but to cut services. Such is the scale of the problem that some councils will find themselves effectively bankrupt.
"Unless action is taken in the Autumn Statement, society's most vulnerable people will continue to be hit hardest - the lifeline that their councils offer them will collapse and there will be a knock-on impact on other public services, including the NHS. Funding councils' work properly will prevent homelessness now, easing the need for public services like the NHS to spend huge amounts dealing with the consequences of homelessness in future."
South Hams District Council’s Cllr Denise O’Callaghan, Lead Member for Housing, said: “Providing temporary homes for those who find themselves in difficult circumstances is an absolute priority for us. The costs to councils of supplying this type of accommodation have risen dramatically, and although we try, where possible, to ease the pressure through other programmes, a lack of funding affects our ability to address the root cause of homelessness. This cannot continue.
“We stand firmly with our fellow councils and the District Councils’ Network in raising this issue with the government.”
ENDS

Changes are coming to the recycling and food waste collection service in the South Hams

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Changes are coming to the recycling and food waste collection service in the South Hams

 

6 November 2023

Changes are coming to the recycling and food waste collection service in the South Hams from 20 November – with residents set to start receiving letters from today (6 November) explaining the coming changes.

We currently deliver three different types of recycling collections to you, our residents. We’re aligning this and making sure every resident can present the same materials, including glass and food waste. This is also important to us, as it means we can help to combat climate change, reduce waste and pollution.

The upcoming changes will mean that everyone is on the same service, using kerbside boxes, a white reusable sack and food waste caddy to present their recycling each week.

Every single property in the South Hams will be affected. You might have a change to your recycling and black bin collection day, or the way you put out your waste and recycling on the kerbside. You can check changes to your collection day online on waste.southhams.gov.uk from 18 November.

Cllr Jacqi Hodgson, Executive Member for Waste, said: “Our waste team have been working tirelessly for months to get ready for these changes.

“Many of our residents have been asking us when they can recycle food waste. Now they can. Your food waste will go off for anaerobic digestion, which creates natural gas and organic fertiliser. It helps make the most of our food waste, which can only be a good thing.

“These are big changes and brand-new rounds for all our crews. They’ll be working incredibly hard over the coming weeks to pick up your recycling and waste. Inevitably, there may be some slight disruption – please be kind to our crews, who will be doing everything they can to make sure you get a smooth collection service during this transition.”

Cllr Julian Brazil, Leader of South Hams District Council, said: “The changes mean that from 20 November, we will at last be able to roll out the kerbside collection service, known as the Devon Aligned Service, so that everyone will be getting the same materials collected, and will all be on the same system, which is great news.

“At the moment, we have one of the worst recycling rates in Devon. We want to be the best, and this is the opportunity for us to do that.”

We really appreciate your support during these changes to your recycling and food waste collection service. Your co-operation will make these changes as smooth and seamless as possible.

You can find out more on the changes on our website: www.southhams.gov.uk/waste-service-changes

Council Supporting Economic Growth Across the District

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Council Supporting Economic Growth Across the District

 

Issued: 1 November 2023

South Hams District Council is working with towns across the District to help boost the local economy and improve sustainability.
The Council’s Community Economic Plan (CEP) project will firstly support five towns across the South Hams with work already happening in Ivybridge. With economy and jobs being one of the Council’s top priorities, the project will develop more collaboration with business communities, empowering them to help write the next chapter for their town.
The project is led by the community and supported by the Council. It will build on existing Neighbourhood Plans and will create a clear economic vision for each town. Plans will focus on business growth, sustainability and providing more opportunities for local training, apprenticeships, and employment.
CEPs will also be expanded to other towns in the District to cover Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Totnes and Salcombe over the next 2-3 years.
With climate change a top priority for both the Council and local communities, the project will also look at the ways local businesses can reduce their carbon emissions and make better use of the natural environment.
A local steering group including residents, business owners, Ward Members and Ivybridge Town Council has now been set up in Ivybridge to lead on the first of these important projects.
Finding out what young people want from their town is a vital part of the project and a secondary school steering group has also been set up to help shape Ivybridge for the future generations.
The Council will support the town and those that follow by gathering statistical research, running public consultations, and developing future plans.
The final stage of each project will see the creation of short, medium and long-term actions which will move each town closer to meeting its own ambitions.
Cllr John Birch, Executive Member for Economic Development, Commercial Strategy and Governance, at South Hams District Council, said: “In order for our towns to thrive, it is vital that we continue to attract people to live and work in our wonderful communities.
“This is very much a local led project and the aspirations and agreed actions should be reflective of the opinions of each community. Please do take part in sharing your views when developing a Community Economic Plan for your town.
“With climate change high on the agenda, this project will also provide opportunities and infrastructure to improve the environmental quality of towns.”
Ivybridge residents, business owners and community partners can now have their say on the next chapter of their town by taking part in an online survey or by attending a focus group session taking place over the next three months.  Find out more at https://myivybridge.commonplace.is
Watch this space for details of upcoming Community Economic Plan projects in other towns across the District.

Extension of Fare Car F7 to operate on Tuesdays and to Lee Mill

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Fare Car F7 service which operates from the Bigbury and Challaborough areas to Modbury and Ivybridge on Fridays will additionally run on Tuesdays from 14 November 2023 and will be extended to Lee Mill as a replacement for bus service 875.

Oakleys Coaches have been operating this bus service for the past few months but have given notice on the contract. One of our team recently did a passenger survey on this service and found there were only a small number of passengers using the service from the unique section. We tendered for a replacement bus service and received a price which was significantly greater than the cost of providing a Fare Car, given the expected demand for the service.

Additionally from 14 November, passengers who have an English National Concessionary Bus Pass will be able to travel for free on the Fare Car on both days of operation if they show their pass to the driver.

The Friday service which was introduced in April has proved popular with passengers and it is hoped the additional day will be popular too.

South Hams taking big strides to support young people leaving care

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South Hams taking big strides to support young people leaving care

25 October 2023

South Hams District Council is doing everything it can to offer support those in the area who are leaving care, to make sure they can thrive.

In September, we agreed to give a Council Tax discount to young people who have left the care system up to the age of 25. The move is designed to help care leavers make the transition to adulthood, offering a form of financial assistance that other young people may get through help from their parents.

But the tax discount is just one of the steps that we’re taking to support care leavers living in the District.

We’re putting in place a programme to help support care leavers into employment. This includes offering a two to four-week paid work experience placement, reserving some apprenticeship opportunities for care leavers and offering guaranteed interviews for those meeting minimum requirements, with support available from workplace mentors.

The Council is also supporting physical health and wellbeing by offering children in care (plus a carer), and care leavers up to the age of 25 a leisure pass that offers free access to the district’s four council-owned leisure centres at Totnes, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge and Dartmouth. These passes are being offered in partnership with Fusion Lifestyle.

We’re also putting into place a new collaborative approach to housing. For most young people leaving care, the pathway is straightforward, well planned and supported.

For a small proportion of individuals who present with complex additional needs, sustaining housing and engagement with support services can be very challenging.

South Hams is proud to be working in close partnership with Devon County Council and colleagues in other districts on developing a more robust and effective response to the needs of care leavers across the county.

Together we have supported a small cohort of care leavers to retain accommodation and enabled access to services to meet their support needs. This has involved a strong commitment to multi agency work, delivering housing services in a trauma informed way and demonstrating a higher level of flexibility and tolerance to meet individual need.

Our commitment to remaining engaged with these young people long term has enabled these young people to develop relationships and build trust with officers.

We are evaluating a variety of accommodation and support models, with a view to rolling out pilot projects across Devon.

Finally, we will be reviewing the support we offer to those of our employees who offer to foster or adopt children in care, in order to maximise the assistance, we offer them in what can be an emotionally challenging and time-consuming process.

Cllr Julian Brazil, Leader of the Council, said: “If you look at the statistics around homelessness and the criminal justice system, care leavers are a group of vulnerable people that very much need our support – as much as we can give. There is a moral imperative to help however we can.

“This work is a good example of the Council working in partnership with Devon County Council to do whatever we can to support residents of the South Hams.

“It is also an example of an issue that has united the Council across the political spectrum. The support we’re offering should help young people transition to adulthood and go on to lead successful, prosperous lives.”

 

Trial Schedule for Popular Lower Ferry Announced

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Trial Schedule for Popular Lower Ferry Announced

Issued: 23 October 2023

Usually, the popular Dartmouth Lower Ferry reduces to one float after a busy summer period for the entire winter. However, this year changes are afoot.

A new trial is set to take place with two ferries working over the busiest times during the winter period in response to community demand.

This means the ferry will only drop to the usual single running to allow for the Maritime Coastguard Agency safety inspections to take place. These essential inspections on each of the tugs and floats make sure they are first and foremost safe and fit for all passengers, but also that the annual passenger certificate continues.

The new single and double winter ferry timetable will be as follows, so please make a note:

  • Single ferry running for winter refit.
  • Monday 30 October – Sunday 10 December
  • Double ferry running
  • Monday 11 December – Sunday 4 February
  • Single ferry running for winter refit.
  • Monday 5 February – Sunday 17 March

The usual service will restart again on Monday 18 March.

There are two floats in total, two named Tom I and II and three named Hauley IV, V and VI and they all need to be kept in tip-top condition to help keep the District’s traffic moving from side to side.

The first float, Hauley VI is currently being refitted for six weeks, followed by Hauley V in November. Hauley IV will start its refit later in the year.

South Hams District Council’s Executive Member for Community Services; Operations and Leisure, Cllr Victor Abbott said: “This is a new trial and is in direct response to what our community wants. Everyone wants to be able to travel seamlessly for shopping and work get togethers in the run up to Christmas, to visit friends and family too. This way our team will continue to run double ferries over the busiest seasonal period and will still do all the necessary safety checks that need to be carried out annually.

“There’s no doubt the safety of our passengers and staff is a massive concern so annual refits are an essential part of the smooth running of the service. It is a trial period, so we will evaluate it and see how it has worked and then make a decision based on the evidence.”

For more information on the ferry, please visit:

www.southhams.gov.uk/ferry-and-harbour/dartmouth-lower-ferry23

Have Your Say on Council Tax Support

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Tel: 01803 861368 Email: communications@swdevon.gov.uk

Have Your Say on Council Tax Support

17 October 2023

South Hams District Council wants to hear your views on how we plan to help people most in need pay their council tax as the cost-of-living crisis continues.

The Council Tax Reduction Scheme is reviewed every year and you now have six weeks to let us know what you think about two proposed changes for 2024-2025.

The first change will mean more support for self-employed residents who are trying to grow their own business. The second aims to help ease the financial pressures for residents with a disability or health condition which affects how much they can work. The changes will see over 600 residents or families get much needed extra financial support.

The proposals will cost a total of £236,409. The Council’s share of the cost will be 8% - that’s £18,913. The rest will be paid for by the other organisations who charge part of the Council Tax bill, such as Devon County Council, the Police, and Fire and Rescue.

The Council now wants to hear from residents and partner authorities on if they agree with the planned changes.

South Hams District Council’s Leader, Cllr Julian Brazil, said: “The yearly review of our council tax reduction scheme helps us find new and innovative ways to support those who need it most. The two changes we are proposing aim to do just that.

“Now is the chance for you, our residents and partners, to have your say. Please be part of the conversation on what is best for our communities.”

You can have your say online at counciltaxreductionsouthhams.commonplace.is until 28 November 2023.