Transcript

Are we live and running? Excellent, thank you very much. Well, I don't have an agenda here. I have a sending one. I've got everything left in general. Thank you very much. Executive meeting 7th of May 2024. We have some bits and pieces on our agenda today. First of all, apologies for absence. One, two, three, four, five, six, we're all here. Now minutes, the minutes of the last meeting. Are we all happy with those minutes? Can I see a proposal? Can I see Taylor? Seconder? Can I look up on Bradbury? Sure, hands to approve, please. Thank you very much. And before I forget, I'll sign them off. Oh, yes. One apology for absence. Oh, Councillor Nutl is not here. There we go, rushing too much in the morning. I can't even count. Right. Announcements. I have one announcement. I'm delighted to welcome our newest district, Councillor. Councillor Jack Major, who will be joining Councillor Nutlie, who's on our executive representing Ash Burton, I think, and but firstly, of course. I think, of course, our departed friend, Hugh Cox, would be very happy to see Jack in place. Welcome, Jack, and I look forward to seeing you at your first meeting, which will probably be our full Council meeting at the end of the month, I would imagine. Thank you very much. Declarations of interest. Do we have any? Nope. Thank you. Executive Forward Plan. Any questions, additions, or comments on the executive forward plan for this month? Nope. Okay. Thank you very much. Which brings us on to public questions. Now, we have a couple of questions. I see our questions are at the back. Thank you for joining us. It's nice to have public questions and people engaged. So, first question from Gilliam Blick. You have an answer. Do you have a supplementary question, a follow-up question? Please come forward to a microphone. Thank you. Thank you very much indeed for hearing my question today. I sent every council member an email at the back end of last year following the broad meadow proposals. I had a conversation with your leisure centre manager about the consultation where there is a misleading question which led people to, I think, choose an option which is not probably the option they intended to choose. And it's something we discussed fully at the time. In my email, I set out the risks that you are taking by going for the sort of changing rooms that you are going for there. In the week when it has been announced in the press that building regulations are to be changed to mandate single-sex facilities in all new public buildings. You choose to ignore this and continue with what amounts to a perverts charter. Women and girls will be subjected to voyeurism and indecent exposure. Why are you malign or million competent? Thank you. Well, thank you for your question. I would rather it was put in slightly more polite terms. I am neither malign nor incompetent. I think there is a gross misunderstanding in the concept of the village-style changing rooms which actually provide far more privacy for men, women and children, families with cubicles. There is a huge misunderstanding about what is being provided. Broad meadow leisure centre provides both individual women's changing facilities and men's changing facilities and village changing facilities which is entirely normal in leisure centres. There is no idea that the new proposed law will apply to Broad meadow centre because it is under construction and it is there. That is a future law that may apply to public buildings in the future and is in itself misguided, I believe. There is no indication that village-style changing facilities are any worse. You quote a newspaper article. I point out to you that articles in the newspaper are there because they are unusual. It is not an everyday occurrence. So there is no proof in the statements that you have made. I also put it to you that this council has, in the last year, put forward a programme, government funded with government funding that we have found of approximately a quarter of a million pounds to improve our work for the Community Safety Partnership, preventing violence against women and girls. We take this very seriously. Unfortunately, this awful government is choosing to stir up concerns and make them bigger than they are in reality that are not a real concern and they are mistaken as they are in many things. And as soon as we see the back of them, the better. Thank you. Thank you. Our next question comes from Jenny Dingsdale, who is also with us. Do you have a supplementary question? You have an answer in writing. If you press the button, you will get a red light on your microphone to speak. Thank you for your answer. If the council is saying that they are not working within to contrast to provide any aspect of their diversity training, would you be able to go into details about who is giving you information on trans issues for your training and how much you have paid for that? I will point out to you that Devon County Council last year had an internal report that was done that found it was carrying out practices that were discriminatory even in this day and age. And it has been working hard with minorities and groups of all types to actually ensure that equality and diversity and inclusion is in place within Devon County Council. Now you would have thought that Devon County Council Conservative run would be impeccable, but clearly even they are subject to learning about diversity and inclusion. We have very competent officers within our own structure who provide the diversity and inclusion and qualities training and they will be receiving information from a huge variety of sources, including places like the community safety partnership, the local police, various women's groups and refuges and all sorts of other organisations. So I do not have a particular name or any consultants that we use and I'm not at this time going to go into those details. Would you be able to provide a list by email perhaps? I'm sorry, you don't have any further supplementary questions. It's not a debate at this stage, it's just the one question. But you haven't answered the question. I have answered the question. Thank you very much. That is the end of the public questions. OK. Team Bridge can't hop on plan. It says here, Councillor Busking to present, but we don't have Councillor Busking with us. I wasn't expecting Councillor Busking to present. I think you might find out if you're presenting that. I thought you were presenting Councillor PAIL. Yes. Yes, thanks yet. The car park has a finished group. Have for last 12 months been looking at the actual operational process by which we currently run our car parks. And this report is a result of that work from an all-party task and finish group. I'd like to thank all of those members for taking part, as I say, from all parties in the chamber and producing this report, and also to democratic services for the support they've given. One of the recommendations on this report are to note the operational car park in plan as it is at present, which is attached, and recommend the plan for executive for adoption. So the recommendation is first to note the recommendation for the plan. And authorised that the car park in task and finish group is reconvened to review the items identified in Appendix C, which are considerations for the future, and to produce a further report for their consideration. This work will have to be taken in regard of external reports and the local plan. This was on the OVN scrutiny to recommendations from Tuesday the 9th of April, 2024. I believe that they've carried out very due diligence. The task and finish group originally, when they first started looking at car parkings, convened in 2015, and through no fault of anybody's, a report was not brought forward. I would, I'm proposing to recommend that we note this report as it stands, as the operational, the current operational procedures and processes by which we are running our car parks at present. Clearly, there is a long way to go. I think my recommendation to note it is because by noting it, we are accepting the status quo of what we're doing at the present, but we're also allowing ourselves the flexibility for task and finish group to reconvene, to look at the strategic overview of all 88 car parks that we own, which will include, of course, also looking strategically at those areas where we may need more car parking. But without that overview, I think we can only note it on this occasion, so I'm prepared to recommend at this stage that that's, to the executive, that's what we adopt. Thank you. So, just to clarify, so we are noting the report. We're noting the report. Thank you. Do I have a seconder? Councillor. Councillor interjecting. Councillor interjecting. Thank you very much. Okay, comments, questions, observations on the report? Councillor Hook. Thank you, Leader. Yeah, I just wanted to offer some explanation, possibly as to why we're not adopting it, which is what's recommended, and we, some of us had a discussion about adopting it versus noting it, and so perhaps some explanation. I listened to the scrutiny presentation at ONS2 by Councillor Rompert, where he's suggesting that really this is just an initial output of the task group, and that we, that the task group reconvenes and completes the tasks that they had set themselves in their terms of reference. So, don't have a problem with that. I hope they do do that, and I think we can support that. But in terms of an initial output of the task group, I'm not so sure that I would want to be part of adopting this particular plan as it's laid out. And one of the, a couple of main reasons. One is, I think, because actually, more than just being an operational plan that outlines our current practices, it actually, if you look at it, it contains a number of what read as recommendations and what read as decisions. And they're not backed up by evidence. As far as I can see, nobody's actually been interviewed by that task group yet. Towns and parishes haven't been consulted, businesses, town centre managers, chambers of commerce, et cetera, et cetera, and those are people that will be affected by the recommendations and decisions of that plan. So, I don't think we need to adopt it for the task group to continue with the tasks they need to be doing. I don't think there's a need to do that. It's perfectly okay to note it. So, I mean, what I would like to see the task group doing is, and the sort of report they should produce at the end would have some context settings. So, things that aren't mentioned in this plan are things like current asset review, the local plan, various other document, strategic documents that were involved in at the moment, EV strategy, et cetera. So, there should be some context setting within that and within the council's priorities, which for all of the time, when the task group is meeting, where climate change, housing and jobs, but the car parks as an asset are not set within that context. And that's what should happen, I believe. There should be a list of people that need to be spoken to, which would include a large number of officers of this council and also towns and parishes crucially on their opinion on the car parks in their areas, and also might be worthwhile benchmarking against other councils in terms of their policy regarding car parking and their evidence relating to their car parking policies. So, to me, there's a long, long way to go, but I'm not happy that this current plan reads as if some recommendations and decisions have already been made without any evidence backing those up. We can't be a community-powered council if we're not going out and discussing with our communities, with businesses, with user groups, with motorhome user groups, whoever it might be, before we put anything on paper that looks like we've made a decision. So, that would be my reason why we can't adopt this. We can note it as a piece of work on a path, but there's much more for the task group to do, and car parks are a really crucial asset that the council owns, but they're also crucial assets within our communities that are really important to our community. And they're really important to the sustainable, and that will, it doesn't appear anywhere, sustainable economic vitality of our communities. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor. Any other comments or questions? I'd endorse your points entirely. No? So, are we happy to note this and ask the overview and scrutiny to go back and look at a more strategic forward-looking plan where we can, in fact, look at recommendations and potential decisions to make any changes as we are noting this as this is a current statement of how we are currently working our car parks, which is a useful thing to have, because if you don't know what you've got, you don't know how you want to change it. Okay, so did we have that seconded? Oh, yes, we did, Councillor Nutl seconded it. Thank you very much. Can I see a show of hands in favour of noting? That's unanimous. Thank you very much indeed. Okay. Street naming and numbering policy. This has been a long time coming. Councillor Taylor, I think you're presenting this one. Could you pop your microphone on, please? Of course. Thank you, Leader. Item eight on today's agenda is regarding the adoption of our street naming and numbering policy with the officer recommendation to one, adopt the street naming and numbering policy, as said out in Appendix one, and two, work with Exeter and East Devon Councillors to review the shared policy against the local Government Association guidance to respond to calls for public realm changes. Also said out in the appendices are Appendix two, result of consultation with town and parish councils and Appendix three, Equality's impact assessment, the Equality's impact assessment. The naming and numbering of streets and buildings is controlled under the town improvement clauses act which dates back as far as 1847. The prime objective in naming streets and numbering buildings is of course to facilitate easy identification of premises by the emergency services, postal and delivery services and general visitors to the area. Street naming and numbering is a joint service undertaken by Strata on behalf of Teambridge, Exeter and East Devon Councillors. There are clear operational benefits to all three authorities adopting a single unified policy approach. The street naming and numbering policy is currently being used and has been since 2019, but it has never been formally adopted by Teambridge. At the full Council meeting on the 22nd of February 2021, a notice of motion on equality presentation was unanimously supported by members within which Council resolved to review the street naming and numbering procedure to reflect the recent local government association advice note relating to requests from the public to change the public realm. Further details regarding this notice of motion and the relevant LGA advice notes can be found in the background papers with links provided from today's agenda. Section 4 of the policy deals with procedures to name, rename and existing street, road or lane. Consultation on changes needed to demonstrate its support of at least two thirds of affected properties or the owner in the case of a private owned street. The ward member in town or parish council would then need to be consulted. The policy does not currently require a wider forum to be convened, which misses the opportunity for a wider understanding, dialogue and debate to take place around a proposed change. Overall the policy does align well with the LGA guidance, but it could be amended at a later point to reflect current advice more specifically, particularly in relation to renaming. This would require all three authorities to agree a policy update at post adoption in a wider consultation with communities and interest groups. In January this year consultation took place with our town and parish councils with feedbacks or via a survey. Ten responses were received while the content of which can be found on appendix two. Seven responses agreed with the policy while one neither agreed nor disagreed. Two responses were against the policy, however no material changes were made at that time as detailed response information was not provided. A refresher of the policy however could come later and should include a more engaged discussion with the town and parish councils to understand why there was disagreement and what could be improved. Leader colleagues the adoption of this street name and numbering policy will assist this council to better support requests from the community to rename or explain historic street names. The policy as proposed is already being used to provide guidance on decision making and to assist us in our community. Thank you councillor, do you have a seconder? Councillor Keeling. Any questions or comments on this? Councillor Keeling. Thank you, Leader. I'd just like to say it has been a long time coming. I remember this quite some time ago and so pleased that we've actually got it down now as a policy association establishing a forum for discussion, establishing a measure of objectivity, considering extremist, countering extremist, sorry, and considering a suit of solutions in addition. So for me it's the consultation with the town councils and the residents in that locality that is so important and this policy actually states that. Thank you. Thank you very much. Councillor Natalie. I just fully agree with that and I must say going back four years now, one of my constituents actually moved from Newton Abbott out to Canton in Ashford and changed the name Biz property. I found it quite easy coming through the council and asking if that's permission and obviously that was granted for the cider bar and I think it was called over. You're quite appropriate, but yeah. It was quite easy I found that. Thank you, Councillor. Any other questions, comments? No. So can I see a share of hands in favour of adopting this policy? Thank you very much indeed. It's unanimous. Okay, brings us on to the update on future high streets fund. We have no Councillors registered to speak this week if they lost interest. I think they must have done. Okay. It is moving ahead well. The project adjustment request as I announced in full council has been approved so that we have now got spending deadlines end of March 2025 to have spent the money, which is still very, very tight. We are exploring options for the subsequent project adjustment request to support the unused grant money now. Clearly those are going to have to be projects that are quick to set up, quick to execute and quick to deliver. So in many ways, time is of the essence in its proper term of actually choosing what those projects may be, and that will clearly come forward shortly. Planning application for the market hall has slipped a week or two, but is still due to come in before the end of May looking to hopefully come forward to a planning committee in July 2021 for a decision on the market hall planning. We have been doing the public engagement, which went down extremely well. The officers and Councillors were in the former game store in market walk for three days. I think it was with lots of people coming by. Public reaction was oh good, it needs something doing. This will be an interesting and different and exciting new venture and we'll come back and see it when it's done. There is of course trepidation from the traders. Any change is always difficult, but we are in detailed discussion with all of those people currently running businesses out of the market hall and finding ways for them to continue their businesses in the interim. We have some of the larger businesses moving into vacant premises. We have others moving into the old post office. The old post office is being refitted to bring it up to an occupational standard and that work will commence shortly. It does not require planning approval. It is being done within permitted development rights. Alongside that, we have the National Cycle Network, two works which are commencing due to complete at the end of May. I have in front of me here, which sounds... So they are due or shortly due. I'm not sure we are completed at the end of May. I suspect that is commencing at the end of May rather than complete. No complete. Okay, that was good. Queen Street is due to commence end of May and completed by the end of November 24. We are working hard and Councillor PAIL is very much integrated with the communication with all of the traders along the street there. Helping them understand what is going on and making sure we do everything we possibly can to help them through the difficulties of such a change. I think that is about it from the update unless there is anything from the other Councillors involved that I missed. Oh, Councillor Taylor. Thank you, Leader. Yes, just very pleased to see that our communications team have kept the public fully aware of what is going on via our residence newsletter and details of the Queen Street enhancement works, as you say, getting underway next week, which is great. And to note that a dedicated local liaison officer is visiting businesses in the street to discuss the work and to hear their concerns and to put in place plans to support them through the duration of the scheme. That is going to include things like the special discounted car parking on the top two levels of the Sherborne Road multi-storey car park, access for blue badge holders and signage at the avenue junction and other gateway areas which will promote Queen Street as open for business as usual and scheme information boards as well. So, yes, we are obviously right behind this as an executive council, but also our officers are going that extra mile to make sure that the public and the businesses are fully aware of what is going on and the timetables. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor. Yes, there is a big push on making sure we get accurate and complete information out there rather than some of the ill-informed and incorrect speculation that might have been and the answer is never believe what you read on Facebook because it probably isn't true. Okay. Can I see a chef hands to note that update please? Thank you very much. We have then information, individual executive member decisions, which are listed in here for information to make sure they go on to the public record. There's no need to vote on those. And at that point, I will then close the meeting. Thank you very much for your attendance. [BLANK_AUDIO]

Transcript

Are we live and running?

• Excellent, thank you very much.
• Well, I don't have an agenda here.
• Yeah, so this one, I'm going to say I'm sending one. I've got everything left in general, okay.
• Thank you very much. Executive meeting, 7th of May, 2024. We have some bits and pieces on our agenda today. First of all, apologies for absence. One, two, three, four, five, six. We're all here. None, minutes, the minutes of the last meeting. Are we all happy with those minutes? I see a proposal. Councilor Taylor, seconder, Councilor Capone, Bradbury, Chair Panz to approve, please. Thank you very much. And before I forget, I'll sign them off. (keyboard clicking) Oh, yes. One apology for absence, Chair, oh, Councilor Mattle is not here. There we go, rushing too much in the morning, I can't even count. Right, announcements. I have one announcement. I'm delighted to welcome our newest District Councilor, Councillor Jack Major, who will be joining Councillor Nutley, who's on our Executive, representing Ash Burton, I think, and but fastly, of course. I think, of course, our departed friend, Hugh Cox, would be very happy to see Jack in place. So welcome, Jack. And I look forward to seeing you at your first meeting, which will probably be our full Council meeting at the end of the month, I would imagine. Thank you very much. Declarations of interest. Do we have any? Nope, thank you. Executive Forward Plan. Any questions, additions, or comments on the Executive Forward Plan for this month? Nope, okay. Thank you very much. Which brings us on to public questions. Now we have a couple of questions. I see our questions are at the back. Thank you for joining us. It's nice to have public questions and people engaged. So first question from Gillian Blick. You have an answer. Do you have a supplementary question, a follow-up question? Please come forward to a microphone. (indistinct chatter)
• Thank you very much indeed for hearing my question today. I sent every Council member an email at the back end of last year following the broad-medo proposals. I had a conversation with your leisure centre manager about the consultation where there is a misleading question which led people to, I think, choose an option which is not probably the option they intended to choose. And it's something we discussed fully at the time. In my email, I set out the risks that you are taking by going for the sort of changing rooms that you are going for there. In the week when it has been announced in the press, that building regulations are to be changed to mandate single-sex facilities in all new public buildings. You choose to ignore this and continue with what amounts to a perverts charter. Women and girls will be subjected to voyeurism and indecent exposure. Are you malign or merely incompetent? Thank you.
• Well, thank you for your question. I would rather it was put in slightly more polite terms. I am neither malign nor incompetent. I think there is a gross misunderstanding in the concept of the village-style changing rooms which actually provide far more privacy for men, women and children, families with individual cubicles. There is a huge misunderstanding about what is being provided. Broad-medo leisure centre provides both individual women's changing facilities and men's changing facilities and village changing facilities which is entirely normal in leisure centres. There is no idea that the new proposed law will apply to broad-medo centre because it's broad-medo leisure centre because it is under construction and it is there. That is a future law that may apply to public buildings in the future and is in itself misguided, I believe. There is no indication that village-style changing facilities are any worse. You quote a newspaper article. I point out to you that articles in the newspaper are there because they are unusual. It is not an everyday occurrence. So, there is no proof in the statements that you have made. I also put it to you that this council has, in the last year, put forward a programme, Government-funded, with Government-funding that we have found, of approximately a quarter of a million pounds to improve our work for the Community Safety Partnership, preventing violence against women and girls. We take this very seriously. Unfortunately, this awful Government is choosing to stir up concerns and make them bigger than they are in reality that are not a real concern and they are mistaken as they are in many things. And the sooner we see the back of them, the better. Thank you. Our next question comes from Jenny Dingsdale, who is also with us. Do you have a supplementary question? You have an answer in writing. If you press the button, you'll get a red light on your microphone to speak. Thank you for your answer. If the council is saying that they are not working within to contrast to provide any aspect of their diversity training, would you be able to go into details about who is giving you information on trans issues for your training and how much you've paid for that? I will point out to you that Devon County Council last year had an internal report that was done that found it was carrying out practices that were discriminatory even in this day and age. And it has been working hard with minorities and groups of all types to actually ensure that equality and diversity and inclusion is in place within Devon County Council. Now, you would have thought that Devon County Council Conservative run would be impeccable, but clearly even they are subject to learning about diversity and inclusion. We have very competent officers within our own structure who provide the diversity and inclusion and qualities training and they will be receiving information from a huge variety of sources, including places like the Community Safety Partnership, the local police, various women's groups and refuges and all sorts of other organisations. So I do not have a particular name or have any consultants that we use and I'm not at this time going to go into those details. Would you be able to provide a list by email, perhaps? I'm sorry, you don't have any further supplementary questions. It's not a debate at this stage, it's just the one question. No, but you haven't answered the question. I have answered the question. Thank you very much. That is the end of the public questions. All right. OK. Team Bridge car problem plan. It says here Councillor Busscomb to present, but we don't have Councillor Busscomb with this. I'm not, I wasn't expecting Councillor Busscomb to present. I think you might find out. You're presenting that? I thought you were presenting Councillor Pelt. Yes. Yes, thanks, yes. This car park task and finish group have for the past 12 months been looking at the actual operational process by which we currently run our car parks. And this report is a result of that work from an all-party task and finish group. I'd like to thank all of those members for taking part, as I say, from all parties in the Chamber and producing this report and also to democratic services for the support they've given. One of the recommendations on this report are to note the operational car parking plan as it is at present, which is attached, and recommend the plan for executive for adoption. So the recommendation is for us to note the recommendation for the plan. And authorized that the car park and task and finish group is reconvened to review the items identified in Appendix C, which are considerations for the future, and to produce a further report for their consideration. This work will have to be taken regard of external reports and the local plan. This was on the overview and scrutiny to recommendations from Tuesday the 9th of April, 2024. I believe that they've carried out very due diligence. The task and finish group originally, when they first started looking at car parkings, convened in 2015, and through no fault of anybody's, a report was not brought forward. I would, I'm proposing to recommend that we note this report as it stands as the operational, the current operational procedures and processes by which we are running our car parks at present. Clearly, there is a long way to go. I think my recommendation to note it is because by noting it, we are accepting the status quo of what we're doing at present, but we're also allowing ourselves the flexibility for task and finish group to reconvene, to look at the strategic overview of all 88 car parks that we own, which will include, of course, also looking strategically at those areas where we may need more car parking. But without that overview, I think we can only note it on this occasion, so I'm prepared to recommend at this stage that that's, to the executive, that's what we adopt. Thank you. So. So just to clarify, so we are noting the report. We're noting the report. Thank you, do I have a seconder? Councillor. Councillor Nuffler, thank you very much. OK, comments, questions, observations on the report? Councillor Hook. Thank you, Leader. Yeah, I just wanted to offer some explanation, possibly as to why we're not adopting it, which is what's recommended, and we, some of us, had a discussion about adopting it versus noting it, and so perhaps some explanation. I listened to the scrutiny presentation at ONS2 by Councillor Ron Kirk, where he's suggesting that really this is just an initial output of the task group, and that the task group reconvenes and completes the tasks that they had set themselves in their terms of reference. So don't have a problem with that. I hope they do do that, and I think we can support that. But in terms of an initial output of the task group, I'm not so sure that I would want to be part of adopting this particular plan as it's laid out. And one of them, a couple of main reasons, one is, I think, because actually, more than just being an operational plan that outlines our current practices, it actually, if you look at it, it contains a number of what read as recommendations and what read as decisions. And they're not backed up by evidence. As far as I can see, nobody's actually been interviewed by that task group yet. Towns and parishes haven't been consulted, businesses, town centre managers, chambers of commerce, et cetera, et cetera. And those are people that will be affected by the recommendations and decisions of that plan. So I don't think we need to adopt it for the task group to continue with the tasks they need to be doing. I don't think there's a need to do that. It's perfectly OK to note it. I mean, what I would like to see the task group doing is, and the sort of report they should produce at the end, would have some context settings. So things that aren't mentioned in this plan are things like current asset review, the local plan, various other strategic documents that were involved in at the moment, EV strategy, et cetera. So there should be some context setting within that and within the council's priorities, which for all of the time when the task group is meeting where climate change, housing and jobs, but the car parks as an asset are not set within that context. And that's what should happen, I believe. There should be a list of people that need to be spoken to, which would include a large number of officers of this council and also towns and parishes crucially on their opinion on the car parks in their areas. And also might be worthwhile benchmarking against other councils in terms of their policy regarding car parking and their evidence relating to their car parking policies. So to me, there's a long, long way to go, but I'm not happy that this current plan reads as if some recommendations and decisions have already been made without any evidence backing those up. We can't be a community-powered council if we're not going out and discussing with our communities, with businesses, with user groups, with motor home user groups, whoever it might be, before we put anything on paper that looks like we've made a decision. So that would be my reason why we can't adopt this. We can note it as a piece of work on a path, but there's much more for the task group to do. And car parks are a really crucial asset that the council owns, but they're also crucial assets within our communities that are really important to our communities. And they're really important to the sustainable, and that will, it doesn't appear anywhere, sustainable economic vitality of our communities. Thank you.
• Thank you, Councillor. Any other comments or questions? I'd endorse your points entirely. No? So are we happy to note this and ask the overview and scrutiny to go back and look at a more strategic forward-looking plan where we can, in fact, look at recommendations and potential decisions to make any changes as we are noting this as this is a current statement of how we are currently working our car parks, which is a useful thing to have, 'cause if you don't know what you got, you don't know how you want to change it. Okay, so did we have that seconded? Oh, yes, we did, Councillor Nutl seconded it. Thank you very much. Can I see a show of hands in favour of noting? That's unanimous. Thank you very much indeed. Okay, street naming and numbering policy. This has been a long time coming. Councillor Taylor, I think you're presenting this one. Could you pop your microphone on, please? Of course, thank you, Leader. Item eight on today's agenda is regarding the adoption of our street naming and numbering policy with the officer recommendation to one, adopt the street naming and numbering policy as set out in Appendix one, and two, work with Exeter and East Devon Councils to review the shared policy against the local government association guidance to respond to calls for public realm changes. Also set out in the appendices are Appendix two, results of consultation with town and parish councils and Appendix three, Equality's Impact Assessment, the Equality's Impact Assessment. The naming and numbering of streets and buildings is controlled under the Town Improvement Closes Act, which dates back as far as 1847. The prime objective in naming streets and numbering buildings is, of course, to facilitate easy identification of premises by the emergency services, postal and delivery services, and general visitors to the area. Street naming and numbering is a joint service undertaken by Strata on behalf of Teambridge, Exeter and East Devon Councils. There are clear operational benefits to all three authorities adopting a single unified policy approach. The street naming and numbering policy is currently being used and has been since 2019, but it has never been formally adopted by Teambridge. At the full Council meeting on the 22nd of February 2021, a notice of motion on equality of representation was unanimously supported by members within which Council resolved to review the street naming and numbering procedure to reflect the recent local government association advice, note relating to request from the public to change the public realm. Further details regarding this notice of motion and the relevant LGA advice notes can be found in the background papers with links provided from today's agenda. Section four of the policy deals with procedures to name, rename and existing street, road or lane. Consultation on changes needed to demonstrate the support of at least two thirds of affected properties or the owner in the case of a private owned street. The ward member in town or parish council would then need to be consulted. The policy does not currently require a wider forum to be convened, which misses the opportunity for a wider understanding, dialogue and debates to take place around a proposed change. Overall, the policy does align well with the LGA guidance, but it could be amended at a later point to reflect current advice more specifically, particularly in relation to renaming. This would require all three authorities to agree a policy update post-adoption in a wider consultation with communities and interest groups. In January this year, consultation took place with our town and parish councils with feedback sought via a survey. Ten responses were received, while the content of which can be found on appendix two. Seven responses agreed with the policy, while one neither agreed nor disagreed. Two responses were against the policy. However, no material changes were made at that time as detailed response information was not provided. A refresher of the policy, however, could come later and should include a more engaged discussion with the town and parish councils to understand why there was disagreement on what could be improved. Leader, colleagues, the adoption of this street name and numbering policy will assist this council to better support requests from the community to rename or explain historic street names. The policy as proposed is already being used to provide guidance on decision-making and to assist us in our statutory duties on street naming and numbering. I therefore propose the recommendations as set out.
• Thank you, Councillor, do we have a seconder? Councillor Keeling. Any questions or comments on this? Councillor Keeling.
• Thank you, Leader. I'd just like to say, yeah, it has been a long time coming. I remember this quite some time ago and so pleased that we've actually got it down now as a policy and pleased that we've taken advice from the local government authority association, establishing a forum for discussion, establishing a measure of objectivity, considering extremist, countering extremist, sorry, and considering a suit of solutions in addition. So for me, it's the consultation with the town councils and the residents in that locality that is so important and this policy actually states that. Thank you.
• Thank you very much, Councillor Matley.
• I just fully agree with that and I must say, going back four years now, one of my constituents actually moved from Newton Abbot out to Canton in Ashbrook and changed the name Biz property. I found it quite easy coming through the council and asking if that's permission and obviously that was granted for the sidebar and I think it was called now, but you're quite appropriate, but yeah, I was quite easy on that.
• Thank you, Councillor, any other questions, comments? No, so can I see a show of hands in favor of adopting this policy? Thank you very much indeed, it's unanimous. Okay, brings us on to the update on future high streets fund. We have no Councillors registered to speak this week if they lost interest. I think they must have done it, the mod, okay. It is moving ahead well. The project adjustment request as I announced in full council has been approved so that we have now got spending deadlines end of March 2025 to have spent the money, which is still very, very tight. We are exploring options for the subsequent project adjustment request to support the unused grant money. Now, clearly those are going to have to be projects that are quick to set up, quick to execute and quick to deliver. So in many ways, time is of the essence in its proper term of actually choosing what those projects may be and that will clearly come forward shortly. Planning application for the market hall has slipped a week or two, but it's still due to come in before the end of May, looking to hopefully come forward to a planning committee in July for a decision on the market hall planning. We have been doing the public engagement, which went down extremely well. The officers and councillors were in the former game store in market walk for three days, I think it was, with lots of people coming by. The overall public reaction was, oh good, it needs something doing. This will be an interesting and different and exciting new venture and we'll come back and see it when it's done. There is, of course, trepidation from the traders, any change is always difficult, but we are in detailed discussion with all of those people currently running businesses out of the market hall and finding ways for them to continue their businesses in the interim. We have some of the larger businesses moving into vacant premises. We have others moving into the old post office. The old post office is being refitted to bring it up to an occupational standard and that work will commence shortly. It does not require planning approval. It is being done within permitted development rights. Alongside that, we have the National Cycle Network, two works which are commencing, are due to complete at the end of May. I have in front of me here, which sounds... (indistinct chatter) Which, so they are due or shortly due. I'm not sure where completed the end of May is, I suspect that's commenced at the end of May rather than complete. No, complete. Okay, that was good. Queen Street is due to commence end of May and completed by the end of November 24. And we are working hard and Councillor Pail's thought is very much integrated with the communication with all of the traders along the street there. Helping them understand what's going on and making sure we do everything we possibly can to help them through the difficulties of such a change. And I think that's about it from the update unless there is anything from the other Councillors involved that I missed. No, Councillor Taylor.
• Thank you, thank you, Leader. Yes, just very pleased to see that our communications team have kept the public fully aware of what's going on via our residence newsletter and details of the Queen Street enhancement works, as you say, getting underway next week, which is great. And to note that it dedicated local liaison officers visiting businesses in the street to discuss the work and to hear their concerns and to put in place plans to support them through the duration of the scheme. And that's going to include things like the special discounted car parking on the top two levels of the Sherborne Road multi-storey car park, access for blue badge holders and signage at the Avenue Junction and other gateway areas which will promote Queen Street as open for business as usual and scheme information boards as well. So, yes, we're obviously right behind this as an executive council, but also that our officers are going that extra mile to make sure that the public and the businesses are fully aware of what's going on and the timetables. Thank you.
• Thank you, Councillor. Yes, there is a big push on making sure we get accurate and complete information out there rather than some of the ill-informed and incorrect speculation that might have been going around and the answer is never believe what you read on Facebook 'cause it probably isn't true.
• Okay, can I see a chef hands to note that update please? Thank you very much. We have then information, individual executive member decisions which are listed in here for information to make sure they go on to the public record. There's no need to vote on those. And at that point, I will then close the meeting. Thank you very much for your attendance. [ Silence ] [BLANK_AUDIO]