The North Devon Council's Policy Development Committee met on 11 September 2025, to discuss the performance and financial reports for the first quarter of 2025/26, and to consider an amended Air Quality Strategy following a public consultation. The committee agreed to recommend that the Strategy and Resources Committee adopt the Air Quality Strategy. They also discussed actions and next steps related to health inequalities and GP surgeries in the North Devon area, following a meeting held in July.

Here's a breakdown of the key topics discussed:

Air Quality Strategy

The committee reviewed the amended Air Quality Strategy, which had been subject to a six-week public consultation. The consultation received 96 responses, primarily from individual members of the public.

The consultation focused on six key themes:

1. Domestic Burning
2. Industrial Emissions
3. Transport
4. Agriculture
5. Indoor Air Quality
6. Communicating Air Quality Information

The consultation responses were generally supportive of the strategy, but some concerns were raised. For example, some respondents felt that the council's approach to domestic burning was too restrictive, while others felt that the council should be doing more to promote sustainable transport. There were also concerns raised about the impact of the Whitecross project on air quality.

Following the consultation, a minor change was made to the Domestic Burning theme to clarify that the council only promotes alternatives where a suitable and viable option is available. The revised strategy is available as Appendix 2 Revised Air Quality Strategy.

The committee agreed to recommend that the Strategy and Resources Committee adopt the Air Quality Strategy.

Performance Report 2025/26 Q1 - Finance

The committee reviewed the Performance Report 2025/26 Q1 - Finance, which provided an overview of the council's financial performance for the first quarter of the financial year.

The report highlighted that the revenue budget for 2025/26 was approved at £18,072,800, and that the latest forecast net budget is £18,064,800, producing a budget surplus of £8,000.

The report also noted that planning fees are currently forecast to be up on budget by £100,000, while pannier market income is down by £65,000 and recycling sales are down by £40,000.

The committee endorsed the recommendations of the Strategy and Resources Committee, including:

• approving contributions to and from earmarked reserves
• noting the movement on the Strategic Contingency Reserve
• releasing funds for capital schemes
• noting the sections dealing with Treasury Management, Debt Management and General Debtors

The committee also recommended that the council approve variations to the Capital Programme 2025/26 to 2027/28.

Performance Report 2025/26 Q1 - Programme

The committee reviewed the Performance Report 2025/26 Q1 - Programme, which provided an update on the progress of the council's key projects and programmes.

The report highlighted a number of key achievements, including:

• Becoming a Local Authority Registered Provider, which enables the council to hold social housing stock
• Submitting the initial application for the Homes England Investment Partner
• Opening the Green Lanes Hub on 16 June

The committee noted the actions being taken to ensure that performance was at the desired level.

Actions and Next Steps Following the Meeting on 10th July 2025

The committee discussed the actions and next steps following the meeting on 10th July 2025, which considered health inequalities and GP surgeries within the North Devon area. No specific outcomes or decisions were detailed in the provided documents.

Work Programme

The committee considered the work programme for the period October 2025 – March 2026.