Housing drop-in sessions resume in Exmouth

Following concerns about the safety of East Devon District Council's Housing Service staff during drop-in sessions at Exmouth Town Hall, a review has now been held and the full service will be reinstated with effect from Thursday (29 May).

The sessions were suspended last week after a serious incident involving EDDC staff and a housing client. Appointment sessions were not affected.

Discussions have now been held to ensure that town and district staff all understand the potential issues and what action to take should anything go wrong. Minor alterations will also be made to the interview rooms as soon as possible so that they offer improved safety for EDDC staff.

Exmouth Councillor Jill Elson, EDDC’s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Homes and Communities, said: “We were reluctant to suspend the drop-in sessions as we know what a valuable service this is for our clients in Exmouth. However, we have a duty of care to our own staff and those of Exmouth Town Council. We therefore had to take action in the short term to ensure they have a safe working environment.

“We are now satisfied that any problems can be avoided through better staff training and some minor changes to the interview rooms, which will be put in place very soon. We are therefore pleased to reinstate the drop-in sessions with effect from 29 May”.