The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) has reported Devon County Council to the Information Commissioner for failing to reveal how much money is available to fund education services for deaf children. Despite two warnings, it has been alleged that the council has failed to comply with a Freedom of Information request to reveal its budget. Investigation by NDCS shows, in the last five years, local councils in England have cut the money available to fund essential services for deaf children, such as Teachers of the Deaf. The latest figures from the Government show nearly two thirds of...
Devon County Council was among six winners today at the annual national NHS flu fighter awards. The panel of judges, including the editor of Nursing Times magazine Jenni Middleton, said that the Devon team’s remarkable efforts will be promoted across the country to inspire similar work. The awards are part of the NHS flu fighter campaign run by NHS Employers, which has helped increase the number of frontline NHS staff having flu vaccinations by 182,000 since it began in 2011. The Devon team won in the ‘Most improved flu fighter campaign’ category against stiff competition from throughout...
There is just under a month to go to comment on Devon County Council’s proposals to cut £1.7 million from its annual public transport budget over the next two financial years.
More than 1,800 people have taken part in the consultation so far, but there is still time for people to have their say before it closes on Monday 20 April.
The County Council is proposing to withdraw its support for a number of leisure and tourism services, some town services, and some fare car services, as well as making changes to travel using the National Bus Pass.
A competition launched last month to find the official name for the South Devon Link Road has received over 1,000 entries from across the UK.
Devon County Council and Torbay Council, along with Galliford Try - the contractors responsible for constructing the road – launched the competition to get ideas for the official name of the new road. The response was incredible: within the space of four weeks over 1000 entries were submitted.
Many of the suggestions relate to famous historical or literary figures from the area, whilst others focused on geographical features around...
Devon County Council will move forward with plans to set up a new independent organisation to run the county’s libraries.
Councillors have agreed proposals to establish a community-owned ‘mutual’ which would be commissioned by the County Council to run the library service on their behalf.
It means that, despite the authority facing a £50 million reduction in its funding in the next financial year, all of the County’s libraries would remain open and continue to be managed by professional library staff.
As well as the considerable budget savings, creating a new...
Entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses in Devon are set to benefit from a unique new support service. Exeter Library has been chosen to pilot a Business & Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) dedicated to supporting local entrepreneurs to start, run and grow their own businesses. The new centre will join the network of six others across the UK based on the successful British Library Business and IP Centre in London. Over the past two years Business & IP Centres have been created in city libraries in Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool....
A Mid Devon bridge which was destroyed in floods in late 2012 has been reinstated.
The original Waterstave Bridge, near Bradninch, which was built in the nineteenth century, was partially swept away following heavy rainfall and flooding on 21 November 2012. The extent of the damage meant that the remainder of the Grade Two Listed bridge was irreparable and unsafe, and was subsequently de-listed and demolished.
It has been replaced with a new structure which has been constructed over the past six months. It uses concrete beams supported by reinforced concrete piled abutments...
Thousands of homes and businesses will have their flood risk reduced with the potential work Devon County Council is involved in delivering over the coming years.
Devon County Council’s Cabinet will be asked next week (Wednesday 11 March) to approve the flood risk action plan for the coming financial year.
The proposed Action Plan for 2015/16 includes a number of schemes that will benefit in excess of 200 properties, while a number of proactive studies for future schemes is being developed in line with Defra’s 6 year programme.
As part of the follow up to the national inquiry into Jimmy Savile, Devon County Council was asked by the Government to investigate a specific allegation relating to a former council-run children’s home, Colleton Lodge, Exeter, in the early 1980s.
The information had been uncovered as part of a document review undertaken by the Metropolitan Police Service on behalf of the Department of Health.
The allegation of potential abuse was made by a former resident who described hearing screams of another young man in an adjacent room during a visit by Saville and another man to the...
