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Given the events to come my week got off to the perfect start with my quarterly visit to the Christians Together in Torquay Prayer Breakfast. It was welcome to reflect on the challenges ahead and the hope by the time we get to the next one in December we may have seen some resolution to the arguments currently dividing our nation.

After this it was up to St Martin’s Barton for my weekly Advice Surgery. My surgeries are not only a chance to meet people in need of my help, but also provide a helpful grounding in terms of what matters to people here in the bay. I followed this with a visit to a trader in Torquay Town Centre to talk about the latest issues they are facing and the work to recruit a new team of Police Community Support Officers.

Later in the day I was out in Paignton continuing the campaign against proposals to downgrade Paignton’s Fire Cover. I have had a great response to this campaign and with just over a week left on the consultation do click here and let the Fire Service know what you think if you have not done so already.

Sunday morning saw an early call from BBC Radio Devon as I went live on air at 07:10am to reflect on how Christians in Parliament feel about current debates and aspects holding a shared faith might bring when disagreeing on issues around Brexit. Given the resignation of Amber Rudd the night before this was a slightly livelier discussion than might normally have been expected!

On Sunday night I travelled up to London ahead of Parliament sitting the next day and as some may have noticed I was sat right at the heart of proceedings when Black Rod arrived in the Commons Chamber.

I don’t use these updates to go into party political arguments, residents can judge for themselves the events of the evening in the chamber as they were shown live on TV and repeated on news programs. Yet one point sadly missed in the coverage was how it was the first time in centuries of parliamentary affairs a Lady (Rather than Gentleman) Usher of the Black Rod had entered the Commons Chamber.

Whilst parliament was not sitting there was still plenty for me to do in Westminster both for our bay and as a Minister. This included organising a cross-party delegation to push the needs of local rail users, meeting with UK businesses at a major exhibition being held in London and even hosting a delegation of Japanese Housebuilders visiting the UK to look at how they could bring their experience of different methods to bear on the effort to build more homes here.

Finally today I was back in the bay for meetings with residents, my weekly surgery at Paignton Library and to attend the launch of the Wild Planet Trust at Paignton Zoo.  

This week’s update is below and includes: General Election 2019?, Going Away Later This Year?, Oldway Trust Formed, New Hotel Plan For Lighthouse Unveiled, Preston Parking Meters, David Watts, Restoration & Renewal, Prorogation Debate, Friends £1.3m Cancer Treatment Equipment Boost, New Road Resurfacing Works, Preston Beach Parking Meters, PATH Seeks A New Home, Wages Rising, Universal Credit Changes, and finally……..Beach Hut For Sale.

General Election 2019?,

After a difficult week in parliament it should now be YOUR chance to decide in a General Election on Tuesday 15th October what happens next, yet this was blocked again due to not enough MPs voting for it as the opposition parties mostly abstained (Although Dr Sarah Wollaston did vote for an election to be held).

I voted for an election as whilst it does put my own job at risk, I believe we should have allowed the electorate to decide how to break the current impasse. The argument last week from some of waiting until a bill went through before voting for an election to be held no longer applied on Monday night, but the vote still failed to reach the 434 votes in favour needed under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.

For those wondering why Tuesday 15^th  it was chosen to allow the UK Prime Minister elected to attend the European Council on Thursday 17^th October, ideally with a clear decision and mandate from voters about what position the UK should take.

Our constitution is based on a balance between the Government and Parliament, with the electorate asked to make a judgement in a General Election where a dispute needs to be resolved between the two. This is what should be happening now.

Going Away Later This Year?,

Given the potential for an election to be held now is the perfect time to sort out a Postal Vote if you are due to be away on holiday or regularly go away on business.

It is easy to do and only takes a couple of minutes to download and print out a simple form. You can ask for a Postal Vote until further notice and simply cancel it at a later date if you would prefer to vote at the Polling Station.

Just click here to find the relevant page on the Electoral Commission website.

Oldway Trust Formed,

There was good news this week for Oldway Mansion as a new trust was formed to secure the future of it and the grounds around it.

The Oldway Trust will shortly be registered with the Charity Commission. Torbay Council has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding which shows its support for the Trust and the future direction of the Oldway Estate. The Oldway Working Party has also been expanded to incorporate all interested parties.

I understand an application is being made to the Heritage Horizon Awards, which allows not for profit organisations to bid for projects demonstrating heritage at risk. It is expected an application for up to £15m will be made in relation to Oldway Mansion.

You can read more on Devon Live by clicking here.

New Hotel Plan For Lighthouse Unveiled,

A Planning Application has now been submitted for a second new hotel on Paignton Seafront on the site of the derelict former Lighthouse Nightclub.

The plan is the latest from the Fragrance Group and is the fourth hotel they have proposed in our bay. The neighbouring new Park Hotel scheme will see a five-storey 161-bedroom hotel built. This latest scheme is smaller at 117- bedrooms but would still be a sizable investment on the seafront.

The two hotels will both be the largest investments in Paignton Seafront for a generation, with the Lighthouse site having been completely derelict for several years. This new investment is welcome and will help deliver the type of modern hotels many travellers look for when deciding which resort to visit for a holiday.

You can read more on Devon Live by clicking here.

Preston Parking Meters,

New car parking meters appear set to be installed on Preston Seafront after a decision by Torbay Council.

This is despite more than 1,800 people signing a petition against 24-hour meters on the road and a campaign against the plan which resulted in almost 1,300 letters of objection. The road currently has free parking, with a restriction to prevent overnight and all day stays.

The move to install the meters were opposed by Preston’s Councillors. You can read more on Devon Live by clicking here.

David Watts,

It is with great sadness I heard the news David Watts, chair of the Paignton Neighbourhood Plan Forum, had died earlier this week.

David was passionate about Paignton and a key driver behind the work which produced the Paignton Neighbourhood Plan which was so overwhelming endorsed by voters back in May. His legacy will be felt for many years to come and benefit future generations.

What made the news especially surprising was on Monday he had been at Torbay Council’s Planning Meeting representing residents opposed to a plan for new homes at Little Blagdon Farm. You can read more about this on Devon Live by clicking here.

I will be writing to his wife to express my deepest condolences.

Restoration & Renewal,

Amidst all the arguing and disagreement in parliament on Monday night there was one item which managed to bring MPs of all sides together.

The Restoration & Renewal Programme will see the Houses of Parliament undergo a major refit to deal with a backlog of maintenance dating back decades and to safeguard it for future generations. Whilst there are many debates to come about how best to do this, a key part was getting a new law to set up a Sponsor Body which will take the legal responsibility for the work. This is a similar structure to how the London 2012 Olympics were delivered.

As Minister for the Constitution I have been the Minister leading on taking this bill through the House of Commons. Monday night saw the final stage where MPs considered the amendments made by the House of Lords. Given all parties were supporting the bill, plus the Prime Minister was waiting in the wings to move a motion for an early General Election, most in the house were delighted when I decided to keep my comments short.

You can watch my speech by clicking here.

Prorogation Debate,

One area of our constitution which has had much debate in recent weeks is the subject of prorogation, with two petitions which between them attracted 1.7m signatures being debated by MPs on Monday.

Yet despite the large numbers on the petition it was safe to say the debate on them attracted little interest. Only one member of the public sat in the Gallery in Westminster Hall as a small number of MPs attended and spoke in the debate.

I was asked to reply on behalf of the Government and you can read my speech by clicking here.

Friends £1.3m Cancer Treatment Equipment Boost,

New cancer detection equipment worth a staggering £1.3m has been donated to Torbay Hospital by Torbay Hospital League of Friends.

The League presented 34 brand new, high definition endoscopes to the hospital’s endoscopy unit to support thousands of procedures a year, helping to prevent, detect and diagnose a wide range of illnesses.

The charity’s mammoth fund-raising challenge also provided the latest digital video recording equipment linked to the scopes for the three medical rooms in the hospital’s Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Department.

New Road Resurfacing Works,

Several carriageway reconstruction and resurfacing roadworks are planned across Torbay this autumn.

The following roads are part of the programme:

Albany Road, Paignton (Shorton Road to Windmill Hill)
Hyde Road, Paignton
Kings Ash Road, Paignton (Luscombe Road to Whitebeam)
Headland Park Road, Paignton (Great Headland Road to Cockington Lane)
Summer Lane, Brixham
Babbacombe Road, Torquay (Torwood Gardens to Lower Warberry Road)
Redavon Rise, Torquay

The value of the works is approximately £900k. The works will be carried out by Torbay Council’s surfacing partner Cormac Construction Ltd.

PATH Seeks A New Home,

PATH, a charity supporting the homeless in Torquay, is again facing having to find a new home of its own.

Earlier this year there was significant controversy when the then Mayoral administration evicted them from their former base in Abbey Road without finding a new permanent residence. A local church stepped in to provide a temporary venue, but later this year they will need to recover the space concerned and cannot offer a further extension. Their current base is their third home in just over a year having been moved out of Roebuck House due to its redevelopment.

You can read more about their situation on Devon Live by clicking here.

I have contacted Torbay Council about any work they might be doing to find an alternative premises, although despite supportive comments earlier this year when in opposition I am not sure exactly what support will be provided now.

Wages Rising,

The Office for National Statistics published its latest figures this week showing in the South West there are now 2,845,071 people in work, meaning 350,755 more people are in a job compared to 2010

The figures also confirm there are more people with a full-time job than ever before and the employment rate is at a joint record high.

Wages are also rising at their fastest pace in more than 11 years, ahead of inflation for 18 months in a row. Some encouraging statistics, but there is still more work to do in ensuring our bay reaches its full potential.

Universal Credit Changes,

Earlier this week new legislation was passed making changes to Universal Credit.

At present, a claimant has until the end of their monthly Assessment Period to report childcare costs so these can be reimbursed. The new legislation eases this rule and allows childcare costs to be reimbursed up to 85% if they are reported in the Assessment Period during which the claimant paid them (as applies now) or the Assessment Period immediately following it.

This extension for submitting costs provides parents with more flexibility and could help claimants with two or more children avoid losing out on more than £1,100 per month. Childcare costs can be submitted online, and those in work while in receipt of Universal Credit can apply for up to £646.35 per month if they have one child and up to £1,108.40 for two or more children. The support can also be claimed in the month prior to starting work if a person has accepted a job offer.

and finally……..Beach Hut For Sale.

Ending on a different note if the thought of spending summer on the beach appeals then an available business opportunity might be right up your street.

The hut concerned is one of the large kiosks on Paignton Beach and comes with a seasonal lease agreement, plus plenty of sand and sea views!!! You can read more on Devon Live by clicking here.

That is all for this week and enjoy your weekend.

Events

Until 22nd September Artizan Gallery and Artizan Collective host Devon Open Studios across two locations:

A taster exhibition will be hosted at Artizan Collective Gallery (Unit 5, Fleet Walk, 74 Fleet Street, Torquay, TQ2 5EB) from 7^th – 22^nd September and Artizan Gallery will also be opening their doors for the studio event throughout these dates. For more information on Artizan Gallery visit www.artizangallery.co.uk and for more details on their work with Devon Open Studios 2019 head to www.art-hub.co.uk/dos19.

16th September onward – Coffee and Conversation get together, every Monday.  They will be in the new big coffee shop in Brunswick Square from 10am

19th September –  The Blue Walnut Film Club (Walnut Road, Chelston) is showing the all time classic The Lady Eve (1941) on Thursday 19 September. Doors open at 1930 for a film start at 2000. Non members very welcome (£6) but please ring 01803-392522 to reserve your place.

21st September  – An open invitation has gone out to children, young people and families to come along and share their ideas and concepts at the Torbay Imagination Festival being held at Parkfield in Colin Road in Paignton between 2pm and 8pm on Saturday 21st September 2019. Click here for more details.

27th September –   ‘MacMillan Coffee Morning on Friday, 27th September, 10.30am-12.30pm.   Come along for yummy cakes, fun time, meet people and helping a very good cause. Taking place at Engage Torbay (Hillsong) Church, 8A Lower Union Lane, Torquay, TQ2 5PN   

19th October  @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Ageing Well Festival 2019, at the Riviera International Conference Centre, Chestnut Ave Torquay TQ2 5LZ –  FREE ENTRY – for more details Click here.

From October 2019 – an exciting new series of daytime talks on the Palace Theatre stage.
 The talks will be on a range of fascinating subjects and will take place once a month on a Thursday morning.  Please see the attached leaflet for dates and details. Click here to see leaflet.

There will be lots of opportunities to socialise in the Theatre Bar before and after the talks, to meet new people, learn interesting facts and to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee (which is included in the ticket price!)

Tickets can be bought online via the Palace Theatre website or by calling the Box Office on 01803 665800 (between 11am and 3pm on weekdays).

Every Tuesday from 0930 till 1230. The Royal British Legion Office, 39 Church Street, Paignton is open. It is where ex members of the armed forces can receive help and advice. Appointments can be made by phoning 01803 555838, or email paignton.bcs@rbl.community.

Every Tuesday & Wednesday (10:45 – 12 noon) – Lectures at Torquay Museum
529 Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1HG – Lectures are free to TMSM,& cost £5 to Non-Members on the door! For more details click here.

2nd Wednesday of each month at the Quaker Meeting House in Torquay – Torbay Interfaith Forum meet. For more details Click here.

PARKFIELD Youth services have a range of activities throughout the week for young people – click here to see what’s on and when. 

Are you running an event in the Bay? I am always looking to promote local events, big or small. If you have an event coming up, please email kevin.foster.mp@parliament.uk so it can be included.

Advice Surgeries

Saturday 21st September, 11am – 1pm @ The Acorn Centre, Lummaton Cross, Torquay TQ2 8ET

Saturday 5th October, 11am – 1pm @ Preston Baptist Church, Old Torquay Road, Paignton TQ3 2RB

Friday 11th October, 3pm – 5pm @ Windmill Centre, Pendennis Road, Torquay TQ2 7QR

Saturday 19th October, 11am – 1pm @ Torquay Library, Lymington Road, Torquay TQ1 3DT

Friday 25th October, 3pm – 5pm @ Paignton Baptist Church, 62 Winner Street, Paignton TQ3 3BJ

It’s always best to book a slot to guarantee being able to see me. Full details of how to do this are on my website or you can call my office on  01803 214989, Monday – Fridays, 9am – 5pm.

You can either email me at  kevin@kevinjfoster.com or leave a message on 01803 214989 and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Thanks to Kevin Foster for his latest update below:

After a remarkable week in the political world it is time for my latest update.

My week started with a friendly competition at Goodrington Sands as I joined the Torbay Beach Hut Action Group (TBAG) to judge their latest Train Wave competition. Whilst the weather earlier in the day had put off some from attending a good crowd of us got together to wave at the passing steam train, with extra points for energetic waving.

Later in the day it was a pleasure for Cllr Foster and I to join TOADS SMC for their river cruise down the River Dart. As the sun set it was great to share some good company, great food and the superb jazz music being played. The boat also guaranteed a great view of the fireworks at the Dartmouth Regatta.

Sunday started with a perfect opportunity to deal with some of the tensions the week ahead at Westminster promised, the plate smashing stall at the Lions on the Downs event!! It was great to catch up with many residents there and see the hot coals being prepared for the firewalk.

Later in the afternoon I was pleased to join the St Luke’s Residents Association for the opening of their street party in Cary Road. A range of stalls and some great cakes made for a fun hour, plus a drinks raffle which delivered a good chance of a win or two. This was followed by a Cream Tea organised by St Martin’s Church, Barton.

Before heading up to London on Monday I spoke with the media ahead of the Public Exhibition held in Paignton about the proposed changes to Torbay’s Fire Cover. I could not make the exhibition the next day due to parliament sitting, but I was pleased to hear a large turnout of residents did to ensure the Fire Authority heard loud and clear the concerns we all have about their plans. More on this issue below.

On Tuesday parliament sat for the first time since the Summer Recess and it turned out to be quite a momentous week. I was invited onto BBC Radio Devon to discuss the situation and the caller just before me, Sue from Torquay, perhaps spoke for many in the bay. When asked for three words about how she felt on Brexit she said: “Bored to Tears”. I have posted a separate update about Brexit on my website which you can read by clicking here.

Wednesday morning was a highlight of my week in parliament as I took part in my latest session of Welsh Questions. The 30-minute session took place just before PMQs, so my last couple of answers were delivered with the Prime Minister sat right behind me, presenting the practical challenge of not sitting down on him after each answer. You can watch the session by clicking here.

Thursday saw me sitting in on a debate about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will replace many European Funding streams after Brexit. This saw MPs from our region attend to highlight how it is vital we get our fair share and ensure future schemes deliver real economic benefits.

Earlier today I attended a family funeral before returning to the bay this evening, although not before hearing some fantastic news for our bay in relation to funding for a Town Deal. More on this below, along with this week’s update which includes: Schools Funding Increase Confirmed, Teacher Pay, Spending Round, Police Officer Recruitment Campaign Launched, Fire Cover Campaign, General Election?, Registering For a Postal Vote, Town Council’s Consultation, Bin Collections, Kev’s Column: High Street To The Future and finally…….Are Paignton’s Donkeys Riding Into the Sunset?

Schools Funding Increase Confirmed,

In last week’s update I mentioned the very welcome news of an increase in Schools Funding which had just been made, worth £14bn extra over the next three years.

For many years Torbay’s Schools have been received some of the lowest amounts of funding per pupil for reasons now lost to history. Whilst a recent change to the funding formula helped to rectify some of this the overall issue remains, especially after much of the resources gained for our bay were top sliced by Torbay Council due to an overspend on their higher needs budget.

I asked for details about what the latest announcements meant for Torbay and the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson MP, wrote to me this week confirming some further details.

The Minister confirmed in his letter every school will attract increases at least in line with inflation or higher. He also confirmed schools that are already attracting their National Funding Formula allocations can expect significant cash increases of 4% per pupil on average (subject to changes in pupil characteristics and numbers). The Government will also remove the cap on gains for schools not yet attracting their full gains under the new formula. This is expected to benefit some schools in Torbay.

Illustrative funding allocations for each school will be announced early next month and Mr Williamson has promised to write to me with these once they are available. He did though confirm to me the list of schools in the area I cover which attracted less than £3,750 or £5,000 funding per pupil in 2019-20 and will therefore benefit from the new minimum per pupil funding levels in 2020-21.

Primary schools:

Ilsham Church of England Academy
Oldway Primary School
Preston Primary School
Roselands Primary School
Sherwell Valley Primary School
Shiphay Learning Academy
Warberry CofE Academy

Secondary schools:

Torquay Boys’ Grammar School
Torquay Girls Grammar School
 
I also received a couple of queries about the impact for 16-19 education and Sixth Forms of the announcements. The investment includes an extra £400 million to provide better education for 16-19 year olds in 2020-21. This means a 7% nominal uplift to overall 16-19 funding. This is the biggest single year increase since 2010.

Teacher Pay,

The government also announced a major boost in the starting salaries for Teachers.

Subject to the School Teachers’ Review Body process, the recent investment will make it possible to increase teachers’ starting salaries by up to £6,000, with the aim of reaching £30,000 by 2022-23. I am advised the funding package also gives schools complete assurance their increased contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme will be fully funded.

This change would make starting salaries for teachers amongst the most competitive in the graduate labour market. It will ensure students in our bay have some of the brightest talents available to prepare them for their future careers.

You can read the full details on the Government website by clicking here.

Spending Round,

On Wednesday the Chancellor updated MPs on the latest spending round, with a range of announcements which may have a positive impact in our bay.

These included:

• An additional £1 billion of funding for adult and children’s social care. In addition, the government will also consult on a 2% Adult Social Care precept to enable councils to raise a further £0.5 billion on top of this.
• £2.2 billion of additional funding for Defence.
• £422 million resource funding to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping, including an additional £54 million in 2020-21. This represents a real terms increase of 13% compared to 2019-20.
• over £200 million of increased funding to transform bus services, making best use of technology and promoting decarbonisation

This Spending Round delivers the fastest planned real growth in day-to-day departmental spending in 15 years. From 2019-20 to 2020-21, day-to-day departmental spending will now grow at 4.1% in real terms. For the first time since 2002, no government department faces a cut to its day-to-day budget.

Since 2010 the amount the government borrows each year has reduced significantly and is now just 1.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) compared to nearly 10% in 2010, enabling the government to spend more on the UK’s public services in a sustainable way. The Spending Round has been delivered within the current fiscal rules: keeping the structural deficit below 2% of GDP in 2020-21 and debt falling as a percentage of GDP overall.

You can read more about the spending review on the Government website by clicking here.

Police Officer Recruitment Campaign Launched,

The campaign to recruit an extra 20,000 Police Officers nationally got underway this week.

Devon & Cornwall Police was already recruiting under a budget plan to increase officer numbers from our Police & Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez.

This week the Chancellor confirmed £750 million to fund the first year of the national initiative, during which 6,000 new police officers will be enlisted. The remaining 14,000 will be recruited in the following 2 years, backed by government funding, and will be additional to any officers hired to fill existing vacancies.

You can find details of how to apply and the various routes to becoming a Police Office (You don’t need a university degree) on the campaign website by clicking here.

Fire Cover Campaign,

The campaign against changes proposed to Torbay’s Fire Cover continued this week with a large turnout by residents at a public exhibition of the proposals for cuts.

I have been supporting the campaign against the proposals and when the Fire Service first unveiled its series of public consultation events Paignton was not included. After I objected this week’s session in Paignton was arranged, so I am delighted to note hundreds of residents then attended it.

The proposals from Devon & Somerset Fire Service could see Paignton reduced to being only an “on call” station at night, rather than having an engine crewed by wholetime Firefighters 24/7.  The consultation also proposes removing the third engine at Torquay Fire Station, which is operated by “on call” firefighters.

If you are yet to do so you can have your say about the proposals via the online consultation document. You can find it by clicking here.

Finally you can sign the FBU Petition opposing the plans by clicking here, over 9,000 already have.

General Election?,

Given the endless delays and indecision over the last three years, plus the sign of no real consensus emerging in parliament other than to yet again delay making an actual decision on Brexit, I supported the motion to call a General Election on Tuesday 15^th October.  It failed as not enough MPs voted for it.

A further attempt to call an election will be made on Monday. I will support it as whilst it might not be comfortable for MPs personally, our nation and politics cannot go on like this.

Registering For a Postal Vote,

As an election may happen at short notice at any time over the next few months now is the time to register for a Postal Vote if you may be unable to vote in person for any reason.

It is very easy to do and only takes a couple of minutes to print the required form and post it to Torbay Council. You can find all the details necessary on the Electoral Commission website by clicking here.

You do not need to specify a specific date just indicate you wish a Postal Vote until further notice.

Town Councils Consultation,

Despite a decisive result in a consultation held earlier this year Torbay Council is again consulting on setting up Town Councils for Paignton and Torquay.

One major aspect of Town Councils is they can charge an additional precept on top of the Council Tax Bill you already pay to Torbay Council. In Torbay’s case the Council is indicating at least an extra £90 a year for year 1, with this set to rise much further.

This aspect is not mentioned on the webpage promoting the consultation, but you can make your views known by clicking here.

Whilst a genuine community plan for representation would be worth looking at, this plan is based on the Council looking to avoid limits on Council Tax rises. A future review of local government creating a wider South Devon Unitary would give a sensible reason to consider this idea, but for now this strikes me as just an extra bill for residents to pay for more administration and more politicians.

Bin Collections,

I was still getting some feedback about problems with bin collections this week.

If your bin is not collected do leave it out the next day and if you have not been collected after a couple of days do let my team know.

Kev’s Column: High Street To The Future

Every fortnight I write a “Kev’s Column” for the Herald Express and you can read the latest edition by following the link below:

https://www.kevinjfoster.com/news/kevs-column-high-street-future   

and finally…….Are Paignton’s Donkeys Riding Into the Sunset?

A donkey ride on Paignton Green is a seaside tradition many of us have enjoyed in our younger years, yet the future of the much-loved attraction could be in doubt.

Julie and Peter Wibrow have been running the donkey rides on the green at Paignton for 19 years, but the end of this season will see their final trips around the green. They are trying to keep all 11 of them together, by finding a new owner, especially as the Paignton donkeys were voted ‘Britain’s Best Beach Resort Donkeys’.

You can read more on Devon Live by clicking here. Hopefully a buyer will be found so this tradition does not ride off into the sunset.

That is all for this week and enjoy your weekend.

Best Wishes,
 
Kevin

Events

7th -22nd September With the kind support of Fleet Walk Torquay, Artizan Collective CIC are pleased to be bringing this year’s launch event to Torbay. Hosted on the Torquay high street, the launch venue will also be running a mixed taster show allowing visitors to see several artists’ work at a glance and then choose which studios they particularly wish to visit.

Unit 5 Fleet Walk

7th -22nd September Artizan Gallery is delighted to be taking part once again in Devon Open Studios for a fifth year since opening, playing host to eight talented and diverse artists from Torbay. With a variety of contemporary 2D and 3D work on display this promises to be an exciting feature in the Artizan calendar as well as the Devon Open Studios 2019 programme.

7 Lucius Street Torquay

More details here

19th October  @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Ageing Well Festival 2019, at the Riviera International Conference Centre, Chestnut Ave Torquay TQ2 5LZ –  FREE ENTRY – for more details click here. 

From October 2019 – an exciting new series of daytime talks on the Palace Theatre stage.
 The talks will be on a range of fascinating subjects and will take place once a month on a Thursday morning.  Please see the attached leaflet for dates and details. Click here to see leaflet.

There will be lots of opportunities to socialise in the Theatre Bar before and after the talks, to meet new people, learn interesting facts and to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee (which is included in the ticket price!)

Tickets can be bought online via the Palace Theatre website or by calling the Box Office on 01803 665800 (between 11am and 3pm on weekdays).

Every Tuesday from 0930 till 1230. The Royal British Legion Office, 39 Church Street, Paignton is open. It is where ex members of the armed forces can receive help and advice. Appointments can be made by phoning 01803 555838, or email paignton.bcs@rbl.community.

Every Tuesday & Wednesday (10:45 – 12 noon) – Lectures at Torquay Museum
529 Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1HG – Lectures are free to TMSM,& cost £5 to Non-Members on the door! For more details click here.

2nd Wednesday of each month at the Quaker Meeting House in Torquay – Torbay Interfaith Forum meet. For more details Click here.

PARKFIELD Youth services have a range of activities throughout the week for young people – click here to see what’s on and when. 

Advice Surgeries

Friday 13th September, 3pm – 5pm @ Paignton Library, Great Western Road, Paignton TQ4 5AG

Saturday 21st September, 11am – 1pm @ The Acorn Centre, Lummaton Cross, Torquay TQ2 8ET

Saturday 5th October, 11am – 1pm @ Preston Baptist Church, Old Torquay Road, Paignton TQ3 2RB

Friday 11th October, 3pm – 5pm @ Windmill Centre, Pendennis Road, Torquay TQ2 7QR

Saturday 19th October, 11am – 1pm @ Torquay Library, Lymington Road, Torquay TQ1 3DT

Friday 25th October, 3pm – 5pm @ Paignton Baptist Church, 62 Winner Street

It’s always best to book a slot to guarantee being able to see me. Full details of how to do this are on my website or you can call my office on  01803 214989, Monday – Fridays, 9am – 5pm.

You can either email me at  kevin@kevinjfoster.com or leave a message on 01803 214989 and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.

The next meeting of TTCCP will be attended by the leader of the Council and lead Officer for the proposals for Town Councils. They will present the proposals at the start of the meeting and take questions after.

All welcome to attend for the whole of the meeting or this part of the meeting.

Venue Torbay Community Development Trust Offices Temperance Street, Torquay.

Please find below some background to the Consultation:

Have your say on your town’s future.

A new consultation into the proposed creation of new town councils in Torbay is now open. But before you respond you’re being encouraged to consider the future of the area you live in and fully explore what town councils could mean for you and your community.

Torbay Council’s proposing to create new town councils in Torquay and Paignton – that’s in addition to the existing Brixham Town Council.

Across the country town councils play a big part in promoting real community engagement and provide local services that matter to their communities.

Like in other areas, rising costs of statutory services combined with Government cuts will mean that Torbay Council will have to stop providing some services completely and dramatically reduce others.

The introduction of town councils for Paignton and Torquay would generate between £1.3 and £1.8m each year, which would help protect the services you value and enable communities to get more involved in decision making at a local level. Town councils could support services such as parks, toilets and events, but statutory services, such as social care, education or housing would remain with Torbay Council.

Leader of the Council, Steve Darling, said: “Town Councils could give local people more say and control over how services in their area are delivered, as well as helping to protect services that Torbay Council will no longer be able to afford. Town councils can bring people together – encouraging individuals and groups to work with each other to improve their communities.

“If town councils are created, the average Band D household would pay a maximum of £1.73 extra per week through their council tax, but over 90% of this will be spent directly on the services you value the most in your town – services which we may have to stop providing in the future.

“Before you make your mind up, please weigh up all the options and consider the future of services in your area. Watch our videos, meet us at our roadshows and ask us questions.”

The consultation is now live and will be running until 25 October. During this time we will be sharing lots of information in a number of ways, including through social media posts, your questions will be answered in our Torbay Questions (TQs) Facebook Live Panels and there’ll be roadshows in each town. All of this information is to help you explore and understand what town councils really mean for you and your community.  

When you feel you have all the information you need please respond to the Community Governance Review Consultation questionnaire at www.torbay.gov.uk/council/consultations/community-governance-review-consultation/

You can find more about the proposals for town councils, along with some frequently asked questions and our latest social media videos at www.torbay.gov.uk/council/new-town-councils/. Our latest video explaining what town councils could mean for you can also be found at https://youtu.be/ioaqNdLJ-_s

Together we can create involved communities and protect services that matter to you.

Imagine This… is asking the people who know best what they think should be done to improve the lot of young people in the Bay – the young people themselves. An open invitation has gone out to children, young people and families to come along and share their ideas and concepts at the Torbay Imagination Festival being held at Parkfield in Colin Road in Paignton between 2pm and 8pm on Saturday 21st September 2019. The festival includes art, food, music, games, tech, workshops, entertainment and prizes for those with the brightest imaginations. Everything at the festival is designed to inspire and encourage young people to share their ideas on making Torbay a better place for them to grow up in. It promises to be an excellent and exciting start to a two-year project that that has brought together 26 organisations from across the Bay to ask the questions that mean the most to young people. 25,000 children and young people live in the Bay and with good reason many of them would say no-one is listening to them and that is where Imagine This… comes in. Imagine This… aims to provide a platform (or numerous platforms) that will allow those conversations to take place and for the voices to be heard before deciding with young’s people’s help how to do something about the issues that will be raised. If you’d like any more information about Imagine This…or the Imagination Festival, call Tanny on 0772 860407, or Jo on 07954 105566.