There's little point in having a 'new' Torbay if we can't sort our town centres and make them safe and welcoming

Millions of pounds in Government funding has come in, and needs to be spent, on giving our town centres the long awaited and much needed kiss of life.
Millions more may be about to be invested as the Bay is identified as a Levelling Up partner with Whitehall, our heritage assets may get the boost they need with another huge pot of public funding, the Crossways care accommodation scheme in Paignton has just been awarded almost £1 million to help get it over the line and last, but very not least, Torbay Council is about to confirm a deal with a regeneration partner from the private sector to deliver game-changing redevelopment projects which will transform the Bay, generating millions for the local economy and creating hundreds of new jobs.
A hugely important part of that is creating town centres and areas of which we can proud. These regeneration projects should help with that as more residential and leisure developments - and less reliance on shops and retail - increases footfall in the High Street.
The likes of Torquay is not alone with that run-down and empty shops look. I spent the weekend up north visiting family and there are some towns in a far worse depressed and sorry state than ours.
That said, crime and anti-social behaviour is becoming an issue for us locally and even holidaymakers are saying for the first time that it had a negative impact on their visit.
Gladly, it looks as if tangible action is being taken now to help resolve those immediate issues.
The crime and ASBO problens have been raised with Torbay MP Kevin both by residents and businesses in the town centre.
Mr Foster has now written to them to reveal there is some light at the end of the tunnel at last.
He reveals he has met South Devon police commander Chief Supt Roy Linden and says: "I raised specific concerns regarding policing in Torquay town centre, including issues in Castle Circus, Union Street, Fleet Walk and around the harbourside. I made clear residents and businesses expected to see crime and anti-social behaviour met with a prompt and robust police response.
"I was advised by the Commander that a new Neighbourhood Team focussing on Torquay town centre is being created and will be in place over the next month. This team will be ring-fenced to focus on town centre issues only, so they are not diverted to other issues. and will be made up of four or five police team members including a supervising officer. This additional resource reflects the growing number of police officers in Devon and Cornwall under both local and national uplift programmes."
Mr Foster adds: "One issue which has been raised regularly is the increased number of people gathering to drink alcohol in and around Castle Circus, with the alcohol being purchased from a supermarket elsewhere in the town centre. For many years clear restrictions had been in place which allowed the police to prevent drinking on the street in the town centre. These restrictions were altered, under the previous administration of Torbay Council, making them less effective and much harder to enforce, resulting in a problem returning which had not been present for many years.
"I am pleased to report the new council leader Dave Thomas has confirmed he plans to re-instate the previous restrictions. This will give the police clear powers to deal with street drinking in the town centre and help them crack down on alcohol related anti-social behaviour. "
To be fair to Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez - a former Torbay councillor and local resident - she has done her bit to help solve some of these issues with funding for things like more CCTV cameras.
But residents and the business community will welcome the more tangible and effective measures such as an increased police presence focussing on the High Street problems and specific orders to clampdown on them.
We must all realise and sympathise with the fact that areas like Castle Circus will attract vulnerable people who need our help. It is saying nothing new that a homeless hostel, job centre and a drink/drugs rehab centre all within a stone's throw of one another has created the perfect storm.
There still needs to be a long-term solution and hopefully the regeneration projects and more people actually living in the town will help
There is little point in spending millions of pounds on a rejuvenated town centre if parts of it are virtual no-go areas which is sadly the case at the moment - at the same time emphasising that we are not alone tying to solve these problems.