David Thomas: Action taken to improve our town centres

I have spoken several times before here in this column about the two operations we  dedicated additional funds to in this year’s, and future years’ budgets. As we are  nearly halfway through our financial year I wanted to provide an update on what has  been delivered by both projects. Hopefully you will have seen some of the things I’m  about to mention as well. 

Operation Town Centres is our project to ensure all three of our town centres are  high quality, welcoming and vibrant places. We want our town centres to be a place  for you and our communities to feel safe and where businesses can thrive. 

There were recently some surveys out about safety in our town centres. Thank you if  you took the time to take part and for letting us know what your thoughts and  feedback are. We wanted to hear about community safety and what can be done to  make you feel even safer. We’re currently going through the responses, and I’ll  share with you the outcome and how we can make you feel safer when you visit soon. 

In the meantime, our investment into Operation Town Centres is continuing to have  an impact. In July 67 Public Spaces Protection Orders were issued for  alcohol. 61 of those were in Torquay and six in Paignton. 

As a reminder, these powers prohibit the consumption of alcohol in defined public  spaces. This includes all three town centres and Torquay and Paignton seafronts.  This means that when an authorised officer of the Council or the police see someone  drinking on the street, they can inform them of the PSPO and ask them to stop. 

I was pleased to see Crimestoppers visit Torquay over the summer as well to explain  to traders how important it is to report anti-social and criminal behaviour. Remember,  Crimestoppers is 100 per cent anonymous. 

People often say that the authorities don’t do enough to tackle crime, but to help us  do this we need to know where and when criminal activity is happening. We and the  police can’t be everywhere, and you are all very much the eyes and ears of our Bay  

as well. Together we can make our place better and I really do encourage you to  contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you see any behaviour which feels antisocial or criminal to you. 

Crimestoppers is not just to report anti-social behaviour or crime in our town centres,  you can use the number for any criminal activity you see or any knowledge you may  have. – don't forget in an emergency always call 999. 

Our other project is Operation Brighter Bay. This is our focus on delivering  improvements to our ‘place’ right across the Torbay. We allocated an extra £300,000  per year over four years to make visible enhancements to the Bay and to help us  showcase the English Riviera at its best, for you and those that visit us.

Over ten miles of road have been identified as being the main entrance points to the  Bay. These are the main routes between towns and destinations that we all use  daily. The routes also offer visitors their first impression of Torbay. These routes are  swept, and grass verges cut as a priority every two weeks. This is an increase on  what we would normally delivery in our usual budget. We’ve also started to reinstate the line markings with a fresh coat of paint as part of a wider maintenance drive right  across the Bay. 

Our parks and gardens have received additional attention with increased grass  cutting and border maintenance. The English Riviera flower bed by the South  Devon Highway will now be refreshed three times per year. This is an increase from  two in previous years and helps to provide a welcome to visitors and residents alike. 

Additional flower beds, hanging baskets and barrier planters are also in place. I’m sure you would agree with me, these were looking delightful over our summer  months. Our team at SWISCo have also made significant efforts to ensure the Bay is  maintained to the highest standards for the enjoyment of local communities and  visitors alike.  

We will continue to deliver these high standards as we deliver a brighter and safer  Bay for all.