New investment in Torridge will be welcome says council leader Ken James

I am lucky to have lived in Torridge for a large part of my life, and never had to experience the direct hardship and trauma of war.  

It’s been over two years since the conflict broke out in Ukraine, causing many families to flee their homes and to head for safety.

Since then, over 170 families have arrived in Torridge and have been assisted by the council and local charities.

My colleague, Claire Hodson, deputy leader of Torridge District Council, along with head of legal governance and monitoring officer, Staci Dorey, were recently invited along to an event at the Ukrainian Hub in Bideford, where they were presented with a beautifully framed painting to say ‘thank you’ for all the support they have been given over the last two years.  

The hub opened on the  May 13, 2022 to provide a safe space for Ukrainian refugees who had to leave their homes and families behind and seek refuge in other countries.  

Local charity Wings created the hub as a place where fellow refugees could meet and receive advice and support. 

I am very proud that as a council we have been able to support Wings in delivering this valuable and essential service. 

Well done to all those involved!

A lot has been happening with Torridge Place Board’s work with the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to assign up to £20million in funding for the area. 

Over the last couple of weeks, representatives from DLUHC have been in the area meeting with a range of businesses and members of the public to try and gather as many thoughts and views from local people as possible.  

One of the early pieces of feedback that we have received was “how happy the community seems to be, and how “chatty” and how proud they are of the area - although equally keen to see major improvements made to really make life better for our local communities and the economy, with a real emphasis on creating job opportunities to keep young people here.

Representatives from DLUHC will use these interviews as part of their feedback to develop business cases in June, with the aim that these will be signed-off and we will receive funding confirmations shortly after.  It’s an unusual process, but I am sure we can all agree that we welcome the additional investment for our area.  

Once we know what proposals are successful, there will be much work to be done, as part of the agreement dictates that funding for the project needs to be spent by March 2025.  Lots of hard work but worth it for the improvements the money can make.

Another welcome endorsement recently came via The Times newspaper where we came out top in a national league table of the best and worst councils in England.  

The piece featured some very kind words from local businesses and residents.

While it is really pleasing to see and read, it is only a snapshot of data covering a small number of services. Be assured that we are not going to rest on our laurels!  

As you are probably aware, a by-election for the Bideford North seat took place on Thursday, May 2, the seat being made available by the sad passing of Peter Christie.  

I am delighted to welcome Teresa Anne Tinsley to the council and look forward to working with Teresa in the future. As always, there is a lot to do and be thankful for.