An update on the Council's plans to spend housing development money (S106 and CIL payments)

When new housing developments are permitted, they come with the condition that the developer must pay some money to the local authority that they can invest in the local community.

In Ottery we have been waiting several years now for funds from developments at Butts Road and Gerway among others. Developers should by now have paid East Devon District Council, and they us, over £200,000. This amount is to be invested into netball courts, tennis courts, improvements at Winters Lane play park, enhancements to the Land of Canaan and other projects that would benefit the community.

One of the government's central policies to assist business during the pandemic was to "allow local authorities to be more flexible" in collecting this money from developers. What this means in practice is that EDDC have stopped asking developers to pay and have in fact redeployed that department to other pandemic related tasks.

It also means that the government is asking District Councils not to chase developers for the interest that they would normally pay on late payments. That is mandatory and charged at 2.5% per year - so should by this point be over £10,000. 

We are very keen to get started on making these changes, but we are entirely in the hands of national government policy.

We will keep chasing East Devon to collect this money AND the interest payable, as that money was a condition on which the developments were permitted.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-community-infrastructure-levy-guidance

The Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (as amended) provide some flexibility for local authorities to defer the payment of CIL. We have set out below some of the steps that local authorities may wish to consider now to ease the burden on developers. However, under the current regulatory regime, delaying payment would result, in some cases, in mandatory interest charges for the late payment of CIL.

At the remote Annual Meeting of the Council on Monday 1^st June 2020, history was made when the first female Mayor of Ottery St Mary was elected, who will take over from Cllr Roger Giles who had held the position for a year.

Councillor Vicky Johns was elected after having been a Councillor of the Town Council since May 2019. She also represents the Parish in her role as an East Devon District Councillor

Councillor Stewart Lucas was elected as Deputy Mayor and has been a Councillor for the same time, newly elected in May 2019.

Both Vicky and Stewart are passionate about the parish of Ottery St Mary and its community. They have been extremely pro-active in their roles as Ottery St Mary town councillors since their election success in 2019. We look forward to working with them both as they continue in their success.

***CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION***

 Letter to Local Authorities from Local Government Minister Simon Clark – 23 April 2020

 WHO CAN HELP YOU DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

UPDATED ON 15TH APRIL 2020 

UK Government & NHS

The UK Government coronavirus (COVID-19) page will keep you up to date with how the government is responding, and includes guidance on social distancing and staying at home. Please ensure you stay up to date on the latest announcements and guidance from the government. 

The UK NHS Coronavirus (COVID-19) page includes a wide range of health related information. This page gives clear information on when people need to self-isolate and how long for.

You can also complete this survey to help the NHS understand more about how and where coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting people currently: www.nhs.uk/coronavirus-status-checker

A full range of business support measures have been made available to UK businesses and employees. This page helps businesses find out how to access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply: www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/ 

Devon County Council 

Please click here to visit Devon County Council’s main coronavirus webpage.

East Devon District Council

Please click here to visit East Devon District Council's main coronavirus webpage 

NHS Volunteers

The NHS is “rallying the troops” for the war on coronavirus, with volunteers being called up to help vulnerable people stay safe and well at home.

NHS Volunteer Responders can be called on to do simple but vital tasks such as:

– delivering medicines from pharmacies;

– driving patients to appointments;

– bringing them home from hospital;

– or making regular phone calls to check on people isolating at home.

To find out more, please click here: www.england.nhs.uk/2020/03/your-nhs-needs-you-nhs-call-for-volunteer-army/

To request help from an NHS Volunteer Responder, please fill out the form here: www.goodsamapp.org/NHSreferral

 CORONAVIRUS IMPLICATIONS

Office Closure

Ottery St Mary Town Council has taken the decision to close its offices due to the Coronavirus pandemic for an undetermined period of time.  Members of staff will work from home in order to maintain services to the best of their ability during this difficult time

The Council will still be contactable on 01404 812252 or by email to:

Christine McIntyre, CEO – enquiries@otterystmary-tc.gov.uk

Liz Graveney, Deputy CEO – admin@otterystmary-tc.gov.uk

Emails will be checked regularly and information will be posted on this website.

Business Continuity Plan

The Council will adhere to its Business Continuity Plan and Scheme of Delegation signed off at the Extra Ordinary Council Meeting held on 23^rd March 2020 and will try to maintain services as far as practicable

People in need of help and assistance

Responsibility for vulnerable and elderly people who receive help and support to live in their own homes lies with Devon County Council and East Devon District Council.  However  Ottery Community Volunteers has been formed to coordinate help and assistance for vulnerable and elderly members of the community and an emergency centre has been set up in part of the Council`s building to effect this. The contact telephone numbers/e-mail addresses for this are:-

01404 600013 and help@ottery.online

General Advice - The Council asks members of the public not to panic and stockpile food and other supplies as this tends to make the situation worse for those who are unable to easily get to the shops or have funds available to purchase large amounts.

Advice from the NHS is to regularly wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially when you get home or into work, use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze, dispose of used tissues in the bin and wash your hands. Try to avoid close contact with anyone who is ill and do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.

Finally, keep any eye on the news for regular updates, advice and guidance. 

Please click here for Questions & Answers for your information 

 CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Ottery St Mary has declared a Climate Emergency as it is committed to making changes to ensure that the Town does everything possible to contribute to a cleaner and better future for the next generations.

  CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU 

Sadly, there will no further Citizen Advice Bureau meetings for the foreseeable future in Ottery St Mary. This is due to the entire service being under review. If the situation changes, we shall let you know.