Your concernsare
our concerns
Survey highlights
value of parks and greenspaces
We had an overwhelming response to our recent residents survey and we thank you for taking the time to complete it.
One of the largest responses was the need to improve our parks and green spaces.
Since being elected in 2019, we have successfully replaced several rusty old bins as well as giving community notice boards a much needed makeover.
We also secured some funds to improve Markham Plantation
as well as to support initiatives such as Pollinator Patches at Shiphay and Kitson Parks
and in front of Shiphay shops.
Most recently we have worked with the football club who play at Armada Park
and have secured the funding to completely refurbish the tired changing rooms.
As members of the Community Partnership, we have managed to find some funding to support the launch of the "Green Shiphay" initiative investing in our parks and green spaces in the area.
Improving our green spaces will continue to be a priority for us and we will work to identify money from developer contributions to make this investment.
Potholes,
pavements and pride in place
The poor condition of roads continues to be a main issue.
Unfortunately, Torbay has a backlog of repairs of around £25 million due to inadequate funding from the government.
Despite these pressures we have been able to secure some resurfacing works and regularly have potholes repaired.
We have provided a list of many street signs that need renewing and are pleased that this has started.
We will continue to press for more resurfacing schemes, but the challenge is across the bay.
We are also pressing for white and yellow lines to be remarked and there is a programme to be implemented across Torbay.
We listen - we act
Local bus
is a lifeline
For many, the local bus is an essential means of transport.
We will oppose any efforts to reduce this service (remember it has already been reduced).
As the number 35 serves Torbay Hospital it reduces the need for staff to use their cars and therefore reduces parking in our residential areas.
However, much more needs to be done for the benefit of staff, patients, visitors and of course local residents.
Our survey also highlighted many residents concerns about parking on grass verges and we will continue to work with residents and council officers to identify innovative ways to reduce this problem, such as a ‘Considerate Parking’ pilot trial.
Listening to
youActing for you
Waste
and recycling
Our survey asked for your views on waste and recycling since Swisco took over from Tor2 in July 2020.
Two-thirds
of respondents rated the service as good or very good
and almost half said that the service had improved since the change,
Swisco is a company wholly owned by Torbay Council which means there is much more day-to-day control of the service.
A recent survey carried out by Torbay Council and Swisco identified that the new Green Waste
service is easy to use, good value for money and is very efficient.
Many thousands have signed up for the service across Torbay. If you want to find out more you can do so here: https://www.torbay.gov.uk/recycling/garden-waste/garden-waste-collections/
Rob and Darren will continue to support further investment in initiatives to improve recycling rates, such as the Right Stuff, Right Bin
campaign as well as significant investment in new, modern, cleaner vehicles.
Car parking and grass verges
Our survey highlighted many residents concerns about parking on grass verges.
This problem is across the Shiphay ward.
The estates were built before multi-car ownership and innovative ways need to be found to preserve the green look of our communities, while managing car parking.
We will engage
with local residents to work with council officers to find ways of coming up with acceptable solutions.
The whole issue of car parking continues to be a challenge, particularly with a lack of adequate staff, patient and visitor car parking at the hospital.
We believe a solution has to be found to increase on-site parking and/or a park and ride - possibly from Gallows gate as identified in the Torquay Neighbourhood Plan.
Traffic and
highways
For many, the local bus is an essential means of transport.
We will oppose any efforts to reduce this service (remember it has already been reduced).
As the number 32 serves Torbay Hospital it reduces the need for staff to use their cars and therefore reduces parking in our residential areas.
However, much more needs to be done for the benefit of staff, patients, visitors and of course local residents.
Our survey highlighted many residents concerns about parking on grass verges and we will work with residents and council officers to identify ways to reduce this problem.
