News in Dawlish

Events are being provisionally planned for this year in Dawlish – amid the continuing uncertainty over how much longer the Covid-19 restrictions will be in place.

The town council's Events Committee met on Tuesday, January 19 to discuss the 2021 programme, mainly focusing on The Lawn.

'Hope is on the horizon', Devon's public health chief has said, as the number of new coronavirus cases in Devon has started to fall.

Infection rates in the county have now dipped below the 200 per 100,000 mark and have fallen for six days in a row.

Plans for 42 extra caravan pitches at the Golden Sands Holiday Park in Dawlish Warren have been rejected by Teignbridge councillors.

The district council's planning committee refused the scheme that would have seen the caravans sited on land currently used for recreation at the holiday park.

A motion calling for a 'fairer voting system' and to allow 16-year-olds to take part in elections has been backed by Teignbridge councillors.

Last Thursday's full council meeting saw councillors vote by 24 votes to 18 in favour of the call for electoral reform that had been made by Kenn Valley councillor Andy Swain.

Teignbridge's council tax support scheme to help those hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic is to be extended, to avoid a 'Kafkaesque' situation where a rise in benefits would disqualify people from tax reduction.

District councillors agreed unanimously to update the council tax reduction scheme at their meeting on Thursday, January 14.

A motorcyclist has been seriously injured in an accident near Dawlish this morning (Monday, January 18).

The biker, a man in his 40s, collided with a car on the A379 between Dawlish and Starcross, shortly after 8am.

The impact of Covid-19 has led to a sharp fall in the town council's income from hiring out rooms at the Manor House to local groups and organisations.

Councillors heard a report on the financial position from the town clerk, Andrew McKenzie, at the Manor House and Riverside Centre working group's remote meeting on Wednesday, January 13.

Dawlish Swimming Club has been saved from going under – thanks to an army of crowdfunding supporters.

The club needed to raise £20,000 in pledges to secure its future, after being unable to generate income from its usual events during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A new permit scheme is being introduced to stop businesses illegally dumping commercial waste at Devon's recycling centres.

The free permits will be issued only to vans that are registered to private individuals living in Devon County Council's administrative area, not commercial organisations.

The government has taken a twin track approach to Covid - finding the medicines and cures as fast as possible and reducing infection spread while this work goes on. The current lockdown is until 31 March. The vaccine seems so tantalisingly close, but even by the end of February we will not have vaccinated every vulnerable group fully. Full vaccination for all, and we are all susceptible, should be in place by the summer.

Why therefore did I not support the vote for a lockdown? Because I wanted to protect everyone from what I saw as an increased risk of ill health - and death - from all causes. That sounds bizarre until you understand the total impact of a lockdown. It is a very blunt instrument. The upside is clearly infection rates should reduce. But if the downsides are greater, or there is a less damaging approach, we should avoid lockdown and look to that.