The Internal Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Torridge District Council met on Tuesday 2 September 2025 to discuss a range of topics, including the Planning Enforcement Service, the first Quarterly Budget Report (QBR1), and a call-in request regarding mooring fees. The committee was also scheduled to review the Forward Plan and the Annual Report.

Planning Enforcement Service

The committee was scheduled to receive a verbal update from the Planning Manager regarding the Planning Enforcement Service. A draft Enforcement Plan was expected to be circulated in advance of the meeting.

Quarterly Budget Report (QBR1)

The committee was scheduled to receive a report from the Service Improvement Officer on the first Quarterly Budget Report (QBR1). An advance copy of questions and answers relating to the report was provided.

Some of the highlights from the Q&A included:

• Agency Costs: In response to a question from Mr Ian Harper, the Principal Accountant, Sally Piper, clarified that the agency costs of £204,000 was the projected overspend for the year, not the quarter, and that this overspend was a result of covering vacancies and providing additional resource to deliver outcomes from grant funded projects.
• Building Control: Mr Ian Harper asked about a downturn against last year and budget in Building Control¹, and whether charges had increased and if the council was getting work from new builds. Martin Setherton, Building Control Manager, explained that there had been an increase in January 2025, but not in April, as they had already increased fees by 10% on most works, and that they were in a competitive market against private sector Registered Building Control Authorities (RBCA). He added that fees for full plan applications are split into plan fee and Inspection fee, so the council takes an initial fee to check the details provided but won't collect the rest of the fee until works commence, which can legally be anytime within 3 years of submission and acceptance. He also noted that smaller local developers such as Pearce Construction, Chichester Homes, NG homes and more recently Allison Homes have engaged the council's services, but the large national builders such as Bloor, Bellway, Redrow use NHBC for Building control as they negotiate a fee nationally and provide a warranty.
• Salaries: Mr Ian Harper noted that salaries were recorded as an adverse variance above yet shown as actual being below the budget. Sally Piper clarified that the adverse salary variance of £222,000 relates to the projected overspend for the year, while the favourable balance of £122,710 relates to the actual salary position v budget up to 30 June 2025, and does not include the 2025/26 pay award which has now been agreed, and the backdated pay award has been included in August salaries.
• Budget Monitoring: Mr Ian Harper asked for explanations of the Agency Backfill, Leisure Reserve, and Project Management lines. Sally Piper explained that the Agency Backfill of £100,000 was approved by C & R on 24/07/2023, and is a reserve available to cover agency costs in the event of an overspend. The Leisure Reserve of £781,641 is a reserve for costs relating to Leisure services and charges, of which £225,000 is committed towards Holsworthy Pool works approved at FC on the 14/10/2024 and £506,000 committed towards Bideford Town Hall, approved by FC on the 14/10/2024. The Project Management reserve of £100,000 was approved by FC on 17/10/2024 to provide additional capacity to TDC to prepare and facilitate capital investment.
• Vehicle Replacement: Councillor Hames asked what the four general vehicles to be replaced were and at what time this year. Sally Piper responded that the four general vehicles relate to Environmental Protection and Operational Services which are within the Vehicle replacement program for 2025/26, and that the timescale for replacement is the responsibility of the individual Head of Service.
• Staffing Requirements: Mr Stephen Dengate noted that while it is good to see that the staffing requirements are currently being met, the variance seems high and would be significantly over budget if the trend continues, and asked what the expectations on total agency costs for Q2-Q4 as a percentage of the budget for staffing were. Sally Piper clarified that the projected salary overspend of £222,000 is the projected salary overspend for the year, not the quarter, and that of which £204,000 relates to agency overs, which is a direct result of covering vacancies and providing additional resource to deliver outcomes from unbudgeted grant income received. She added that the total expectation on total agency costs for the year is £775,000, which represents 6% of the budget for staffing, which is in line with 2024/25.
• Northam Burrows: Mr Stephen Dengate noted that it is encouraging to see Northam Burrows's income increasing, and asked whether, with increased use and traffic flow, there is a need to have some marshalling/attendants during peak periods to help people park at the beach end (by the RNLI area) to protect the integrity of the infrastructure. Mike Day, Lead Ranger, responded that normally there is no need to employ staff to marshal the car park as there is plenty of space for everyone, but that exceptionally busy days can occur when the council can experience congestion as well as inconsiderate parking which inconveniences other park visitors. He added that on these occasions it would be beneficial to employ additional staff to marshal the carpark, but as these occasions only occur a few times in a season, and it is hard to predict exactly when they will occur, it is unrealistic to expect staff to wait on standby for the opportunity to work on a busy day. He also noted that staff could be employed on permanent basis, but this would increase costs significantly, and unless these costs were passed on to customers, Northam Burrows would be run at a loss.
• Bideford-Barnstaple Rail Link: Councillor Hames asked what the 'challenges' were around the business case for the Bideford-Barnstaple rail link. Chris Fuller, Economic Development Manager, responded that the business case for the Barnstaple- Bideford rail link has not yet been fully submitted despite a request to do so, not enabling the council to fully delve into the realities of the detail and implications.
• Business Relocation: Mr Ian Harper asked how many companies have relocated, or set up local branch, in Torridge in the last year, and how many companies have closed down and moved from Torridge last year. Chris Fuller responded that according to Nomis, in 2024 there has been a reduction in of 25 businesses on the 2023 figures, but that figures for the specific details are not available.
• TDC Properties: Councillor Hames asked when the tender package will be presented regarding cost and energy saving measures relating to TDC properties. Harvey Gardner, Estates Manager, responded that this is ongoing, that meetings have taken place but as yet, no date has been set.
• Climate Survey: Councillor Hames suggested that under the Environment section the QBR should refer to a climate survey approved by the Climate Emergency Working Group and planned to go out to the public this autumn. Harvey Gardner noted this and passed it on to the Council's Sustainability and Climate Officer.
• Enforcement Officer: Councillor Hames asked whether, given the low priority enforcement figure compared with last year and the fact that Torridge is a rural area, it is the intention to recruit another enforcement officer. The agenda noted that Helen Smith is presenting at the meeting and will cover this in her presentation.
• Enforcement Process: Mr Stephen Dengate asked how soon the proposed changes to EF2-EF4 will take to come into effect once endorsed by the relevant committee and what percentage improvement/impact this will make to those involved in the enforcement process. The agenda noted that Helen Smith is presenting at the meeting and will cover this in her presentation.

Call-in from C&R - Mooring Fees

The committee was scheduled to discuss a call-in request from the Community and Resources Committee (C&R) regarding mooring fees. The Chair was scheduled to present this item.

Annual Report

The Chair was scheduled to present the Annual Report to the committee.

Forward Plan

The committee was scheduled to review the Forward Plan.