The Scrutiny Committee of East Devon District Council met on 4 September 2025 to discuss several topics, including safeguarding, emergency planning, and the use of glyphosate. The committee was also scheduled to review its work programme and the Cabinet forward plan.

Emergency Planning and Responses

The committee was scheduled to review the council's emergency planning and responses for 2024/25. East Devon District Council is defined as a 'Category 1' responder to emergencies under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which places responsibilities on the council in relation to the response to, management of, and recovery from emergencies.

The report noted that weather-related risks had dominated the last 12 months, requiring responses to incidents such as flooding, severe rain, storms, wind, thunderstorms, and snow and ice impacts. There had also been emergency responses to avian flu, blue tongue, industrial action, cliff falls in Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton, aircraft incidents at Exeter Airport, unexploded ordnance in Sidmouth, and protests in Plymouth, Exeter and locally.

The report mentioned that the Local Resilience Forum¹ had generated and brought the partnership together for 15 response activations in 2024/25, and a further three notifications of incidents for awareness. The report also noted that the number of warnings generated by the Met Office, Environment Agency and the Joint Flood Forecasting Centre is increasing year on year.

The council uses these warnings to provide messaging internally to the Senior Leadership Team, StreetScene, Waste Collection, Housing, Human Resources, Environmental Health, Building Control, Communications, and Place. Messages also go out to Parish Clerks and identified Community members as part of the council's Community Resilience Network for all Amber warnings, and Environment Agency Flood warnings, but also some specific Met Office severe weather warnings.

The Emergency Duty Officer role is staffed voluntarily by 13 members of the Senior Leadership Team. A review of its delivery was conducted in February 2025 and its delivery was felt to be appropriate for managing EDDC's response to incidents.

As a result of community resilience work in Newton Poppleford at the end of 2023, the council has continued to maintain and expand its Community Resilience Network. Public meetings have been held in Axminster and Newton Poppleford/Otter Valley.

With Martyn's Law now enacted as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, the council has been sharing information to the likely affected areas, Licensing; Place, Safety Advisory Group for the council, with a view to full implementation by April 2027.

Safeguarding Annual Review

The committee was scheduled to review the East Devon Safeguarding Annual Review for 2024/2025. The report outlined the key deliverables that have been achieved during 2024/25 as part of East Devon District Council's safeguarding responsibilities.

The council has a Safeguarding policy which was updated and published in March 2024 and is due for review in 2026.

In 2024/25 East Devon District Council submitted 94 adult safeguarding referrals to Torbay & Devon Safeguarding Partnership, compared to 65 in 2023/24. The council sees this increase in reporting as a positive aspect linked to awareness raising and the confidence given to staff through safeguarding support work. Self-neglect is still the predominant type of concern raised by EDDC, with 63 out of the 94 submissions having a self-neglect element.

For Child Safeguarding referrals, submissions to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) are direct via the Devon's Safeguarding Children Partnership (DSCP) website. In 2024/25 the council made three submissions, which is similar to previous years' submission figures.

The council's Safeguarding policy identifies safeguarding leads across the council, with all Directors and Assistant Directors as officer champions. Councillor Joe Whibley is the current member champion.

The Safeguarding Forum meets quarterly under the guidance of the Corporate Safeguarding Lead. It includes managers and officers from the main services where safeguarding is a live issue (e.g. Housing, Revenue and Benefits, Environmental Health).

The council continues to deliver level 3 Safeguarding and Mental Capacity Assessment training for front-line staff across the council to improve their knowledge base in these areas. Online Safeguarding awareness training is now a mandatory requirement for staff upon induction and subsequently every three years.

The council continues to use a Firm step process for submission of adult safeguarding forms to Devon County Council to maximise the capture and understanding of corporate adult safeguarding risks.

The council is an active member of the Devon Districts Safeguarding Network, which meets quarterly and has meeting inputs from representatives of the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Torbay and Devon Safeguarding Adult Partnership (TDSAP).

In August 2025, the council also completed a self-assessment children's safeguarding section 11 audit for Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership. As a result, an action plan has been developed.

The focus for safeguarding work in 2025/26 will be to review the policy and ensure it captures the learning from external audits and national guidance and ensure that officer and member champions are fully engaged with the safeguarding work.

Impact of the Ban on the Use of Glyphosate

The committee was scheduled to discuss a scoping document regarding the impact of the ban on the use of glyphosate². Councillor Mike Goodman submitted the proposal for a review, stating that many areas, particularly verges and pavements, are being damaged because the weeds are not being dealt with, causing serious damage to pavements and verges. In March 2022, the Cabinet approved the ban of glyphosate-based herbicides by September 2022, along with banning the use of woody weed killers; endorsed the replacement of glyphosate and other chemicals with an integrated weed management approach which included the use of the RHS vinegar based weed control and manual control methods; and endorsed bids being placed in the 2023/24 capital programme for 2 x Hotfoam machines, required to supplement other integrated weed control methods.

Councillor Mike Goodman requested that the Scrutiny Committee consider the effects the ban is having in East Devon, and to consider if a more targeted approach in using glyphosate-based herbicide is more appropriate.

The desired outcome of the review is for the Scrutiny Committee to consider the effects the ban is having in East Devon, and to consider if a more targeted approach in using glyphosate-based herbicide is more appropriate.

The following people were scheduled to be consulted to obtain evidence:

• Portfolio Holder Environment – Operational
• Portfolio Holder Environment – Nature and Climate
• Assistant Director StreetScene
• StreetScene Operations Manager
• Horticultural Technical Officer
• Ward Members

The report noted that Devon County Council is responsible for highways and verges.

The report stated that the scope of the review was to be agreed by the Scrutiny Committee on 4 September 2025, with a report to the committee scheduled for 5 March 2026.

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to discuss its work programme for 2025-2026.

Items for scoping and/or allocation to the Work Programme 2025 - 2026 included:

• Review of Emergency Planning and Responses 2024-25
• Safeguarding Annual Review 2024-25
• Scoping document: impact of ban on use of glyphosate
• Report on consultancy and agency spend 2023-24
• Follow up report from StreetScene on wildlife improvement areas
• Joint meeting with Overview Committee to consider Directorate Plans for 2026-27
• Joint budget meeting with Overview Committee
• UKSPF evaluation update report
• Climate change report: update on progress with the climate change action plan 2020-2040
• Invitation to Community Safety Partnership Councillor representative to update the Committee, with a focus on current priorities for the Partnership, including update on anti-social behaviour.
• Report on impacts following ban on use of glyphosate on EDDC land
• Exmouth Motorhome Parking – Overnight stopovers

Cabinet Forward Plan

The committee was scheduled to review the Cabinet Forward Plan for the 4-month period from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026.

Key decisions listed in the plan include:

• Towards Zero Carbon Development in the West End: Interconnector Project Final Investment Decision
• Use of Climate Change Budget to support Green Loans to Householders
• Air Quality/Contaminated Land Strategies
• Anti-Poverty Strategy
• Place and Prosperity Fund acquisition
• Formation of an Exmouth Town and Seafront Subgroup
• Council Depots Review
• Exmouth Town Hall
• Hayne Lane Masterplan
• Strategic Development Review – Exeter Science Park Limited
• Public Toilets Review
• Housing Strategy
• Harepath Road, Seaton
• Dog Control Enforcement Policy
• Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy
• Community Grant funding
• Climate Change Strategy
• Public Space Protection Orders
• Asset acquisition in Exmouth
• Recycling &Waste LATCo governance and financial proposal – further detail
• Update re Management Funding for Clyst Meadows Country Park
• EDDC Local Nature Recovery Plan
• Exmouth BMP Update
• Supported Housing Services
• Procurement of CBRE through the Crown Commercial Services Framework to undertake work in relation to the second new community
• Colyford Road and Fosse Way Viability Assessment
• Cloakham Lawns Employment Site Viability Assessment
• Exmouth Town and Seafront Placemaking Plan Adoption
• Delivery Vehicle for Second New Community
• Percy Wakley Woods Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace