Torbay Council is carrying out its next Residents Engagement event on Friday, 24 November 2023 in Torquay town centre.
It will be a chance for residents to meet councillors (of all parties) and council staff to talk about what matters to them.
Engaging with residents is important as it gives the Council the chance to hear directly about concerns and issues.
These events also help capture thoughts and feedback on consultations, changes to policies and services.
The Council is holding the events every two months across Torbay, and the second is taking place in Torquay town centre.
The stands will be in Union Street, Torquay, as part of the Christmas Market outside Primark, from 10am to 4pm on Friday, 24 November.
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and local police officers, are also due to attend.
Cllr David Thomas, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “We are committed to listening to our residents about the issues that they care about so we can get regular feedback and make sure we are focusing on the right priorities.
“The theme of this event is Safer Streets. I would encourage you to come along and find out more about the various projects taking place, have a chat and give us your views.”
The event will be a showcase for the work that has been taking place under the Safer Streets programme in Torquay town centre, and a chance for residents to talk to people involved with the projects.
In 2022 Torbay Council was awarded £750,000 from the Government’s Safer Streets fund to carry out work and take action to discourage anti-social behaviour (ASB) and reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The work which has taken place since then has been carried out with further match funding totalling over £375,000 from the Council, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the police and the Melville Community Group.
The project area has a resident population of about 8,000 and includes the town centre, harbourside, and key green spaces across the seafront.
Torquay remains a safe, low crime area. However, the project area is in the top 10% most deprived in the country.
The project uses four approaches to help people feel safer:
– Reducing opportunities to commit ASB and VAWG crimes in key hotspot locations. This includes additional CCTV and street lighting and improvements to two town centre car parks. Making changes to neglected public spaces so they are less likely to suffer with antisocial use.
– Deploying teams to increase visibility and enforcement in hotspot locations for ASB.
– Working with pubs, clubs, and restaurants to develop a new Safety of Women at Night Charter (SWAN), offering education initiatives including bystander awareness, targeted campaigns and the launch of a new accredited safe places network offering safe havens to women and girls who feel unsafe or need help on a night out.
– Working with local community groups to improve public spaces through a new community innovation fund.
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