A safe, clean and green Riviera will help kick start our economic recovery as holiday accommodations and nearly all businesses are allowed to re-open from 17 May, in step three of the government roadmap.
Torbay Council, working with partners including English Riviera BID, SWISCo, TDA, Groundwork Trust, CDT, and Devon and Cornwall Police, is busy putting in measures to make the best of the predicted ‘staycation’ and ‘holiday at the home’ boom this year, while delivering an effective response to anticipated challenges.
Top of the list is a new integrated and proactive approach to keeping the Bay safe, clean, and green and at its heart will be a team of rapid response ambassadors, based in the three towns of Brixham, Paignton and Torquay.
The team – employed by SWISCo, which delivers a range of services on behalf of the council – will engage with residents and visitors as a high priority to spot and help prevent issues arising from high footfall or restriction breaches in our open spaces including town centres and beaches, and call-in additional resources as needed. Undertaking additional street cleansing, the ambassadors will assist with deep cleaning and litter collections in our high footfall locations such as shopping areas and routes between the hotels and tourist attractions.
The scheme is being backed up with additional policing resources and complements COVID-19 compliance officers who have been in place since March this year, funding for street pastors, additional CCTV operating hours and taxi marshals when nightclubs re-open.
Christine Carter, Cabinet Member for Corporate and Community Services said: “We welcome responsible visitors to the Bay and so we are committed to learning from the experiences of other areas last year, where over-crowding caused serious concern for public safety, and for visitors to have a positive and safe experience with us.
“I urge all our residents to also play their part in our Responsible Riviera message, for example avoiding visitor hotspots and instead enjoying less well-known gems, setting an example for social distancing, taking litter home and drinking responsibly.”
We have been working hard to get the Bay ready for re-opening, including ongoing enhancement of our parks and open spaces, and look forward to seeing people enjoying our towns, beaches and parks once more. While we cannot prevent excessive numbers of people visiting us, we will have our new multi-skilled team as well as other measures, in place to help us respond effectively to issues as they arise.
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