Newton Abbot Town Council takes on more street and path cleaning following County Hall cuts

Newton Abbot Town Council is set to recruit another maintenance worker and carry out extra street cleaning as it moves to fill the gaps left by County cuts.

Devon County Council has lost £10.1 million from its 2025/2026 budget after the Government abolished the Rural Services Delivery Grant.

Weed and litter clearing have fallen victim to the reduced circumstances, leaving communities with a problem.

Newton Abbot Town Council’s response is to boost its number of Facilities Maintenance Officers (FMOs), creating a team of five.

The extra help, plus investment in equipment such as the ‘Sweeping Beauty’ City Master cleaning machine, mean that FMO Lead Rob Woodger and his colleagues can cover more ground.

‘It’s not the responsibility of Newton Abbot Town Council to clean streets and remove weeds from paths but we know it’s what the public wants,’ said Rob who was himself only taken on a month ago.

‘For that reason we’re recruiting for an additional FMO and hope to have them in situ by October.

‘We’ve doubled the use of the City Mastering in the past month and we’re trying to get out more and more.

‘People seeing us clearing footpaths has generated a lot of interest and we’ve even had requests from people in other communities such as Kingsteignton, which of course we’ve been unable to help with.

‘But by Christmas we hope to have covered the whole town and from there keep on top of things with a schedule that means everywhere will receive regular attention.’

The extra weed clearing and street cleaning come on top of the FMOs’ other tasks such as removing graffiti and maintaining Town Council property.

A major job has been the refurbishment of Golden Lion Square with Phase One now nearing completion.

Rotting timbers have been replaced, new benches installed, and project partners Rotary Newton Abbot about to rejuvenate the flower beds.

Phase Two is expected to be completed in time for the New Year celebrations.

Using FMOs rather than an external contractor has reduced the bill by around £50,000.

Mayor Cllr Colin Parker said: ‘We’re acutely aware that Council Tax payers rightly demand value for money and that’s what we’re delivering.

‘We must also respond to their calls for a clean, welcoming and safe town, but keep our ambitions to a scale where they remain affordable.

‘It’s a balancing act but public feedback so far suggests we’re getting it about right.’