Devon County Councillors have agreed to take steps to address widespread concerns over deteriorating pavements and vegetation overgrowth across Exeter and surrounding communities.
The decision follows a Notice of Motion by Councillor Neil Stevens (Reform, Alphington and Cowick) and subsequent recommendations from Cabinet that have been formally accepted by councillors.
Issues have been identified across the county, where weeds and overgrowth have been reported growing through pavements and public footpaths, raising safety concerns for disabled residents, older people and parents with prams.
At a meeting of Full Council, our County Councillors voted in favour of the Cabinet’s recommendations, to:
- Continue rectifying safety defects on pavements caused by vegetation overgrowth
- Advise communities on involvement through a new parish protocol for highways self-delivery, expected to be agreed by Cabinet this month
- Work with the Probation Service to assist with clearance in targeted areas where possible
- Engage with other tiers of local government, including the Devon Association of Local Councils (DALC), town and parish councils, to develop collaborative solutions
But Councillor Stevens, who was unable to attend the Full Council meeting in person, told Members via a written response that the recommendations in front of them were ‘watered down’.
“It looks fine on paper but it won’t make any real difference to the vegetation overrunning pavements and public spaces across Exeter and Devon,” he said.
“Let’s be honest, this won’t fix it and if we don’t find proper funding…the long-term cost to Devon will be far higher. Residents are already frustrated. They need a real, effective solution, not another token gesture.”
Councillor Julian Brazil, Leader of the council, said:
“Many of us share your frustrations with the state of our roadways, but there just is not the funding available to do a complete clearance of our pavements.
“To get to something that residents are happy with, we’re going to have to work with our communities so that we do it together.
“We may all sympathise with it, (but) I think we have to be realistic that within the financial situations that we find ourselves in, we’re going to have to work better with our community groups…and work with them to do much of this work.”
Several councillors spoke out in praise of local volunteers and community groups in their divisions that are actively and regularly involved with clearing weeds and vegetation from public paths.
Councillor Brazil added, “There are a lot of community groups and individuals who regularly turn out voluntarily to make a difference in their communities, whether that’s clearing vegetation from paths, or gullies at the side of the road, or litter picking.
“My thanks goes to every one of them.
“Devon is a great place to live, and so many of our residents community-spirited and motivated to give something back to their community. I think that’s what makes Devon a special place to live.”