Welcome to West Devon

The natural environment of West Devon is one of the things that makes it such a special place, one that we must protect for the future. Climate change and biodiversity loss continue to be a significant threat to our area, and, while any action we take will be small in terms of the required global change, we can and must do all we can. We will lead by example, encouraging our communities to also play their part.

From the western edge of Dartmoor through to the east of Cornwall, West Devon has a built environment of global importance through the World Heritage Site. We will conserve and maintain existing historic fabric and retain and reflect locally distinctive features in the design of buildings, layouts and landscapes to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the World Heritage Site.

West Devon Borough Council has been striving to tackle the ‘housing crisis’; the real-term cost of housing compared to earnings and the critically low availability of rented accommodation. Strong headwinds in the private rented sector as government legislation bites, are forcing landlords to sell or increase their rents, making it difficult to find houses which are available and affordable. To improve housing outcomes, we must apply our efforts proportionally to where the biggest challenges lie.

The health, wellbeing and safety of residents is vitally important to achieving a better quality of life and promoting independence across the borough.  We will support healthier, safer and fairer communities through a range of measures and by working in partnership with other agencies.

Our communities are the beating heart of West Devon. They work together to overcome local challenges and deliver action to improve the borough for future generations. As a council, our role is to enhance community action and to support local groups to deliver their ambitions.

We will create the environment for all sizes of business to flourish, through direct and indirect support and policy. This will include infrastructure and development aligned to our priorities. We will strengthen our visitor economy, maximising the promotion of our unique cultural and heritage offer. We will identify opportunities to lobby for the best outcomes for our agricultural sector and make sure that we seize future opportunities to attract additional funding. We will also support the delivery of town plans to shape the economy of West Devon.

At the core of delivering on our ambitions is the need for us to deliver good quality services that respond to the needs of our residents and that we demonstrate value for money through everything we do. We will focus on investing in training and support for our employees, with the aim of being an employer of choice, where everyone has the right skills and tools to deliver the best service for our residents. We will also ensure we make the best use of the council’s assets.

As a council, it is important that we constantly consider how best to deliver our services, making sure that all residents can access the services they need as easily as possible. Most West Devon residents can interact with us online, however, some residents do not have internet access, so we will do all we can to assist them to access council services in alternate ways. We will continue to be a council that takes pride in listening and responding to our residents’ concerns, ideas and aspirations.