Newton Abbot
At the end of January, JLGC staff visited Exeter City Council and neighbouring Teignbridge District Council for a Japanese seconded colleagues’ study of UK local government. The initial focus was on the councils’ Carbon Neutral Council Initiatives. JLGC colleagues also saw a wide range of other projects and initiatives including planning projects and maintenance of the coastal rail line.
One of the highlights was a visit to the Guild Hall in the centre of the old city, which is used by for council business as well as receiving guests and accepting sightseeing tours. The historic Guildhall is a two-storey building and the hall that is used for council sessions. When JLGC visited, staff were able to have lunch with Lord Mayor, Council Leader, Deputy Leader and Chief Executive in the Mayor’s Parlour, where a gift was also given by Lord Mayor. Colleagues were also able to observe Exeter City Council’s annual meeting where the Lord Mayor chaired.
In 2019 the council declared a climate emergency and the city as a whole is putting in place environmental measures to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, aiming to become a model for other local governments (many aim to achieve carbon-neutral by 2050). Some projects are being promoted using EU grants and the installation of solar panels at existing facilities has been greatly expanded. One facility has achieved the CO2 reduction by planting 16,000 trees and can cover the annual power consumption of about 180 households. The surplus power is retained in a storage battery.
JLGC staff saw plans for the construction of energy-saving housing called Passivhaus, a concept which originates in Germany. The project has installed solar panels in public housing, maximised thermal efficiency, and is building eco-houses that as far as possible do not use chemical compounds.
Newton Abbot, the next stop on the visit, is the main town centre of Teignbridge District Council, and the Newton Abbot Market is 800 years old. However, as shopping habits of local people shifts to online shopping, the number of people who use the market has decreased, and the hollowing of the central town area has become a problem. Teignbridge District Council formulated a master plan for revitalising the central urban areas ten years ago. Consulting with local residents about the city centre, and while the budget from the central government continues to be cut, various efforts are being made from the viewpoint of how to maintain the income of the council.
One other area of great interest for Japanese colleagues was the local leisure industry. While providing leisure services is not a statutory duty of local government in the UK, Teignbridge operates centres to earn income. The facility is owned by the council, but it is operated by a private company with a 10-year contract. Centres can be used by anyone, which is mainly residents, but the secondary school next to one centre also uses the facilities for sports activities. In addition to 20 full-time staff, there are 250 part-time jobs such as instructors for studio programs.
The leisure service started digitisation four years ago and all facility use is booked online, and payments are also made online to reduced physical exchange of cash at reception as well as helping marketing strategy of who and what kind of service can be used. Marketing of the facilities is in collaboration with Sport England. As a result of this strategy, income, which was £83,000 a month before digitisation, increased by £118,000 a month, up 42%.
Teignbridge has three leisure centres, each operated by a different company, but all are branded under the same design online. There is a debate over whether leisure services should be abolished but there is also an argument that says there is an indirect effect of supporting reducing the burden on the police by helping curbing antisocial behaviour.
Many thanks to Exeter City Council and Teignbridge District Council staff for the warm welcome and valuable learning experience, and to Amanda Pujol for organising the visit for Japanese colleagues. JLGC is happy to discuss best practice in the public sector within Japan and the UK, and there are various opportunities for UK colleagues to join our activities throughout the year, with our annual Japan Study Tour to a host local authority in Japan and annual JLGC Seminar held with a UK partner throughout the country each year.
For more details and any enquiries please send an email to mailbox@jlgc.org.uk
