Latest news with #AlanTyerman
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ice rink on council's £350k shopping list
A Christmas ice rink is among the items on a shopping list from councillors after a local authority ended the financial year with a surplus of £350,000. Torbay Council's cabinet has drawn up a number of items which the authority could pay for after being told various departments had contributed to an underspend in the fourth quarter of the last financial year. Items highlighted by the cabinet included an ice rink for the Bay of Lights event run in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham at Christmas, surveying community centres, tackling weeds and investing in adult social care. The list of projects is set to be reviewed in July by the full council before a decision on what to spend the money on is made. More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon Other schemes highlighted by councillors to receive funding were a community-focused "blitz" to tidy and improve Torquay's Castle Circus area and money to encourage new start-up shops and businesses, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Councillor Alan Tyerman said while the money was a "tiny proportion" of the overall budget, it showed very good financial control from the authority. "For several years things have looked comfortable in Torbay's accounts, and long may it continue," the Conservative councillor for Churston with Galmpton added. Councillor Jackie Thomas, Conservative, Kings Ash, said an ice rink for the Bay of Lights project would be a "very exciting addition" to the event, which already featured a seafront illuminations trail and light show at Torre Abbey. She said "an ice rink would very considerably increase our winter wonderland experience and encourage more footfall". Councillor Darren Cowell welcomed the ideas and Torbay's "sound financial footing". However, the Independent member for Shiphay urged colleagues to look beyond town centres and seafronts to spend some of the money in other local communities. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Torbay harbourside opens in time for light trail South West Christmas lights switch-ons have begun Pier to shine with Christmas lights for first time Torbay Council
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Derelict Torquay hotel to be turned into social housing
A derelict hotel in a seaside resort is being demolished, with social housing to be built in its Council agreed to borrow up to £20m to fund the Hotels to Homes launched the scheme in November 2024 with the purchase of the former Brampton Court Hotel in Torquay, and it is now in the process of demolishing the Seabury Hotel in the same council said all of the homes it built would be provided to households with a local connection to Torbay and rented at a price that is "affordable to people living and working in the area". The Brampton Court and the Seabury sites would each provide 14 homes for social housing, said the said it hoped to provide up to 75 affordable homes every year over a five-year Hotels to Homes project was designed to help employers such as the NHS attract staff to work and live in council said the scheme would also "deal with some of the prominent run-down, derelict or abandoned former hotels and guest houses that can be found throughout the bay". Alan Tyerman, cabinet member for housing and finance, described the project as "a growing programme of council housing". "We are working hard to understand how we can make the most of this opportunity to deliver well-designed, high-quality new homes that will benefit the people of Torbay," he said."The acquisition of the two schemes so far is evidence of our commitment to make a real difference to people's lives by taking action to increase the number of homes for social rent."The council's cabinet agreed on Tuesday to approve up to £20m of borrowing to fund the scheme.
