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Current Issues

Remembrance Sunday Parade and Service – 8th November 2026

An early reminder that this year Remembrance Sunday falls on the 8th November 2026. Great Torrington Town Council, supported by The Royal British Legion, will once again hold a Service of Remembrance at the War Memorial in the Cemetery, commencing at 10.50am – further details will follow in due course.

Great Torrington Town Council have successfully organised the recycling of poppy wreaths for Remembrance Sunday for the past two years; however, the recycled wreaths are not suitable to be used for another year, and we are hoping that they will now be repurposed as a craft project for display locally.

This means that for the service this year, community groups will need to order their wreaths directly from the Royal British Legion Poppy Shop – www.poppyshop.org.uk – 0300 123 9110.

The suitability of the new wreaths for recycling will be assessed following this year’s event. If the wreaths are durable enough, we would hope to repeat the recycling project for 2027.

We will be in touch with community groups nearer the time. If you have any questions do get in touch on 01805 626135 or [email protected].

National Allotments Week 2026

Better late than never!  🌒  🌱✨

While we were all busy looking up at the eclipse last week, we didn’t forget about National Allotments Week! This year’s theme was ‘Grow to learn’, which we celebrated with an enjoyable community social evening. We dodged the showers and enjoyed an incredible rainbow  🌈

A huge thank you to local gardener Peter Sims and Clare who is currently managing the orchard, for hosting Q&A sessions. It was wonderful to see so many allotmenteers swapping tips, sharing skills, and getting to know each other.

Here’s to learning, growing, and developing a sense of community at the allotments!  🍅🍏

Vacancy for a Town Beadle

Want to step into history and represent Great Torrington? 🏛️

Great Torrington Town Council is looking for a passionate local to join our civic traditions team as our new Town Beadle! You will work alongside our Town Crier and Mace Bearers to keep our town’s proud heritage alive.

🌟 What’s involved?
– Support the Mayor: Accompany and drive the Mayor & Mayoress/Consort to exciting events and functions.
– Be the Face of Tradition: Take part in historic civic ceremonies throughout the year.
– Flexible Hours: Duties include a mix of daytime, evening, and weekend work.

🚗 What do you need?
– A reliable car.
– A valid driving licence.
– Willingness to obtain the correct car insurance.

💼 What do you get?
– A traditional official uniform.
– Paid mileage allowance.
– A small annual honorarium.

📞 How to apply:If you love Great Torrington and want to play a key part in our community, we want to hear from you!

💬 Apply today:
– Call us: 01805 626135
– Email us: [email protected]

Young Persons Award – naming request

Great Torrington Town Council introduced the Young Persons Award (Sponsored by Dartington Crystal) in 2025. It is awarded to people up to the age of 25 who have gone above and beyond in some way to contribute to the local community.

Members of Great Torrington Town Council would like to name the award after a local person who during their lifetime made a meaningful difference to the lives of young people in the town.
If you have suggestions of names you would like the council to consider please let us know in time for the Full Council meeting on September 2nd (to be received no later than August 26th), you can contact us on 01805 626135, or [email protected], or pop in to the office – which is upstairs from the library and the Post Office in the Castle Hill building. (Great Torrington Town Council, Castle Hill, South Street, Torrington, EX38 8AA).

Photos show previous winners of the Young Persons Award – Elliott Ashelford in 2025 and Freddie Ware in 2026.

Local Council Clerk Week

During Local Council Clerk Week we would like to recognise our Town Clerk, Jennie Smithson, who has recently completed her Certificate in Local Council Administration Qualification (CiLCA) and is now a qualified Clerk.

Many congratulations Jennie!

Commons Allotment Charity Grants and Precept Grants

As administrator for the Commons Allotments Charity, Great Torrington Town Council has allocated a total of £5,489.99 Grant Funding to local community groups for the 2026 – 2027 financial year. Members also allocated grant funding totalling £27,650 from the precept for 2026/27. A full list of grant recipients can be viewed on the Town Council’s website.

As per last year, Members decided to keep a pot of reserve grant funding to be made available during the period 1st April 2026 – 31st March 2027 for adhoc or urgent requests for funding throughout the year.

Great Torrington Town Council – 2026/2027 Budget

At the January Town Council Meeting Members agreed the budget and the precept for the 2026/27 financial year.  This year there is an increase of 9.92% on the Town Council element of council tax bills for the period 1st April 2026 – 31st March 2027.

The increase of 9.92% equates to an increase of £9.32 per year for a Band A property, £10.88 per year for a Band B, £12.43 per year for Band C, and £13.99 per year for a Band D property compared to last year. These figures relate to the Great Torrington Town Council element of your overall council tax bill only.

The Town Council element of the council tax is the smallest element of the bill, so although the percentage increase is higher than previous years the amount of money it will cost per household for the whole year remains low. The increase reflects a general increase of costs to the council for all services including staffing, health & safety, fuel, rent, IT, buildings maintenance and events. The town council is also incorporating additional spending in this financial year, including CCTV installation & monitoring and the need to move to a new maintenance unit.

Councillors strive to keep the increase as low as possible each year and during financial year 25/26 spent/committed a considerable sum from general reserves to support local organisations and maintain or improve services available to the community. The impact of Local Government Reorganisation is likely to mean that the scope of Town & Parish Councils will change significantly over the next couple of years, and this will mean that costs will increase further, and therefore the current level of reserves needs to be maintained going into the 26/27 financial year to enable the council to prepare for the potential expansion of its service.

Many households in Great Torrington are Band A or B and for those properties the increase is around £10 for the year: this is less than the average takeaway portion for one person and around the same price as a chain-brand takeaway coffee and a sandwich. For a Band D property, the increase is less than £15 for the 12 months, which is around the same price as a single portion of a hotel carvery, a new hardback book or three pints of beer.

Full details of increases for all bands will be available on the Council’s website in due course.

 

100th Birthday Celebration – Doreen Turner

The Mayor, Cllr Phil Cloke was delighted to attend Doreen Turner’s 100th birthday celebrations at Woodland Vale on Friday 19th December during which he presented her with flowers and enjoyed spending some time talking with her – he honestly couldn’t believe that she was 100 years old!

He would like to thank the staff at Woodland Vale and Doreen’s family and friends for making him feel so welcome.