Letter from House of Commons regarding reduction of Hospital Beds
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Great Torrington Town Council
Torrington Health & Social Care Steering Group – Terms of Reference
1. Purpose of the Steering Group
The purpose of the steering group is for members of Torrington Town Council, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, New Devon CCG and members of the wider community to work together to benefit the health and wellbeing of the local community by developing and improving access to health and social care services within Torrington and the development of a Health and Wellbeing Hub at Torrington Community Hospital.
2. Aims of the Steering Group
It is proposed the Steering Group will have the following aims:
– To help shape the development of health and social care services within Torrington and the surrounding parishes.
- To help shape the development of the Health and Wellbeing Hub at Torrington Community Hospital.
- To ensure that services are developed in line with local Health and Wellbeing needs.
- To ensure best use of existing hospital building.
- To ensure that the development of services is supported by a communications and engagement plan, thus ensuring that services are developed with involvement of local communities.
- The Steering Group members commit to ensuring the wider community is informed about progress and outcomes of actions and meetings e.g. through joint press releases, newsletters and articles in The Crier.
The Steering Group will not discuss inpatient beds at Torrington Community Hospital.
3. Membership
Mayor, Great Torrington Town Council
Great Torrington Town Council/Devon County Council
Great Torrington Town Council Town Clerk
Parish Council Representative
STITCH Representative
Care Forum Representative
Matron, NDHT
Health and Wellbeing Hub Project Manager, NDHT
GP/Primary Care Representative
League of Friends Representative
Community Health & Social Care Manager NDHT
The quorum necessary for transaction of business will be 50% of the membership which should include either the Chair or Vice Chair and representatives from Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust and Great Torrington Town Council. Other representatives will be invited as appropriate.
4. Governance Arrangements
The Steering Group will be chaired by the Mayor of Great Torrington Town Council with Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust providing the Vice Chair.
Each member of the Group commits to ensuring that progress is shared with their respective organisations/bodies.
5. Agendas
Agendas and supporting papers will be circulated at least 5 working days before the meeting.
The next meeting’s agenda will be decided at the meeting where possible with any additional agenda items and necessary reports forwarded to the Town Clerk at least 8 working days ahead of the meeting who will discuss the item(s) with the Health and Wellbeing Hub Manager.
6. Frequency of meetings
The Steering Group shall meet monthly and at such other times as required.
7. Sub Groups
The Steering Group may establish specific Sub Groups to take forward areas of work.
8. Working Practices/Code of Conduct
All parties are committed to honesty, integrity and respect and the Group is committed to working in this spirit.
All parties will commit to a genuine desire to work together in order to achieve the stated purpose and aims of the Group (sections 1 and 2).
All member organisations are committed to ensuring the success of the process for the benefit of the community.
The Northern Devon Healthcare Trust ultimately takes the operational decisions as to feasibility of options having considered the inherent risk as an employer and a regulated provider of healthcare services. If an option is not deemed possible the Trust is committed to clearly explaining the reasons why.
Review of the Community Hospital Services
You will be aware that the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), decided that the overnight beds at the Great Torrington Community Hospital were no longer required. That decision and action is still being challenged by the community. Indeed you will be aware of further such proposals that are being resisted by various communities within Devon.
Alongside that policy by the CCG is the desire (particularly by this Council), to see an improvement in the day services offered by the hospital. This will prevent where possible, local people in the catchment area of the hospital having to travel to other hospitals etc. for out-patient services. To this end this Council has with the Northern Devon Healthcare Trust, (NDHT) and others established a group to review the need and practicality of increased services.
There is a need to have a representative from the wider catchment area and an item has been placed on the agenda of the forthcoming Area Advisory meeting.
All Great Torrington Town Councillors and the respective parishes will be sent copies of agreed minutes of the meetings and Terms of Reference and these will also be posted on this Webpage for the public’s information.
Great Torrington Town Council has taken on the role of administration to the group.
If anyone has constructive comments regarding the services please let me know and they will be considered.
Yours sincerely
Michael A. Tighe
Town Clerk
Torrington Community Food Bank
RUN BY THE COMMUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY
Opening times: 10.00am until 12.00pm.
Every Tuesday and Saturday at the Baptist Church, New Street.
Service available to Great Torrington Residents and surrounding parishes.
We provide a basic food parcel consisting of tinned or dried food for people who need emergency help due to sickness, homelessness, benefit cuts or delays, domestic violence for example.
Please alert us of those in need and spread the word or support us by making a donation of tins or packets (subject to opening times) at the Parish Church, Methodist Church, Co-op or Tourist Information Centre in Castle Hill, or during Food Bank opening times.
Confidential contact details:-
Shirley Beer – 01805 623887
Dave Martin – 01805 623175
Follow us on Facebook: Torrington Community Food Bank | Torrington | Facebook
Neighbourhood Plan
Approved Neighbourhood Plan
A Quick Guide to the Neighbourhood Plan
Neighbourhood planning is about making sure a community gets the development it needs for the future – through the building of homes, job opportunities, community and leisure facilities such as schools, health services and shops.
Who was responsible for Drawing It Up?
A group called the Neighbourhood Forum, made up of residents and town councillors from Great Torrington worked on the Plan. They were required by law to consult widely with residents and special interest groups. Several consultations took place during the preparation time.
What Does The Plan hope To Achieve?
To improve the economic and social well-being of Great Torrington, with a strong focus on its important and unique market town role, community spirit and tourism, whilst fully respecting and sensitively managing its historic character and ecologically important setting.
The Plan focuses its objectives on five groups of key issues:
ENVIRONMENT – To ensure the distinctive rural landscape, settlement patterns, historical assets, natural environment and biodiversity of the town are protected and enhanced. To provide improved green open spaces and mitigate the impact of development on climate change through the design of new buildings.
HOUSING – To support high quality affordable housing with a mix of size, type and tenure to meet local and future needs, including family homes, affordable housing and assisted living.
INFRASTRUCTURE – To address the traffic passing through the town, including the additional flow of traffic that will be generated by new housing, manage the parking problems in the town centre and improve the safety needs of other road users including cyclists and pedestrians.
COMMUNITY FACILITIES – To improve recreational facilities for teenagers and younger children whilst ensuring that community assets such as meeting places and health care facilities are of a high quality and easily accessible to the local community.
EMPLOYMENT – To positively encourage employment opportunities that exist in the area, including making links with major employers whilst providing opportunities for smaller businesses to develop and thrive in the area, and to offer good employment and training opportunities for local people.
What area does the Great Torrington Neighbourhood Plan cover?
The boundary includes the entire area in the administrative jurisdiction of Great Torrington Parish Area, which serves the Community of Great Torrington. The boundary follows the River Torridge from north to south, and encompasses the outskirts of the Town such as Rosemoor, Torrington Wood, Week Bottom, Daracott Moor, Woodhouse Wood and Van’s Wood.
What is the relationship between the Neighbourhood Plan and the Local Plan?
A neighbourhood plan should support the strategic development needs set out in the Local Plan and plan positively to support local development.
A neighbourhood plan must address the development and use of land. This is because the Neighbourhood Plan, once adopted becomes part of the statutory development plan (i.e. brought into legal force) brought in by the planning authority. Applications for planning permission must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
Torridge & North Devon Local Plan: https://www.torridge.gov.uk/localplan
Archive documents:-
Torrington Museum
Great Torrington Museum is a popular tourist attraction, popular with locals and a key asset as the town celebrates its unique and abundant heritage. The museum hosts over 4700 artefacts, the largest number held by any North Devon museum. The Museum has a lot of exciting plans for the future but does need more help to bring these to fruition.
If you love Great Torrington, are proud of its heritage and have a passion to be involved Peter and Val would love to hear from you. They can be contacted at [email protected] or call them on 01805 622306.
Skate Park
With the help of donations and grant awards, the Council established a small skate park in Calf St next to the children’s play area. The facilities are well used by skaters and BMX bikers.
Also situated within the play area is a graffiti wall where artists may add their contribution.
Sports Pitches
Torridgeside Football Club have the lease of three pitches at Donnacroft with Great Torrington Rugby Club managing a Rugby Pitch.
These pitches are well used by Torridgeside Youth and adult teams and the various Rugby teams.
Anyone wanting further information about either of these clubs, please make contact via the below information.
Committee Functions
COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE
Planning
- Responds to all planning consultations from The District Council and County Council.
- Responds to planning policy documents.
- Responsible for overseeing Parish Plan.
Policy and Finance
- Is responsible for managing the Council’s finances.
- Recommending the annual budget and the precept to Torridge District Council.
- All monies raised by precept for the Council’s day to day expenses are collected by the District Council from the Council tax payers of the parish of Great Torrington i.e. what you spend comes from within the parish – there is no government grant towards it.
- Matters of a policy issue rather than a technical day to day management issue are considered by committee. So if the Council considers whether to maintain monuments and memorials it will be considered first by Policy. If agreed the day to day management will transfer to the Environment Committee.
- Allocation of annual grants.
Environment Committee
This committee deals with the majority of the Council’s day to day business.
Such matters as
- Donnacroft sports facilities
- Parish Paths maintenance
- Liaison with Highway Authority
- Christmas lights/trees
- Daily liaison with District re: the condition of parish, e.g. litter, refuse
- Snow Warden.
The committee also manages the day to day affairs of the Council Charity, The Common Allotments Charity. Each Member of Council is a trustee of the Charity. The Charity owns land at Weare Trees which it lets for agricultural purposes, and a good number of allotments. The money raised is then distributed in the form of annual grants to local organisations.
COMMITTEE TERMS & CONDITIONS
Mace Bearer – Tim Cloke
Tim spent the entirety of his happy childhood in Great Torrington and has always been a proud Torringtonian. At primary school, he was never happier than on Mayfair day when dancing around the May pole. From the age of 8 until he turned 18 he was a member of the Silver Band and proudly recalls taking part in civic events and marching through the town, and has been fortunate to be able to continue playing with the band on occasions even after moving away from Torrington to go to university and start his teaching career.
In 2004 he left Torrington to study history and to qualify as a history teacher. Although his first teaching job took him to historic Kent, he continued to visit his friends and family in Great Torrington and never stopped considering Great Torrington as ‘home’. Indeed, from the moment he accepted the job in Kent he held returning to Great Torrington as a long-term ambition. Happily, in 2017 he was able to realise this ambition and was delighted to accept the role of history teacher at Great Torrington School and move back to Great Torrington. Teaching has always given him satisfaction, but the chance to return home and inspire Great Torrington’s young people to take an interest in their heritage – and to teach in his former school – has proved to be the greatest satisfaction of all.
His knowledge of Great Torrington’s history is a passion that extends well beyond his profession, he well appreciates the historic significance of the town maces and the role of the town council in Great Torrington’s vibrant civic calendar. He is therefore delighted to have the opportunity to further contribute to the life of Great Torrington; the home town which has done so much for him and feels truly honoured to repay his debt to the town in this way.