Commitments made under ‘the new administration’s policy of openness and transparency’.
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This Tuesday, the BMP steering group met up for the first time in over six months:
Beach Managment Plan: meeting and updates – Vision Group for Sidmouth
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There is now a commitment to publishing the minutes -as well as sharing much more information – although there is still quite a way to go:
Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan and Scheme – East Devon
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The District Council put out a press release earlier today.
This is the opening – where several commitments are made to greater transparency:
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Progress update on storm event protection discussed at Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan meeting
For the first time since March, East Devon District Council hosted a Sidmouth Beach Management Plan (BMP) steering group of local organisations, interested parties and councillors to discuss the progress being made to protect the town and East Beach from flooding.
The meeting was a held ‘virtually’ due to Covid-19 restrictions and progress updates came from district council officers working on a proposed scheme.
Cllr Geoff Jung, the council’s portfolio holder for Coast, Country & the Environment, chaired the steering group meeting and explained that following policy changes of the council’s new administration that in future all meetings will be held in public and the minutes be published.
He also proposed that all the main project documents relating to the BMP will be published and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will be reviewed on the council’s website to demonstrate the new administration’s policy of openness and transparency.
The BMP’s terms of reference will be reviewed to reflect these changes and brought before the next meeting of the group for discussion in December. Councillor Jung also proposed that because of Covid -19 restrictions, the next few meetings will be held virtually via Zoom and future public meetings will be broadcast through the council’s YouTube channel when they are held every other month…
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photo: Sidmouth Esplanade and rock islands from… © David Hawgood :: Geograph Britain and Ireland