A MAJOR consultation on Mid Devon’s new plan for housing attracted only 15 responses – a total described as “dreadful” and “very poor.”

The document sets out the district council’s 40 objectives for the next five years, including a target for 160 new council houses, to retrofit existing housing stock to a net-zero carbon standard by 2050 and to minimise rough sleeping.

But while an extensive consultation on it took place last month, including 4,000 residents contacted directly, a mention in the local newspapers, radio and social media, only nine residents responded.

The other six consisted of parish councils, organisations and a councillor.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s cabinet, Councillor Chris Daw (Conservative, Cranmore) said the figure was “very, very poor.”

Council leader Bob Deed (Independent, Cadbury) reminded members of the proverb: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Councillor Bob Evans (Conservative, Lower Culm), portfolio holder for housing said: “Yes, it is disappointing but unfortunately there is very little we can do if the public and others don’t wish to respond.”

His interpretation is that no news is good news. “I’ll take it in a positive way in that the document was seen as being very constructive and therefore left people happy with its content,” he said.

Council officer Simon Newcombe called it an “exhaustive consultation process,” and continued: “I’m struggling a little bit as to how we might have got more and been more creative. We did the consultation in so many different ways that it was almost a bit of a model approach.

“… It is either a reflection on satisfaction with the document or the fact that we did as a council absolutely everything we could, but we can’t make people submit a response.

“Generally if people are unhappy with something they’ll let us know, and if they’re broadly happy with something they stay quiet I think.”

Councillor Simon Clist (Lib Dem, Upper Culm) added it was a “dreadful” response rate given the work officers had put into the consultation, but he thought it was sensible for the cabinet to adopt the strategy.

A report to the meeting said that, from the limited response, there was clear overall support for the strategy and the priority themes and specific objectives were broadly welcomed.

However, while Councillor Graeme Barnell (Lib Dem, Newbrooke) thought the plan was “comprehensive,” he said the number of 160 new affordable council homes wasn’t ambitious enough.

The cabinet voted to adopt the new housing strategy for the next five years, which the report says will help the council’s “development of a coherent and consistent approach to housing across the district.”

Ollie Heptinstall

LDRS