Mayor of Seaton hopes small changes will make a big difference to town's aesthetic

The Mayor of Seaton reported on small changes which he hopes will make a big difference at the annual town meeting on Monday evening.

Giving his annual report to electors, Cllr Dan Ledger said the council's focus on the past year had been on improving the aesthetic of Seaton by making small changes wherever they could.

The year had started with a community consultation to improve public engagement and get a better idea of what residents wanted to see the council achieve.

In an effort to improve the overall appearance of the town, the council was kept busy throughout the year, taking on projects such as rebuilding the seafront planter damaged by storms, cleaning the seawall, and painting town centre railings and lampposts in a new 'Seaton blue' colour.

They also launched an art trail with local artists and restarted the Seaton in Bloom competition with plans to enter the South West in Bloom event this year.

The council's outside works team have built a number of community benches for public open spaces, as well as bridges and sheds at the town's allotments, reusing materials wherever possible to cut down on waste.

They had also re-wilded some of the council's green spaces to encourage biodiversity and planted flower displays across the town.

Other achievements have included starting work on a sensory garden, improving the the town's Christmas lights display, which is completely funded by the town council, and introducing water bottle refill stations.

Seaton Town Council has also received the Local Council Award Scheme Foundation level – the first time it has received such an accolade in its history – and has opened a new Tourist Information Centre at The Marshlands Centre, following the closure of Seaton Jurassic.

Cllr Ledger said he was pleased the council was also able to secure £23,450 in grant funding, which he said he hoped would ease the burden on local council taxpayers.

"It has been a fantastic year for collaboration and I would like to see more of that as we move forward," he said.

Opening the meeting up to the public, one resident asked if it would be possible to relocate the town's museum as its current location upstairs in Fore Street was not accessible to all.

Cllr Ledger said a new town council officer had just been appointed and one of their first jobs would be to look into the possibility of relocating the museum to The Marshlands Centre, where the council offices and Tourist Information Centre are now based, but he said this would depend on grant funding.

One resident asked whether the public toilets off Harbour Road were definitely closing, which many have expressed concern over in recent months.

Cllr Ledger said this was a matter for East Devon District Council, which was currently marketing the facility to be run as a commercial operation alongside public conveniences.

Questions were also raised about the future of Seaton Jurassic, with the mayor saying this was also a district council asset and a new operator was being sought.