Trust blames downfall on council’s inability to commit to realistic fee

TORBAY Coast and Countryside Trust has blamed its liquidation on Torbay Council’s unwillingness to pay it enough to manage the bay's green spaces despite repeated warnings that it was struggling financially.

- by STAFF REPORTER

The trust looked after Torbay landscapes including Berry Head Nature Reserve, Cockington Country Park and Elberry Cove as well as more than 40 miles of coast paths and bridleways, and attractions like Occombe Farm, which has already closed.

In a statement TCCT trustees say the management fee paid by the council to the TCCT “never came close” to meeting the full cost of caring for the green spaces in the bay and that it could not properly plan for the future because the council was slow in committing to the amount of management fee it would pay on an annual basis.

The trustees said: “Since its formation in 1999, TCCT has managed and conserved a number of important sites owned by Torbay Council under various agreements.

“Under these agreements, Torbay Council paid TCCT a management fee for its work. While this fee has fluctuated over time, it has never come close to covering the full cost of managing and conserving the sites for which TCCT was responsible, many of which require specialist environmental care.