-

Town Council Services

Community
Barnstaple’s community is at the heart of what we do; we strive to make Barnstaple a place people love to live, work, and visit. We can provide advice to members of Barnstaple’s community on a range of topics, where we can’t help, we aim to connect people with the organisations most applicable to them and their needs. Through our network of contacts, we partner with community interest groups and charities, helping the people of Barnstaple in as many ways as possible. One way we aim to connect with people is through events.
Events
As a Town Council we aim to put on events for the community, at either free or very low cost. Some of the events we do are: Fair Proclamation, Remembrance, Mayor Making, Christmas Fayre, and The Mayor’s Charity Ball. We are also striving to create more events that focus on current issues such as the Cost-of-Living Crisis. In December of 2022 ‘Help 4 All’ was held in the Pannier Market, and it brought together a large selection of organisations that were available for people to seek advice and help from. We will be looking at doing more events like this. Our Heritage team are also hosting many events at present with more in the calendar.
Heritage and Culture
The Heritage team at the Town Council have been putting on free craft days during the school holidays which have been received very positively by the community. They are also actively recruiting more volunteers to help with research and collections care as well as events and exhibits. This has enabled further use of the historic Guildhall. The guildhall is just one of the iconic Barnstaple landmarks that the Town council maintain. The others are St Anne’s Chapel, The Shambles, The Castle Centre, Barum House and Albert Clock.
Grants
One of our ways of helping the community is through our grants scheme. Take a look to see if your organisation is eligible for a grant.
Green Spaces
The Town Council maintains various green spaces around Barnstaple. This includes grass and hedge cutting as well as planting flowerbeds and cleaning bus stops. Our Rangers also look after some of the grass verges and shrubs around junctions and main roads.
Defibrillators
The Town Council provides three defibrillators in the town and are about to add more over the next two years.
Community Buildings
The Shambles is one of our buildings that is a community facility that can be booked out. We also have St. John’s Community Centre, a facility with a large hall that can accommodate many different events and activities.
Rock Park
The Town Council also manage Rock Park through daily maintenance, grass cutting, tree care, planting and flowerbeds. We also look after the Rock Park play area to ensure it is clean and safe to use.
Barnstaple in Bloom
Barnstaple Town Council works with the Barnstaple in Bloom Committee to provide stunning displays around the town and waterfront. We also support Barnstaple in Bloom with other works such as restoration of street furniture and benches.
Allotments
Barnstaple town Council operate five allotment sites in the Barnstaple area, find out more.
North Devon District Council
Services provided by North Devon Council to the local community include the administration of council tax and local benefits, the provision of car parking services, the collection of refuse and the recycling of waste, planning and building control, housing services, the provision of sport and leisure facilities, environmental services, business-related services and contingency planning.
Devon County Council
Devon County Council's responsibilities include schools, social care for the elderly and vulnerable, road maintenance, libraries and trading standards.