TORBAY Council has come under fire for the way it handled the demise of the trust that manages dozens of the bay’s precious green spaces.

The Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust (TCCT) has begun the process of going into liquidation, saying it has simply run out of money to keep going.

In a parting shot, the trustees said that despite repeated requests, the council had declined to participate in any handover process.

The council said it had been working with trustees and the charity’s executive team since April in an effort to resolve the financial challenges. It had provided support to the trust to operate through the summer and had hoped the trustees could find a sustainable solution.

Council leader David Thomas (Con, Preston) said he did want at this stage to add any further comments.

In their ‘final statement’ the trustees explained that the council had paid the trust a management fee for its work, but that sum had never been enough to cover the full cost of managing and conserving the sites for which TCCT was responsible.

These include Occombe Farm, Berry Head, Hopes Nose and the Cockington Estate excluding the main building and craft workshops.

The statement went on: “As operating costs and inflation have risen, and the need for substantial investment in the sites has become apparent, the gap between the management fee and the true cost of maintaining the sites has grown significantly.”

In 2021 it decided to expand Occombe Farm, but the pandemic caused costs to escalate and the trust’s reserves were depleted. The financial situation was worsened by increases in National Insurance contributions, a rise in the national minimum wage, rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

The statement went on: “As soon as it became clear that TCCT could face financial difficulty, it began working closely with its accountants to develop a detailed and responsible recovery plan aimed at securing its long-term future. However, uncertainty around the level of management fee to which Torbay Council would agree hindered TCCT’s ability to plan and operate effectively.”

A new management fee was eventually agreed with Torbay Council, but it was not due to take effect until April next year.

In their statement the trustees added: “Financial forecasts showed that TCCT’s funds would be exhausted by October 2025.

“Faced with this unavoidable shortfall, the trustees made the extremely difficult decision to move towards voluntary liquidation and immediately informed Torbay Council of this decision.

“TCCT had hoped that early notice would enable a controlled and transparent transition, ensuring continued care for the sites under its management. However, despite repeated requests, Torbay Council declined to participate in any handover process and instead chose to make a unilateral public announcement regarding TCCT’s closure.”

The council is understood to be in contact with the potential liquidators over the future of the TCCT sites.

Meanwhile, the closure of Occombe Farm has already affected the local events calendar.

The Cockington Christmas Caper running event, which had been due to happen on December 6, has been called off. The race, organised by the Barnabas Sports Trust, would have been based at Occombe Farm and had been billed as the last Caper after 20 successful years.