DEVON County Council have U-turned on their decision to refuse dispensation to the first responder in Salcombe.

In August, Tim Hore, Salcombe’s first responder and licensee of the Victoria Inn alongside his wife Liz, was told that his appeal over a parking ticket had been refused – despite the vehicle only being used while he is on call.

Now, county councillors appear to have changed their minds, giving Tim a parking permit allowing him to park in resident spaces and time-limited spaces – without a time limit. They have also cancelled his parking tickets.

Tim is on call from early in the morning to late at night and is often called out twice a day, something he does without monetary compensation or expenses.

The expenses are paid by Tim himself, or by money raised locally. The local community funded Tim’s first responder car a few years ago, to keep the NHS kit in and to get to patients. The car has been badged and sign-written and looks like a tiny ambulance.

South Hams Council gave him dispensation for the car to be parked on Clifton Place, a location that allowed him access to Market Street and out of the town, or to Fore Street and the rest of Salcombe.

But when Devon County Council took over responsibility for street parking, they revoked the dispensation. However, with the help of local councillor Rufus Gilbert, Tim obtained a business permit to allow parking in residents’ spaces.

For more on this story, see this week’s Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette