Devon County Council says it will look at concerns raised about worsening pavements and overgrown vegetation in communities across the county.

The move follows a Notice of Motion by Councillor Neil Stevens and a series of recommendations from Cabinet, which were formally accepted at a meeting of the Full Council. Problems have been reported in several areas, with weeds and vegetation pushing through pavements and footpaths. Residents say the issue is creating difficulties for disabled people, older residents and parents with prams.

Councillors voted to continue tackling pavement safety issues linked to overgrowth and to provide guidance to communities through a new parish protocol for locally delivered highway work, which is expected to go before Cabinet this month. The council also plans to work with the Probation Service on clearance in selected areas where support is available, and to engage with bodies including the Devon Association of Local Councils, as well as town and parish councils, to develop joint approaches.

Councillor Stevens, who was unable to attend the meeting in person, told Members in a written statement that he felt the recommendations were “watered down”.

“Let's be honest, this won’t fix it and if we don’t find proper funding the long-term cost to Devon will be far higher. Residents are already frustrated. They need a real, effective solution, not another token gesture,” he said.

Councillor Julian Brazil, Leader of the council, acknowledged the scale of the problem.

“Many of us share your frustrations with the state of our roadways, but there just is not enough funding available to do a complete clearance of our pavements,” he said. “To get to something that residents are happy with, we’re going to have to work with our communities so that we do it together.”

Several councillors praised local volunteers and community groups who regularly help clear weeds and vegetation from public paths.

Councillor Brazil added: “There are a lot of community groups and individuals who regularly turn out voluntarily to make a difference in their communities. My thanks go to every one of them.”