Torbay Council has proposed a new set of quality standards for 25 beaches and coves across the bay in Devon. The plan, referred to in council papers and local reporting as the English Riviera Beach Excellence and Quality Standards (ERBS) — also shortened to English Riviera Beach Standards — would replace the international Blue Flag and Seaside Award external certification schemes for the 2026 season.
If the Cabinet approves the plan at its meeting on 17 February 2026, the council will move away from external certification schemes. The council says the change would give it more local control over signage and how water-quality information is presented to the public throughout the year, and would allow bespoke criteria better suited to Torbay’s diverse coastline.
The move would end a decades-long relationship with Keep Britain Tidy, the charity that administers Blue Flag and the Seaside Awards in England. That relationship includes Oddicombe Beach in Torquay, which has held a Blue Flag every year since the award began in 1987.
Council officials say a local system will be more flexible for managing the coastline and for reporting on water safety outside the Environment Agency’s standard bathing-season testing windows. Under the proposal, Tor Bay Harbour Authority and council beach teams would take on local monitoring, signage and facilities management for the 2026 season; the Environment Agency would remain responsible for statutory bathing-water testing and official classifications.
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