NEW opportunities for businesses in West Devon will be outlined by top speakers at a forthcoming meeting hosted by West Devon Borough Council at its Kilworthy Park headquarters in Tavistock.

The Business Voice event is open to the local business community and takes place on Monday, November 26, at 6pm.

Lee Richards from Regen Southwest will explain how businesses can get involved with the Government's Green Deal, which seeks to promote energy efficiency.

There will also be a presentation by Stephen Oliver from YTKO, the company working with the council on the Connecting Devon and Somerset programme, which is bringing superfast broadband to rural areas.

He will explain how businesses in West Devon can make the most of improved broadband speeds in the future, to find new markets and increase their profitability.

Lisa Buckle, head of finance and audit, will present the council's spending proposals for 2013/14 and outline the financial challenges facing the authority.

Leader of the council Philip Sanders, who will also be attending the meeting, said: 'We hope this meeting will give West Devon businesses the chance to consult with us over our spending proposals and tell us what they think about the key issues facing them.

'We are keen to get feedback from the whole business community and give them a greater voice in local government.

'We also want to look ahead to some positive opportunities on the horizon and I would encourage local business people to come along for the evening.'

If you would like to attend, email [email protected]">[email protected]