NEWS

Topsham Library to relocate upstairs at Nancy Potter House

Martin Redfern

Democracy doesn't work when people don't know who is deciding what on whose behalf and what the costs and consequences of those decisions will be.

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Bar chart of Devon County Council cumulative SEND deficit 2019-20 to 2031-32 at March 2024 with 2024-25 £14.7 million month eight excess overspend added

Devon County Council “safety valve” deal target breach rises by 40% to £20.4m as SEND overspend reaches £51.6m

Cumulative SEND deficit now expected to peak at £227m while deal targets set to be missed every year to 2032, risking County Hall bankruptcy if government withdraws support.

Devon County Council 2025-26 budget press release image

Devon County Council 2025-26 budget to bring more service delivery cuts

£22 million cuts concealed by £60 million costs increases as council misrepresents financial position and fails to answer questions about where cuts will fall.

Mark Kingscote and Alison Hernandez

Deputy police and crime commissioner Mark Kingscote resigns five months after defiant appointment by Alison Hernandez

Resignation follows appointment of third Devon & Cornwall Police chief constable in eighteen months after suspensions of Jim Colwell in November and Will Kerr in July 2023.

Royal Clarence Hotel in September 2024

Paternoster House developer takes on Royal Clarence Hotel rebuild after sale agreement reached with previous owners

Completion of restoration plans for five floors of luxury flats above ground floor and basement commercial units scheduled for April 2027, more than decade after historic Cathedral Yard building burnt down.

Interim Devon & Cornwall Police Chief Constable James Vaughan

James Vaughan appointed as interim Devon & Cornwall Police Chief Constable

Appointment follows suspension of acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell, recruited following suspension of Chief Constable Will Kerr, as force pays salaries of all three.

Clarendon House proposals versus Exeter building heights comparison graphic

Revised proposals for 310-bed Clarendon House student accommodation complex remove six storeys from tallest block

Second informal consultation follows council decision that development does not require Environmental Impact Assessment.

On Our Radar
St Nicholas Priory

SATURDAY 18 JANUARY 2025

Dido and Aeneas

A performance of Henry Purcell’s only true opera in Exeter’s oldest building.

ST NICHOLAS PRIORY

Digital Media Literacy seminars graphic

MONDAY 27 JANUARY TO MONDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2025

Let’s Talk About: Digital Media Literacy

A series of free seminars aimed at tackling misinformation and information overload in the digital world.

EXETER LIBRARY

Woodcut illustrating an execution by burning at the stake

SATURDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2025

Exeter History Book Festival

One-day event with talks from four Devon historians and stalls from local heritage organisations.

MINT METHODIST CHURCH CENTRE