25 stories for the 2025 summer recess
The Exeter Observer team is taking a short break from publishing during the summer recess to carry out essential maintenance and development work. We’ve picked 25 stories from the past twelve months to keep you ticking over until our return in September.
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
University study finds decarbonisation slowing as city council continues to pursue failing Net Zero Exeter 2030 plan
Exeter also set to miss national 2050 target on current trajectory while aviation, shipping and other excluded scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions mean annual city carbon footprint likely to be triple territorial total. Full story here.
South West Water bills rise by a third following worst performance in sector with 550,000 hours of sewage spills
Tariffs increase as Environment Agency publishes damning data after South West Water owner Pennon Group issues £24.5 million in dividends to shareholders. Full story here.
Exeter City Council disregards national planning policy and Environment Agency criticism to approve Riverside Valley Park flood zone heat plant plans
Five gas boilers to provide 80% of “low-to-zero carbon” Grace Road Fields plant generation capacity for distribution to institutional consumers through privately-run 13-mile underground network expected to take ten years to complete. Full story here.
COMMUNITY & SOCIETY
Exeter Community Lottery income spent on gambling licence fees and costs despite council marketing and point of sale claims
Materially misleading claims that 60% of ticket sales revenue goes to good causes repeatedly made on lottery website and in official council communications as Australian multinational profits from local voluntary and community sector support. Full story here.
Annual city council rough sleeper count “consistently underestimates” extent of Exeter rough sleeping
Homelessness charity St Petrock’s calls on council to change count methodology which identifies fewer rough sleepers than those known by outreach workers and reflected in government figures. Full story here.
Supreme Court rejects Dartmoor landowners’ attempt to prevent wild camping on their land
Judges unanimously dismiss appeal by Alexander and Diana Darwall against 2023 ruling upholding Dartmoor Commons Act as campaigners call for enhanced public rights to access nature pledged by Labour when still in opposition. Full story here.
Exeter City Council fields false prospectus in determination to close Northbrook pool
Ian Collinson reports double down on misrepresentation, material omission and flat denial as council plans to rend more of city’s fabric from its roots. Full story here.
Labour councillors dive deeper into denial in decision to abandon Northbrook pool
Exeter residents mourn as council suppresses destructive consequences of creating St Sidwell’s Point complex that looms in leisure service shadows like a leviathan. Full story here.
Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell receives 18-month misconduct warning
Outcome of Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation delivered day before retirement of suspended chief constable Will Kerr announced, with Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez unwilling to say whether “golden handshake” agreed. Full story here.
DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Multiple-choice survey on £3.5m budget cuts follows auditor criticism of council public consultation methods
Move to replace resident views on key decisions and policies with opinion polls and selective questionnaires follows serial failure to uphold own consultation charter. Full story here.
South West peninsula devolution in disarray as Devon, Exeter, Plymouth, Torbay & Cornwall seek conflicting goals and seven Devon districts left out in cold
Contempt for local democracy laid bare by unlawful County Hall failure to publish plan to postpone local elections while Westminster looks set to back local Labour bids for disproportionate influence in regional governance reorganisation. Full story here.
Will Devon’s eleven councils find common ground as local authority reorganisation deadline looms?
A county-wide consensus is gaining traction with most Devon councils already on board and only Exeter City Council standing in its way while County Hall has yet to make up its mind. Full story here.
Devon County Council reveals perilous financial state with SEND spending having “significant impact” on cash balances
5.9% budget increase for 2025-26 conceals £22 million cuts and £66 million cost increases with “inevitable” impact on “vital” services. Full story here.
Devon & Torbay CCA sets sail for regional democratic deficit with £500,000 crew
Combined county authority throws public accountability overboard as future regional strategic governance body ratifies constitution at inaugural meeting but fails to explain why so many staff needed to deliver so little at such colossal cost. Full story here.
Lib Dems take command at County Hall despite Reform UK surge as Conservatives lose 33 seats and Labour is wiped out
2025 Devon County Council elections leave balance of power in Green Party hands as local government reorganisation takes centre stage on regional political agenda. Full story here.
Danny Barnes received full £15,000 Devon County Council allowance during 2024-25
Heavitree & Whipton Barton councillor failed to sign off £14,600 community grants after attending only two of fifteen public meetings and is alleged to have worked for Scottish Labour MP Imogen Walker since shortly after last year’s general elections. Full story here.
ECONOMY & ENTERPRISE
Exeter real-terms wages fall while increasing in neighbouring districts
Devon Public Health Intelligence index also scores several Exeter neighbourhoods among highest combined relative poverty risk areas in county. Full story here.
Council aims at Frasers Group Citypoint partnership after retail leaseholds sold as part of Princesshay deal
Mike Ashley-owned sports goods and retail group became Paris Street and Sidwell Street landlord in October, prompting council to rethink options for former bus station and revisit comprehensive redevelopment of wider site stalled since 2017. Full story here.
First Exeter build to rent flats marketed at £1,375-£2,350 per month with “affordable” units costing £1,080-£1,800 plus bills
Eutopia Homes rents in Exmouth Junction block would leave many workers with substantially lower income than Joseph Rowntree Foundation minimum for a socially-acceptable standard of living. Full story here.
PLANNING & PLACE
Developer says Harlequins “co-living” scheme viability requires on-site key worker accommodation removal
Proposal to shift financial risks on to city council comes four years after initial approval, citing falling property values and higher finance and construction costs. Full story here.
Council to mothball Exeter City Living Vaughan Road flats after first phase leaving £2.75m groundworks fenced off
Twelve year-old plan to rebuild remaining pre-war Laing’s Easiform council houses in Buddle Lane estate to be seen through to completion instead, as undelivered local housing promises finally collide with reality. Full story here.
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. Full story here.
TRANSPORT & MOBILITY
New countywide transport strategy falls short on fundamental mobility challenges
Draft 2025-40 Devon & Torbay Local Transport Plan lacks serious measures to address congestion and enable shift to public transport as local government reorganisation threatens derailment. Full story here.
Devon County Council admits Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets trial led to “lack of trust” in County Hall decision-making
Focus groups held following termination of controversial trial find broad support for safer travel but also reveal perception of “downward spiral” in Exeter highways management while county council confirms it has no plans for new schemes in area. Full story here.
Dawlish rail resilience, Exeter A379 bridge renewal and Cullompton M5 J28 schemes all shelved after spending review
Government road and rail funding announcement billed as “the biggest boost to England’s transport infrastructure in a generation” largely passes Devon and Cornwall by while leaving final phase of South West Rail Resilience Programme undelivered. Full story here.
