Stories by Leigh Curtis
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.
SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2025
Aspects of Love
A lunchtime concert with mezzo-soprano Iryna Ilnytska to raise funds for Ukraine.
EXETER CATHEDRAL
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.
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
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.
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.