Stories by Martin Redfern

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.

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.
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Exeter Energy plant replaces rationale for Grace Road Fields location near River Exe with reliance on air source heat pumps
Developer nevertheless seeks planning permission to build in Riverside Valley Park, claiming public open space “not bound” by local plan policy, as scheme ambition and city council environmental leadership claims begin to drain away.

Devon County Council plan to postpone local elections fails as government rejects devolution fast-track application
County council leader James McInnes sought ministerial approval for proposals despite Devon falling short of devolution white paper eligibility criteria.

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.
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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.