News
The independent public interest journalism Exeter needs
Exeter City Council 2026 local elections results
The votes cast for each candidate with vote share and party vote share change in each ward plus turnout, postal votes and the distribution of seats.
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When, where and how to vote in the 2026 Exeter local elections
Our guide to casting your ballot in person, by post and by proxy as well as voter ID requirements and regulations for casting postal votes.
Features
Stories that explore key issues behind the headlines
Green surge leaves Labour without council majority and competing with Reform UK for second place across city
Defiant Phil Bialyk says Exeter election results are vote of confidence in party which will propose own portfolio holders, leader and deputy at May annual meeting.
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2026 Exeter local elections guide
City council elections take place on Thursday 7 May. Our comprehensive guide covers who’s standing where, wards to watch and the backdrop to this year’s ballot, which looks set to end fourteen years of Labour majority control over the city.
Devon County Council funding cuts set to reduce core library opening hours by 30%
Public consultation on changes explores possibility of closing some branches altogether despite claims to the contrary while Libraries Unlimited contract extension decision scheduled for six weeks before consultation ends.
Exeter City Council adds 813 more student and “co-living” beds to city “housing” supply with Heavitree Road approval
Complex of seven blocks up to six storeys tall on site of police station and magistrates court to bring purpose-built temporary accommodation tally to 3,250 beds in Newtown alone – while failing to meet local plan minimum building separation policy.
Comment
Analysis and opinion that cuts through the noise
Phil Bialyk clings to Exeter City Council leadership with too few Labour councillors to fill executive seats
Green Party call for “co-operative council” to “put people before politics” ignored despite opposition councillors holding balance of power.
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Exeter City Council leader Phil Bialyk hides behind flimsy CEO capacity claims to contrive local elections cancellation
Labour councillors plumb new depths to cling to power – and personal financial gain – as government-backed contempt for democracy enables seven of eight executive members to avoid ballots in their wards until council abolition in 2028.
Botched consultation restarted on sale of 8.5 acres of Riverside Valley Park green space
Council land disposal to include rights to lay underground distribution pipework across River Exe floodplain following “low-to-zero carbon” Grace Road Fields heat plant planning approval in face of Environment Agency sequential test concerns.
Special Reports
In-depth insight about what's going on in Exeter that you won't find anywhere else
Exeter City Council is about to seize the helm of Exe estuary maritime life: will it steer it onto the rocks?
Charges for waterways access are set to be imposed from the quay and canal basin to the coast under proposed Harbour Revision Order powers after six years of rising costs propelled by pursuit of Port Marine Safety Code compliance. They risk driving away craft of all sizes, from kayaks to yachts, while redevelopment threatens canalside land – but it’s not too late to change course.
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Labour and Conservative councillors join forces to block Exeter city centre antisocial behaviour initiative
Rejection of voluntary and community sector calls for more inclusive response follows thirteen-year council failure to comply with legal duties under crime and disorder legislation in relation to Exeter Community Safety Partnership.
Council denies data and contrives criteria to dismiss community balance concerns in third King Billy student block approval
Exeter Observer analysis finds more students living in city centre than residents as council bid to include PBSA in housing delivery figures weakens local planning policy – but does not remove it from decision-making altogether.
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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.
Exeter In Brief
Exeter Observer's regular round-up of local news that matters
On Our Radar
Community and culture highlights curated by the Exeter Observer team
FRIDAY 26 TO SUNDAY 28 JUNE 2026
The Considerate Society
Six artist and community-led gatherings convened by Art Work Exeter to examine civic life and more.
EXETER QUAY
SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2026
The Book Market 2026
Exeter City of Literature event with author talks, food and drink and independent booksellers from across Devon.
EXETER QUAY
