Exeter Observer - Arts & Culture

Transport & Mobility

ANALYSIS

Stagecoach escapes major sanctions over service failures

Traffic commissioner decides four days of free weekend travel in Exeter Plus ticket zone is sufficient penalty for poor performance despite public inquiry hearing severe criticism of company.

Devon County Council 2022-24 capital transport programme allocations

ANALYSIS

Motor vehicle infrastructure continues to dominate Devon transport spending

New active travel infrastructure to receive just 5% share of capital allocations this year and next, with new roads capital expenditure to increase from 74% to 86%.

Exeter adults who do any walking or cycling for any purpose 2016 to 2021 bar chart

ANALYSIS

Figures show declining Exeter walking and cycling rates as active travel delivery falls by the wayside

County council plans to remove Queen Street active travel infrastructure despite road space reallocation commitments expose equivocal city transport policy aim.

All Transport & Mobility

Planning & Place

Student houses in multiple occupation to let in Raleigh Road, Exeter

NEWS

Information Commissioner to investigate university over student accommodation numbers refusal

Compliance failure follows university admission that nearly 39,000 students based at Exeter campuses in 2021-22, suggesting around three quarters of city's private rented housing stock occupied by students.

Clydesdale, Nash and Birks Grange Village redevelopment illustrative elevations

NEWS

University holds public consultation on 1,700 bed West Park redevelopment design

Outline plans to demolish 30 buildings and construct 50,000m2 of student accommodation on fifteen acre Streatham campus site did not comply with university or council environmental policies.

Exeter Purpose Built Student Accommodation map

NEWS

University says 39,000 students – nearly 30% of city's population – based at Exeter campuses in 2021-22

Freedom of information request reveals 11,500 more students than published FTE figures with major implications for council planning policy but university refuses to disclose numbers in PBSA vs residential housing stock.

All Planning & Place

Climate & Environment

NEWS

Climate Action Hub opens in Exeter city centre

A dedicated climate crisis information and resource centre is opening on 25 November in an empty Princesshay retail unit to provide events, meeting space, film screenings and drop-in advice and support.

Extinction Rebellion UK tour bus outside Exeter City Council's Paris Street offices

COMMENT

World car free day ignored in Exeter as Extinction Rebellion challenges council climate inaction

Protestors gathered outside council offices as CEO Karime Hassan posed for photo with construction company development manager at Princesshay promotion.

Exeter City Futures website - vision & mission summary

COMMENT

University emissions study confirms Net Zero Exeter plan redundancy

Council retains Exeter City Futures' services despite history of delivery failures and lack of capacity to support defined decarbonisation targets.

All Climate & Environment

Democracy & Governance

Exeter borough and East Exeter and Exmouth county constituency boundary changes final proposals combined map

NEWS

Pinhoe, St Loye's and Topsham all in new Exeter East and Exmouth constituency under revised changes

Final boundary commission consultation follows city council proposal to move marginal Pinhoe to safe Conservative seat and keep Priory Labour stronghold in city.

NOTES & SKETCHES

Race in pole position

Exeter Labour looks set to pick Steve Race as the party’s parliamentary candidate at the next general election after retiring incumbent Ben Bradshaw anointed his former assistant as his heir apparent in what has been a fairly safe Labour seat since the 1997 landslide...

NOTES & SKETCHES

Bundling boards

The third in a series of city council scrutiny meetings intended to satisfy councillors that Exeter Development Fund is a way to put Exeter on the map rather than the council’s financial viability at risk took place last week...

All Democracy & Governance

Community & Society

University of Exeter full-time academic staff salary distribution 2020-21

ANALYSIS

University of Exeter lags behind on female pay and employment terms

HESA figures show poor performance compared with Universities UK members and only incremental changes over past five years, mostly since staff began industrial action over pay, pensions and working conditions.

University of Exeter Streatham campus picket line

NEWS

University of Exeter staff strike in largest walkout in sector history

Dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions continues as universities generate record income.

SUNDAY 15 JANUARY & SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2023

Seed Bank workshops

Monthly sessions preparing seeds for the first ever Exeter Seed Bank seed swap.

EXETER PHOENIX

All Community & Society

Economy & Enterprise

Exeter City Council government borrowing 2014-2022 bar chart

ANALYSIS

Council borrowing nearly triples in three years as property acquisition and development loans mount

Freedom of information request reveals five paragraph "outline business plan" for £55 million Guildhall shopping centre investment.

Exeter 2020 net internal migration by age group bar chart

ANALYSIS

Exeter beset by unaffordable housing, low graduate retention and economically inactive over 50's

Exeter City Council executive ignores key challenges flagged in major council-commissioned employment and skills research report.

NOTES & SKETCHES

How to inflate housing costs and influence people

Despite Exeter’s rapidly worsening housing crisis, the council has continued its relentless promotion of the city as a destination to potential incomers by commissioning a coterie of Instagram influencers to flog the place to their followers after spending a May weekend here...

All Economy & Enterprise

Transport & Mobility

Stagecoach escapes major sanctions over service failures

Motor vehicle infrastructure continues to dominate Devon transport spending

Figures show declining Exeter walking and cycling rates as active travel delivery falls by the wayside

Planning & Place

Information Commissioner to investigate university over student accommodation numbers refusal

University holds public consultation on 1,700 bed West Park redevelopment design

University says 39,000 students – nearly 30% of city's population – based at Exeter campuses in 2021-22

Climate & Environment

Climate Action Hub opens in Exeter city centre

World car free day ignored in Exeter as Extinction Rebellion challenges council climate inaction

University emissions study confirms Net Zero Exeter plan redundancy

Democracy & Governance

Pinhoe, St Loye's and Topsham all in new Exeter East and Exmouth constituency under revised changes

Race in pole position

Bundling boards

Community & Society

University of Exeter lags behind on female pay and employment terms

University of Exeter staff strike in largest walkout in sector history

Seed Bank workshops

Economy & Enterprise

Council borrowing nearly triples in three years as property acquisition and development loans mount

Exeter beset by unaffordable housing, low graduate retention and economically inactive over 50's

How to inflate housing costs and influence people

On our agenda

New Exeter local plan

All topics