Economy & Enterprise
Belluno Italian restaurant in Newton St Cyres

NEWS

Home Office fails in bid to shut down local restaurant

Hearing following December immigration raid revokes premises supervisor's authority and briefly suspends but stops short of revoking premises licence.

Belluno Italian restaurant in Newton St Cyres

EXETER IN BRIEF

Home Office demands closure of local restaurant

The Home Office has asked Mid Devon District Council to revoke the premises licence at Belluno, an Italian restaurant in Newton St Cyres, effectively shutting down the business.

Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership area map

EXETER IN BRIEF

Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership to be wound up

The government has confirmed that the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership will be wound up in April next year.

Local authority economic activity levels change 2011-2021 census

NEWS

Decline in Exeter economic activity levels among largest in country

Census figures also show population increasing at nearly six times rate of job creation over past decade while healthcare, wholesale/retail and teaching make up nearly half of all employment, reflecting low pay and productivity.

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.

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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.

Shops to let on Exeter High Street

ANALYSIS

Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Part II: Economy & city centre

The second in our 2022 local elections series examines Exeter Labour claims about the city centre and Exeter's wider economy, including its misrepresentation of content marketing materials as authoritative sources of information about the city.

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NOTES & SKETCHES

Nice work if you can get it

Any Exeter-based readers who fancy £144,000 a year to help the government deliver its “Levelling Up” agenda (still only a white paper) in the South West need look no further.

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NOTES & SKETCHES

Keep it in the family

Earlier this year the University of Exeter drew attention to the South West’s significant social mobility issues, which it described as “blighting young lives”, when it launched a research project hoping to better understand the region’s challenges.

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NOTES & SKETCHES

Public sector pay pals?

Instead of announcing the biggest council funding rise for over a decade, Exeter City Council’s press team marked budget day by celebrating Exeter’s latest quarterly YouGov popularity rating. The Paris Street PR machine forgot to mention that those surveyed need never have visited the city.

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NOTES & SKETCHES

It's grim down South West

Recent synthesis of economic data by Devon County Council doesn’t make for very cheerful reading.

Job Centre Plus entrance

NEWS

Exeter workers to be among hardest hit by £20 cut in universal credit

Analysis shows proportion of benefit claimants in Exeter in work is among highest in country.

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NOTES & SKETCHES

Partnership agreement of the week

In a hotly-contested field, this week’s winner must surely be the new Exeter Civic University Agreement, which found its way onto last night’s city council Executive agenda.

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NOTES & SKETCHES

On the beach

The Heart Of The South West Local Enterprise Partnership has confirmed that its bid to house the UK Atomic Energy Authority STEP fusion test reactor in Bridgewater Bay passed the first stage of the competitive site nominations process.

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NOTES & SKETCHES

Buzzword bingo!

Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership has published its contribution to the increasingly popular genre of “Build Back Better” plans.

Centre for Cities Exeter City Monitor graphic

COMMENT

Selective use of statistics presents an unbalanced account of Exeter's economic & environmental status

Exeter City Council's Chief Executive uses statistics to show the city in a good light, but in doing so presents a picture which omits important information about the city's true position.

Illustration showing how the new building will look when completed

NEWS

Exeter Science Park STEMM 'grow-out building' construction begins

A new specialist centre for fast-growth Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths & Medicine businesses will be completed by November 2021.

Small retail businesses on Paris Street, Exeter

NEWS

Half of COVID-19 support grants unclaimed by Exeter businesses

Exeter City Council in bottom third of local authorities as only 45% of eligible local businesses claim government coronavirus support money.

Heart of the South West Local Industrial Strategy branding

ANALYSIS

Will a new South West industrial strategy deliver what it promises?

Our business-led Local Enterprise Partnership appears committed to a new approach to driving growth which its CEO describes as 'game-changing'.

Transport & Mobility
Empty Co-Cars parking bay in College Road, Exeter

ANALYSIS

Co-Cars liquidation expected to leave creditor and shareholder losses of more than £1.3 million

Sale of Co-Bikes fleet and spare parts agreed for just 4.5% of £600,000 book value after significant grant funding and investment fail to float shared mobility provider.

Heavitree and Whipton Active Streets modal filter illustration

ON THE AGENDA

New Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets scheme public exhibitions

Devon County Council is holding two further public exhibitions of the Heavitree and Whipton Active Streets scheme from 4.30-6.30pm on 12 September at Whipton Community Hall and at the same time on 14 September at St Mark’s Church Hall.

Bus lane

ON THE AGENDA

Public consultation on county council moving traffic offence enforcement powers

Devon County Council is holding a public consultation until 18 September on its plans to adopt moving traffic offence enforcement powers and introduce Automatic Number Place Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

All Transport & Mobility
Planning & Place
The remains of the Royal Clarence Hotel in Cathedral Yard

NEWS

Royal Clarence Hotel rebuild finally granted planning permission

Agreed developer contributions do not include planned education provision and may be significantly reduced after construction is complete.

Illustrative elevation facing St Luke's campus

ON THE AGENDA

Developer appeals Heavitree Road police station & magistrates court student/co-living blocks refusal

Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner and offshore-registered PBSA Heavitree Road S.A.R.L. seek to overturn Exeter City Council decision to reject application for 1035-bed development beside The Gorge.

Cover of Exeter City Council draft 2023-27 housing strategy

ON THE AGENDA

City council seeks feedback on council housing strategy

Exeter City Council is seeking feedback on a draft 2023-27 council housing strategy that will guide the way it manages its stock of 4,800 rented homes and 1,000 leasehold properties over the next five years.

All Planning & Place
Arts & Culture

SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2023

Spork! Dead Poets Slam

An October spoken-word poetry special featuring poet and slam champion Rick Dove.

EXETER PHOENIX

TUESDAY 10 TO SUNDAY 22 OCTOBER 2023

Food on Film autumn season

The programme exploring our relationship with food continues with documentary and narrative film screenings and a visit to Exeter Growers Co-operative.

EXETER PHOENIX

FRIDAY 6 & SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER 2023

Squeeze Box

An immersive installation for and about the disabled experience.

MAKETANK

All Arts & Culture
Climate & Environment

GALLERY

Salmon Run

Dozens of runners took part in three community runs along the River Exe to highlight the significance of salmon and the species' relationship with the waterway.

Exeter City Council litter bin

EXETER IN BRIEF

Council to remove a quarter of city's 800 litter bins

It says many are under-used because they are in the wrong place or too close to other bins, and that city centre bins will be 'largely unaffected'.

Exeter City Futures branding

EXETER IN BRIEF

Exeter City Futures board minutes published nearly nine months after meeting held

Minutes confirm Global City Futures work on Exeter Development Fund continues via direct city council contract framework and suggest university could retain brand after company dissolution.

All Climate & Environment
Democracy & Governance
Cover of Exeter City Council 2022-23 unaudited statement of accounts

ON THE AGENDA

Annual inspection period begins as unaudited 2022-23 city council accounts published

Special information access rights enabling local residents to examine records and ask council and external auditor related questions apply until 12 October.

Cover of Exeter City Council draft digital customer service strategy

ON THE AGENDA

City council invites comments on digital customer service transformation

Exeter City Council is inviting comments until 15 September on a draft digital customer service strategy that aims to make more efficient use of council resources by increasing its reliance on digital technology for service delivery.

St Sidwell's Point leisure centre behind derelict Exeter bus station

NEWS

£1 million leisure overspend fuels £3.2 million city council deficit

2022-23 budget review confirms £2.2 million annual leisure subsidy to continue with St Sidwell's Point expected to make a loss for at least five years while another £22 million to be spent on Exeter City Living Vaughan Road development.

All Democracy & Governance
Community & Society
St Thomas library

EXETER IN BRIEF

St Thomas library forced to relocate when lease expires in November

Landlord Exeter Estates Holdings, controlled by Exeter Chiefs CEO and chairman Tony Rowe, sought substantial rent increase after withdrawing planning application to demolish library building and replace it with block of thirteen flats.

Royal Devon and Exeter hospital

NEWS

Four day strike by consultants and junior doctors at Royal Devon NHS Trust

Industrial action affecting almost all planned care marks first time consultants and junior doctors have taken strike action together.

St Petrock's mobile rough sleeper service

EXETER IN BRIEF

St Petrock's shortlisted for National Lottery project of the year award

Mobile rough sleeper service among seventeen finalists shortlisted from nearly 4,000 applicants to reach public vote stage of national award.

All Community & Society
All topics

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