Democracy & Governance

Democracy & Governance

2022-23 band D council tax charges ranges (England)

Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Coda: Council tax

The last part of our 2022 local elections series is a coda examining Exeter Labour’s claim that the city has one of the lowest rates of council tax in the country.

2022 Exeter local elections guide graphic

2022 Exeter local elections guide

City council elections take place on Thursday 5 May. Our essential guide highlights who’s standing where, wards to watch and what the results might look like and mean. We also outline their context and explain when, where and how to vote.

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Brownfield or green?

At yesterday’s second scrutiny meeting in the series being orchestrated by the city council to air Exeter City Futures’ ideas about using Exeter as an urban guinea pig for its development fund project it was Frazer Osment’s turn to play the ringer.

Exeter city councillors with low attendance levels during 2021-22 - stacked bar graph

Low attendance levels among some councillors mean Exeter electors get varying value for their votes

As part of our 2022 Exeter local elections coverage we have assessed the past year’s attendance figures for public council meetings as a measure of councillor commitment to their constituents.

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It’s scrutiny Jim, but not as it should be

The city council kicked off a quartet of scrutiny meetings intended to pave the way for councillors to give Exeter Development Fund a green light with a session last night that resembled a sales pitch.

Vaughan Road Exeter City Living development site

Why does Exeter City Council evade public scrutiny of Exeter City Living property development decisions?

Significant decisions concerning the council-owned company are being taken in secret despite transparency legislation and assurances when it was created, with governance and scrutiny arrangements also potentially putting the council at risk.

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