ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY AIR QUALITY AIR QUALITY AIR QUALITY COP26 COP26 COP26 COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 CITYPOINT CITYPOINT CITYPOINT CLIFTON HILL SPORTS CENTRE CLIFTON HILL SPORTS CENTRE CLIFTON HILL SPORTS CENTRE CLIMATE CRISIS CLIMATE CRISIS CLIMATE CRISIS CO-LIVING CO-LIVING CO-LIVING CONGESTION CONGESTION CONGESTION COUNCIL TAX COUNCIL TAX COUNCIL TAX CROWN ESTATE CROWN ESTATE CROWN ESTATE CYCLING & WALKING CYCLING & WALKING CYCLING & WALKING DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT DEVON CARBON PLAN DEVON CARBON PLAN DEVON CARBON PLAN DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL DEVON PENSION FUND DEVON PENSION FUND DEVON PENSION FUND EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL EXETER AIRPORT EXETER AIRPORT EXETER AIRPORT EXETER CATHEDRAL EXETER CATHEDRAL EXETER CATHEDRAL EXETER CITY FUTURES EXETER CITY FUTURES EXETER CITY FUTURES EXETER CITY LIVING EXETER CITY LIVING EXETER CITY LIVING EXETER COLLEGE EXETER COLLEGE EXETER COLLEGE EXETER CULTURE EXETER CULTURE EXETER CULTURE EXETER DEVELOPMENT FUND EXETER DEVELOPMENT FUND EXETER DEVELOPMENT FUND EXETER EXTINCTION REBELLION EXETER EXTINCTION REBELLION EXETER EXTINCTION REBELLION EXETER LIVE BETTER EXETER LIVE BETTER EXETER LIVE BETTER EXETER LOCAL PLAN EXETER LOCAL PLAN EXETER LOCAL PLAN EXETER PHOENIX EXETER PHOENIX EXETER PHOENIX EXETER PRIDE EXETER PRIDE EXETER PRIDE EXETER SCIENCE PARK EXETER SCIENCE PARK EXETER SCIENCE PARK EXETER ST. DAVID'S EXETER ST. DAVID'S EXETER ST. DAVID'S EXETER TRANSPORT STRATEGY EXETER TRANSPORT STRATEGY EXETER TRANSPORT STRATEGY EXETER CITY CENTRE EXETER CITY CENTRE EXETER CITY CENTRE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION FREEDOM OF INFORMATION FREEDOM OF INFORMATION FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE EXETER FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE EXETER FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE EXETER GENERAL ELECTIONS GENERAL ELECTIONS GENERAL ELECTIONS GUILDHALL GUILDHALL GUILDHALL HARLEQUINS HARLEQUINS HARLEQUINS HEART OF THE SOUTH WEST LEP HEART OF THE SOUTH WEST LEP HEART OF THE SOUTH WEST LEP HOUSING CRISIS HOUSING CRISIS HOUSING CRISIS LGBTQIA+ LGBTQIA+ LGBTQIA+ LIVEABLE EXETER PLACE BOARD LIVEABLE EXETER PLACE BOARD LIVEABLE EXETER PLACE BOARD LIVEABLE EXETER LIVEABLE EXETER LIVEABLE EXETER LOCAL INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY LOCAL INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY LOCAL INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY LOCAL ELECTIONS LOCAL ELECTIONS LOCAL ELECTIONS MAKETANK MAKETANK MAKETANK MARSH BARTON MARSH BARTON MARSH BARTON MET OFFICE MET OFFICE MET OFFICE MID DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL MID DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL MID DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL NET ZERO EXETER NET ZERO EXETER NET ZERO EXETER NORTHERNHAY GARDENS NORTHERNHAY GARDENS NORTHERNHAY GARDENS OXYGEN HOUSE OXYGEN HOUSE OXYGEN HOUSE PARIS STREET PARIS STREET PARIS STREET PARKING PARKING PARKING PENINSULA TRANSPORT PENINSULA TRANSPORT PENINSULA TRANSPORT PLANNING POLICY PLANNING POLICY PLANNING POLICY PRINCESSHAY PRINCESSHAY PRINCESSHAY PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC CONSULTATION PUBLIC CONSULTATION PUBLIC CONSULTATION PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC REALM PUBLIC REALM PUBLIC REALM PUBLIC TRANSPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORT RAMM RAMM RAMM REFUSE & RECYCLING REFUSE & RECYCLING REFUSE & RECYCLING RETROFIT RETROFIT RETROFIT RIVERSIDE VALLEY PARK RIVERSIDE VALLEY PARK RIVERSIDE VALLEY PARK ROYAL DEVON & EXETER NHS TRUST ROYAL DEVON & EXETER NHS TRUST ROYAL DEVON & EXETER NHS TRUST SIDWELL STREET SIDWELL STREET SIDWELL STREET SOUTH WEST EXETER EXTENSION SOUTH WEST EXETER EXTENSION SOUTH WEST EXETER EXTENSION SOUTH WEST WATER SOUTH WEST WATER SOUTH WEST WATER SOUTHERNHAY SOUTHERNHAY SOUTHERNHAY SPORT ENGLAND LOCAL DELIVERY PILOT SPORT ENGLAND LOCAL DELIVERY PILOT SPORT ENGLAND LOCAL DELIVERY PILOT ST. SIDWELL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE ST. SIDWELL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE ST. SIDWELL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE ST. SIDWELL'S POINT ST. SIDWELL'S POINT ST. SIDWELL'S POINT STAGECOACH SOUTH WEST STAGECOACH SOUTH WEST STAGECOACH SOUTH WEST STUDENT ACCOMMODATION STUDENT ACCOMMODATION STUDENT ACCOMMODATION TEIGNBRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL TEIGNBRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL TEIGNBRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL UNIVERSITY OF EXETER UNIVERSITY OF EXETER UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
COMMENT ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Exeter Development Fund: rent extraction, unaffordable housing and gentrification, but not net zero
Exeter City Futures' private debt-driven Liveable Exeter property development financing scheme is under fire from councillors who say it is based on insufficiently-evidenced assumptions and won't meet Exeter's housing needs.
COMMENT ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Property development promotion as community planning participation
If the Liveable Exeter property development scheme and its Exeter Development Fund financing vehicle are already intended to "anchor and underpin" the new Exeter Local Plan, what will public consultation on the plan decide?
ANALYSIS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Exeter greenhouse gas report disregards hundreds of thousands of tonnes of annual city emissions
Restricted scope of study misrepresents scale of city's impact to produce partial decarbonisation targets while ignoring opportunities to reduce emissions imported by residents, businesses and visitors, guaranteeing net zero failure.
NEWS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Council rejects calls for greater community involvement in Exeter planning policy and decisions
Council defends existing approach despite Statement of Community Involvement consultation producing just 17 responses, and won't do more to promote neighbourhood planning despite prospect of enhanced community powers.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Will Exeter College fence off Exwick community playing fields?
Exeter College redevelopment plans at Exwick and Flowerpot Playing Fields threaten a three metre fence around public-accessible playing fields and their replacement with artificial turf. Will it change course after widespread objections?
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
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.
ANALYSIS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Do Exeter Labour election campaign claims stand up to scrutiny? Part III: Climate & environment
The third in our 2022 local elections series examines Exeter Labour claims about climate crisis leadership, renewable energy, recycling, retrofitting and development standards as well as decisions to scrap council and city decarbonisation goals.
NOTES & SKETCHES
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...
DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
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.
ANALYSIS ⁄ ECONOMY & ENTERPRISE
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.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
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.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Council consultants confirm 58% of Exeter's university students live in city's residential housing stock
2021-22 university figures suggest there are now more than 4,500 student HMOs in the city, consistent with ONS findings, with number set to surpass Exeter's council housing provision.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
£55 million Guildhall shopping centre decision may breach local government transparency rules
Exeter City Council decision to purchase and redevelop shopping centre may be unlawful, ineffective and subject to judicial review, increasing already significant commercial investment risks.
NOTES & SKETCHES
We heart climate crisis
Anyone who might have been tempted to believe that the climate crisis is at the heart of everything Exeter City Council does (as it repeatedly claims) need look no further than its response to the consultation on the Devon climate assembly’s output report for clarification...
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Decision to send council CEO and director to work for Exeter City Futures is "disservice to citizens"
City council disregards governance, risk and conflict of interest issues despite cross-party challenges and conflates decarbonisation agenda with property development financing scheme.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Pennsylvania petitioners expose fifteen years of flawed student accommodation policy-making
City council policies based on faulty premises, inaccurate information and miscalculated projections have failed to prevent mass student occupation of Exeter residential housing stock despite the proliferation of Purpose Built Student Accommodation across the city.
NOTES & SKETCHES
Money for nothing
The Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) closed its consultation on draft changes to the Prudential Code last month, following a preliminary consultation earlier this year. The code governs how much councils can borrow to invest and what forms of commercial activity they are permitted to pursue...
DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Exeter City Council approves second Harlequins "co-living" block, sealing fate of Paul Street
Previously rejected vision will now form basis of "abysmal" and "poorly thought through" Liveable Exeter development of 383 "units of accommodation" with increased proportion of substandard studios but reduced economic value to city.
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...
ECONOMY & ENTERPRISE
ANALYSIS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Greens call for evidence-based Exeter carbon budget as city council clings to net zero rhetoric
The Net Zero Exeter plan lacks baseline emissions figures, recognised scope definitions and measurement and reporting frameworks, placing the city's decarbonisation agenda at risk. The opportunity for Exeter to demonstrate genuine climate crisis leadership nevertheless remains.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Prospects improve for pop-up Paris Street and Sidwell Street tenants wanting to stay on development site
Council leader Phil Bialyk says it will be "some years" before planned CityPoint redevelopment affects repurposed retail units, and that council "would want" to accommodate artistic and cultural initiatives and independent local businesses "should they wish to remain".
NOTES & SKETCHES
May the force be with UNESCO
Torbay and Exeter’s joint UK city of culture bid, said to be inspired by the “closely connected coastal and city destinations” despite Brixham and Exeter being an hour and a half apart by public transport, didn’t make it onto the longlist of eight places which have caught the eye of culture vulture and escapee celebrity Nadine Dorries...
ARTS & CULTURE
NOTES & SKETCHES
Exeter City Council scraps own "unachievable" carbon emissions target
In an extraordinary reversal, the city council removed the goal of achieving carbon neutral operations by 2022 from its corporate risk register at an Audit & Governance committee meeting last week...
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
City council outsourcing Exeter local government to unaccountable Liveable Exeter Place Board
An Exeter Observer investigation of Liveable Exeter Place Board has found that it is a de facto decision-making and governance body which exercises public functions with the potential to affect everyone who lives and works in Exeter.
ANALYSIS ⁄ ARTS & CULTURE
Positive Light Projects opens community arts centre despite CityPoint redevelopment threat
Parts of Exeter city centre are experiencing an unplanned renaissance as small shops and cultural venues move in to fill empty units on Paris Street and Sidwell Street, but uncertainty remains as the council still plans to demolish and redevelop.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
River Exe green spaces and heritage harbour site threatened by "Liveable Exeter" development scheme
Exeter Civic Society and Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors raise alarm at prospect of Exeter City Council development in river valley park and historic canal basin.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
University drops environmental standards for huge student flats development with council approval
University of Exeter and Exeter City Council both ignore own policies in plans to demolish 30 buildings and construct 50,000m2 of new student accommodation, telling us more about their priorities than their climate leadership claims.
NOTES & SKETCHES
Longbrook Street PBSA gifted second life
Exeter City Council planning officers have approved the renewal of planning permission for an eight storey 108-bed student accommodation block on the site of the King Billy public house which had previously been granted in April 2018 and since lapsed...
PLANNING & PLACE
NEWS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
South West Exeter district heating network plan abandoned
Property developers refuse to back scheme despite local authorities committing £7.3 million to project to supply 2500 new homes with waste heat from Marsh Barton incinerator, Exeter's largest single source of carbon emissions.
COMMENT ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Is Exeter City Council going to abandon its Net Zero 2030 target?
Review suggests alignment with Devon Carbon Plan, currently aimed at 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050, citing "technical and financial challenges ahead", although change in policy would require decision by councillors after 6 May local elections.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
2021 Exeter local elections guide
Elections for Exeter City Council, Devon County Council and the Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner are taking place in Exeter on 6 May. Our essential election guide highlights wards and divisions to watch, changes taking place and how, when and where to vote.
BLOG
Council announces plan to produce "Exeter the Musical" at city's Corn Exchange
Exeter City Council has announced a plan to produce a musical theatre extravaganza billed as "an ambitious celebration of a better life in the world's most world-class city" as part of its UNESCO City of Literature celebrations.
COMMENT ⁄ ECONOMY & ENTERPRISE
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.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
£37.5 million council maintenance backlog caused by underinvestment to be part-funded by asset sales
Exeter City Council has allowed property assets to deteriorate while prioritising new schemes including the £44 million St. Sidwell's Point leisure centre, forcing it to identify assets for sale to pay its outstanding repair bills.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Council pushes back on Liveable Exeter Place Board scrutiny following membership change
Exeter City Council has responded to an enquiry about disproportionate Church of England representation on the Liveable Exeter Place Board by accusing Exeter Observer of promoting a "partisan narrative" and claiming our public interest reporting "bears no resemblance to fact".
NEWS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Report places Devon County Council among UK's top local authority fossil fuel investors
£157 million of Devon Local Government Pension Scheme is invested in companies including Royal Dutch Shell, BP, BHP, Anglo American and ExxonMobil despite local authority climate emergency declarations and carbon reduction commitments.
NEWS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
May local elections to go ahead despite COVID-19 challenges
Ban on doorstep canvassing and door to door leaflet distribution likely to favour the two major parties on 6 May as postal and proxy voting encouraged in Exeter City Council, Devon County Council and Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
NEWS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
District heating network planned for new South West Exeter development
Local councils are investing up to £7.3 million in a £23 million project to supply a development of 2500 homes with heat which depends on the Marsh Barton waste incinerator, Exeter's largest single source of carbon emissions.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
First Liveable Exeter homes are substandard "warehousing for people" which is student accommodation "in all but name"
Harlequins shopping centre redevelopment approved by Exeter City Council includes 251 co-living units in seven storey tower block despite widespread opposition from conservation charities and community campaigners who have since appealed to the Secretary of State to call in the decision.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Exeter City Council executive members take direct control of city planning decisions
Council's executive now possesses majority on city planning committee, with council leader and planning portfolio holder also included despite national guidance, offering basis to challenge decisions and increasing democratic deficit.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Unelected Liveable Exeter Place Board created to oversee city from the shadows
Exeter City Council has convened an unelected board that meets in private, does not publish its discussions or decisions and is taking responsibility for major policies which will determine Exeter's future.
ANALYSIS ⁄ COMMUNITY & SOCIETY
Exeter rough sleepers in COVID-19 emergency accommodation face uncertain future
Exeter City Council has yet to confirm whether it will use any of the £2.15m Rough Sleeping Initiative funding it has received since 2018 to keep housing rough sleepers when government emergency accommodation funding runs out.
NEWS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Exeter City Council accepts climate emergency plan to make city carbon neutral by 2030
Chief Executive warns that resourcing the plan is "problematic" given COVID-19 financial challenges and that lack of resources limits the council's capacity for immediate practical action.
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Exeter's first "zero carbon" housing development includes 96 car parking spaces for 40 homes
Exeter City Council has approved plans to develop land at Pinhoe with a parking ratio of 2.4 cars per household as part of an "exemplar scheme for future residential development in the city" while accepting that zero carbon construction comes "at a cost to the provision of affordable housing".
NEWS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Exeter City Council announces £1.584m April budget shortfall caused by COVID-19 restrictions
Council revenues have fallen dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic, prompting a £6.357 million capital spending deferment. But financial support from government has so far been limited.
COMMENT ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Is Exeter finally responding to the climate emergency?
A surge of activity about action to combat climate change is taking place in Exeter, including the publication of a carbon neutral blueprint pending a "mobilisation summit", but detail and evidence is still missing and community engagement is falling short of debate.
NEWS ⁄ CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Exeter climate strike anniversary march brings junction to standstill
Protestors form human chain around County Hall to highlight Devon County Council's role as key regional climate policy decision-maker after Exeter City Council confiscates banners promoting carbon neutral blueprint policies.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Exeter & East Devon council accounts delayed by Grant Thornton's "lack of staff resources"
Annual accounts for local government, including Exeter City Council, have been delayed by private sector firms failing to complete their work on time after cost-cutting government auditing reforms.
COMMENT ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Exeter could do better - was there no alternative to closing so many public toilets?
Exeter City Council did not need to close thirteen public toilets to balance the books. The money to keep them open was available in reserves, but no mention of this option was made during public decision-making by councillors or officers.
ANALYSIS ⁄ TRANSPORT & MOBILITY
We already know what to do about the climate crisis. We must get on with doing it as fast as we can.
Exeter and Devon council leaders must begin rapid regional decarbonisation now. The quickest, cheapest way to cut emissions in Exeter is to deter combustion engines from entering the city. Clean air legislation offers a basis for action.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Caught short - balancing the books in a hurry
Exeter City Council has unapologetically confirmed its decision to close 13 public toilets as a money-saving measure with full knowledge of its expected effect on residents and visitors. Can we expect other spending cuts to be handled the same way?
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Mount Radford Lawn development proposals conflict with St Leonards community vision
Exeter Deaf Academy hopes to sell a school playing field to developers who plan to build luxury homes. Local residents have other ideas about how best to use the land. A dispute is looming over an historic green space driven by prospective profit from planning gain.
NEWS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Exeter Labour loses local elections in all three city centre wards
Voters in Exeter yesterday elected three new councillors to represent them in the key wards that cover the city centre, with all the city's ruling Exeter Labour group candidates missing out despite the party's confident campaign.
ANALYSIS ⁄ DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE
Local resident stands as independent candidate in Exeter elections
Jemima Moore is a 36 year-old part-time primary school teacher and mother of two young children with little political experience. So why has she decided to stand for election to Exeter City Council on 2 May?
ANALYSIS ⁄ PLANNING & PLACE
Clifton Hill sports centre – the background
Storm Emma met the Beast from the East and dumped a huge amount of snow on the roof of Exeter's Clifton Hill sports centre, setting off a chain reaction which has ignited two campaigns and put Exeter City Council's approaches to competence and openness into sharp focus.