Stories about Public Health
Exeter has 3,100 vacant and empty second homes, nearly 6% of city’s housing stock
ONS also finds South West has 183,000 unoccupied dwellings with another 200,000 in use as second homes in the region, of which more than 4,000 are in Exeter, as statutory homelessness increases and rough sleeping doubles in city.
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.
Nearly 60,000 patients on Devon NHS dental services waiting list
Report says number of adults able to access NHS dentist in Devon has fallen to less than 40% as practices hand back contracts and commissioners struggle to procure replacement providers.
Devon County Council cuts £270,000 Wellbeing Exeter partnership funding
Decision made in parallel with homelessness prevention funding cut decisions following January announcement of £50 million of unspecified 2023-24 budget cuts.
County council determined to axe homelessness prevention funding despite zero support for cuts
Fate of £1.5 million contract sealed before consultation began with district councils and services providers kept in dark and huge prospective financial and human costs, dwarfing claimed savings, ignored.
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.