More roadworks for main route in Exeter

Post published:January 26, 2026
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The main road in and out of Exeter will be closed for major works in February, only months after a previous closure.Devon County Council is putting in new traffic lights and a new "traffic island" on Heavitree Road with the intention of making bus journeys easier.The road was closed from the middle of September to the middle of November last year due to extended work on gas pipes carried out by Wales and West Utilities.The county council said…

End of health partnership would be ‘devastating’

Post published:January 23, 2026
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Miles DavisDevon political reporterBBCHealth campaigner Susie Colley wants to see a solution found to continue the partnershipA pioneering partnership that delivers care for elderly and disabled people is at risk due to an annual overspend of about £35m.The integrated care deal between Torbay Council and the local health trust has been in place for more than 20 years and has been credited with success in freeing up hospital beds.The Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT) says…

Why councils are being abolished and elections cancelled in Devon

Post published:January 18, 2026
Post category:Devon News

Miles DavisDevon political reporterGetty ImagesDistrict councils and the county council in Devon will all be abolished by 2028All district and county councils in Devon are being abolished as part of the biggest shake-up of local government across the country for 50 years.Instead of splitting services like recycling, housing and highways between different levels of council, they will all be taken on by new unitary authorities.The new unitary authorities are set to be launched in April 2028 and the…

Retirement flats planned for school playing field in Exeter

Post published:December 28, 2025
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Retirement flats could be built on the site of an old school playing field if plans go ahead.McCarthy and Stone has submitted plans for 36 one and two-bedroom apartments on the old playing field of Bramdean School, in Exeter, which closed in 2020.The developers said there was a "real need" for the accommodation in Exeter "with an ageing population and limited specialist accommodation for local older people to downsize to".More than 120 people have objected to the plans,…

Plymouth council confirms elections to go ahead but Exeter unsure

Post published:December 22, 2025
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Miles DavisDevon political reporterBBCThe elections will see a third of the seats on Plymouth City Council up for grabsCity council elections will go ahead in Plymouth in May, the acting leader of the authority has confirmed, but a similar poll could still be cancelled in Exeter.The government announced on Thursday that councils were invited to apply to postpone May elections due to the pressures of local government reorganisation.Jemima Laing, acting leader of Labour-led Plymouth City Council, said the…

Key road on Dartmoor to be closed for 18 weeks

Post published:December 22, 2025
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Miles DavisDevon political reporterGoogleOne lane of the road has been closed since 2022 following a landslipA busy road on Dartmoor will be closed for 18 weeks to save a route which "could be lost completely", highways bosses say.The B3212, which goes from Exeter to Moretonhampstead, will be closed between Dunsford and Doccombe from 5 January with a diversion in place via Bovey Tracey and the A382.Devon County Council said one lane of the road had been closed since…

Torbay healthcare partnership’s future under threat

Post published:December 18, 2025
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Miles DavisDevon political reporterBBCThe partnership between Torbay Council and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is said to have reduced hospital admissionsA healthcare partnership which helps to reduce hospital admissions is at risk.Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT) works with Torbay Council to provide adult social care services.However, council leader Dave Thomas told cabinet members the health trust was "giving serious consideration" to ending the partnership because of the cost of providing the service.TSDFT said…

Flag removal halted in Exeter amid safety concerns

Post published:December 15, 2025
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Attempts to remove flags from lamp-posts on a busy road have been halted after people started putting them back up, a council's leader has said.Contractors working for Devon County Council removed about 35 St George and Union flags from lamp-posts along Bridge Road and around Countess Wear roundabout in Exeter at about 17:30 GMT on Sunday.But the authority said the operation was stopped due to safety concerns.Julian Brazil, the council's leader, said the flags made some people "feel…

Plan to transform special educational needs in Devon

Post published:December 11, 2025
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Miles DavisDevon political reporterPA MediaDevon County Council wants to transform services for children with special educational needsDevon County Council wants to transform its services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).The council said it wanted to focus on early intervention, getting children into local schools and making schools more inclusive to tackle the increasing demand for services.The council - which has built up more than £160m of debt in Send services - has asked the government…

New flags policy pushed by Plymouth City Council

Post published:December 10, 2025
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A new policy on flags on public buildings is being developed by Plymouth City Council.The Labour-run council says it wanted to make the process of applying for permission to fly flags on council-owned buildings and light up buildings such as Smeaton's Tower, more "consistent".Flags have proved controversial in the last six months with St George's Cross and Union flags appearing on lampposts across the country.A Reform UK spokesman said the council policy on flags was meant as a…

Business rates misery for independent shops in Newton Abbot

Post published:December 7, 2025
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Miles DavisDevon political reporter, Newton AbbotBBCHayley Kyte has been put off expanding her business because of rising ratesIndependent traders in a Devon town are deeply concerned about an increase in their business rates bills.In Newton Abbot a sweet shop owner said his bill will go up by about £4,500 and a successful gift shop owner said the level of business rates means it would not be worthwhile for her to expand into a second shop.The government has brought…

Promise of new £1.1m Exeter quayside bridge disappears

Post published:November 25, 2025
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Miles DavisDevon political reporterBBCHeather Baker from Saddles and Paddles says the missing bridge is a key part of the jigsaw for riverside routesThe promise of a new £1.1m bridge for the quayside in Exeter has evaporated.One business owner had said the bridge was vital to connect riverside walkways and cycle paths in the city and around its historic quayside.Devon County Council had said it would construct a new bridge with a £1.1m grant from Active Travel England to…