Leader Column May 2025 – Exeter City Council News

It has been a couple of weeks since the County Council elections and things are starting to get back into a routine.  

Exeter city councillors will of course work collaboratively with county councillors to resolve issues which are the responsibility of the county council and impact on our city. 

We hope that by working together we will be able to resolve a number of these outstanding issues.  

I would like to welcome the two new Exeter city councillors elected following the by-elections in Topsham and in Mincinglake & Whipton.  

We recently held our Annual Council meeting, and we welcomed the new Lord Mayor Cllr Anne Jobson and Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Gemma Rolstone, both of whom I am sure will do an excellent job in advocating on behalf of the city. 

I would also like to thank outgoing Lord Mayor Cllr Kevin Mitchell and Deputy Cllr Paul Knott for doing such a great job on behalf of us all. 

The government has written to the council following the submission of our interim case to create a new unitary authority which includes the city of Exeter, and we are now in the process of collating a programme of work which will bring community engagement on the proposals. 

All political parties are supportive of Exeter being at the forefront of any local government reorganisation, to reflect the city and the hinterland around Exeter. 

Exeter has been the centre of local government administration for more than 800 years, and we very much believe this should continue. 

We’ve all experienced and enjoyed the great weather recently and it is great to see the splash parks in Heavitree and St Thomas reopening. 

These are great facilities for the community, for mums and dads and their children. They are free to use which is very important because the cost of living crisis is still here and impacting on everybody. 

Another thing we are very proud of in Exeter is the Green Circle, the beautiful green space which surrounds the city. 

We’ve just obtained funding from GWR’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund to raise the profile of the connection between the rail network and the walking route. 

The Green Circle really is a fantastic amenity for people to enjoy over the coming months in Exeter and I very much welcome this funding. 

I’m looking forward to Armed Forces Day in June when the Royal Marines will exercise their Freedom of the City by leading a parade through the city centre, accompanied by His Majesty’s Band of the Royal Marines. 

This will be a great occasion. The parade recognises the great work that the Armed Forces do to keep us safe, and I’m very much looking forward to it. 

Finally, the Women’s Rugby World Cup is now less than 100 days away, and excitement is building across the city. 

The trophy was in Exeter this week and attracted a lot of interest. We are all now really looking forward to the start of the tournament and the boost it will provide to women’s participation in sport and to the city generally.