GMB members in the NHS walked out this morning in a dispute over pay alongside members from other unions.

They returned to work at 11am but the strike action will be followed by an overtime ban in the ambulance service from Tuesday 14th to Friday 17th inclusive, with other NHS employees working to their contracted hours during the same period.

GMB conducted an official ballot of 22,000 members in the NHS in England and Northern Ireland. There was overwhelming support for industrial action against the government and employers pay policies.

The pay offer is a 1%...

Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg has invited all those planning to stand in next year’s general election to a briefing where he will outline strategic policing matters across the peninsula.

The sessions, held in Bodmin and Launceston, will give Parliamentary candidates and existing MPs the opportunity to meet Mr Hogg to hear about the current and future challenges faced by the police service and the actions being taken to deliver his Police and Crime Plan.

Mr Hogg will also be discussing the roles and responsibilities he holds as Police and Crime Commissioner and...

In the run up to WWF’s Earth Hour - taking place on Saturday 28 March 2015 - WWF and People’s Postcode Lottery have today launched a nationwide search to find inspirational people who are making a real difference for our planet. The Earth Hour ‘Hidden Heroes’ competition www.wwf.org.uk/hiddenheroes invites people within their local community to nominate themselves or others who have gone the extra mile to help create a greener, more sustainable future. There are three categories for the competition; young superstars (under 25s), workplace wonders, and community champions - with high...

A scheme offering ‘books on prescription' to people with mental health problems has been hailed as a major success.

Last year Devon County Council teamed up with leading independent charity The Reading Agency and the Society of Chief Librarians to help launch the national ‘Reading Well Books on Prescription’ scheme, which aims to use reading as a tool to help those who suffer from conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, phobias and some eating disorders.

Since then loans of self-help books in the ground breaking scheme have more than doubled, reaching around 275,000...

Work to reinstate the depleted shingle beaches in front of the town and below the cliffs at East Beach in Sidmouth could start within a month - if East Devon District Council can obtain approval for the job and funding to pay for it.

This is an opportunity to access Government funding to reinstate the Main Beach and East Beach to the levels they were at before last winter’s storms.

Councillor Andrew Moulding, the council’s deputy leader and chairman of a group looking at longer term coastal defence issues for Sidmouth, said: “This is a window of opportunity to provide the...

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter says he wants to see a response from his players following last weekend’s Aviva Premiership loss at Newcastle Falcons.

Having gone into the game at Kingston Park buoyed by notable wins over Gloucester (away) and Harlequins (home), Devon’s finest hit a speed bump in the North East as the Falcons claimed their first league win in 20 games with a 29-24 success.

It was a disappointing outcome for the Chiefs, who with 20 minutes remaining in the contest were in front 24-17. However, late tries from Tom Catterick and Noah Cato proved decisive...

An innovative community art installation goes on show next week to bring alive the impacts of Exeter’s new ‘Energy from Waste’ incineration facility.

Members of the community have been knitting larger than life versions of the particles that will be emitted from the new facility.

The exhibition which will be on display at the Real Food Café in Paris Street, is designed to tell people about the incinerator, encourage Devon County Council to ensure it is operated properly over its 25 years contract and think harder about their future waste management strategy.

Local...

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a collision with a lorry near Kentonon Friday (10 October).

The collision between an HGV and a motorcycle happened on the A379 around 4pm.

The male motorcyclist sustained a serious leg injury and was taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth by air ambulance.

The A379 was closed for some time between Red lodge and the Swans Nest roundabout.

DECC has published new guidance on how wind energy schemes should work with local communities. Written by local renewable energy experts Regen SW, the guidance calls for partnerships between communities and developers of wind energy. The guidance focuses on how community benefit funds can be used effectively, following the commitment by the wind industry earlier this year to provide benefit packages of £5000 per MW per year to communities near wind energy schemes over 5MW in size. It gives examples of different ways in which funds and other investments by developers have been used by local...

Virtual worlds similar to those experienced by game-players of the global phenomena Minecraft and SimCity could be used to help test potential new water infrastructure development in the UK.

Experts from the University of Exeter are pioneering a new computer platform in which water engineers can simulate how existing and prospective new water systems will cope with issues, threats and risk such as land management and flooding.

They believe that the innovative new approach to water infrastructure and security could help alleviate serious environmental impacts, such as the...