More than a million better-off families will lose some or all of their child benefit, under changes which came into force at midnight. Families with one parent earning more than £50,000 lose part of their child benefit and it will be fully withdrawn where one parent earns above £60,000. However, if both parents earn £49,000 each, they will continue to receive child benefit.

David Cameron described the move as "fundamentally fair" but Labour said it was a "huge assault" on families.

Update: Mr Kerr returned home safe and well earlier this morning.

Police are appealing for sightings of a missing person in the Devon area. Stephen Kerr was last seen on Thursday 3rd January, 2013, at the car park at Parke in Bovey Tracy, Devon, a parkland and forest area belonging to the National Trust.

Stephen is described as a white male in his mid-50s. He is 5’8’’ tall and of slim build with green eyes and straight grey hair, which is receding. Stephen was last seen wearing a black jacket and dark trousers.

Police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen...

The two men arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences in Torquay have been released without charge. However, Police say that a criminal investigation will continue. The men, aged 18 and 20, were arrested under the Terrorism Act on Thursday following the discovery of a suspect package at a house in Torquay. Police forensics experts had been searching the house in Lymington Road. The area, between Upton Road and Upton Hill, was closed to the public for about five hours on Thursday.

The Church of England's House of Bishops has announced that it is to end a ban on gay clergy in civil partnerships becoming bishops providing they promise to be celibate.

However, Conservative evangelical Anglicans say they will strongly resist the development in the synod. They have warned they would be willing to bring in bishops from overseas to avoid serving under a gay bishop.

In November, the Bishop of Durham Justin Welby, appointed to succeed Dr Rowan Williams as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, said the Church of England must have “no truck with any form of...

Responding to the Shadow Chancellor’s suggestion today to cut pensions tax relief for top-rate taxpayers to fund a “jobs guarantee” for the long-term unemployed, Richard Ayre, chairman of the Institute of Directors in the South West, said: “However laudable Ed Balls’ job-creation aim may be, pensions saving is the wrong target to produce money to pay for the scheme. “Pensions have been hammered repeatedly by governments looking for more cash, damaging public confidence in retirement saving. “If the coalition wishes to encourage people to save more, they should resist calls for further...

Police in North Devon are appealing for witnesses following two assaults early on New Year’s Day.

Police are investigating two assaults that occurred on two separate women between 12.30am and 1.30am on Tuesday 1st January 2013 in the Bideford area.

In the first incident a 17yr old female was assaulted on The Quay next to “Radfords” Tobacconists.

The victim fortunately managed to push the male suspect off and run away and didn’t sustain any injury.

Many people would have been around the location at this time celebrating the New Year and may have seen the...

Exeter Community Initiatives' Transitions Project is recruiting vounteers now to start a new training course planned for late January 2013.

Transitions volunteers provide mentoring support to people who have been homeless, or who are at risk of becoming homeless, or who are vulnerable or isolated, to live independently in the community.

The Transitions Project works with people to develop their skills and resources to manage change, cope with life’s ups and downs, and become more resilient. They are looking for people who are interested in helping others, not to do things...