Households in Devon and Cornwall will pay on average an extra £3.31 a year after the Police and Crime Panel approved Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg’s budget and a 1.99 per cent increase in the policing precept for 2015/16.
Speaking directly after the unanimous vote, OPCC Chief Executive Andrew White said: “We are delighted that the strength of the case that we put to the Police and Crime Panel has been accepted and understood by every member of the panel.
“We don’t make this increase lightly. It’s important that whenever you make an increase in council tax that it...
An Exeter charity has just set a new record in its work to prevent good food from being wasted and to support local community organisations across the city.
Devon and Cornwall Food Association, based in South Street, rescued over six tonnes of edible produce in December 2014, bringing the total saved last year to over 26,000 kilos.
Through its work with volunteers, in-date foodstuffs which are destined for landfill or incineration are collected daily and stored temporarily.
They are then re-distributed to dozens of community groups which support some of the most...
At approximately 7:50am on Thursday 5February, emergency services were called to a serious road traffic collision on the A380 Newton Road, in Kingskerswell on the Priory Road junction, involving a black Triumph motorcycle and a Ford Fiesta.
The male motorcyclist was taken to Torbay District Hospital with serious foot and lower leg injuries.
The Exeter bound lane of Newton Road was closed whilst officers carried out a survey of the scene and reopened at around midday.
Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101...
New funding has been secured for cycling in Devon, as the County Council announces that cycle trips in parts of the county have risen by over 20% in the past year.
Devon County Council has received a further £675,000 from the Department for Transport to fund more schemes as part of the Granite and Gears project, which aims to develop a network of multi-use trails to open up access to Dartmoor.
The funding will be used to support five cycling schemes which Devon County Council is developing and joint-funding, with an additional £300,000, in partnership with Dartmoor National...
Farmland demand continued to outpace supply in the final six months of 2014, with land prices in the South West rising again to reach £8,438* per acre, according to the latest RICS/RAU Rural Land Market Survey H2 2014.
Arable land in the South West is currently more attractive than pasture, with the price of arable land hitting £9,250* per acre, with pasture at £7,625*.
Anecdotal evidence from surveyors in the South West suggests that supply is a big issue in the region, with a shortage of whole farms coming on to the market with a lot of interest from local farmers. Most...
Darren Westlake, the co-founder of the world’s first and most successful equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, has been named by Debrett’s as one of Britain’s 500 Most Influential People.
Published in The Sunday Times, the Debrett’s 500 2015 List recognises the most influential and inspiring people living and working in Britain today. It acknowledges power, talent, hard work, brilliance, originality, persistence, courage and, occasionally, luck: in short, achievement.
Westlake was one of 20 entrepreneurs in the study alongside Innocent Drinks Co-founder Richard Reed,...
On the first anniversary of one of the most devastating winter storms to hit the county in years, the Devon Maritime Forum has launched its report on the events.
The “Holding the Line?” report reviews the impact of the winter storms of 2013/14 and assesses the responses and resilience of people and places in Devon.
The economic impact of the storms is estimated to be anything from £60 million to £1.2 billion over the two months of the rail closure.
All industries were hit, with a £135 million reduction in holiday spending in the first half of 2014, compared with the...
The Diocese of Exeter has re-usable ‘hot bott’ cushions to loan out to parishes to help keep church goers warm this winter.
The Church of England in Devon is exploring a variety of new and efficient heating systems for church buildings.
Three quarters of the more than 600 churches in Devon are listed buildings, and many are very old and large and difficult to heat.
The cushion contains a chemically-triggered re-heatable pad which remains warm for up to 90 minutes – longer than the average church service – and can be held or sat on in a pew or seat.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) are working with other local regulators across Devon and Somerset to develop a co-ordinated and consistent approach to assisting businesses in meeting their regulatory requirements.
For DSFRS this means helping businesses by giving advice and support in managing fire safety within their premises and ensuring that they are complying with the law. The Fire Service are fully committed to ensuring that people who work in and visit businesses are safe from fire and that business will receive consistent advice and information to ensure...
Help Dartmoor National Park Archaeologists and Rangers look after prehistoric stone rows in a day of conservation work on Friday 27 February 2015.
Dartmoor’s landscape is among the richest in western Europe in terms of its archaeological remains. Dartmoor contains the longest stone row in the world and has the greatest number of archaeological sites out of all the UK National Parks. In fact 60% of all stone rows to be found in England are on Dartmoor.
All of this takes some looking after and we hope that you will find the time to help us. The work will involve clearing...
