Local News

The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) is calling for more to be done to help young first time buyers better understand the process of buying a property, starting with increasing their access to knowledge of the local housing market.

This news comes after a survey conducted by NatWest revealed that while optimistic about getting on to the property ladder; many ‘millennials’ (young adults aged 22-30) do not have a good understanding of the core buying matters. These include how much deposit is needed, the mortgage process - including the strict lending requirements -...

As David Cameron and his family take their annual family holiday in Cornwall, Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg has written to the Prime Minister asking him to ensure fair funding for Devon and Cornwall Police. Mr Hogg’s office further reveals the shocking effects of the Government’s proposed police funding formula. His letter highlights the unfairness of the Government’s plan which, amongst several other factors, ignores the impact that tourism has on policing. New research from the OPCC shows that Devon and Cornwall Police would lose an extra £24m under the Government’s funding...

Library users in Topsham will benefit from extended opening hours thanks to additional support provided by volunteers. From 7 September the opening hours will increase from 15 to 19.5 with the library open until 6pm every Monday and Thursday for ‘Library Extra’ sessions hosted by Estuary League of Friends volunteers.

Cllr Roger Croad, Devon County Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for the library service, said:

"These new opening hours are excellent news for residents in Topsham, especially children and families who now have an extra afternoon to use the library...

East Devon’s glorious beaches have never been cleaner. But behind the scenes much hard work has been carried out between East Devon District Council and the Environment Agency to ensure that the new high standards set by the EU are both met and maintained. As natural environments, beaches can be badly affected by weather, particularly storms, so the heavy rainfall that the South West is currently experiencing has an impact on bathing water quality, by washing polluted water into the rivers and drains that lead into coastal waters. It can then take days or even weeks for this surface water...