158 newly-built homes in Exeter and East Devon have been bought using equity loans from the government’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme according to new figures released today. The 'Help to Buy' equity loan scheme, which was launched in April last year, enables people to buy a newly-built home with a deposit of at least 5% of the property price, while the government offers a loan of up to 20%. The shortfall is then covered by a mortgage. Across the South West over 1,700 homes have been bought using the equity loan scheme with 28,000 across the whole of England.. Housing Minister Kris Hopkins has...
Police in Exeter have issued an appeal to the public in a bid to trace and identify a man who was seen in a distressed state in the city. Officers attended Streatham Drive at around 3.30pm yesterday, Wednesday, 26 March 2014 after receiving a report regarding a man who was in tears at the fishpond in the university grounds. The man in question was not wearing any shoes and was noticed to have a mark around his neck. Officers have not been able to trace or identify the man and are concerned for his welfare. He is described as being in his 20s, around 5ft 10in tall, of medium to thin build,...
What do half a TV, a French bullet-proof vest and an unopened pack of bacon have in common? They were all cleared from our beaches during a single weekend last September and were among the 223,405 bits of litter that volunteers bagged up and removed as part of the Beachwatch Big Weekend 2013, organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The UK’s leading beach cleanup and survey has now been running for twenty years and over the two decades the amount of litter found on our beaches has been steadily increasing. The 20th anniversary clean up, which took place between 20th and 23rd...
What do half a TV, a French bullet-proof vest and an unopened pack of bacon have in common? They were all cleared from our beaches during a single weekend last September and were among the 223,405 bits of litter that volunteers bagged up and removed as part of the Beachwatch Big Weekend 2013, organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The UK’s leading beach cleanup and survey has now been running for twenty years and over the two decades the amount of litter found on our beaches has been steadily increasing. The 20th anniversary clean up, which took place between 20th and 23rd...
Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, is supporting the People’s Millions, a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV, where the public helps to decide which local community projects received up to £50,000 of Lottery funding.
Since 2005 date the Big Lottery Fund has funded 599 projects through the programme and a total of £31.3 million. In this time over 3.3 million votes have been cast by the public and the programme continues to attract applications from groups who have not been funded by us before.
This is a great opportunity for 76 projects to receive up to...
Exeter City Council has today announced plans to invest £1 million in a programme of projects at council buildings to become more energy efficent.
The projects include the installation of low energy hand driers and the phasing out of paper towel dispensers at the Civic Centre, thought to make savings of more than £10,000 a year
A heating replacement project is also underway to replace the old incumbent boilers at the Civic Centre, realising significant financial and carbon savings.
The City Council’s programme also will see photovoltaic solar panels installed at...
There are ‘some significant risks’ in the way that Devon and Cornwall Police tackle domestic abuse according to a national report published today by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
There were 9,212 domestic abuse related crimes reported in Devon and Cornwall in the 12 months leading up to August 2013 accounting for 11% of all recorded crime in the force area. Despite the high number of cases, the report highlights weaknesses and inconsistencies in Devon and Cornwall’s response to domestic violence finding that while there were “pockets of good work” they had not...
Do you have a favourite cake recipe? Now is your chance to demonstrate your baking skills for a chance to win a wonderful Kitchen Aid mixer!
To mark its 21st anniversary, In-toto Kitchens of Exeter has launched its Bake-a-Cake competition and will be opening entries at the Big Cake Show at Westpoint, Exeter, on 28th – 30th March 2014, where it will be supplying high quality demonstration kitchens for the main cookery theatre and various classroom and demonstration areas at this exciting new show, the first of its kind in the South West.
Over 3,500 people in Exeter are now regularly cycling to work according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today.
The ONS figures, recorded between 2001 and 2011, show that Exeter had one of the largest percentage increases outside of London with more than 1,200 more people now choosing to commute by bike in the City a growth of more than 50% .
The increase comes after a concerted effort by local councils to improve cycle investment in the city and the wider area including a £13.9 million investment programme to 2015 to continue development...
A peaceful, family friendly protest against the government’s unpopular badger cull policy will take place in Exeter on Saturday 29th March.
Organised by Exeter March Against the Badger Cull, and supported by national wildlife charities Care for the Wild and the Badger Trust, the event welcomes people of all ages to take part in a walk through the town centre. Speakers will include leading anti-cull spokesperson Dominic Dyer, Jean Berry from Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting, and wildlife campaigner Steve Tomlin.
Andy Gilbert, joint organiser, said he expected people...
