Business Daily

The average council in the South West will need to pay a staggering £19.4 million a year to the government to fund their flagship Right to Buy extension, new research by Shelter reveals today.

The policy, now being put through parliament as part of the government’s Housing and Planning Bill, would force local authorities to sell off a proportion of their council houses on the open market once they become vacant. The money would then be used to fund discounts of up to £100,000 for housing association tenants taking up the Right to Buy.

Shelter estimates that this could force...

A pioneering Bioscience spin-out company founded by experts from the University of Exeter has secured a major investment to help develop the business.

The ground-breaking company, BioSystems Technology, received £200,000 from private backers, who in addition to the finance, will also provide support and guidance to help the Company realise its full potential across the UK and Europe.

The innovative spin-out was co-founded by Dr Olivia Champion, an infectious diseases expert and Professor Richard Titball, Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis. Together they have pioneered a...

Exeter’s St James’ Park Station platform garden now has lavender, rosemary, thyme and wildflowers to encourage bees and butterflies and make the station more attractive for rail passengers on the Avocet Line from Exeter to Exmouth.

This is thanks to the joint efforts of Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, Great Western Railway, the Avocet Line Rail Users Group, Devon Wildlife Trust, St Sidwell’s CE Primary School and Exeter City Football Club Senior Reds over two recent planting days.

On Tuesday 19 April, children from St Sidwell’s CE Primary School joined Devon Wildlife...

Devon’s small businesses will receive a welcome boost as Devon County Council announces plans to expand the county’s network of flexible working spaces.

Around 20 per cent of Devon workers work from home, and many of those are home-based businesses looking for larger premises as their business expands.

Their contribution to the local economy is significant and support for the sector essential says the council, which already funds a network of Devon work hubs in Totnes, Tavistock and Barnstaple, with associate hubs in Exeter, East Budleigh and Torquay.

The hubs are...