Emma Morse, who won in Pinhoe and Mincinglake, said: “I’m feeling elated with the results. Obviously following in the footsteps of Saxon Spence I have massive shoes to fill, but I’m up for the task.” 

Alphington & Cowick has been won by Labour for the first time by Roy Hill.
Jill Owen, previously county councillor for Priory & St Leonard’s has taken St David’s and St James. Andy Hannan won in Priory & St Leonard’s. Olwen Foggin and new county group leader Richard Westlake held their seats in Whipton Barton and Heavitree and in Newtown & Polsloe with increased majority’s.

Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter  said:

“It is wonderful that we have won two seats that Labour have never previous held on Devon County Council and with great human interest stories too. Emma Morse takes over from Saxon Spence who has been a Labour Councillor since 1945, ensuring that the Labour tradition lives on. We now hold seven out of the nine Exeter wards, showing all the hard work our City and County councillors have put in. It is a reflection of the strong support we have in the City and has enabled us to edge out the LibDems altogether.”

On 8 April we launched our Devon County Manifesto with the help of Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liam Byrne MP. The event took place in the new garden at Exeter Community Centre.

You can download the manifesto here: 

Labour-led Exeter City Council has made an investment in solar panels that will see it set to overhaul the Met Office as the owners of the largest number of solar panels in the city. 800 panels, which are up on two roofs of the Civic Centre and three other sites across Exeter, will have a capacity of about 200 kilowatts – that’s the equivalent of 50 standard domestic solar panel systems. They will deliver an on-going reduction in the Council’s energy costs as well as reducing its carbon footprint. The other buildings benefiting from the green initiative are Oakwood House, the Materials Reclamation Facility and the Ark – the Royal Albert Memorial Museum’s storage facility. Together, the solar PV systems on the four buildings will generate approximately 184,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year – enough to power the equivalent of 53 houses – saving over 97 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The city council is working on schemes for placing solar panels on other buildings including building canopies above the top deck of car parks. After the next phase there are likely to be more than 1000 panels, the number located at the Met Office HQ.

Cllr Ian Martin, Lead Councillor for Business Transformation said: “Installing solar panels on our buildings is an attractive proposition with significant financial returns. This really is a good time to benefit from solar energy and at the same time re-stamp our green credentials and commitment to renewable energy.”

Plans to re-model the forecourt of Central Station have been pushed back to the Autumn while lease arrangements are finalised. Network Rail are due to get vacant possession of the forecourt in May from the parking company. Plans include a paving of the current area in natural flagstones and planting of small trees which will have surrounding seating.

Exeter City Council’s Paul Faulkner from Parks met with City Councillors, Rev Tom Honey and Basil Parkes from Morwenna Court to talk about the challenges of keeping the churchyard as a beautiful city centre green space.

The space, which is managed by Exeter City Council, can be a target for anti social behaviour and drug use and with its many different levels and ancient tombs and headstones it can prove difficult to maintain. Care Manager Basil Parkes said he was keen to get residents from Morwenna Court out and helping with community projects.  Community involvement in this way could be beneficial all round.

Working in partnership with Exeter City Council,  who have agreed to help with tools and training and also provide a clearing service for the garden waste from the community action Day – a date was set. April 13^th will be a day of clearing and cutting back at the churchyard. Everyone welcome -  come along even for an hour and lend a hand. Refreshments will be provided.

St David’s residents recently met with City Councillors and Planning officers from Exeter City Council and Devon County Council to do a walkabout of the area to discuss local concerns.

The site and view of the new Sports Hall proposed by Exeter College came under discussion and it was agreed that residents would have some input on planting schemes to shield the development from view. Another issue discussed was the junction to Richmond Court on St David’s Hill which remains unfinished and unresolved. It was agreed that this issue take on a greater urgency as it affects the start of work on the traffic calming measures on St David’s Hill.

The walkabout also toured Queen Street and looked at the challenges of access for the New College Sports Hall development – particularly with the works to Central Station set to start later this year.

The City Council’s New Homes Bonus Panel was pleased to be able to support the application for funds of £16,990 to complete the Community Centre garden. This valuable new green space will breathe life into the area – providing a haven of tranquillity to the St David’s ward.

Despite the challenges of poor weather, work has continued to construct the space which was a mammoth task of excavation and landscaping. Once finished it will add to the City’s portfolio of green spaces. The City Council ‘s support shown through funding from the New Homes Bonus Fund will enable trustees of Exeter Community Centre to complete the Community Garden making this green space both beautiful and with good disability access. When the work is finished this spring, it will mark the completion of an extremely challenging project, started in 2003  to bring the Centre and its garden back to life. The sharp rise in population and housing development in the  St David’s Ward has meant that green space is more important than ever. Cllr Sarah Laws said “I am really pleased that this project can reach completion. Access to green space is so important for good mental health – there is robust data to support this.”

The children’s writer Michael Morpurgo – also a patron of RAMM runs his charity Farms For City Children from the Community Centre. He has pledged funds to commission a “story telling chair” in the garden which will further put the Centre on the map.

At the latest ‘Have Your Say’ meeting on 22nd February, Mike Roach gave a short presentation on the ‘Senior Reds’. They are a social organisation based at Exeter City Football Club’s St James’ Park ground, although they welcome ‘seniors’ from all over Exeter, whether they are interested in football or not. They aim to provide a range of social activities, particularly for those people who might otherwise not get out into the community.

Forthcoming events include a quiz on 20th March and a pub sports day on 3rd April. Both start at 2 pm, with free entry and refreshments. For more information, contact Mike Roach on 01392 469850 or email janroachexe@msn.com

St James City Councillor Keith Owen, who introduced Mike to the meeting, said: ‘This is a very worthwhile organisation for the community and it has my wholehearted support. Mike Roach and his colleagues have impressed me with their tremendous enthusiasm.’

Other topics discussed at the meeting were local crime, street lighting, refuse, traffic and ‘To let’ signs. St James PCSO Helen Harvey gave some useful tips on how to reduce the chance of being a target of opportunistic burglars and car thieves.

Residents of St James will shortly be able to vote on whether or not they approve of the Neighbourhood Plan which the Exeter St James Forum has compiled after many months of hard work and consultation. The referendum will be held on 2^nd May, simultaneously with the County Council elections.

Subject to approval by the Council’s Executive Committee, two of St James residents’ associations have been successful with their applications for grants from the City Council’s New Homes Bonus Fund. This was against stiff competition, with twice as much money being applied for as was available in this round of grants.

Bury Meadow Residents’ Association have been awarded £7,000 towards the cost of improvements to Bury Meadow park. These include new gates at both entrances and an interpretation plaque. It is anticipated that these enhancements will result in an even greater use by the public of this very popular park.

Devonshire Place Residents’ Association have been awarded £25,000 to regenerate and enhance the Devonshire Place play area (known as the Orchard). The improvements include new trees, seating, railings and path, and a new entrance, paving and gate which will improve access and safety.

St James city councillor Keith Owen spoke at the panel hearings on behalf of both applications. On hearing the news of the grants, he said: ‘I am sure that, like me, the panel members were impressed with the quality of the presentations made by both residents’ associations. This money will enable very noticeable improvements to be made to two of St James most important green spaces.’