Friday 14 February 2025
Walking and cycling projects in Devon are receiving £3.9 million of Government funding.
The Active Travel Funding is a share of £291 million announced nationally this week by the Government and Active Travel England (ATE), and is the largest settlement for any authority in the South West.
There could be a big cash boost for repairing Devon's roads and fixing potholes after county councillors backed new budget proposals today, Friday 14 February.
Our Cabinet is proposing to add an extra £4 million to the highways budget for 2025/26. In addition, £5 million could be added for services for vulnerable children and there could also be more money than planned to combat homelessness across Devon.
The full council meets next week to set the final budget.
Do you care about your community and want to help improve people’s lives? Our next county council elections are in May 2025 and if you think you've got what it takes to represent your local area, please sign up to our online information session to find out more about the role and responsibilities of a county councillor.
The online session is on Monday 24 February at 9:30am. The County Returning Officer, Maria Price, and our Democratic Services team will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about what it's like to be an elected member.
 10,000 Devon children are in the ‘Big Brush Club’
More than 10,000 young children across hundreds of Early Years settings in our local authority area will benefit from a supervised toothbrushing scheme that was launched earlier this week.
It follows new figures that show that a fifth of all five-year-olds in Devon (excluding West Devon) have some form of tooth decay with rates in South Hams being amongst the highest nationally.
Two farmers have praised our Farms Estate and have credited the opportunities we have given them as the reason for their successes today.
The Estate comprises 65 fully equipped residential dairy and mixed livestock farms over more than 9,570 acres and aims to provide people with their first opportunity to farm and help them to go on and secure an independent livelihood from agriculture.
 Overnight closures planned on Bad Homburg Way in Exeter
The final overnight closures for the installation of a new pedestrian and cycle crossing on Bad Homburg Way in Exeter are due to get underway later this month.
The new toucan crossing, which is among the infrastructure improvements being developed in South West Exeter, will complete active travel links around the Devon Hotel roundabout.
Norovirus reports in the two-week period to 2 February were higher than the previous two-week period. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea but can also include a high temperature, abdominal pain and aching limbs.
Infections can cause dehydration, especially in vulnerable groups such as young children and older or immunocompromised people, so if you do get ill it is important to drink plenty of fluids during that time
Kooth, which provides free safe, anonymous mental health support and counselling to young people aged 11-18, is holding virtual/online webinars this February half-term for young people and parents and carers.
The sessions are free to attend. To sign up to a session please head to: https://buff.ly/4hUbOPT. We ask that all under 16s attend with a trusted adult.
 Welcome to Stover Country Park
Wildflowers are starting to pop up at Stover Country Park, and visitors at this time can expect to see snowdrops, celandines, dog's mercury and primrose amidst the blanket of leaves. The dawn chorus is getting louder each day, and with birds in full song, the woodpeckers are now drumming on old dead trees, marking out their territories. February is a beautiful time of the year at Stover, and well worth a visit.
It's half term week next week, and with Devon on our doorstep, it's a great excuse to get out and about, weather permitting!
For ideas for some great walking and cycling routes, as well as places to visit, visit our Explore Devon website. With over 3,500 miles of footpaths and trails to discover, Devon is the perfect place to be next week.
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