Friday 31 October 2025
The Sweet Violets Bridge and new link road project, dubbed Dawlish’s ‘missing link’, has won the Under £10million New Build Award category at the recent ICE South West Civil Engineering Awards 2025 in Bristol.
Devon County Council, North Devon Council, North Devon Plus, Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council and Torridge District Council have jointly launched the Devon Energy Prospectus, setting out the region’s bold ambitions and extensive investment opportunities in clean energy.
Our Leader, Councillor Julian Brazil, said:
“With the UK government targeting a rapid transition from fossil fuels to domestic clean energy, Devon is well-positioned to lead. The region offers one of the UK’s strongest regional platforms for clean energy growth, combining a robust supply chain, strategic infrastructure, and world-class expertise to deliver at scale.”
The Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service and the Environment Agency (EA) have prosecuted a Honiton man for allowing appalling animal welfare and environmental conditions to persist at his farm.
David Rosewell, of Crook Farm, Combe Raleigh, Honiton, East Devon appeared before Exeter Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to the offences including failing to provide for the needs of his animals and failing to dispose of animal by- products.
Essential utility work which was due to start on the A383 in Newton Abbot next week has now been moved and re-scheduled.
Following on-going talks we’ve had with Teignbridge District Council and developer Bloor Homes it has been agreed that the initial work to install utility services to the Houghton Barton housing development will instead be routed via Chercombe Valley Road, starting on Monday 3 November.
We are working closely with the Department for Education (DfE) on a proposal to build a new secure children’s home at an out-of-town location in South Devon.
No decision has been made yet, but if the scheme were to progress, it would replace the current Atkinson secure children’s home in Exeter.
Next week, we will be celebrating Get the Nation Learning Week – a national campaign that champions the power of learning at every stage of life.
Whether you're looking to boost your skills, change careers, or simply try something new, there’s a wealth of opportunities available right here in Devon.
We'll be publishing a special edition of this newsletter on Monday with guidance, tips and opportunities for learning to get involved with.
Look out for it in your inbox on Monday!
Counterfeit items were seized from high street shops in Plymouth this week by police and our Trading Standards officers, tackling organised crime.
Heart of the South West Trading Standards and Devon and Cornwall Police were taking part in Operation Machinize, an ongoing national operation led by the National Crime Agency.
Devon’s Nature is amazing. We can’t live without it. Nature gives us food, cleans our water and brings us joy, but nature is in crisis. We need to act now!
The draft Devon Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) sets out a bold, collaborative plan to help nature thrive across the county. Throughout October and up to Wednesday 5 November 2025, we’re inviting everyone to respond to the public consultation at partners.devon.gov.uk/lnrs/ and help shape the future of nature recovery in Devon.
Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health - and you don’t have to wait until next October to start! Whether you missed Stoptober or just need a fresh start, support is available all year round.
Support in your pocket
Smokers in Devon can now get 24/7 help with the Smoke Free app. It’s packed with tools to help you quit, including daily motivation, progress tracking, craving-busting tips, and even a savings calculator to show how much you’re saving.
Best of all? If you live in the Devon County Council area, you’ll get full access to premium features free for six months (usually worth £60)!
Top tip: Not ready to quit yet? Download the app now so it’s ready when you are - and get familiar with the support tools in advance.
Swap to Stop
Thinking about switching to vaping as a step towards quitting? The national Swap to Stop scheme offers a free vape starter kit and expert support to help you quit for good. Vaping is considered significantly less harmful than smoking and can be an effective way to move towards a smoke-free life.
Need more inspiration?
Check out our Stoptober special edition newsletter for tips, tools, and local support to help you or someone you care about quit smoking for good.
Let’s make this the moment you say goodbye to cigarettes - for good.
For all parents and carers of children and young people in Devon with special educational needs and disabilities, we publish a monthly newsletter on behalf of the Devon Local Area SEND Partnership. It has the latest news from the partners as well as guidance and progress on the partnership's improvement journey.
We published the October edition of the newsletter this week. If you missed it, you can see it here.
If you're looking after a child or young person under the age of 16, (or 18 years old if they have a disability), for a period of 28 days or more, and you're not their parents, step-parents, aunts, uncles or grandparents, and you don't have any parental responsibility for them.....we'd like to know, please.
That's called 'Private Fostering', and there's a legal responsibility for people in those circumstances to let us know.
At Halloween, 30.4 million pumpkins are bought for carving, and of these, a whopping 15.8 million will go to waste, left uneaten. That’s £26.7 million worth of edible food.
Pumpkins are edible, and studies have found that three in five know that you can eat your carving pumpkin. However, only one in nine of us always do.
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