Friday 28 November 2025
Our Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor James Buczkowski, has criticised the Government for failing to confront the growing crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in this week's budget announcement.
Devon carries one of the largest high needs deficits in the country. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has warned that these deficits are rising at an unsustainable rate, with national Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits forecast to reach £14 billion by 2028.
Following confirmation from the OBR that SEND is the biggest destabilising force facing local government, Councillor Buczkowski said ministers had again chosen delay over action.
Trading Standards and police have closed yet another business for selling illegal tobacco – despite repeated warnings and dramatic attempts to escape with contraband.
 Members of the Devon Bus Enhanced Partnership with their Silver award in the Partnership for Excellence category at the UK Bus Awards 2025
The Devon Bus Enhanced Partnership has been awarded Silver at the UK Bus Awards 2025, placing it among the top-performing bus partnerships in the country.
The partnership was recognised in the Partnership for Excellence: The Peter Huntley Memorial Award category, which this year attracted an exceptionally strong field of entries from across the UK.
We've published the November edition of the SEND Partnership newsletter this week. It's full of information, news, advice and guidance of interest to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Devon’s carbon emissions fell four per cent between 2022 and 2023 and by 29 per cent since 2010 according to the latest data.
It follows the release of figures showing the county’s latest carbon footprint, covering Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay, by The Devon Climate Emergency (DCE) partnership.
We held our annual Youth Voice Saturday last weekend, an event that brings together young people and key decision makers to discuss the issues that matter most to them.
An ongoing street lighting trial is on track to deliver major savings in energy, carbon emissions and costs – and a decision is due early next year as to whether to make the changes permanent.
Members of our Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee this week heard that the year-long trial introduced earlier switch-off times and ‘deeper’ dimming across Exeter, market towns and rural areas.
If you are a bus user, whether frequently or infrequently, we would love to hear from you about how you access bus information. The data we collect is anonymous and will help shape the DevonBus publicity strategy going forward.
Paper copies of this questionnaire will be available from local libraries if you or somebody you know requires this. The deadline for responses is Wednesday 7 January 2026.
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