More people are struggling to pay their rents and bills according to the latest figures reported by Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau today. The local charity’s advice trend statistics for January 2014 published today show that they are recording more than 50% more problems with local authority rent arrears than in the previous year. There was an even sharper increase in the numbers of problems with housing association rent arrears which rose by over 65%. Exeter CAB Chief Executive Steve Barriball said: “Positive economic news is welcome, as are predictions that the economy is leaving one of...
Farmland prices in the South West hit yet another record high during the final six months of 2013, having jumped around seven percent in the space of a year, says the latest RICS/RAU Rural Land Market Survey H2 2013.
During the second half of last year, the average cost of farmland in the region rose to £7,763 per acre, hitting a record high for the eighth consecutive period. The cost of land is now seven percent higher than during the same period in 2012 when an acre cost, on average, just under £7,250.
Growth in prices has been driven by the on-going surge in demand from...
Exeter-based Crowdcube is celebrating its third year in businesses as the world’s largest Equity-based crowdfunder. Crowdfunding has come to prominence in recent years with online companies such as Kickstarter allowing users to donate funding for a wide variety of projects in exchange for rewards, based on the amount donated. Founded in 2011, Crowdcube became the world’s first equity-based crowdfunder, where the rewards for donations - generally additional or exclusive content- are instead replaced by shares of a company’s potential future profits. Since then the industry has flourished...
A controversial budget making cuts of more than £28m to Devon County Council’s spending has been passed at a full council vote.
The budget outlines several significant cuts to the council’s services including the provision of day centres, residential children’s homes and the closure of youth clubs run by Devon’s youth service. At a meeting on Thursday, the Conservative-led council was widely criticised by opposition councillors for making spending cuts in these areas. The council has also confirmed that council tax will rise for the first time in four years by an average of £22 per...
Flybe is looking to raise up to £150 million though a share issue to invest in the group in a move announced today. The offer for 141,501,920 new ordinary shares, costing 110p per share is hoped to raise money for a new investment to improve the company’s customer services and infrastructure. The offer price is a discount on the closing mid-market share price on February 19 which stood at of 118.5p.per ordinary share. Flybe said that, funding raised by the share issue would be spent to improve the airline’s flexibility, strengthen its balance sheet and improve its product range and brand...
Labour leader Ed Miliband visited Exeter today to see the proposed site of resilience work at Cowley Bridge Junction.
The site was badly affected by floods in the winter storms of 2012/13 causing the main rail line into the South West to close for a several weeks.
Following the line closures, last year, the government promised to spend over £31 million on projects to improve the resilience of the South West’s rail network most of the money promised was never delivered and work never took place.
Earlier this week David Cameron announced that the money would finally...
Devon county council may raise its council tax for the first time in four years in an effort to protect its services against further cuts. Despite a budget cut of £100 million in the last four years the Council has to find another £110 million by 2017 with several non-statutory services already under review. The council’s cabinet met on Wednesday and agreed to 1.99% increase to the current council tax levels forgoing a government grant for freezing the tax for another year. Council leader John Hart explained the decision “If I accept a council tax freeze grant from the Government this year...
We use money every day, whether we pay something with cash or our credit card. But, how much do we really know about it? Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about money.
1 – Highest inflation in recent history When it comes to inflation, no country comes close to Zimbabwe in recent history. Early in the 21st century, the country had a breathtaking inflation that reached the rate of 98% per day. This led to a price of 300 billion Zimbabwean dollars for one loaf of bread. The government even issued a 100 dollar trillion note (that is a number with 14 zeroes, in case you didn’...
Concerns have been raised that the £31.1m promised by the Government last year to secure the South West’s railways against severe weather was not delivered, despite widespread support from local authorities. The money was promised by the Government for a programme of rail improvements, after winter flooding cut off rail transport to the South West peninsula for several weeks in 2012/13 with an estimated cost to the South West economy of over £140m. Last week, before the most recent storms saw the destruction of 80m railway line near Dawlish, five Local Transport Authorities including Devon...
Devon County Council is launching a public consultation on plans to move away from a ‘universal’ youth service.
This could see nearly £1 million and around 60 jobs cut from Devon’s youth services as well see the council pull out of 34 youth centres around the county.
The council argue that the new youth service will take on a more ‘targeted approach’ which would see a smaller staff of youth workers work with council partners for a focused service for the most vulnerable young people in the county.
Speaking at yesterday’s budget scrutiny meeting, Council Leader John...
