Only one in five people (22%) had enough information on their Police and Crime Commissioner candidates to make an informed decision, a report published today by the Electoral Commission finds.
The independent elections watchdog recommends significant changes before the next PCC elections in 2016 and identifies wider lessons for the way elections and referendums are delivered.
Turnout
Turnout at last November's polls was 15.1% - the lowest recorded level of participation at a peacetime non-local government election in the UK.
A new English Heritage publication, Constructive Conservation – Sustainable Growth for Historic Places, demonstrates that repaired historic buildings are contributing to economic growth across the country. From new hotels in London and Ipswich, to retail and office developments in Bristol and Yorkshire and converted industrial buildings in Derbyshire and Stoke-on-Trent, across the country there are businesses flourishing in historic buildings which have been repaired or adapted to enable them a more successful financial future. 36 such buildings are celebrated in a new publication...
A premier coastal resort in South Devon is fighting back against the recession and targeting new international markets for 2013.
New initiatives to be launched by the English Riviera Tourism Company and partners at a major conference to be held during English Tourism Week have gained the support of VisitEngland as part of a national campaign building on the opportunities for tourism growth presented by the Olympic legacy.
English Tourism Week runs from 16 – 24 March 2013 and James Berresford, Chief Executive, VisitEngland has agreed to be a keynote speaker at a special...
Police are appealing for witnesses after three vehicles were involved in a road traffic collision on Saturday 16 March near Newton Poppleford. The collision happened at around 3.30pm on the A3052, one mile west of Newton Poppleford, near Sidmouth. Fire and ambulance crews attended the collision which involved a Suzuki Wagon, an Audi A3 and an Audi A4. The female driver of the Suzuki, from Exeter, was airlifted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital with serious back and leg injuries. An elderly man travelling in one of the other vehicles sustained a head injury which was not serious....
Bacon Connoisseurs Week (18 – 24 March) is set to revolutionise the nation’s love affair with bacon (apologies to all vegetarians among you).
This special week celebrates the many cuts and cures of the great rasher and is a firm favourite in the foodie calendar. This year over 300 cuts and cures from producers all over the nation have been entered into the Bacon Connoisseurs Week Great Bacon Revolution Awards on 18 March. The shortlist includes some tantalising new flavours such as vanilla, cherrywood, beetroot & black pepper and sweet chilli bacon. Other shortlisted rashers...
In just over two weeks, the way in which public health in Devon is delivered and organised will change significantly, as responsibility for the health of Devon’s communities is handed back to the local authority for the first time in 39 years.
The move comes as part of a number of changes to the management of the health service, introduced by the government in its bid to ‘liberate the NHS’.
From 1 April, Devon County Council will be required to deliver services that improve the health of Devon’s population, prevent ill health and reduce current inequalities that exist from...
From the team that brought you The Exeter Daily, which has already been shortlisted for a prestigious national newspaper award and clocked up over 50,000 unique users and 250,000 hits just six months after it launched, comes Exeter Daily Jobs. Whether you are a job seeker, an employer or a recruitment company – Exeter Daily Jobs is fantastically easy to use and packed with features that make searching for jobs and prospective employees all the more easy.
Dean Croft from Exeter-based recruitment firm Paramount Personnel says: "Paramount Personnel has always been a proud supporter of...
With spring heralds the start of the wild birds breeding season and police are appealing to the public to be the ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground and inform them of any suspicious people they may see at nesting sites. Operation Wilderness, launched in 2012, is designed to combat persecution of birds. In the past the region’s birds have been targeted by egg collectors and others intent on breaking the law when near to the nests of some species. In 2011 Devon made national headlines when a record number of birds of prey were found poisoned in the area, among these were very rare and specially...
If I think back to my student accommodation, luxury was certainly not a word I would have used to describe the pokey, although admittedly much-loved, student digs I inhabited during my Uni years. How times have changed! Dean Clarke Lofts, in which a couple of show apartments are ready to view by the general public from this coming Saturday (16 March), will provide students and young professionals in training the option of an altogether more refined way of life. They will also offer foreign students a very attractive prospect while studying at Exeter, with a Chinese language version of the...
The 2012 Countryside Alliance Awards (aka the Rural Oscars) were presented to top rural businesses by the Secretary of State for Defra, Owen Paterson MP, at a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament on 13 March. The Awards are the Countryside Alliance’s annual celebration of rural produce, skills, enterprise and heritage through our small hard-working businesses. They are now in their eighth year and have become the definitive rural business award to win. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: “Rural businesses are vital to the country’s economic recovery. The Government is right behind...
