The Exeter Times is an independent news and information site for Exeter. We read the public record and publish what is in it, and we keep the practical local pages accurate.
The city
The centre and the cathedral close, the quay and the Exe, St Thomas and Exwick across the river, Heavitree, Whipton, Pinhoe, Wonford, St Leonard’s, Alphington and Topsham down towards the estuary. Around 138,000 people live in the city, with a university that changes the shape of several neighbourhoods and a housing market under permanent pressure. We write about the parts by name.
Who decides what, today
Exeter City Council is a district council: planning, bins, licensing, housing, car parks. Devon County Council is behind roads, schools, libraries and social care. Almost every complaint that goes to the wrong one starts with not knowing that, so we name the authority in every story and link to its own record of the decision.
What was due to change in 2028
Exeter was due to become a full unitary authority in April 2028, absorbing 49 parishes from Teignbridge, East Devon and Mid Devon. Exminster, Broadclyst and Ide were among the places due to move across.
The government paused that on 7 September 2026 and put Devon into a national review with no published reporting date. Exeter City Council carries on for now, and the May 2027 elections will be ordinary city council elections on existing ward boundaries rather than elections to a new authority. We have set out the detail in Exeter’s unitary plan paused.
We will report each stage from the published documents, and our reference pages will say which authority is responsible on the day you read them.
Updated 13 September 2026: this section previously stated the April 2028 change as settled. It was paused on 7 September 2026.
What we work from
The city council’s planning register and committee papers, licensing notices, police.uk crime data, HM Land Registry sold prices, Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings, Environment Agency flood warnings for the Exe, and company filings in The Gazette. Where a record is unclear we say it is unclear.
Tips and corrections
Email hello@exetertimes.co.uk with a tip, an event worth listing, or a correction. Tips are treated in confidence, and corrections go up quickly and are noted on the page.
The Exeter Times is published by the GOB Media Group. We are not affiliated with the council, the university or any other body we report on.