South West

In line with the national trend, the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) in Devon has increased slightly in January. It now stands at 7,060 claimants or 1.6% of the working age population.

The number of people aged 24 and under claiming JSA also increased very slightly, and now stands at 1,845 claimants or 26.2% of total JSA claimants in Devon.

The increase in...

Several wartime explosives have been spotted on the South West coast including in Braunton in Devon.

Thought to have been swept ashore or uncovered by the recent storms, three devices have been reported in Devon, Somerset and Dorset last weekend.

Police have asked that people stay away from any suspicious objects found on the coast due to the possibility of more explosives...

As floods continue to inflict damage and disruption across the region, South West MEPs are being accused by Greens of voting against important measures to prevent and tackle flooding proposed in the EU in 2012.

An EU resolution in 2012 built on directives (EU law) that called on Member States to, ‘draw up maps identifying all areas posing a risk of flooding… and the potential damage...

The Met Office warned that hurricane strength winds of up to 80mph will hit the South West again today to again test the regions already battered storm defences.

In the fifth consecutive day of extreme weather conditions the public has been told to prepare for even more flooding, transport disruption and power outages across Devon.

The winds will reach their peak at mid-day...

South West Water plans to invest almost £160 million in improving its services in 2014-15, and freeze standard tariffs and standing charges for all our household and business customers until April 2015.

A total of £430,000 per day will be spent on improving the region's vital water and sewerage infrastructure in 2014-15.

The year's investment is part of a £700million programme...

Two conmen were jailed for a total of nine years on Thursday 30 January 2014 after conning 48 elderly victims out of tens of thousands of pounds.

A third man was given a suspended sentence and ordered to carry out unpaid work.

The trio from Newark, Nottinghamshire, operated across the country and were arrested in Ripon by North Yorkshire Police after a resident became...

Apprenticeships are growing in popularity among both employers and young people in the South West according to figures released today by the National Apprenticeship Service.

The quarterly Apprenticeship Index reveals a 29% increase in Apprenticeship vacancies posted online on the Apprenticeship vacancies website between August and October 2013 (Academic Year Q1 2013/14) compared to the...

A £10m partnership in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, which supports research with direct impact on patients’ health and on improvements to the way in which NHS care is delivered, is to begin its next five year phase this month.

The National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (NIHR CLAHRC SWP) was...

Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group has thrown its weight behind a national campaign to encourage older women to visit their GP if they are unsure about breast cancer.

With one in three women (35 per cent) diagnosed with breast cancer in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset each year aged 70 or over, older women should not assume they are no longer at risk of...

It was always going to be the case that the role of police and crime commissioner would develop quickly – it had to. So whereas 2013 set a necessary but probably unsustainable pace my restructured OPCC team is now better configured to face the challenges ahead and allows me to focus on key areas such as lobbying Government and on issues that matter most to us who are a long way away from the...