Events and News

Mid Devon District Council is determined to take positive action to address the climate emergency in every aspect of what we do – in Council strategy and working, in how we operate, and how we support you - our residents and business communities.  

How we lead on strategy and by working in partnership

• The Council is reshaping its planning policy to help drive green growth and promote adaptation measures in new and retrofit projects.
  • Climate is our top priority for the Local Plan review (Plan Mid Devon).
  • The new Climate Emergency Planning Policy Statement makes it easier to deliver futureproofed, comfortable dwellings that are affordable to power.
  • Master planning for schemes such as the Culm Garden Village show off Mid Devon’s power to lead on sustainable development.
• The Council’s Housing Strategy has climate-linked targets to help raise standards in Mid Devon’s private and public sectors.  
• The Council is part of the Devon Climate Emergency partnership - Mid Devon communities and the Council helped to make the Devon Carbon Plan and we are helping to achieve it.
• Partnership work on local initiatives such as Connecting the Culm - a strategic water catchment a project all about healthy rivers, climate adaptation and a community vision for the future.

How we operate

• Our new Procurement Strategy 2023. Because how we do business as a Council influences local commerce and associated emissions.
• We have projects to decarbonise our leisure centres. The £2.8m funded project installing air-source and ground-source heat pumps at Lords Meadow and Exe Valley is almost complete, and we have bid for more grants for Culm Valley Sports Centre.
• We will revolutionise building management systems at Phoenix House to boost energy efficiency and save costs. We are already installing responsive LED lighting at our headquarters.
• We are about to take on 10 new electric vans to cut transport carbon.
• The Council saves carbon, cuts traffic and boosts productivity by supporting flexible, hybrid work arrangements.

How we support you

• Mid Devon residents are great at recycling - and thanks to our new bin-it-123 collections, Mid Devon’s recycling rate is now 56.56%, compared to 52% last year. Better waste management saves energy, saves resources and cuts greenhouse gases. (With everyone’s help, that could save over 3,000 tonnes of emissions every year!) 
• We celebrate and promote the great work done by our community groups and eco champions - like Uffculme Green Team, Sustainable Crediton, Sustainable Bradninch and the Tiverton Tree Team. The Council was proud to host a huge mural of Net Zero Visions at Tiverton Pannier Market, a community art project led by Sustainable Tiverton. 
• We publish news about local green events and activities online - plus tips on saving energy, doing your bit, or where to find advice. 
• Our team promotes local food producers, networks and outlets e.g. farmers’ markets, Food and Drink and a Field-to-Fork campaign. 
• The Council delivers green business rates relief on behalf of the government: exemptions for renewable energy equipment and battery storage.  
• We will host 10 new rapid car chargepoints in Council car parks this year. 
• We have campaigned to get a rail station at Cullompton, as a hub for more green travel options. 
• The Council continuously invests to maintain, insulate and retrofit our housing stock, and our new Council homes will be Net Zero, super-insulated, climate adapted Passive-House and Zed Pod homes.