Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2026.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2026, were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Councillors are reminded of the need to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests that relate to business on the agenda and which have not already been included in the register of interests, before any discussion takes place on the item. Unless the interest is sensitive, you must also disclose the nature of the interest. In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, you must then leave the room and must not participate in any further discussion of the item.  Councillors requiring clarification should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer prior to the day of the meeting.

No declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests were made.

To receive questions relating to items on the Agenda from members of the public and responses thereto.

Details of questions should be notified to the Democratic Services Manager by 10.00am at least three working days prior to the meeting. Further information about speaking at a committee can be found here: Speaking at a Committee

No questions from members of the public were received.

To consider recommendations made to the Executive from Scrutiny Committees.

There were no matters referred from the Scrutiny Committees for this meeting.

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that:

1) the publication of the draft City Centre Strategy 2026 – 2031 be approved for public consultation from 18 May 2026 for six weeks; and

2) delegated authority be granted to the Strategic Director for Place, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder, to change the consultation date if required.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the report on the draft City Centre Strategy 2026 - 2031, entitled ‘Exeter: Our City Centre’, which was in the final stages of its development and that feedback was being sought from residents and the business community. As such the report was seeking authorisation from the Executive to go out to public consultation from 18 May 2026 for six weeks.

The Strategic Director for Place in presenting the report made the following points:

·        the report was presented in conjunction with the Exeter Cultural Strategy 2026 – 2031, seeking approval to proceed to public consultation and neither strategy documents had been published at this time;

·        both strategies had been developed through extensive prior engagement with key stakeholders, supported by research and evidence gathering;

·        both documents followed a consistent structure: a clear vision, key themes, and supporting strategic actions;

·        subject to Executive approval, the documents would then be published for public consultation, with a view to reporting back to Executive to recommend Council approval in September 2026;

·        each strategy will develop more detailed action plans, which would be co-produced with stakeholders and partners, ensuring shared ownership while the Council provided leadership to bring them forward;

·        delivery would be supported by theme-based groups drawing on specialist expertise to help prepare the Council for future local government reorganisation, aligning with approaches already adopted in unitary authorities elsewhere;

·        a preview of the draft City Centre Strategy was provided and it was re-iterated that the final document had not yet been shared publicly;

·        the strategy was framed as a Council-led approach, setting new policy direction for the city centre;

·        work had commenced before the Covid pandemic, but had been paused, and since been re-shaped to reflect the changed economic conditions and high street challenges, with a focus on long-term resilience and placemaking;

·        engagement during 2024 included facilitated workshops with local businesses, community groups, and elected Members from both Devon County Council and Exeter City Council;

·        workshop discussions had explored challenges, opportunities, and priorities for the city centre, with feedback and anonymised quotes forming the strategy;

·        a resident survey findings highlighted the strong links between the city centre and culture, reinforcing the alignment between the strategies;

·        a soft city centre boundary was defined for the strategic purpose, which was rooted in historic geography, four key gateways, movement routes, and key assets (parks, heritage buildings, connections);

·        the strategy also set out a clear, accessible, and ambitious vision, reflecting stakeholder feedback;

·        six key themes had been identified during the process, which was based on engagement and evidence, and would be delivered through the detailed action plan;

·        the next steps, following Executive approval was to proceed to a six week public consultation, after the forthcoming local elections;

·        the consultation outcomes would be reported back to Executive, with any proposed amendments and recommendations for Full Council for adoption;

·        a detailed action plan, including outcomes, outputs, responsibilities, costs, and partner contributions would also be developed at the same time; and

·        all actions would be embedded within Council service plans,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 127.

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that:

1) the publication of the draft Cultural Strategy 2026 - 2031 be approved for public consultation from 18 May 2026 for six weeks; and

2) delegated authority be granted to the Strategic Director for Place, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder, to agree a change to the consultation date if required.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the report on the Cultural Strategy, which was in the final stages of its development and that feedback was being sought from residents and the cultural sector. As such the report was seeking authorisation from the Executive to go out to public consultation from 18 May 2026 for six weeks.

The Strategic Director for Place in presenting the report made the following points:

·        a team of consultants had been appointed primarily to lead on engagement and undertake detailed research, bringing together the extensive existing evidence on culture in Exeter into a comprehensive baseline resource document to support consultation;

·        engagement had taken place over a six month period and involved over 600 residents, individual artists and cultural organisations, with a strong and positive level of participation;

·        the engagement process included multiple stages, culminating in a stakeholder summit at Exeter College;

·        further targeted workshops and in?person engagements were also held to explore outstanding issues and ensure views were fully captured;

·        consultant work was now complete and that the draft strategy had been refined internally, working with the Portfolio Holder, ahead of consultation;

·        subject to approval, the strategy would be published for online consultation from 18 May, in line with the City Centre Strategy timetable;

·        the draft vision focusing on creative confidence, inclusion and connection to culture, environment and heritage, supported by the headline: ‘Exeter: a City of Creative Confidence’;

·        the strategy was structured around the four key themes as outlined in the report;

·        the next steps included the consultation running from 18 May, with consultation outcomes being reported to Executive in August, to recommend adoption by Full Council in September; and

·        the action planning would be developed alongside the Exeter Partnership and the Connected Culture group, with an emphasis on sector ownership, collaboration and strengthening the collective voice of Exeter’s cultural sector to attract investment and funding.

During the discussion, Executive Members raised the following points and Questions:

·        the Cultural Strategy and its ambition were welcomed, particularly the links between environment and culture;

·        it was enquired as to how the consultation would reach residents who felt culture was not for them, noting concerns that an open, predominantly online consultation might not engage those groups, and how breadth and inclusivity of feedback would be ensured;

·        the importance of both the City Centre and Cultural Strategy consultations was highlighted, but their parallel timing and overlapping audiences was noted;

·        it was asked how officers intended to present and manage the two consultations to avoid any consultation fatigue and maximise participation across both;

·        clarification was sough on the composition of the group that would help deliver the Cultural Strategy action plan, including their composition, how members had been selected, and how the group had been convened; and

·        the wording of Theme 2 (connecting the ecosystem), was unclear and it was suggested that explicitly referencing “grassroots” culture within the theme would  make its intent clearer and more accessible to readers;

The Portfolio Holder for Arts, Culture & Tourism reflected on the resident survey findings,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 128.

The Chair thanked Members and officers at the final Executive meeting of the municipal year, recognising all the individual contributions and hard work across all the portfolios including finance, planning, culture, climate change, housing, homelessness, communities and city development. Appreciation was expressed to the Executive Members for their commitment, expertise and support over the year.

Special thanks were also given to Councillor Bob Foale for his service as Portfolio Holder, noting his decision to stand down.

The Chair also acknowledged the support and guidance provided by the Chief Executive, Strategic Directors and Legal Services, recognising the challenges faced and the positive direction of the Council’s work.

Thanks, and best wishes were extended to the Democratic Services Officer, noting his departure and starting in his new role. Recognition was given to his dedicated support to all councillors and his contribution to effective democratic processes at the Council.

The Chair concluded by wishing all Members and candidates well for the upcoming elections and expressed his hope for a continued future cross?party working in the best interests of Exeter.