strength
Build on council homes already completed
The first Vaughan Road phase delivered 35 homes in September 2025.
Occupied homes provide evidence of delivery and resident experience.
What could help →Exeter, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Exeter
Exeter local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £1,318 a month (August 2026) in Exeter council area. This is £141 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.4% in Pinhoe to 46.6% in Duryard and St James — a gap of 36.2 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
4.6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Exeter council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.8% in Duryard and St James to 6.4% in Mincinglake and Whipton — a gap of 3.6 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
34.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Exeter council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 5% in Duryard and St James to 22.1% in Priory — a gap of 17.1 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Replace ageing Wonford facilities with a viable service
The existing community and leisure centre needs renewal.
Residents need continuity while the hub moves through delivery decisions.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Keep Wonford’s next steps tied to a workable delivery plan
Wonford Community Wellbeing Hub has an approved next-stage decision, with design, procurement, business-case and matched-funding work still required.
Proposed response: Resolve those dependencies before presenting the renewed hub as a contracted building project.
What could help →opportunity
Turn Vaughan Road’s next phase into homes people can use
Exeter has completed the first Vaughan Road phase but the checked evidence gives only a timetable for the next one.
Proposed response: Confirm the next phase’s actual start and funding before treating its planned homes as delivery.
What could help →opportunity
Show where the expanded safety service makes a difference
The safety-team expansion has been approved, but the checked update is about staffing and training rather than outcomes.
Proposed response: Publish coverage and response measures so residents can see what the service does.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
16.6% of people in Exeter council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 9% in Duryard and St James to 23.6% in Alphington — a gap of 14.6 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Exeter council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
4 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 13.3% in Duryard and St James to 23.8% in Mincinglake and Whipton — a gap of 10.6 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Measure safety outcomes after the team expansion
The checked update reports recruitment and training for the wider safety service.
Staffing progress alone does not show that incidents have fallen.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Keep Wonford’s next steps tied to a workable delivery planWonford Community Wellbeing Hub: Council approved recommendations; next delivery steps required. See the dated project evidence. | Exeter City Council and community partners | |
| Turn Vaughan Road’s next phase into homes people can use35 homes completed in September 2025; 16 later-phase homes scheduled in the May 2026 progress report. | Exeter City Council | |
| Show where the expanded safety service makes a differenceJanuary 2026 approval; recruitment and training recorded in May. No citywide outcome reduction is established. | Exeter City Council and the local community safety partnership | |
| Build on council homes already completedVaughan Road council homes: First phase complete; later phase timetable reported in May 2026. See the retained dated source. | Exeter City Council | |
| Replace ageing Wonford facilities with a viable serviceWonford Community Wellbeing Hub: Council approved recommendations; next delivery steps required. See the retained dated source. | Exeter City Council and community partners | |
| Measure safety outcomes after the team expansionExeter community safety team: Permanent citywide service approved; recruitment and training reported. See the retained dated source. | Exeter City Council | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,318 a month (August 2026) in Exeter council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.4% in Pinhoe to 46.6% in Duryard and St James — a gap of 36.2 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 13 of 13 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Plan homes and care around an older population16.6% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 9% in Duryard and St James to 23.6% in Alphington — a gap of 14.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 13 of 13 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health4.6% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.8% in Duryard and St James to 6.4% in Mincinglake and Whipton — a gap of 3.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 13 of 13 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities34.7% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 5% in Duryard and St James to 22.1% in Priory — a gap of 17.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 13 of 13 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 13.3% in Duryard and St James to 23.8% in Mincinglake and Whipton — a gap of 10.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 13 of 13 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |