Council elections must proceed, says Conservative activist

A Conservative activist has called for the Devon County Council elections to go ahead as planned in May 2025. 

David Hoare, a former Office Manager to former MPs Selaine Saxby and Peter Heaton-Jones for North Devon, has urged councillors and candidates to embrace the possibilities of devolution and the establishment of a unitary authority.

In a social media post, Mr Hoare expressed his concern that the Devon County Council may delay the elections, which are set for May 2025, by up to a year. 

The delay could be due to a meeting on 9 January to discuss the Government's devolution proposals.

“I do not think elections should be delayed but embraced as an opportunity for sitting councillors and candidates to actually discuss and campaign on the future,” Mr Hoare said. “It is too important a change to not have that discussion and for councillors to not have a democratic mandate to make these positive and inevitable changes.”

Mr Hoare went on to highlight the inefficiencies of the current two-tier local authority system, pointing out the overlaps in responsibilities that lead to confusion and wasted resources. 

He cited examples such as waste collection by District Councils and waste disposal by County Councils, as well as planning responsibilities that are split between the two. 

Mr Hoare believes that these inefficiencies can be addressed by establishing a unitary authority.

“It is ridiculous that District Councils collect waste but County Council disposes of it,” he explained.

“It is ridiculous that District Councils deal with planning, unless it is transport or education. It is ridiculous that District enforces their off-street parking, but County does on-street parking. You have twice as many enforcement officers that you need yet not enough officers to actually enforce anything!”

Mr Hoare acknowledged that, in the current political climate, some councillors might resist such changes, especially if it means reducing the size of their own responsibilities. 

“Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, and likewise councillors won’t vote to make themselves surplus to requirements,” he said. 

“A Unitary or group of Unitary Councils in Devon, potentially working under either a Combined County Authority (as is the Devon and Torbay deal) or maybe even a Mayoral Strategic Authority including Cornwall. Whilst many of us are not sure about a mayor now most the rest of the country have a mayor, we are again missing out in Devon because we are behind the curve of reform – and our new Prime Minister meets with mayors regularly – who does he meet with from Devon or Cornwall?.”

The devolution proposals from the Government are part of an ongoing effort to encourage local authorities to take on more power and responsibility. 

As part of these plans, unitary councils will be required to have populations of at least 500,000, although there may be exceptions. 

Mr Hoare believes that Devon is falling behind in this reform process.

“Devon is the outlier when it comes to local government reform, and we now have the chance to catch up,” he said.

He further argued that smaller, more efficient councils would lead to better governance and accountability. 

“I do not know the exact form of any future unitary authority,” Mr Hoare added. 

“But, we’d need fewer chief execs and senior managers, fewer councillors, and no more endless collaboration meetings.

“A slimmed down but more powerful council structure that is financially more efficient and can actually get things done sounds like a plan to me.”

The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, shared a similar view in her forward to the English Devolution White Paper. 

She highlighted the importance of local economic growth and the need for regional councils to have greater autonomy in decision-making.

Mr Hoare concluded by stressing that Devon should not miss the opportunity to reform its local government structure.

It is what the Labour Government want, and what we need to do, to not move to a Unitary solution is a dereliction of duty, Councillors and officers should be doing the right thing for Council Taxpayers, not the right thing for themselves or their party,” he said. 

Devon County Council plans to respond to the Government's request for an indication of whether the county wishes to be considered for the devolution priority programme by the deadline of 10 January 2025.