Deadline day looms for Devon’s council shake up but county is split

Districts including North Devon and Torridge look set to formally approve proposals for the reshaping of Devon’s councils within the next 10 days.

But while the county’s district councils are united in their vision for how Devon would be carved up into unitary authorities, Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay have their own proposals, as does Devon County Council.

This means there are potentially five different options on the table for the government to choose between. It follows the decision last year to restructure the ‘two tier’ council system to leave one unitary authority covering all services in an area.

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North Devon and Torridge are backing the ‘1-4-5 system’ with Plymouth the one, West Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge and Torbay the four and Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Torridge and East Devon the five.

But Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay want to remain stand alone councils, with the first two proposing to increase the size of their territory to include some surrounding areas. They suggest a fourth ‘Devon coast and country’ council could cover the rest of the county.

Devon County Council has its own proposal which essentially would see it control what it does now, while leaving Torbay and Plymouth as stand alone councils.

At district level, each council will be meeting between November 25 and 28 to formally consider adopting the 1-4-5 option to submit to the government.

In a joint statement, the councils’ leaders said: “We believe this proposal truly delivers the best possible outcomes for all of Devon’s 1.2 million residents, with three authorities that are big enough to be financially sustainable and deliver major services while remaining local and accessible with communities at their hearts.

“This proposal has been built by rigorous evidence-based analysis and assessment, and extensive engagement with residents, businesses, partners and community groups.

“The result, this reimagining of Devon, will give our residents the local services they want, tailored to their needs, and ensures our councils are future-proof and resilient for generations to come.”

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Whatever model is adopted, the new unitary authority for this area will be in charge of all services from rubbish collection and planning to education and adult social care.

The district councils say financial modelling carried out as part of their proposal forecasts savings of at least £77.1million from year six and a cumulative saving of £508m by 10 years.

They say the initial investment associated with setting up the new councils would be recouped within three years.

The full proposal, Reimagining Devon: Believe in Better, is available to view at https://www.reimaginingdevon.org