Councils set to be merged into new Devon authority

Devon County Council and the county's eight district councils are expected to be merged into some form of a new unitary authority in the biggest shake-up of local government for decades.

It is not yet clear what will happen to Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council, which already stand apart with unitary status.

Elected mayors will be introduced in areas covering multiple authorities with the possibility of Devon and Cornwall being combined, following the announcement by Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The government said it wanted to "streamline" local councils while critics have said the change could undermine local decision-making.

The local government picture is complicated in Devon with district councils and Exeter City Council responsible for areas like housing, local planning and waste collection and the county council responsible for highways, adult social care, children's services and public health.

In Plymouth and Torbay the unitary authorities are responsible for all aspects of local government.

Devon County Council and Torbay Council, but not Plymouth City council, are already working together on a Combined County Authority (CCA) set up earlier in the year to have more control over areas such as skills training and public transport.

The measures in the English Devolution White Paper include proposals to create "strategic authorities" in the hope of "bringing together councils over areas that people live and work in".

Councillors in Cornwall have said they do not want to share powers with Devon or any other larger south west region.

Paul Arnott, the Liberal Democrat leader of East Devon District Council, the largest district council in Devon, said he and other leaders were in favour of devolution but this had been badly managed.

He said: "This is being rushed, it hasn't been consulted on and it risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

"District councils do a lot of good stuff already whether it's protecting communities from the sea, emptying your bins, it's your planning authority.

"They do a lot and I'm not convinced at the moment that the government really understand that in the ambition to push devolution down through the country they may actually be losing really well organised district councils."

James McInnes, Conservative leader of Devon County Council, said it was "a big thing" for the district and county councils to think they might be "swept away".

He said: "I'd prefer for us to find a way forward than have it be done to us by government."

McInnes said all council finances were under "extreme pressure" and any move to unitary status would be "a distraction".

He said: "I hope we can continue talking to each other and agree a way forward that will be right for the residents of Devon."

McInnes said he was in regular talks with leaders in Cornwall, Torbay and Plymouth and that a strategic authority for Cornwall and Devon was a possibility - although he would prefer that to be led by a strategic board, rather than an elected mayor.

Devon County Council, run by the Conservatives, is the largest authority with a population of more than 800,000, according to the 2021 census, and employs about 5,000 people.

Populations of district council areas range from the smallest of about 57,000 in West Devon to the largest of just over 150,000 in East Devon with about 130,000 people living in the Exeter City Council area.

Labour-run Plymouth City Council has a population of about 265,000 and about 2,500 employees while Conservative-led Torbay Council has a population of about 136,000 and employs about 1,000 people.

Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said the policy would "see communities, people and places across England begin to take back control over the things that matter to them".

She said every region of England would be covered by new "strategic authorities", similar to the regions that currently have elected regional mayors.

Rayner said having directly-elected mayors would avoid duplication and give cities and regions a bigger voice.

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].