A massive overhaul of Devon’s councils could be scrapped under a review set to be confirmed in Parliament.
The forthcoming shake-up would have been the biggest change in the way local councils operate in half a century.
It would have slashed the number of existing councils in Devon from 11 now to just four, and would have seen the county’s urban centres of Plymouth and Exeter expand into neighbouring districts.
Crucially, it would have also radically changed how the councils operated, with all of the new bodies having to take on some of the largest, most expensive and complex services – such as adult social care, education and highways – for the first time.
But a statement from Westminster has confirmed a review will be launched into the plans for local government reorganisation – or LGR – as it has been called.
Devon County Council had already been readying a claim for a judicial review, so the announcement by Parliament is likely to be welcomed by that authority.
Plans for 14 areas will be reviewed – including Devon – to “ensure the process is robust and aligns with the new government’s plans to rewire the state”, a statement from the government said.
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, is expected to tell Parliament today: “As we are now more determined than ever to devolve power closer to the people we represent, it’s only right that as a new Secretary of State I make sure that everything we do is working towards that plan to change Britain, without delay.
“The Prime Minister told the House last week, he was ‘prepared to look at local government reorganisation’ and he asked me as his Communities Secretary to ‘do that’.”
Mr Burnham was challenged on the issue by Devon MP, Rebecca Smith, the Conservative member for South West Devon, last week, with the new PM telling her he would be willing to look at LGR.
Speaking just hours before the announcement is due, David Reed MP, the member for Exmouth and Exeter East, said he had “consistently raised concerns about these proposals”.
“This review must be a genuine opportunity to reconsider whether the plans being put forward for Devon are actually right for the communities they are supposed to serve,” he said.
He added that figures from Exeter City Council suggested the reorganisation in Devon would cost around £70 million, and that Freedom of Information requests he had submitted showed councils in his constituency had already spent around £1 million of taxpayers’ money developing LGR proposals.
“Throughout the summer, councils across Devon have been forced to devote significant time and resources to developing a scheme that nobody locally asked for, when their focus should have been on the services people rely on every day, including adult and children’s social care, SEND provision, transport and our highways,” he said.
The option chosen for Devon has prompted furore from Liberal Democrat, Reform, Green and Conservative politicians, because of the view it strengthens urban Labour strongholds.
However, Labour views it as the most realistic way for Devon’s cities to achieve the economic growth they are capable of.
The proposal for Devon involved Exeter subsuming parts of East and Mid Devon, while Plymouth had been given permission to expand into the South Hams.
Torbay, too, had been told its boundaries could be widened to encompass part of the South Hams and Teignbridge.
That was set to leave a huge Devon authority – dubbed coast and country – which opponents feared would have huge costs to run but no major economic hub, and a rural and sparse population putting pressure on council tax receipts.
The Secretary of State said she had considered legal advice and decided to withdraw the decisions for the four places announced in March – Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, the statement said.
The 14 areas as part of tranche three of the local government reorganisation programme will also be part of the internal review.
These areas are:
Derby & Derbyshire
Devon, Plymouth & Torbay
East Sussex & Brighton
Gloucestershire
Hertfordshire
Kent & Medway
Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen & Blackpool
Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland
Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire & North East Lincolnshire
Nottingham & Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire and West Berkshire
Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent
Warwickshire
Worcestershire
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