Agenda item

To receive an update from the Chief Executive.

Report to follow.

The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive presented the report, the purpose of which was to present to Full Council an update of progress made responding to the Government’s Devolution White Paper and subsequent invitation letter from the Secretary of State on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

The update included information on:

·         The letter from the Secretary of State

·         The deadline for the submission of interim proposals being Friday 21^st March 2025

·         The development of proposals, including a presentation slide on the initial 1:4:5 model of two new authorities

·         The 1:4:5 model being a preliminary suggestion intended to initiate discussions and is neither finalised nor certain

·         The necessity for proposals to focus on the whole of Devon, not just Torridge

·         The necessity of receiving key economic and social statistics to form proposals

·         The recommendations in the report

A discussion occurred.

Councillor P Hackett proposed to move the recommendations in the report, and was seconded by Councillor R Lock.

Members commended Councillor K James for his work and commitment to Local Government Reorganisation.

Councillor P Hames explained that he believes that there should be multiple, smaller authorities and put forward an alternative proposal:

‘This Council is concerned about the Government’s requirement that unitary authorities should serve a minimum of 300,000 people in rural counties with sparsely distributed populations, such as Devon. These authorities would be far too large to democratically represent communities and to allow for the distances which would need to be travelled by councillors, the public and officers in order to provide and access services and attend meetings. Furthermore the benefits of such large authorities are as yet unproven and have not been subject to public scrutiny. Given these concerns a combination of Torridge and North Devon Councils to form a smaller unitary authority makes more sense and it is proposed that this possibility should be investigated with full public consultation’.

Members raised concern with the 1:4:5 model and queried that alternative proposals may not be considered. The Committee questioned when future public consultation would occur, and the Leader of the Council outlined that the Central Government have not been clear on when this will occur.

The Committee discussed the proposition of a model with a ‘North-South’ divide across Devon, and the Leader of the Council expressed that capital is largely in South Devon, which could cause economic difficulties for the North. Members noted that key statistics from Devon County Council and the NHS will influence models, but emphasised that the expression of interest deadline is Friday 21^st March 2025.

Following on, the Chief Executive outlined that two consultation phases are expected. The Chief Executive reiterated that the 1:4:5 proposal requires critical data from upper tier authority services, which will be used to adapt and develop new models.

The Committee further raised issues with the model and highlighted concerns surrounding democracy and the representation of constituents in Torridge.

Councillor H Thomas seconded Councillor P Hames’s proposal.

Members expressed frustration at the short timeline, and the overall enforcement of Local Government Reorganisation from the Central Government. The Committee suggested that a bottom-up approach would reduce the disruption of Local Government Reorganisation. Councillor C Cottle-Hunkin proposed that, alongside the expression of interest, the Committee should send a letter to the Central Government outlining these issues.

The Chair moved the Committee towards the vote for the proposal that arose first, which was to approve the recommendations stated in the report.

It was proposed by Councillor P Hackett, seconded by Councillor R Lock and –

Resolved:

That Members note:

•      The report and progress made, which is highlighted in the report to meet the 21 March 2025 deadline for interim submission to Government as required by the Ministers’ letter of 5 February.

•      That much more work is required between March and the 28 November when a final proposal and business case is due for submission to Government.

•      That the model (1:4:5) proposed in this report could and can be changed between now and November in light of the further work that is necessary to produce a full business case for LGR in Devon.

Approve to:

•      Delegate to the Leader and Chief Executive to submit the interim proposal to be submitted by the 21 March 2025 based on the 1:4:5 model.

(Vote: For – 24, Against – 4, Abstentions – 2).

The motion was carried; Councillor P Hames’s proposal was not voted on.