A Devon MP has accused a local council leader of giving villagers a "kick in the teeth" over plans that would split their community in two.
The parish of Berry Pomeroy will become part of an expanded Torbay when new unitary authorities take over governing the county as part of the nationwide Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
But neighbours in Totnes parish, sometimes on the same side of the same street, will become part of the separate Devon Coast and Countryside unitary authority.
Totnes Town Council has voted to lobby the government to change its mind and keep the community united. A public meeting in Berry Pomeroy last week came out overwhelmingly in favour of changing the planned boundaries to keep the parishes together.
Residents say it makes no sense for next-door neighbours to get their services from different councils. One speaker described the proposals as "bonkers".
Torbay Council says final decisions on which parishes join which unitaries will be taken by the government and Parliament. There is a possibility they could then be reviewed in the next few years.
Torbay Council leader David Thomas (Con, Preston) was at the Berry Pomeroy meeting, as was South Devon's Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden, whose constituency includes both Totnes and Berry Pomeroy.
However, a new draft map of Torbay's proposed new boundaries continues to show Totnes and Berry Pomeroy divided between the two new unitaries.
Ms Voaden said: "No one could have left last week's meeting believing Berry Pomeroy parish wished to be part of an expanded Torbay Council. The community's preference was glaring, so for Dave Thomas to ignore it and join the government in carving up rural South Devon is a real kick in the teeth.
"Berry Pomeroy did not want to become part of the new Devon Coast and Countryside Council because they considered it superior to Torbay. All they wanted was to remain where they consider their home to be, alongside Totnes in a community they have belonged to for generations.
"The fact this community will be divided for political purposes shows just how far LGR has strayed from its original promise to give power back to local areas."
A Torbay Council spokesperson said: "The Government has asked councils in Torbay, Devon and Plymouth to provide information to support the implementation of local government reorganisation, including interim warding arrangements.
"These are temporary arrangements intended to enable safe, lawful and deliverable elections for the new shadow authorities in May 2027. Final decisions on councillor numbers, warding arrangements and the content of any Structural Changes Order rest with the Secretary of State and Parliament.
"We also expect the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to carry out a full independent electoral review in the next political term, once the new authorities have been established. That review would consider longer-term electoral arrangements in the usual way."
MP Says Boundary Plan Kicks Villagers in Teeth