Voters in Devon could be electing a powerful new county Mayor as early as September 2027.
Cornwall has so far resisted joining forces in a two-county authority, though the door is being left open for the future.
The future of local councils across the country is uncertain after the government decided to pause its sweeping plans to abolish district and county councils and replace them with new unitary authorities.
In Devon, the shake-up would have seen Torbay, Plymouth and Exeter expand from spring 2028, with a fourth new council governing the rest of the county.
But a surprise announcement from Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner earlier this month, made after legal advice, has put the whole programme on hold. Several councils around the country, including Devon County Council and a number of its districts, had begun the process of setting up a judicial review into the legality of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process.
Speaking at a meeting of the Torquay Place Leadership Board, the leader of Torbay Council, David Thomas (Con, Preston), said local authorities had been left in limbo after spending 18 months and millions of pounds preparing for a paused shake-up that could now be delayed or scrapped altogether.
“What paused means, we don't actually know at the moment,” he said. He told the meeting clarification could come after the current political party conference season.
He went on: “What we do know is that the elections next May will be going ahead on the current boundaries that we know and love.”
The earliest the new councils could begin is now April 2029, meaning members could be elected in May 2028. But Cllr Thomas said the decision to pause the process meant it was all speculation.
What is known is that the government wants to press on with creating Mayoral Strategic Authorities over the new unitary councils, and Devon is already well placed to go ahead.
The county council and Torbay already sit together on a Combined County Authority (CCA), while Plymouth, which initially rebuffed the idea, has now decided to join them.
A formal consultation is under way. If the government accepts the idea early in the new year, elections for a new Mayor of Devon could take place in a year's time.
Bringing Cornwall into a new authority alongside Devon under a single powerful Mayor is proving difficult.
“We have tried on numerous occasions to bring Cornwall into the conversation, but there is still resistance there,” said Cllr Thomas. “We need to get on the mayoral bus now with Devon, while leaving the door open for Cornwall. If we don’t get on at this bus stop we might miss the bus altogether.
“We are so much further advanced than many other places, having been up and running for 18 months already as a CCA. If the government is looking for quick wins, Devon could be one of those.”
Devon Mayor Election Possible by September 2027