Councillors have warned of the “dilution of democracy” as new “interim” warding arrangements are set out for unitary authorities in Devon.
The changes form part of the biggest local government shake-up in 50 years. Devon’s 481 councillors will reduce to 321 as the county and eight district councils are abolished.
Devon councils have had just over three weeks to draw up new ward boundaries. Some communities will be combined, and councillors will represent larger populations.
The government set the timescale when it announced last month that Devon would have four unitary councils responsible for all services in 2028: Exeter Council, Torbay and South Devon Council, Greater Plymouth Council and a large, mainly rural, Devon Council. The authorities will have 86, 64, 68 and 103 members respectively.
Devon County Council has made it clear it does not endorse the arrangements because of the “demographic deficit”. It has been scathing about the government’s choice of how the county should be carved up, saying a number of alternative proposals better met the government’s own criteria.
The new Devon Council, stretching over 100 miles from north to south, was also unpopular with the public. Only 20 per cent supported it as an option during a public consultation.
Devon County Council will decide in September whether to proceed with a legal challenge to the government over its decision.
At a meeting to agree its submission for the new interim warding arrangements, Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Arnott (Lib Dem, Coly Valley) said the Labour-led councils of Plymouth and Exeter had got what they wanted and would expand into neighbouring parishes, while rural Devon had been stuck with the “comedy option” covering a population of around 480,000 people.
Ilfracombe councillor Sara Wilson (Green) said the town, one of the most deprived in the county, would see its current seven councillors reduced to three. The ward will become “Ilfracombe and Woolacombe Coast” and will extend to 10,500 people. With fewer councillors, there would be less time for face-to-face work in communities, she said, leading to more people being “disengaged”.
Others feared the transition would hamper improvements being made by Devon County Council in children’s services and SEND, and there was concern about loss of community cohesion in areas where boundaries are changing.
Council leader Julian Brazil (Lib Dem, Kingsbridge) said he wanted to make clear that the local government shake-up and the warding arrangements were something being “done to us”.
“Our officers have a legal duty to carry out this task and have done so to best of their ability and done an excellent job in the timeframe, but this in no way means we support it by any stretch of the imagination.”
He said because of the card Devon had been dealt by the government, some areas would have 1,400 people represented by one councillor, while others would have 4,000.
“The differential is unacceptable,” he said.
“It’s an affront to democracy because of the pace and way they (the government) are forcing us to do it. We are the ones who will have to pick up the pieces.”
“I am not opposed to local government reorganisation as I think there are benefits but what we are seeing will deliver none of those benefits.”
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