The prime minister has suggested he may reconsider some aspects of the major changes to local government being introduced in Devon. Andy Burnham was responding in parliament to a question from Conservative MP for South West Devon, Rebecca Smith, who said constituents were "devastated" by what the changes might mean.
All of the district, county and unitary authorities in Devon are being abolished to make way for four new unitary authorities based on expansions of Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay, and a council for the rest of Devon. Smith has worked with Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, Caroline Voaden, on petitions against the proposals which have gathered more than 6,000 signatures.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Smith highlighted the size of the proposed Devon Council, with 103 councillors, set against the "three urban centres" with 220 councillors. Referring to Burnham's repeated promise of economic improvement across the country, Smith asked the PM: "How can that version of local government reorganisation produce growth in every postcode? I urge him to revisit that decision with the minister responsible because quite frankly, constituents across rural Devon are devastated by what it might mean for them."
In response, Burnham said: "I am prepared to look at local government reorganisation – I'll ask the communities secretary to do that. Where possible we need as much consent as we can get – if she's telling me we need to work harder to find that then I'm always prepared to do what I can."
The plans adopted by the government for the expansion of the urban areas in Devon were those put forward by Labour-led councils in Exeter and Plymouth. The new authority for the rest of the county will stretch from Lynton in the north to Salcombe in the south and from Holsworthy in the west to Seaton in the east.
Smith and Voaden say residents are concerned about "communities being divided, the future delivery of vital services, democratic representation, council tax and the financial viability of the proposed authority". In petitions calling on the government to reverse its decision, which are being presented on Wednesday, Smith has gathered more than 4,200 signatures and Voaden has gathered almost 2,000 signatures.
Voaden said: "It is patently clear a rural authority at the scale of the proposed Devon Council, with a road network comparable in size to Luxembourg, won't be able to deliver services effectively or affordably."
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PM Open to Reconsidering Devon Council Changes