Devon councils have spent millions of pounds preparing for a local government shake-up that has just been frozen.
Local authority leaders have reacted with mixed feelings to yesterday's announcement that the nationwide Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) has been halted.
Paul Arnott (Coly Valley), the Liberal Democrat deputy leader of Devon County Council and leader of East Devon District Council, welcomed the decision but said the project had already run up huge bills. He said: “At both county and district levels, at least 30 per cent of officer capacity has been redirected to work on LGR, and that is multiple millions of pounds."
He said credit should go to Prime Minister Andy Burnham for having the good judgment and humility to pause and review the plans but added: “The district councils and the county council have been left with an enormous bill for this.”
Secretary of State Angela Rayner announced in the House of Commons yesterday that she was reviewing the plans following legal advice. It is estimated that councils have spent up to £1million each so far on preparations for LGR.
Devon had been on course to split into four new unitary councils: an expanded Labour-led Exeter and Plymouth, an expanded Conservative-led Torbay, and a huge fourth council taking the 'rump' of the rest of Devon. All of the county’s district councils would have been swept away in the shake-up, but the plans have now been put on hold after significant opposition across the country, and it is uncertain what will happen next, apart from a commitment to holding local elections in May 2027 on existing council boundaries.
Exeter City Council leader Phil Bialyk (Lab, Exwick) said he was disappointed but understood the need to review the decisions. He said: “I’m disappointed that Exeter’s long wait for unitary status will now be delayed, but I understand that there needs to be a review because the new prime minister and new administration need to be satisfied that the decisions made are the right ones and that the right processes were followed.
“It is very important that we get this right, because it is too good an opportunity to miss for Exeter and for the rest of Devon. We have no doubt that our joint submission with Plymouth for change in Devon – which was supported by the government – remains the right one.”
Exeter’s Green opposition councillors, however, have labelled LGR ‘an expensive shambles from the outset’. Group leader Cllr Diana Moore (St Thomas) said: “This latest chapter of chaos will leave councils and communities in a state of confusion. The lack of due diligence by the government to ensure decisions are legally watertight is shocking.
“Labour has failed to offer true devolution, and now the decision has been paused there is space to address the concerns from across Devon and work to improve the dysfunctional relationship between Exeter City Council and Devon County Council.”
Plymouth’s council leader Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) said he was still hopeful that the so-called Greater Plymouth council would become a reality. He said: “Elections will still take place in May, and Labour has a fantastic team of candidates who I’ll be backing every step of the way. I remain optimistic that Greater Plymouth is coming, and our city has a huge opportunity ahead of it.”
The city’s Labour MPs also said they were looking ahead to the 2027 elections. Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard pledged to work ‘flat out’ to elect Labour councillors, and added: “I want to see Plymouth grow and believe we have a sound case for the Greater Plymouth reorganisation. I'm hungry for change, but it's right that it's done properly."
Moor View MP Fred Thomas added: “We understand the government’s decision to put the plans on hold. We will continue to
Devon Council Shake-Up Freeze Costs Millions