More than a third of all our member councils were represented at our online sessions on Devolution in January. It was very helpful to DALC to hear views from across the county and from all sizes of councils representing the whole spectrum of communities they serve.

If you’re reading this and you were unable to attend or want to check the comments that were made by other councils, go to the Knowledge Bank, Devolution, where you will find summaries of the smaller and larger councils’ discussions, along with other information that will help you get to grips with the issues involved. At present we have no further confirmed dates to tell you about but we are still hoping to arrange a further briefing session from NALC.

The deadline of submission of an interim plan for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) by 21st March with a full proposal by 28^th November is confirmed in a letter to the leaders of all upper tier councils in Devon sent by Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and Devolution.  The Annex to the letter includes requirements on engagement with communities as well as the criteria for unitaries and the types of proposal that can be made.  You can read the letter here. Meanwhile, it is business as usual for all the local authorities and Devon County Council elections will go ahead on May 1^st for all 60 seats.

You can see that significant changes will be put forward in a very short time: changes to boundaries can be included in proposals.  Councils who think none of this will affect them are mistaken: it will affect us all.  DALC is gearing up to support councils through this process with extra staff time being devoted to arranging meetings and briefings for members as required; sending out information as soon as we have it; preparing for the additional training that is likely to be needed such as asset transfer and management.

To help DALC represent our members during the process and to promote the value of our sector, we want evidence of the work that councils do and what they would like to do.  So here’s a reminder: please sent us your council pen portrait by the end of February, one side of A4 or less, answering these three questions:

• What is important to your community, what makes it tick?
• What do you currently do for your community?
• What would you like to do for your community, given the chance?

Thank you and thanks to all those councils who have already sent theirs in.  Please continue to contact DALC with your thoughts and suggestions as well as with requests for information and advice to support the work you already do. You can e-mail information to enquiries@devonalc.org.uk.

Dear members,

Thanks to all those clerks and councillors from the larger councils who joined our online meeting to discuss devolution and local government reorganisation following the publication of the government’s English Devolution White Paper.

About 90% of the larger councils were represented. The online meeting with smaller councils is tomorrow and it’s not too late to register.  We want to hear from as many smaller councils as possible so that DALC can build a picture of what towns and parishes want to see for their communities as the outcome of the very significant changes that are coming about.

As you may remember, one of the outcomes of our DALC Conference in 2023 was the desire to see improved relationships with the county and district councils. During last year, DALC worked with DCC officers to develop a Civic Agreement which sets out a framework for joint working, including sharing of information and partnership working on issues of mutual importance to the benefit of both organisations. (The Highways Connect Events last year were an early first step along the way – more of these follow in 2025.) The Civic Agreement has only just been agreed by cabinet so the processes for making it work are only just being put into place. It’s an exciting opportunity for our sector to work more effectively with a principal authority as well as a chance to establish good working relationships during this period of change.

Alongside all the other changes is the establishment of the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority. The principles on which it is founded are going ahead with its committees being formed and Regulations being drafted. DALC has a place on the Team Devon Joint Committee, whose purpose is to bring together all the tiers of local government to work jointly on shared priorities for the benefit of all communities. Good joint working has already come from Team Devon, e.g. the Housing Commission, and part of its function going forward will be to advise, inform and support the work of the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority.

There’s a lot going on! DALC will continue to keep members up to date with developments but please contact the office if you want to know more or have ideas and concerns you want us to know about.

Best wishes,
Liz Brookes-Hocking, Chair of DALC’s Board of Directors

Dear members,

Devolution has emerged as the principal issue facing local governance. Last week I mentioned the government’s White Paper on Devolution, published 16^th December 2024.  If you missed it, you can read it here.

The new government is keen to roll out devolution as fast as possible alongside the establishment of Strategic Authorities. To achieve this, it proposes to create unitary councils where they currently do not exist.

Devon is one of 21 areas that has a two-tier system (the White Paper does not acknowledge towns and parishes as a third tier) with districts, a borough and a city council below the county council so the new proposals could radically change the local government arrangements we are used to.

At the start of the new year, the second-tier authorities in Devon sent out a joint statement which you can read here. In brief, these councils support devolution of decision-making but do not support the formation of a single unitary covering the whole county. They felt the requirement for alternative proposals to be submitted by 10^th January was too short a time to allow proper local consultation.  However, by that date, the county council had agreed its intention to commit to developing plans for local government reorganisation and delivering a Mayoral Strategic Authority. The decision notice is here. Furthermore, Exeter City Council had agreed to put forward a recommendation for its own unitary status.

The district councils had their own meetings in the same week but at present I am not aware of any specific proposals from any of them.  The arguments as to the best system of local governance are swirling; there are different reactions to the White Paper and different views on how it could or should be implemented. There is general agreement on the benefits of devolving power from Whitehall to local areas. But what this will mean in practice and just how far down the pecking order devolved decision-making will go is not so clear.

Parish and town councils have not had much of a mention in the local debate so far but our voice must be heard. DALC needs to know your views, concerns and aspirations. In this significant shake-up of local government, what do you want for your council and your community?

We are holding an online meeting of the Larger Councils Forum on 23^rd January 2-4 pm. An online meeting for smaller councils will be held on 30^th January 10 am -12 pm; more information will be circulated shortly.

We will keep councils updated with any developments and any useful information we get in the meantime.

Best wishes,
Liz Brookes-Hocking, Chair of DALC’s Board of Directors