Dear members,
Devolution has emerged as the principal issue facing local governance. Last week I mentioned the government’s White Paper on Devolution, published 16th 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 10th 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 23rd January 2-4 pm. An online meeting for smaller councils will be held on 30th 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