Calls for government to delay its plans to create Devon 'super councils'

Some senior Liberal democrat county councillors have urged the government to postpone plans to reorganise Devon’s council system following the U-turn on local elections.

On Monday (February 16) the government announced it had abandoned plans to delay 30 council elections in England, with Exeter among them, following advice this could be unlawful.

Now some councillors in Devon are urging the government to also consider its local government reorganisation plans that would see district and county councils scrapped in favour of larger unitary authorities.

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In North Devon and Torridge, the proposal submitted to the government would see the creation of a ‘super council’ combining East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, Torridge and Exeter.

The government is meant to make a decision by this July and provisional elections for the new councils have been pencilled in for May 2027.

The original reason given for postponing elections of existing councils this year, with Exeter the nearest locally, was because it was felt councils would not be able to run elections this year and deal with the requirements of the restructuring.

Now some of Devon’s most senior Liberal Democrats have called for the restructure process to be delayed, with an urge for the decision to be taken sooner rather than later.

Councillor Paul Arnott, the deputy Devon County Council leader and cabinet member for the restructure process, said: “My ask of the government is to have a look at how local government reorganisation LGR has gone for you since December 2024 when you decided not just to attempt devolution, which is already a failure, but to go for total local government reorganisation.

“It has gone catastrophically, so please now consider a postponement.”

He said the intended timetable – with the government’s decision on how Devon should be organised set for July and interim elections for those new councils in May 2027 – was “neither realistic or sustainable.”

He added: “So my message to the government is to courteously ask they postpone the process, but to do so now and not change their minds at the 11th hour, like they have just done with this year’s local elections.”

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Councillor Julian Brazil, the leader of Devon County Council, welcomed the fact the local elections would now be on but expressed “dismay at what is going on in government.”

He said: “I think it is a sorry state of affairs when the government is descending from chaos to farce, and they will forever be known as the hokey cokey government – in then out.

“It’s quite chaotic.”

Reform UK nationally challenged the government over its decision to postpone the 30 local elections, but ministers this week climbed down from that position.

The move means 13 seats out of Exeter’s 39 will be up for grabs. Labour holds eight of the seats being contested.