Vive la devolution?

Drew Aspinwall asks whether the Devon-Torbay Deal will deliver results for the masses

When I worked in the public sector, in one of my roles, I spent a large proportion of my time fielding calls from journalists and members of the public asking about the accountability, legitimacy and governance of the organisation for which I worked. 

 As a consequence I’m always interested in the seemingly ever-changing landscape of governmental structures, task forces and local government reorganisation and partnerships that are created, merged or disbanded.

In January, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities announced the proposal for a Devon and Torbay devolution deal to create a Combined County Authority (CCA) for the county of Devon and the unitary council of Torbay. 

Those like me, with long memories, may remember that there have been several proposals for creating new authorities. At one point in the 2000s there was a proposal for Devon County to become a unitary authority, and also a bid for a new “Devonwall” parliamentary constituency which would have straddled the Devon and Cornwall border between Bideford and Launceston.

Both proposals were dropped by the Boundary Commission for England after much lobbying and opposition. 

At face value, devolution should be something to be applauded, potentially boosting accountability, moving power away from our Westminster-centric political system, so decision making can take place at regional and local levels. This should, in theory, mean better outcomes for local people, and the potential to attract more funding for big-ticket items such as transport and major infrastructure. 

We have already seen some devolution deals with elected Mayors – known as ‘level 3’ deals, which have really boosted certain regions’ profiles and influence on the national political map; think of Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester or Andy Street in the West Midlands. Having a single figurehead as the representative for an area, acting as both spokesperson and champion, clearly has its advantages, but it should really be all about what’s delivered and can it be done more efficiently. 

I’m not suggesting that the mayoral model is necessarily right for Devon; we saw Cornwall reject it recently following a consultation, and I would argue that Devon is geographically too large and diverse for this to work. 

So what should we think about the ‘level 2’ (non-mayoral) deal to create a CCA? 

The benefits on offer for the area of Devon County Council and Torbay Council are said be greater control for the new authority which has the potential to improve housing provision for local people; fund training and skills that meet the needs of businesses; control of public transport commissioning and infrastructure; attract inward investment to the area and to create a strong and sustainable local economy. 

I believe these goals to be noble, but will it actually produce results or will it just create a bloated version of Devon County Council and Torbay Council? 

Having previously worked both for, alongside and with local authorities and combined authorities for more than two decades now, these ambitions do feel like they are stuck to some kind of government policy carousel, which comes around once every six or seven years; inevitably in rolls the ‘try it, don’t give it enough time to deliver, then make another change’ and round we go again. 

You may also have noticed that one part of Devon is missing from this new deal: Plymouth. Plymouth City Council pulled out of the deal in the autumn, with long- time leader Tudor Evans saying ‘to have agreed to give up powers on the promise of a little more cash would have been a backwards step for local democracy.’ I would argue that Plymouth’s absence alone makes the deal more imbalanced, both geographically and politically.  

While the eight district authorities in Devon will have a seat at the Combined Authority table, looking at the proposal, it appears they don’t have a formal vote. 

The leaders of South Hams and Teignbridge councils have been vocal in their criticism of this deal. I for one, can’t imagine that the leader of Exeter City Council – along with Plymouth the twin powerhouses of the county will be too thrilled with more power going to a new council structure.

Fundamentally, do we actually need another layer of bureaucracy in the democratic rainbow cake? 

From my reading, there doesn’t appear to be much detail or top line figures associated with how much funding Devon will get as a result of this deal; nor what any potential change in government would mean for it either.

The original figures when a potential mayoral-deal for Cornwall was announced in 2022 suggested £360 million over 30 years, or £12 million a year; hardly inspiring in the grand scheme of things given the pressure on local services. 

However, as with all these things, big announcements always get the headlines, and a forthcoming general election is another hurdle that could see this deal kicked into the political long grass. 

The absolute acid test will be whether this leads to better joined up thinking and better outcomes for people in Devon. As you would expect, there is a public consultation open on the proposals, which runs until 24 March. 

For details of the proposal, visit: https://www.devontorbaydeal.org.uk/document/devon-and-torbay-combined-county-authority-draft-proposal/

• Drew is Associate Director of SEC Newgate and has worked in planning, housing, transport and infrastructure communications for the last twenty years, including the Queen St Dining Quarter and Exeter & East Devon Enterprise Zone, key projects of which are Cranbrook and Exeter Science Park.

• This article was previously published in Exeter Tomorrow magazine.