South Hams District Council "states its position on local government reform"

"We do not support the creation of one unitary council for Devon and want more time to properly discuss and consult on the best way to reorganise local government for the benefit of our communities." 

That’s the message from South Hams District Council at a Special Council meeting this week (Monday, 6 January 2025).

The meeting follows the publication of the English Devolution White Paper and subsequent statements by the leader of Devon County Council as well as a joint statement from Devon District Councils, of which South Hams is a part.

Councillors agreed the council:

1. mandates the Leader to write to the Government on its behalf outlining this Council’s concerns, with all related correspondence being copied to the wider membership (i.e. all council members) for their information and reference only.
2. supports the joint statement issued by the leaders of the eight district councils throughout Devon that includes:

1. not supporting a Single Unitary Council solution for Devon; and 
2. will widely consult with its residents, businesses, community organisations and town and parish councils once a firm re-organisation proposal is ready for consideration.
3. not supporting the postponement of the County Council elections in May 2025

Cllr John Birch, who proposed the recommendation as the Executive Lead with responsibility for Governance, said: "I believe that we as a council are facing one of our biggest challenges yet. We want to send a clear message to the Government and Devon County Council that we will not be forced into a proposal which we do not support and will not be rushed into a decision without consulting with our communities.  

"There is a real opportunity here to devolve powers locally in the right way. As a council we are well led and financially sound but creating one large unitary authority will reduce the quality of services we currently deliver – services such as leisure centres, public toilets, planning and waste collections that our residents value so much.

"We want to carefully consider our options and will not be forced into a shot gun marriage."

Leader of the Council, Cllr Julian Brazil, said: "We may have our political differences, but the one thing that binds us all at South Hams District Council is our commitment to do what is best for our local communities. I am proud to lead a council that puts its residents and communities first and party politics second.

"We will do everything in our power to make sure that the voice of our communities is heard and that we work with others to find the right solution for residents, businesses and organisations across the district."

Cllr Nicky Hopwood said: "This all seems very rushed. As district councillors I believe we are the closest people in local government to our residents and we need to reassure them that we will continue to work hard for them. I am concerned that I haven’t been able to ask my residents in Woolwell what they think. We all need time to do this, which is why I support this recommendation.

"We also have a high calibre of knowledgeable staff at this council who are vital to the delivery of good local services. Re-organisation in this way could risk losing them and create higher than expected recruitment and redundancy costs."

Cllr Jacqi Hodgson said: "I think the recommendation put forward is very strong and I fully agree with it. We should not be moving around the deckchairs and wasting public funding. If the government wants to support local authorities and demonstrate its understanding of the problems, then this re-organisation should be held off for at least a couple of years.

"The money spent on this changeover should go directly into delivering direct services where it is urgently needed, such as on our roads and NHS."

A recording of the special meeting can be found on South Hams District Council’s You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMQTgJYPqg4