Dave Thomas: Local decision making on local priorities

We've come a long way on our journey towards taking local control of important powers and budgets from central government, a process known as devolution.

In February we welcomed the Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young to EPIC in Paignton, to announce the proposed devolution deal.

This outlined how we at Torbay Council would join forces with Devon County Council to lead the creation of a new Combined County Authority. Importantly, there would not be a mayor, and the rest of the local government structure in Devon would remain the same. Along with our partners in Devon, we have just finished a lengthy period of public consultation, asking for views about the proposals.

I would like to thank everyone who has taken part in the consultation, as it is vitally important to hear the views of individuals and organisations when we are considering such a big change. Essentially, the new CCA would see the transfer of significant decision-making powers and funding from Whitehall to Devon and Torbay, so that important decisions on local priorities, such as jobs and skills, housing, and the environment, can be made locally.

During the consultation, we received nearly 900 responses from individuals and a broad cross-section of organisations including local councils across Devon and those in the business, education and skills, housing, transportation, health service and voluntary sectors. In addition, we met more than 700 people who attended 31 roundtable meetings across Devon and Torbay. We were able to outline the draft proposal, and importantly hear people's views to help shape the outcome.

Now that the consultation has come to an end, what we heard and read during the process has been gathered together in a report which will be considered by all elected Members of Devon County Council and Torbay Council at meetings to be held later this month.

The two Cabinets will consider the report then make a recommendation to the full councils, where the members will decide whether to submit their final proposal for the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority to the Secretary of State. 

This is because the CCA will need legislation to formally bring it into existence. If Government approves the proposal, we would expect to see the new authority up and running in the autumn of this year.

During the consultation, a consensus emerged agreeing with the principle that devolving powers and funding to Devon on issues that matter most to local people would be a benefit. Devolution also offers opportunities to improve services and work more closely with Government, allowing us to exert more influence over the policies which affect our lives.

It is important to note that local government will not change, at Torbay Council, we are a unitary authority, which means we are responsible for all local government services in the Bay. This means that we deliver everything from children's services to highways, planning to waste collection. The only exception is in Brixham, where a Town Council runs some local services, funded by local Council Tax payers.

Outside our boundary in Devon, the situation is more complex, with the county council in charge of strategic services like social services and highways, the district councils delivering activities such as planning and emptying the bins, and town and parish councils providing some services in the local area. 

The new CCA, led by democratically elected members of Devon County Council and Torbay Council, would sit above all the existing layers. But it would not operate in isolation, there would be important formal input from a range of advisory groups. These would include experts from local industry and the voluntary sector, and cover fields such as health, housing, climate change, education, skills and training, and all the geographical parts of the area. The district, town and parish councils would also be formally involved and have an important voice.

If the proposals are given the go-ahead, more about the democratic process involved in the CCA will be announced in September, when a draft constitution will be considered by the councils.

You can read the devolution consultation report in the papers for the next Cabinet meetings of Devon County Council on Monday 22 April and Torbay Council, on Thursday 25 April. The Cabinets will consider the analysis and discuss the next steps, with a recommendation to the next full meetings of the two councils, on Monday 29 April and Tuesday 30 April.