Four unitary councils plan will 'help Torbay flourish'

Four separate unitary councils for Devon will allow the ‘powerhouses’ of Torbay, Exeter and Plymouth to flourish without leaving the county’s rural ‘rump’ behind – at least that’s what the bay has decided..
Torbay Council was split down party lines when it came to deciding on its vision of the county’s future when the government sweeps away a layer of bureaucracy.
Local government re-organisation will mean the end of Devon County Council and all the county’s district councils, and every local authority has been asked to make a choice about the way forward.
After a long and sometimes acrimonious debate, Torbay endorsed a four-unitary solution for Devon.
The bay would continue on its current footprint; Plymouth would expand to absorb parts of the South Hams; Exeter would spread out into parts of Teignbridge, East Devon and Mid Devon, and a new Rural Devon Coast and Countryside Authority would administer the rest of the county.
Council leader David Thomas (Con, Preston) urged the opposition not to take a ‘wrecking ball’ to the published strategy by putting forward last-minute amendments.
“This is not a time for points-scoring,” he said. “It’s a time for leadership and a clear voice on behalf of Torbay’s residents.”
He said the bay’s health care and children’s services were strengths which would be protected by the strategy.
“It gives us stability and control,” he said. “It’s not about drawing lines on a map. It’s about creating councils that make sense to residents.
“Torbay is ready, Torbay is united, Torbay has a clear and positive vision for the future of local government in our county.
“Let’s not allow this opportunity to pass us by.”
But Lib Dem group leader Swithin Long (Barton with Watcombe) warned that the four-unitary model would leave rural Devon as a ‘basket case’.
He put forward an amendment saying Torbay should support Devon County Council’s preference for three unitaries – one for Plymouth, one for Torbay and one for the rest of Devon, including Exeter.
“It would be simpler,” he said. “It would preserve the integrated care organisation, and it would not lead to the breaking up of services.”
However, Exeter and Plymouth city councils have put forward their own proposals which envisage an expanded Torbay, contrary to the bay’s proposal. The majority of the 1,400 people who took part in Torbay’s consultation wanted the bay’s boundaries to remain as they are.
Cllr Cordelia Law (Lib Dem, Tormohun) said: “We owe Exeter and Plymouth nothing. They have totally disregarded Torbay residents’ wishes. Devon County Council have listened to us and their proposal ticks more boxes.”
Cllr Steve Darling (Lib Dem, Barton with Watcombe), who is also the bay’s MP, said having four unitaries would mean abandoning the rural heartland of Devon as a ‘rump’.
But Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton) told the meeting: “I don’t think it’s right for the people of Torbay to tell the people of Exeter that we know best, and we know what is in their best interests.”
Cllr George Darling (Lib Dem, St Marychurch) warned that smaller Devon communities could be swallowed by ‘hungry urban councils’ but Cllr Thomas said a large Devon council would be too big to be responsive or accountable.
He said the bay’s published model would have three strong urban councils working alongside a ‘focused’ rural Devon. “That would reflect how people live, work and access services,” he said.
Cllr Hayley Tranter (Con, Goodrington with Roselands) urged colleagues to back the published Torbay proposal. “It protects our unique integrated health and social care arrangements,” she said. “We are seen as a national exemplar.”
The amendment was lost, with 17 votes for (15 Lib Dems and two Independents) and 18 against (17 Conservatives and one Independent).
The motion to back the published option was passed, with the votes exactly reversed.
The government will examine submissions from councils across the country, and will announce its decision on the future shape of local government next summer.