![\"Devon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/gbr\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0_Screenshot-2026-06-03-141438.png\")
<\/p>\nMoves by government to reconsider how the county will be carved up have led to some politicians saying they\u2019ll \u2018fight tooth and nail\u2019 against upcoming proposals.<\/p>\n
Devon County Council’s Leader Julian Brazil says the public is being ripped off<\/p>\n
Anger has emerged across Devon over plans by ministers to reconsider how to carve up Devon\u2019s councils.<\/p>\n
The proposed overhaul of Devon\u2019s councils, that would have seen an expanded Plymouth<\/a>, Exeter<\/a> and Torbay<\/a> while leaving a huge rural council covering the rest of the county, has now been withdrawn.<\/p>\n Minister Jim McMahon confirmed the decision on Devon had been scrapped, alongside that of eight other areas of England, and pledged to provide details of a revised decision by early next year, stating councils would be able to offer suggested tweaks to proposed reorganisations, and that some compensation would be forthcoming for money spent on the delayed overhaul.<\/p>\n Minister Jim McMahon says the decision to reorganise Devon’s councils has been withdrawn and a new decision will made in the coming months.(Image: Parliamentlive.tv)<\/p>\n But rather than cheer, there is dismay in several political quarters because the government plans to reassess its decision using the same criteria and the same proposals.<\/p>\n Some fear this will mean that ministers simply re-suggest the same proposal for Devon.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there is a high probability that will be the most likely outcome which is why we will make sure they know we will fight that tooth and nail,\u201d said Councillor Julian Brazil (Liberal Democrat, Kingsbridge<\/a> ), the leader of Devon County Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proposals for Devon were a complete disaster, designed by the urban centres with nothing for the mainly rural population.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that he felt the government had \u201cshot our fox\u201d, because by Parliament withdrawing the decision, Devon could no longer launch a judicial review against it.<\/p>\n Cllr Brazil said his council and district peers were now working on new ways to deliver services collaboratively in a way that could save money, but that he feared the government wouldn\u2019t look at the progress being made with that initiative because of its statement that it would only consider the proposals it already has.<\/p>\n Devon County Council had proposed leaving Plymouth and Torbay as unitary councils, and merging the county council with Devon\u2019s districts and Exeter City Council<\/a> to create a large unitary authority, but Cllr Brazil seemed to suggest that would be less favourable than his efforts to simply collaborate more closely with districts.<\/p>\n David Reed MP (Conservative, Exmouth<\/a> and Exeter East) said the back-and-forth of the local government reorganisation (LGR) process so far had been \u201cwasting so much taxpayers\u2019 money\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the initial idea of LGR came about, I think the government thought the different levels of government in two tier areas could be broken down into unitary councils, but I don\u2019t think they predicted the proposals would be for three or four unitaries in Devon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Devon Tory David Reed(Image: Parliament TV)<\/p>\n \u201cBut they have realised the model is way more expensive and not like it is in London or Manchester; it\u2019s a very different make-up here, with the disparity between rural and urban hubs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the government is going to be bold, it needs the right legal justification to proceed, and it is the start-stop approach that annoys everyone as councils can\u2019t plan and it diverts their attention away from the job they are supposed to be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Councillor David Wulff (Liberal Democrat, Tiverton<\/a> Castle), the leader of Mid Devon District Council<\/a>, said he would oppose a new decision if it failed to take account of local pressures.<\/p>\n \u201cI will oppose any settlement that concentrates the benefits of growth in expanded cities while leaving rural Devon with a weaker financial base and the higher costs of serving a dispersed population,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cA decision that can withstand legal challenge must also be one that stands up to public scrutiny.<\/p>\n Mid Devon leader Cllr David Wulff has criticised the outcome of the reorganisation of Devon by claiming it creates a ‘two-class’ county.(Image: Mid Devon District Council)<\/p>\n \u201cResidents deserve to understand why an option has been chosen, how alternatives have been assessed and what it will mean for their community.\u201d<\/p>\n Cllr Wulff said the previous decision to split Devon into four unitary councils \u201cdid not give sufficient weight to Devon\u2019s local circumstances\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThose concerns remain and must be properly addressed before a new decision is made,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy concern has always been what these changes mean for the people we represent: their services, their ability to influence decisions and the future of the places they call home.<\/p>\n \u201cLabour must explain how its previous decision to expand Exeter at the expense of surrounding communities served those communities\u2019 interests.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my view, it placed the ambitions of an enlarged city authority ahead of rural identity and local accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n Cllr Wulff added that with the aspiration – stated in the Budget this week – for local areas to keep more business rates income, that it would be vital for any new councils to be economically viable.<\/p>\n \u201cAgainst that background, transferring businesses and land with future growth potential into expanded city authorities raises serious questions about the resources left to support rural services,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cRural communities must be able to share fairly in the prosperity they help create.<\/p>\n \u201cMinisters need to publish a clear assessment of how any boundary changes, alongside the new funding arrangements, would affect both urban and rural councils.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Minister](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/gbr\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0_Screenshot_29-10-2026_13141_wwwparliamentlivetv.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Devon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/gbr\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793377575_608_1_reed.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Mid](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/gbr\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0_Mid-Devon-Leader-Cllr-David-Wulff.jpg\")
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