Exeter to bid for unitary status in major council shake-up

City's 'powerhouse' role key to county success

The year 2025 is likely to see the first steps towards massive changes in the way Devon is governed, with radical reorganisation being discussed.

Exeter City Council is the latest local authority to step forward, with leader Phil Bialyk (Lab, Exwick) declaring the city’s intention to become a unitary authority.

This would put it on an equal footing with the councils in Torbay and Plymouth, and would mean the city council taking control of functions which are currently carried out by Devon County Council, such as roads and highways, children’s services, public health and waste disposal.

Cllr Bialyk says this is the way Exeter can make the most of the opportunities offered by devolution.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner recently announced plans to devolve more powers to the regions, and moves to set up a combined county authority (CCA) for Devon were already under way before the general election in July.

This would bring the county council and unitary Torbay together with all the rest of the county’s local authorities. The only exception would be Plymouth, where the city council opted to have no part in the CCA set-up.

However, Labour now plans go further, and has floated the idea of super-councils covering populations of around half a million people each, overseen by elected mayors. No details have been published, leading to speculation that Devon and Cornwall could be joined in one Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA), or that Torbay, Plymouth and Exeter may create one combined authority.

The combined population of the two cities and the bay is around 550,000.

Exeter’s plan to bid for unitary status - which is subject to the agreement of council members at a special meeting on Thursday 9 January - would shift the county’s balance of power again.

If councillors say yes, the full case for a unitary Exeter would then be submitted for ministers to consider later in the year. The council is also likely to back the creation of an MSA for Devon and Cornwall, with Exeter playing a leading role.

“This week the county council publicly expressed its desire to create a unitary Devon, so it is right that I make Exeter’s intentions clear now,” said Cllr Bialyk. “I believe that we now have a huge opportunity to make the most of devolution. Exeter is rapidly growing and has one of the biggest travel-to-work areas in the whole country. We are a place where people want to live and work, and we have big plans for future growth.

“Exeter is the economic powerhouse of the county and drives the economy of the rest of Devon, so it is important that decisions for Exeter are made in Exeter.”

City council chief executive Bindu Arjoon added: “We will continue to work closely alongside other councils as well as our stakeholders and partners throughout the city in this process.

“We believe that the interests of the city and the rest of Devon are best served through the creation of a unitary Exeter, which would work in partnership with other councils in a Mayoral Strategic Authority.

“That is the best way of ensuring that residents and communities throughout Devon get the full benefits of devolution, by driving economic growth and increasing prosperity for all.

“If our members are minded to back these recommendations, that is how we intend to proceed.”

Exeter had to call off a plan to become a unitary authority having been granted permission by Gordon Brown's government, but the High Court put a stop to it when the Coalition came to power in 2010 and introduced a new local government act.