Plymouth could extend borders to take in 13 extra parishes

Options to be discussed

Plymouth could embrace a baker’s dozen of extra parishes if it is allowed to extend its borders as part of a reorganisation of local councils.

The city’s councillors will discuss three options on Monday ahead of a deadline for plans to be submitted to the government.

The preferred option, called the Plymouth Growth Area, will take in 13 parishes of approximately 30,000 residents.

A report for the full council meeting says these are the most appropriate whole parishes currently bordering the city and which contain settlements  linked to it in terms of travel to work, housing market and shopping catchment areas.

They are Bickleigh, Shaugh Prior, Sparkwell, Brixton, Wembury, Cornwood, Harford, Ugborough, Ivybridge, Ermington, Yealmpton, Holberton and Newton and Noss.

But the 300,000 population of the proposed enlarged council is considerably lower than the 500,000 the government wants new unitary authorities to cover. It has, however, indicated there may be some flexibility.

Option two is to match how health care services are provided by the Local Care Partnership.

This area would cover 25 parishes in West Devon Borough Council (out of a total of 46 town and parish councils/meetings) and 29 parishes in South Hams District Council (out of a total of 61 town and parish councils/meetings). The population of this area would be 336,000.

The report says this option would conflict with other local government reorganisation in the rest of Devon.

District council leaders in Devon recently announced their support for an extended boundary for Plymouth but with the rest of county made up of two other unitary councils, one combining the South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon areas with Torbay, and another including East, Mid and North Devon alongside Torridge and Exeter.

Option three is based on the housing market area in the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan from 2019. This would cover all parishes in the South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council areas, making a population of 413,000.

The report says this would create an “unwieldy area” for service delivery covering an excessively large geographic area.

It means the first option is considered to be in the best interests of residents and businesses in the city and the proposed expanded area.

Recommendations by the city council will need to be approved by the council’s cabinet before being submitted to government by Friday next week.

The government has indicated it would like some kind of consensus in the county.

The two tier system of local government which exists in Devon is coming to an end, so the county council and eight district authorities will disappear, making way for new unitary councils providing all local services.

Under devolution plans, the councils could be overseen by a strategic authority led by an elected mayor covering around 1.5 million residents.

In January Plymouth City Council said it wants a south west peninsula strategic authority, run by a mayor, encompassing Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay. Cornwall, however, wants to go it alone.

The leaders of Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council and  Devon County Council are now working together to explore the creation of such an authority just for Devon.

The government wants to move more decision-making away from Whitehall to unlock opportunities for growth.

Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) said: “For those residents living within the proposed extended boundary, many of them already have strong ties to the city. Our proposal will not only ensure that they have one clear point of contact for all their needs, from waste collection to education, but it will also result in significant financial savings that can be reinvested into vital community services.

“We still have a long way to go, and over the weeks and months ahead we are committed to working alongside these communities as we move through to a detailed business case. We will work with parish councils and other local stakeholders to co-design what the future could look like, creating a solution that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of all communities.”