Devolution is a 'Devon fudge' claim

Opposition councillors not sweet on deal

Attempts by Devon’s opposition parties to delay a decision about getting more decision-making powers from goverment but combining their own powers has failed after the controlling Conservatives voted for the plan.

In an at-times febrile full council debate on devolution at Devon County Council, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent councillors raised concerns about the proposals.

The special meeting of the full council was called to ratify the cabinet’s decision this month to press ahead with plans to create a combined county authority, or CCA, with Torbay.

Councillor Alan Connett (Liberal Democrat, Exminster & Haldon) called the proposal a “right Devon fudge”.

“This is an extra layer of bureaucracy and suggests we want to spend more money on local government red tape than actually doing things,” he said.

“The £1 million pledged to fund the first three years of costs of running the CCA could be better spent fixing potholes, or solving road drainage problems.”

A significant part of the council debate focused on how Team Devon, an initiative that includes business, education, skills, and public sector members, would be factored into the CCA, and how much control Devon’s councillors would have in formulating that relationship and its influence upon the CCA.

Opponents questioned whether this was devolution as they saw it – bringing decision-making closer to the electorate – given it creates another level of government in which people are appointed rather than elected.

Concerns were also raised that Torbay, as one of Devon’s smaller districts, could disproportionately benefit from the deal given its smaller population than the Devon County Council area.

In spite of the disparity – Torbay’s 139,000 residents compared to the Devon County Council area’s 750,000 – both councils will have three voting members on the CCA.

Other fears raised included district councils seeing their relationship with Homes England diluted, concerns about the long-term costs and how these would be met, and the potential impact on residents if Devon and Torbay officers spend time working for the CCA.

Proponents of the CCA say the move will give the county greater control over adult education and skills, more say in transport and green issues, as well as a louder voice when it comes to securing cash from Homes England, the body responsible for funding affordable housing.

Part-way through the debate, Devon’s Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Caroline Leaver (Barnstaple South), put forward a motion to delay the decision because of what she and other opposition members deemed as lack of clarity about how the CCA would function.

But this motion was defeated, and the initial proposal to submit Devon’s bid to create a CCA with Torbay to the government was agreed.

Councillor Jacqi Hodgson (Green Party, Totnes and Dartington) had “real concerns” about the devolution deal. “There are positive aspirations, but how will it address housing pressures; the £16 million that has been given to the CCA won’t touch the surface,” she said.

“And with local transport, how are we going to do it? We have lots of plans, and Councillor Andrea Davis (Conservative, Combe Martin Rural) has done a huge amount, but buses are fading away as there is no money.

“Until we have money for services, there’s no point in plans.”

Councillor Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat, Dawlish) noted that the £16 million had now already been promised to Devon. “I appreciate a lot of work has been put into this process, but this proposal has been put together in a rush,” he said.

He added that the CCA “goes against the very principle of devolution” and feared that government minsters would be “double-checking” its every move and “drip-feeding money in a begging bowl, Hunger Games approach”.

Councillor Caroline Whitton (Labour, St David’s and Haven Banks) questioned “how this was a good idea for Devon”, and raised the prospect that Exeter, which she called the “economic centre of the county”, could not be guaranteed a voting member.

“As a Labour party member, I absolutely support devolution and having decisions being made closer to the people, but let’s make sure those decisions come to the all the people of Devon, and not, as in this deal, a very small minority overrepresented by Torbay and underrepresented by most of the people in our area,” she said.

“In my view, most of our residents will not feel the decision-making come closer to them, far from it. The decision-making is actually going further away, and that’s the reason we will certainly not be supporting it.”

The Lib Dem Cllr Leaver acknowledged that the consultation on devolution, which ran for six weeks over February and March, did show some support for it, but highlighted that more people did not approve of the way it was being set up.

“With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, that goes to district councils now, but it is clearly stated that this will be going to the CCA,” she said.

“We have had no reassurance that any future money will be allocated fairly by default.

“The proposal for the CCA leaves so many questions and areas of uncertainty; for us we believe we should be looking at devolution for a coherent economic area, words which are used in the proposal, but I would seriously question whether Devon and Torbay is a coherent economic area.”

Cllr Leaver added that Devon’s patchwork of town and district councils already work well together and often struck agreements to ensure cross-border collaboration, therefore questioning the need for the CCA.

And Councillor Jess Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley) said that while council leader John Hart, who is standing down, had emphasised that it had been a long process to get to this point, she questioned the lack of clarity.

“For instance, why has Devon not established whether it will give district councils voting rights, as that could have been set out,” she said.

“And this does not address the fundamental issue that this council is not properly funded. It doesn’t address that at all, and I have no confidence that this will lead to any better services but just pointless bureaucracy and crumbs from the top table.”