Review of the structure of local government in Devon

What is the review?

The Boundary Committee for England has been asked by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to put forward proposals for revisions to the structure of local government in Devon.

The review was triggered by the Secretary of State’s decision in December 2007 to reject Exeter City Council’s bid for unitary status. In February 2008, she issued an invitation to the Boundary Committee to consider an alternative structure of unitary government for Devon, including - potentially - changes to the boundaries of the existing unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay.

The Secretary of State has made it clear that any recommendations must support the concept of the City of Plymouth. The city’s unitary status will not be changed, which means services in the city will continue to be provided by one local authority.

The review timetable

The Boundary Committee has until the end of December 2008 to put forward its recommendations which will then be considered by the Secretary of State in early 2009.

The Committee has asked the local authorities to provide information to support their work and to initiate a process of stakeholder involvement in the review process. It has also invited the authorities to put forward suggested “concepts” of unitary government for the county. An extremely tight timescale has been set for the authorities to do this. Concepts needed to be with the Boundary Committee by 11 April 2008.

The Boundary Committee will publish its draft proposals on 7 July 2008, for a 12 week period of public consultation.

Do you have any views?

While Plymouth City Council itself is not formally submitting a proposal for local government review in Devon (this is a matter purely for the Boundary Committee), it has been asked to help involve local people and stakeholders in the process. To help us do this, we would welcome your views on the matter.

Please send these to lgr@plymouth.gov.uk.

Alternatively, you can comment directly to the Boundary Committee:

Review Manager (Devon Review)
The Boundary Committee for England
Trevelyan House
Great Peter Street
London SWIP 2HW

Telephone 020 7271 0512

Fax 020 7271 050

Email reviews@boundarycommittee.org.uk

More information

You can find further information about this review on the InDevon website and The Boundary Committee for England website.

Further updates will also be published on this website.

Documents

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	Local Government Review Boundary Submission (Plymouth City Council) - Plymouth City Council's submission to the Boundary Committee in relation to the structural review of Local Government in Devon. File format Adobe Acrobat (pdf) - 908.1KB
	Local Government Review Boundary Submission (Plymouth Labour Party) - Plymouth Labour Party alternative submission to the Boundary Committee in relation to the structural review of Local Government in Devon. File format Adobe Acrobat (pdf) - 14.9KB