On 16 July 2026, the Government confirmed that local government in Devon will be reorganised.
Eleven existing councils will be abolished and replaced by four unitary authorities, three of them centred on the expanded urban areas around Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay. The fourth - a new Devon Coast and Countryside Council - will cover the remaining rural and coastal areas, with all the new authorities expected to take up their functions in April 2028.
Much of the discussion since the announcement has focused on whether the proposed boundaries will create coherent communities and effective local government, and that is certainly an important consideration. However, various things have been largely overlooked, including whether the new system will adequately recognise and respond to the distinctive needs of rural and coastal communities.
The common misconception is that the South West's coastal and rural communities are as rich in terms of income and affluence as they are in natural beauty. Our research has consistently shown that isn't the case, and that there are significant pockets of deprivation that are widely unaddressed and misunderstood.
If the planned reorganisation goes ahead, the challenge of shifting the dial on that front will - in less than two years - fall to one of the largest predominantly rural unitary authorities in England, serving approximately 455,000 residents across an extensive geographic area.
With a dispersed population, limited transport connectivity, an ageing population and significant pockets of economic and health disadvantage, public services will be more complex and costly to deliver. Taking all of that into account, our view is that the proposed new authority has been created without due consideration of some important and unresolved challenges.
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