District and County Councils to merge in ‘unitarisation’.
How much ‘transfer of assets and responsibilities’ should there be?
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FIFTY YEARS OF THREE-TIERED LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Last year, EDDC celebrated its 50th anniversary – and so did Sidmouth Town Council, with Devon County Council at the top of the system. All this was created by the Local Government Act 1972 [link is working] which “entirely reconstructed the local government system in England and Wales”, basically due to “efficiency concerns”.
However, several anomalies, inconsistencies and, indeed, inefficiencies have arisen since then. Here is an overview from the perspective of Ottery St Mary Town Council: While responsibilities shifted across tiers, with Devon County Council now overseeing roads and East Devon District Council managing planning, Ottery Town Council retained vital responsibilities such as cemeteries and allotments.
And yet, when it comes to Sidmouth Town Council, it does not hold sway over Sidmouth and Sidbury Cemeteries or over the four council allotments in Sidmouth [and five years ago, there was a five-year waiting list for Sidmouth allotments; the situation has not improved].
As for the provision and management of public toilets in the Sid Valley, this has been a matter of ongoing negotiation between the town and district councils [with Sidmouth Town Council recently taking over Long Park toilets, for example].
And as a final instance of inconsistency over who controls what, ten years ago, there were discussions over Sidmouth’s beach huts – which provide a useful income stream for East Devon – and yet other towns in the District are able to own and manage their beach huts.
Ultimately, this has been about the District Council giving responsibilities to the Town Council – and whether these are considered assets or liabilities. At discussions over Jacob’s Ladder at the western beach five years ago, this was made very clear:
Councillor Ian Barlow, Sidmouth Town Council’s chairman, said: “We keep saying that we would be very happy to take on responsibilities for certain assets but at the same time we would want assets to pay for it in the future. Railings that need painting every year is not an asset, it is a liability. We will consider any offer that comes forward but it would have to be fair. They can’t just give is a liability without something that is going to help us manage and pay for it in the future, otherwise, it wouldn’t be responsible for us to take it on.”
Nevertheless, whilst the tussle over councils and car park charges has become rather politicized, it is possible to come to reasonable agreements about the handing-over of assets. And so, a year ago, there were hopes of returning the former Sidmouth gardens and amphitheatre areas to their former glory at the Knowle when the parkland was finally transferred to the town council – and indeed the new Friends of The Knowle group is helping to do just that.
TOWARDS A UNITARY SYSTEM
For some years now, there has been a lot of discussion about devolution and levelling-up in the South West and even talk about a single tier mayoral style system. But it has been difficult to reach agreement – with district councils rejecting the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan over confusion about the proposed abolition of district councils.
Now we learn that Devon’s district councils and county council could merge – although commentators fear that local government reform means the risk is disruption but no progress.
And whilst councillors pretty much had to say they welcome the new Parliamentary step in the journey towards devolved powers, there has been quite a mixed reaction in Devon to devolution plans; as the leader of the District Council says, “To be frank, along with inheritance tax for farmers and winter fuel payment cuts, they have now upset thousands of employees in district councils just before Christmas.” So, again, the debate has become somewhat politicized.
We are, however, going to be facing a major overhaul of local government – although the promised changes focus on district councils and an overall unitary authority with an elected mayor.
The Institute for Government gives a handy overview of proposals for local government unitarisation – and it does say that “unitarisation does not affect parish councils and town councils, the lowest tier of government in England, which provide some public facilities such as village halls and playgrounds”.
However, giving Somerset as an example, it does point to how all levels of local government are in fact very involved:
Since unitarisation in Somerset, a number of deals have been reached with local authorities to transfer assets and maintenance responsibilities with Bridgwater Town Council taking on responsibility for services such as street cleaning and the Northgate Docks,1 Yeovil Town Council which has taken on responsibility for the recreation ground,2 and Wellington Council which has taken on responsibility for green spaces, public toilets and bus shelters.3
The question, then, facing Sidmouth councillors at every level of local government is how much ‘transfer of assets and responsibilities’ they would like to see under any new arrangement.
BREAKING NEWS: 3RD JANUARY 2025:
Press statement on the EDDC news pages: Joint statement: Devon District Councils – update on devolution and local government reform
This joint statement is made following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper
“The Devon districts are fully supportive of genuine devolution of powers from Whitehall to local government.
“However, following the publication of the Devolution White Paper, and subsequent statements by the leader of Devon County Council, we would like to make it clear that we do not support the creation of one unitary council for Devon.
“Our county, including Torbay, is diverse and made up of nearly 1 million residents across urban, coastal, and rural areas. Any reform of local government in Devon should follow a period of proper consultation with residents, businesses, elected representatives, and stakeholders. Looking at the evidence, we should decide collectively what is best for our area. A single unitary council for the county risks diminishing local representation, with decision-making that is remote from the communities we serve.
“We do not support postponing the county council elections scheduled for May 2025. The government has indicated that this will only happen in priority areas who have clear and agreed plans. This is not the case in Devon, so we cannot be in the first phase of these reforms.
“We recognise that the government’s white paper sets a clear direction of travel. As Devon’s city, district, and borough council leaders, we want to work collaboratively with others in particular with our neighbouring unitary councils to agree how we respond to this. Any changes must be carefully considered, transparent, and inclusive, ensuring that residents and businesses are fully engaged in shaping the future governance of Devon.
“Our objective must be to get this right for our residents and businesses. That cannot be achieved if we make rushed decisions that have not been given the serious consideration that they deserve.”
Statement agreed by the following leaders:
Cllr Paul Arnott, East Devon
Cllr Phil Bialyk, Exeter
Cllr Julian Brazil, South Hams
Cllr David Clayton, North Devon
Cllr Mandy Ewings, West Devon
Cllr Ken James, Torridge
Cllr Richard Keeling, Teignbridge
Cllr Luke Taylor, Mid Devon
…