Devon County Council – A South Hams Land Grab?
In the corridors at Devon County Hall, in Plymouth’s council offices and Torbay’s town hall, Devon County Councillors are suspected to be sniffing an opportunity afforded by the Government’s radical plans to reshuffle local government.
The opportunity is a land grab. Specifically, South Hams land. Now we don’t blame them for being jealous of our green pastures – the district was judged to be the 11th best place to live in the UK in a recent article in The Times.
…Plymouth wants to nick parts of the South Hams
But it seems the district is being squeezed between the competing interests of Torbay and Plymouth, who are salivating over chunks of real estate. In the west, Sherford, Langage and Woolwell.
In the east, the borderlands between Torbay and our green hills. Meanwhile Devon County Council has asked for permission to cancel this May’s elections to give it space to prepare for district councils disappearing and merging into one county.
It’s democracy denied and an unwelcome embrace, according to council leader Julian Brazil and his fellow Lib Dem John Birch. “It seems to me Plymouth wants to nick parts of the South Hams. And Torbay is saying we need to be joined up with some others so we can build our houses on their land” , said Cllr Birch. “Plymouth hasn’t said this is so many words but they want to grow.”
“I think they are jumping the gun.” On top of that Plymouth ( a unitary council outside county control) is keen to join together the whole peninsula – from Lands End to Hope’s Nose – to form a strategic mayoral authority.
Unitary Authority
This would be over and above any reorganised (enlarged) unitary authorities. So there are two lots of reorganising going on at once. It is confusing. It is also premature of Plymouth to push for a super authority, Cllr Birch added; “Cornwall is saying it does not want to be joined up with Devon. The district councils like us have not jumped the gun (and declared what they want). It should not be rushed.”
Plymouth Council leader Tudor Evans – a Labour party stalwart – says the benefits of a super authority would be obvious – 1.8 million residents would together have a bigger voice.
NOT FIT TO RUN A BATH
In a strongly worded article for the Totnes Pulse, Cllr Brazil says he wouldn’t let Devon County Council “run a bath”, let alone assume control over its districts.
The county runs some functions already – highways being one – while districts look after planning. An argument for doing away with one tier of local democracy ( bureaucracy say some) would be to
speed up decisions. Cllr Brazil says it would mean decisions taken by remote politicians. Cllr Birch said: ”The last thing I want is Devon County Council Mark 2.”
Proposals from local councils have to be on the Minister’s desk by March.
Read Cllr Brazils’ full article here