Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution

The Government's plans for local government reform, will have an impact on the way your services are delivered by your councils. Read all about why the reorganisation is happening, what it means for you and how you can get involved by completing the survey below.

What's changing?

On 16 December 2024, the Government announced significant reforms for local government and published an English devolution white paper.

This includes two main initiatives:

Devolution

Transferring powers and funding from Whitehall to local areas by creating regional Strategic Authorities with an elected Mayor, covering populations of over 1.5 million in all areas of England that don't already have them.

Local Government Reorganisation

Ending the two-tier county and district council system by forming new unitary local authorities serving larger populations.

What Local Government Reorganisation means for you

In the historic county of Devon, there are currently two unitary authorities (Torbay Council and Plymouth City Council), one County Council (Devon) and eight district and borough councils, including Torridge.

In the future, these could be reorganised to create new unitary authorities which will deliver all council services within their area. If this happens, Torridge District Council and Devon County Council will no longer exist and the services we provide to you will be delivered by a single unitary authority.

Our proposals

As requested by Government, a joint outline proposal (known as an interim plan) has been submitted on behalf of all the Devon District Councils, except Exeter. The proposal has also been included as one of several options submitted by both Torbay Council and Devon County Council.

We want to make sure that any future reorganisation meets the needs of our communities in Torridge and across the whole of Devon.

Known as the 1-4-5 plan, it proposes:

Retaining Plymouth unitary authority.
A unitary including East, Mid, North Devon, Torridge and Exeter.
A unitary combining the South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon areas with Torbay

Multiple other proposals have also been submitted to Government by Plymouth, Exeter, Devon County and Torbay.

All councils across Devon are now working towards refining the possible options for the future of local government and final proposals will be submitted to Government in November 2025.

Get involved

Although the Government will ultimately decide how local government is reorganised in Devon, you can help influence the final proposals. Over the coming months we want your feedback so we can understand what matters the most to you and your community. The views of our residents, partners and other stakeholders will help us develop a more detailed business case for our final proposal.

We are committed to making sure any changes to local government continues to tackle local challenges, makes the best use of our opportunities and benefits everyone we serve in Torridge.

Have your say by clicking on the survey link below.

The consultation will start on 30 June 2025 and close on 11 August 2025.

Alternative formats

If you need this survey as a paper version or large print you can request this by emailing customer.services@torridge.gov.uk or by calling 01237 428700 option 9. Paper copies are available at Riverbank House, Bideford.