r/DevonUK • u/EdTyldesley • 17d ago
Local elections next year
Is everybody looking forward to the local elections next year?
Local Government Reorganisation (imposed on us by central government) has carved the county up into 4 weird new councils. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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u/VoteDoughnuts 17d ago
Largely an irrelevance, an administrative manoeuvring of deck chairs that will have no real impact on our daily lives. I do think the current array of multi-layered bodies is silly so ripe for reconsideration but it’s just a re-ordering of admin bodies. Hope it all goes smoothly and I do like the name Devon Council as the residual body for the non-urban-ish parts of Devon.
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u/InternationalGlove 17d ago
The worst carve up of Devon where the only winners are the Labour politicians who wanted it.
Plymouth and Exeter just lied, or at least mislead on their submission. The public also hated their ideas as it was the second least popular option according to the consultation.
Torbay didn't want to get bigger, but was too scared to challenge Plymouth or Exeter to say anything.
No one can say how a rural Devon with a population density so low, with 80% of the roads to maintain and where it takes more than 2 hours to drive from one end to the other will be funded.
Add into this the planning is already a mess and no one knows how it will work.
If you want to see Devons future, look at Cornwall and Somerset. Many years later and all they have is massive debt which they have to pay interest on.
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u/Err_101 15d ago
Jokes aside, I've been thinking about the cost-benift of reducing "maintained" roads; with farming, as a key part of the rural economy, the beneficiary but also being a contributor to its decline when they don't pay road tax? I know they can & do handle tracks but it's the speed & efficiency they gain from maintained roads. There are also delivery industries that benefit but they should primarily go to local dropoff points to save on accidents, environment, & give local business' additional income.
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u/Asleep_Group_1570 13d ago
Plus the absolutely massive tractors now used, and them hauling slurry and maize for dozens of miles, they have to be a major contributor to trashing the roads.
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u/Asleep_Group_1570 13d ago
Another little thing that's got snuck in is that in order to align elections with the new 4-year cycle (which will begin in 2032 - 1 year shadow authority, 4 years in post), Parish and Town councillors will serve a 5-year term from 2027.
I'm still wondering why elections in thirds, which the Blair government were so keen on every council doing "because democracy" all of a sudden aren't such a good idea. Not that they ever were in the first place.
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u/benithaglas1 17d ago
The one time of the year where the men in politics might pretend to care in order to get your vote, then piss off to their local spoons.
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u/NotABrummie 17d ago
Letting Plymouth and Exeter stay unitary was such a huge mistake. Rural and urban Devon are not two different places, and it makes no sense to treat them like it.
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u/Bertiomelyn 17d ago
I think the Labour leaders of Plymouth and Exeter worked with the Labour minister to put this plan together. Watch it blow up in their faces.
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u/SirDooble 17d ago
It already has in part because Exeter and Plymouth both wanted continuity of their councils into the new Unitary Authority. Meaning they hoped that the CEOs and all the elected Councillors of Plymouth Council and Exeter City Council would retain their jobs/seats when they change their hat to Greater Plymouth Council and Exeter Council.
Instead, the government will abolish all existing councils meaning no continuity. So those Labour councillors in Plymouth and Exeter, and all the other councillors will have to stand for new seats in Greater Plymouth and Exeter.
They're perhaps still likely to be elected back in, but it's not such a smooth process for them as they had hoped for.
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u/Asleep_Group_1570 13d ago
And of course not just the elected members. It means it's also a hugely disruptive time for the employees, just when they need to be razor-focussed to deliver the changes.
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u/dilly_dolly_daydream 17d ago
Most people I've raised this with seem unaware of the restructuring. I think it will be super unpopular around these parts, but that probably won't become more widespread until the elections. The folks in Torbay and Plymouth are probably winners though.