Boundary Committee Review
The Boundary Committee's Draft Proposal
What is the Boundary Committee proposing?
The Boundary Committee’s proposal, which stems from Devon County Council concept, is for the creation of single unitary council to replace County and District Councils in Devon. Plymouth and Torbay would continue to have their own unitary councils.
This proposal would prevent the break up of our County and its strong identity. It would avert unnecessary disruption and costs caused by breaking up existing countywide services. It would be big enough to ensure that the most expensive services such as education, social services and roads had large county budgets to support them.
And by reducing the number of councils and chief officers, cutting bureaucracy and ending the unnecessary duplication of services such as having eight different refuse collection services and a separate waste disposal service, it would release savings to spend on improving local communities.
As an alternative to their proposal, the Committee has also said that they see some merit in a two-unitary pattern of local government in Devon – for an expanded Exeter and Exmouth authority comprising these two urban areas.
But the Committee say in their draft proposal that they are not persuaded that there is sufficient likelihood that it would better meet the outcomes set out in the five criteria than our draft proposal.”
What are Community Boards, and what is a City Board?
The Boundary Committee’s proposal envisages a neighbourhood empowerment scheme that would create 28 Community Boards based around the 28 market towns of Devon, together with a City Board for Exeter with broader responsibilities.
They would be the unitary council’s locally-based committees that would meet and where local concerns are discussed, the priorities for that community are agreed and decisions taken about what the unitary council’s local budgets should be spent on.
These local Boards could include town mayor, Town and Parish Councillors, Unitary Councillors and representatives from key public service partners.
Unitary councillors, working alongside elected councillors from Town and Parish Councils in their areas, would also be advised and supported by non-voting representatives from the police, health service, voluntary sector, education and the business community to make sure the Unitary Council is meeting local priorities.
The Community Boards would have special budgets to spend on the community and be given responsibility for commissioning local services.
An Exeter City Board made up of all of Exeter’s elected unitary councillors would reflect the city’s civic traditions and its status as the County’s capital.
It would be responsible for its own substantial city budget and the local management of services such as city centre management, libraries, youth services, community safety, leisure services and supporting the raising of educational standards.
It would have a Charter Trust responsible for the Lord Mayoralty, and would work with non-voting representatives from police, health, the voluntary sector, business community and neighbourhood associations to help ensure the unitary council is meeting local needs and everyone is working well together to tackle common problems.
However, there isn’t an established system of neighbourhood committees or parishes in Exeter even though there are many communities such as Topsham and Alphington with their own distinct identities and needs.
We think a city of 119,000 people needs a network of local committees to ensure local needs and priorities are being met. But we also think the people of Exeter should be consulted before any decisions are taken about local community governance arrangements for the different neighbourhoods of the city.
Community Boards are a great way to involve non-voting representatives from Police, Health, voluntary sector, business community and education in an advisory role to get the fullest possible picture of the needs and priorities of each community, and to make sure everyone is pulling together to solve local problems.
Constitutional arrangements would have to be drafted and co-designed with Town and Parish Councils and other partner organisations to ensure there is appropriate and fair representation on the Boards.
Crucially, the Community Boards would assist any new unitary council to meet the Government’s new statutory Duty to Involve which comes into force in 2009 and requires councils to inform, consult, involve and devolve.
The main requirements of the statutory duty are:
- engaging the community in design and delivery of services
- developing a commissioning role for local services
- enhancing participatory budgeting – enabling larger ‘community kitties’
- securing decision making at local level through joint agency committees.
Community Forums would also be a good way to consult and involve local people in setting the budget priorities for the whole Unitary Council.
Does this Review affect Plymouth and Torbay?
The Boundary Committee say in their Draft Proposal for unitary local government in Devon: "Our draft proposal for Devon does not include changes to the boundaries of Plymouth and Torbay. We have considered the implications for both these authorities of structural change across the two-tier area. We are satisfied that, in aggregate, our draft proposal for Devon has the capacity to meet the outcomes specified in the Secretary of State's criteria. In reaching conclusions on our draft proposal we do not consider that changes to the boundaries of Plymouth and Torbay are essential to facilitate a pattern of unitary local government across the county as a whole. However, this does not mean that we do not consider that some boundary adjustments might be advantageous to the authorities concerned. Those boundary adjustments could be promoted if a review under section 8 of the 2007 Act were undertaken at a later date."
What were the Secretary of State’s five criteria, or how will the Boundary Committee decide what to advise the Government?
Earlier this year the Boundary Committee invited councils in Devon to submit initial concepts” – outline proposals – for unitary local government.
They considered proposals that were to meet five key tests, which were:
They must:
- Be affordable – the cost of reorganisation must be paid for from savings within five years
- Provide value for money and fair access to services
- Provide strategic leadership
- Provide neighbourhood empowerment
- Have a broad cross section of support
The Committee considers that their draft proposal for Devon – a single Devon county authority to include all the authorities in the two-tier area – to be most likely to achieve these key tests.
The Committee has also said that they see some merit in a two-unitary pattern of local government in Devon – for an expanded Exeter and Exmouth authority comprising these two urban areas. But the Committee say in their draft proposal that they "are not persuaded that there is sufficient likelihood that it would better meet the outcomes set out in the five criteria than our draft proposal.”
Where can I read more about what the Boundary Committee is proposing?
The Boundary Committee has set out its comments on its proposal for a unitary Devon, and on an alternative unitary Exeter and Exmouth pattern with a unitary rest of Devon, in their report, which can be found at:
Wouldn’t this represent a substantial reduction in the number councillors representing local people and therefore erode democratic accountability?
Although there are currently over 300 District Councillors across Devon, they are actually only responsible for 15% of the total local government services provided in local communities.
The vast majority of local government services – 85% – are the responsibility of Devon County Council which is one of the most consistently high performing councils in the country and currently rated as a good value authority by the independent Audit Commission. Responsibility for those County Council services rests with 62 County Councillors, many of whom are also District Councillors, representing communities the length and breadth of Devon.
If that figure doubled, and a new 124 seat Unitary Council is created, it would actually double the democratic representation for the vast majority of your council services, including all the major ones such as education, social services, roads and public transport, while significantly cutting the overall burden on the Council Tax by reducing the total number councillors by over 200.
The Boundary Committee’s proposal to create Community Boards provides a great opportunity for the existing 3,000 Town and Parish Councillors in Devon to play a much greater role in the way priorities for local communities are decided and services are provided. This opportunity of a new and sharper focus to the role of a Town or Parish councillor may act as an incentive for people to seek election and represent the interests of their local community.
Wouldn’t a single unitary council be too big and remote?
Actually, Devon County Council already provides 85% of local government services to communities throughout Devon so it wouldn’t be a big change for a county unitary council to take on the remaining 15%.
We believe the new Unitary Council should be close to the people and communities it serves and able to respond to local needs.
The Boundary Committee is proposing local Community Boards made up of elected unitary councillors in areas based on each of Devon’s 28 towns and their surrounding parishes, and an Exeter City Board with broader responsibilities. These unitary councillors would work alongside the elected councillors from Town and Parish Councils in their areas, and would also be advised and supported by non-voting representatives from the police, health service, voluntary sector, education and the business community to make sure the Unitary Council is meeting local priorities.
Community Boards would have special budgets to spend on the community and be given responsibility for commissioning local services.
Would the Parishes around Exeter be part of the City Board?
The Boundary Committee’s proposal is for a single unitary authority for Devon, excluding Plymouth and Torbay. They have said however that they see some merit in an expanded Exeter and Exmouth unitary council although they yet remain unconvinced that this would satisfy their 5 key criteria.
