From Mike Bomford, Exeter 382173, April 08,2008

Innovative proposals to bring local Government closer to the people it serves, giving people more of a say in decisions that affect them, is a central plank in a report to Devon County Council's Executive Committee today.

Special recognition is given to the vital role of Exeter, which would become the capital of a new Devon.

The ambitious proposals, which are part of the Council's response to the Government's boundary review of local government, have for the first time in the Council's history been endorsed in a joint report by their Leader and Shadow Leader.

Key to the Council's proposal is harnessing the £1.4 billion spent by County and eight District Councils last year, and devolving more powers and money to local City and Community Boards in each of Devon's 28 market and coastal towns and the City of Exeter..

Those groups would be responsible for their local neighbourhoods and could use their powers and funding to provide better services that meet local priorities.

In their response to Government the Council will set out its preference for geographic Devon to have three unitary authorities; Plymouth, Torbay, and third which covers the rest of Devon.

Their report recommends that to develop the capacity to empower local communities, a single unitary authority should be created capable of managing big issues like social care and education, whilst using economies of scale to be reinvested locally.

The Council reached its conclusion after conducting a series of listening events with Town and Parish Councils, and holding discussions with MPs, representatives from Devon's business community and public sector agencies.

Out would go the current County Council and eight District Councils, and in would be a simpler structure with much more power and resources devolved to Devon's 28 coastal and market towns and the City of Exeter.

Providing countywide strategic leadership and to ensure equity in provision of public services - so that there are economies of scale and no post code lottery of services in Devon - a single Leader and Executive would be chosen.

The Leader of the County Council Brian Greenslade and Shadow Leader John Hart have described the importance of making sure that every pound spent on local government in Devon is a pound that continues to work hard for people's local services.

£1.4 billion was spent by County and District Councils last year on public services. The County's preferred unitary model would reduce the cost of local government by slimming down collective administration and eradicating unnecessary bureaucracy caused by duplication of functions and services, and use that £1.4 billion resource to devolve money to improve public services at very local levels.

At that level would be a network of City and Community Boards, led by local Unitary Councillors. With powers devolved from the County's Executive, those Boards would work through community forums and local charters with their neighbourhoods, town and parish councils, and could invest in locally determined community priorities.

The Boards would work as well with other authorities such as health, the police, the local business and voluntary sectors.

While the unitary council's Leader and Executive would be responsible for funding, co-ordinating and supporting key services such as education, social care, roads and transport, the City and Community Boards would have real influence on the Executive's policy-making.

The Council will be submitting its broad concept to the Boundary Committee before the deadline date of the 11 April. At this stage, broad concepts from all the Councils for unitary local government are all that the Government has requested.

The Boundary Committee will then consider the concepts in detail over 12 weeks and will be challenging the authorities to clarify aspects or even to develop their concepts further.

Having then identified a preferred concept, the Boundary Committee will conduct local consultation through July to September, before finally reaching a recommendation for the Secretary of State towards Christmas 2008. The Secretary of State will then decide whether to implement the Boundary Committee's recommendation, with the new unitary Councils to be set up by April 2010.

In reaching a recommendation, the Boundary Committee will be looking, as it did with Exeter City Council's bid for unitary status last year, at proposals meeting five key criteria:

A broad cross section of support

Deliver value for money and equity for public services

Deliver genuine opportunities for neighbourhood empowerment - bringing local government closer to the people it serves and enabling people to have more of a say in decisions that affect their lives

Provide strong, effective and accountable strategic leadership

Be affordable - transition costs must be more than offset over a 5 year period

The Leader of the County Council, Cllr Brian Greenslade said:

"The balance we have to strike is between Councils forming that are too small to be effective, and ensuring a larger council is responsive to the communities of Devon. We see the most potential in Devon having three unitary Councils; Plymouth, Torbay and Devon.

"The model we will be submitting will devolve responsibilities and funding to the County's 28 market and coastal towns and the City of Exeter. Those City and Community Boards will identify local priorities and will hold public services to account.

"We seek to turn Local Government on its head!"

Shadow Leader of the Council, Cllr John Hart, said:

"The people we serve are not so concerned about who provides their service but they do want services that are delivered locally and efficiently. The amount of money that Local Government spends in this county of Devon is over £1.4 billion. With economies of scale this new type of organisation must produce savings which can then be reinvested into services for people."