New Unitary Authorities in Pipeline (August 2007)

New Unitary Authorities in Pipeline (August 2007)

The local authority structure in Devon and Cornwall is about the change. Currently Cornwall has a number of district councils and the County Council. In due course there will be just one authority for all services – the County Council. This has been welcomed by the business community. It is hoped that this will produce benefits from economies of scale, produce a more uniform approach to planning across the county and build on the successful partnerships born out of the European Objective One funding.

The situation in Devon is different. There are already two unitary authorities, Plymouth and Torbay. The rest of Devon has district councils and it is intended that Exeter will become a third unitary authority provided that the sums add up! This has been more controversial as Devon County Council would be left with most of the county area but only about half of the population and without the income from the three largest centres of population. The business community in Devon is not quite sure what to make of the idea. Many businesses do not trade just within the City boundary and a smooth working relationship between the various local authorities is very important, particularly to the east of the City where most future development will take place.