Plymouth & Exeter
Our joint proposal sets out a four unitary council model that reflects how people across Devon live, work and use services.
Plymouth will expand to serve communities across the city and surrounding areas that already rely on Plymouth for employment, education and healthcare, with a population of approximately 300,000 and a new council for Exeter would be established, serving its natural catchment, with a population of around 260,000.
We will operate alongside an expanded Torbay and a new Devon Coast & Countryside council. Each council will reflect distinct local identities and functional economic areas but together, we will collaborate on strategic issues such as transport, skills, housing and economic development, while respecting local accountabilities and democratic representation.
Our joint proposal delivers for the whole of Devon and will:
create four unitary councils serving natural communities and functional economic areas across the county
deliver new neighbourhood governance arrangements across all four areas, enabling local decision-making and priority setting closer to communities
provide a clear and balanced platform for devolution across Devon through four strong, complementary authorities
focus on early intervention across employment, health, housing and wider services to address deprivation and create opportunity in urban, coastal and rural communities
achieve long-term financial sustainability across the county through efficiency and transformation, while maintaining high-quality services in all areas
accelerate housing delivery across Devon, addressing affordability challenges and delivering homes where people need them in urban and rural communities
offer simpler access to integrated care and support across the county, joining up services around residents rather than organisational boundaries
enable deeper integration with the NHS, fire and rescue and police services across Devon to achieve better outcomes, working in partnership with the VCSE sector
