South West MEP Giles Chichester on Devon local government reorganisation

We received an email from Giles Chichester, Conservative MEP for the South West and Gibraltar about the Devon local government reorganisation issue, so we thought we’d share it with you. Take it away Giles…

I hesitate to dip my toe in the troubled waters of Devon local government reorganisation but, having read the latest press release of the Boundary Committee, it is time to say ‘enough is enough’. Their recent proposals are an obvious crude government attempt at gerrymandering which will disadvantage Lib Dem and Conservative voters in future elections and further the decline of rural communities. I have to ask why change things at all when the cost will be great.

There is no logic to the committee’s current options for a new unitary arrangement in Devon. The proposal to establish Exeter and Exmouth as a separate authority will remove much needed funding from county services. This is simply a political decision by this Labour Government to help a Labour MP and council. Exeter is a favoured Labour council in receipt of a greater proportion of government funding than any other West Country council authority.

If we are obliged to accept change then the most logical solution, in my view, for Devon local government reorganisation would be to set up four unitary councils based on Plymouth, Torbay, Exeter and Bideford/Barnstaple. Each would comprise a mix of urban and rural communities, which would bring social benefits and provide a viable tax base to support services. However, I am not persuaded that any changes to the current Devon local government structure would be in the best interests of the taxpayer. The ever increasing budget of Cornwall’s new unitary authority is clear evidence that any restructuring of Devon will be a very expensive undertaking, with taxpayers footing the bill for yet another example of Labour waste.

There is no doubt that the existing county and district council structure in Devon could be improved by a common sense approach to cost savings through shared responsibility for some services. The Devon local government structure is, however, not broken and does not need fixing. In this recessionary economic climate, my advice to the Boundary Committee is to stop your expensive tinkering and depart.

Giles Chichester MEP
Conservative MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar

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