Flying the for Strong leadership and local focus

An initial concept for unitary local government across Devon

www.devon.gov.uk Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus Contents

Page Introduction 3 Challenge and opportunity 3

Our Vision 5 A shared heritage and future 6 County and community 6 Strong and local leadership 8 Stronger Partnerships 13 Spatial and Economic Boards 14 Harnessing technology 15 Consultation responses 15 Criteria for assessment 16

Conclusion 21

Contact Details 22

1 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus Introduction

Challenge and opportunity

In the past year the combined County and District Councils of Devon have spent £1.4 billion of tax-payers’ money. To the people and communities we serve that is an unimaginable sum and yet the need for increased investment in our public services and economy is clear.

We need to invest in more affordable housing and strengthen the local economy across Devon, creating better jobs and training so that local people can afford to live in the county of their birth.

We need to increase investment in our schools to provide our young people with the best start in life.

We need to provide better health and social care with more choice and independence for older people and support for their carers.

We need to invest in public transport to make it easier for people to get to local services or travel to work.

We need to step up our response to climate change by reducing our carbon emissions and the waste we are still burying in the ground.

And we need to involve all the people, all the communities of Devon in this undertaking and provide them with a real stake in the decisions that affect their lives.

We must therefore liberate the locked-in capacity within Devon’s £1.4 billion local government budget to further improve public services, devolve money to local communities to meet local priorities and revitalise local democracy.

It is our challenge to give the people of Devon a fresh choice, one that offers the opportunity to reduce the burden on Council tax, that provides responsive public services that meet the needs of local communities, and recognises that we are all part of a wider community of shared interest in Devon and we have a responsibility to support each other.

There are many signs that point the way ahead for Devon.

The excellent partnership between the County and District Councils that has helped make Devon one of the UK’s top recycling counties. The closer integration of health and social care across Devon through the development of joint care teams and the planned co-location of and Devon Primary Care Trust will produce a better and seamless service for Devon people. The economic success of under the stewardship of the County and City Council, the good work on developing shared services by , and and the Parish Paths Partnership between the County and Devon’s Parishes which means Devon’s 3,200 miles of public rights of way have the second highest accessibility rating in the country.

3 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus

The impetus is for greater integration and collaboration not only between the layers of local government but also with other public sector agencies such as health and the police.

But we can and must do more to reduce the cost of local government just being in business. We need to slim down our collective administration and eradicate needless bureaucracy caused by duplication of functions and services.

The people we serve are not so concerned about who provides their service, but they do want a fair and efficient service that is delivered locally and won’t cost the earth, they want clear accountability and they want a real say in the future of their communities.

We believe communities are stronger when all those who can make a positive contribution to the local quality of life are given an opportunity to play their part. We want to widen public participation in setting local priorities and we want to involve those from outside local government such as the business community and voluntary sector in helping to deliver solutions.

In this, our initial concept paper for unitary local government, we set out our vision for a Devon that has harnessed its full capacity to provide strong strategic leadership and revitalised local democracy, and is of sufficient size to punch its weight in the regional, national and European arenas.

Brian Greenslade John Hart Leader of Devon County Council Shadow Leader of Devon County Council

4 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus Our Vision for Devon

Through our concept for a unitary Devon we aim to achieve: • High quality and community focused local government. • Better value for tax-payers. • Fair access to public services. • A stronger Devon economy which improves the quality of life for all communities. • A county that champions civic pride and a strong Devon identity.

We believe that is best achieved by: • Creating three unitary councils – , and Devon – to reduce the administrative costs of local government and ease the burden on Council Tax. • Maintaining existing countywide services to minimise disruption, retaining professional expertise and preserving economies of scale to ensure maximum efficiency savings. • Strengthening existing countywide services and raising the performance of existing District Council services to the level of the best. • Turning local government on its head; reinvesting savings in devolved budgets and innovative city and community governance arrangements to support local priorities.This would bring local government closer to the people and communities it serves. • Widening public participation in setting local priorities and involving those from outside local government such as the business community and voluntary sector in helping to deliver solutions. • Greater integration and co-ordination with partner agencies such as Devon PCT and the Police to ensure the public benefits from joined-up services in the community.

5 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus

A shared heritage and future

Devon is a county with a cherished identity and a rich cultural heritage. It is a county for which the people who live and work here feel a strong affinity and affection. This is reflected in the increasing popularity of the Devon flag.

W.G. Hoskins likened Devon to a painting by Breughel or a major symphony such is the richness of its historical detail.

Hoskins, with the twin advantages of being a historian and Devon-bred, understood that its capital city, Exeter, and the county’s network of towns each enjoyed distinct and special characters whilst at the same time sharing a common Devon heritage and a strong inter-dependency.

That tapestry of market and coastal towns with their surrounding parishes and at the heart of the county, Exeter, strategically positioned to command the major transport routes, reflects the way in which Devon works administratively, economically and culturally. Pick away a few strands and very quickly the tapestry begins to unravel and no longer makes sense.

These are the centuries old building blocks that characterise the way local administration, business and community life works in Devon and provide strong foundations on which a new unitary model of local government can be built with confidence and is relevant to the people of Devon today.

In a county with a vast, sparsely populated north, middle and west, below average incomes, and a dynamic but relatively small cathedral city at its heart, the challenge for local government has always been to ensure an equitable distribution of services and support so that communities are not disadvantaged by their remoteness relative to each other and providing investment where it is needed to meet major new priorities.

Countywide local government has provided the capacity to meet that challenge and continues to do so whether it is through a new bypass in , a major PFI scheme for Exeter schools and support for new road linking southern Teignbridge and Torbay with the rest of the county.

It is vital therefore that a unitary model of local government recognises Devon’s shared heritage has arisen from necessity and that our best hope for the future lies in remaining united, proud of our capital city, proud of our towns and parishes and all that makes them individually distinct, but also proud that through working together we have looked after each other. County and community

Any proposal capable of meeting the criteria for strategic leadership, value for money and affordability in Devon will have to demonstrate that it can improve the way in which people have a greater say in decisions affecting the places in which they live and the services they receive.

In any model there will be a significant reduction of councillors and a consequent increase in the ratio of electors to elected representatives resulting

6 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus in the need for unitary councillors to be well supported in their role. The new system will also have to provide for the devolution of resources so that real decisions are taken at the local level.

Given the character of Devon, the ability of a new unitary council to deliver more effective community engagement will depend on a strengthened relationship with town and parish councils, of which there are over 400 in the county.

In order to meet these requirements, the new model will need to realise substantial efficiencies in order to release resources to the community level.

Two new unitary authorities (Plymouth and Torbay) were created within the historic boundaries of Devon in the late 1990s. If, for example, 3 additional unitary authorities were created, covering the current County and District Council area of Devon, this would mean that a total of 5 unitary authorities would be attempting to deliver major strategic services such as education, social care, roads and transport within historic Devon compared to one council serving neighbouring Cornwall.

The County Council’s initial analysis suggests that 5 unitary authorities would be the upper limit for any countywide model. The sub-division of Devon into more than 5 unitary authorities would place the required strategic leadership, value for money and affordability criteria at such risk that it can, effectively, be discounted.

Breaking Devon up into smaller and smaller units will only increase duplication and bureaucracy, and reduce the opportunity to release efficiency savings to improve public services and support new models of neighbourhood empowerment.

Inevitably, smaller authorities will be forced to devote a higher proportion of their expenditure to the essential “big ticket” services and will have less available to support effective neighbourhood governance and invest in local community priorities.

Multiply the number of unitary councils in Devon and it means higher salaries for more chief officers. It will mean the county becomes a complicated patchwork of children and young people’s services, transport authorities and adult and social care departments all trying to provide exactly the same services in similar circumstances but with fewer resources. It means more red tape and higher costs for the health service, Police and local businesses to cope with.

Breaking up countywide services will dissipate the professional expertise vital for specialist services such as support for children with special needs or help for the elderly with dementia. Respected independent bodies such as the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and the Chief Economic Development Officers’ Society have warned of the consequences to public services and economic prosperity from creating smaller unitary councils.

7 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus

We believe therefore that larger authorities with the capacity to effect the maximum efficiency savings and economies of scale are not only essential to ensure fair access and deliver value for money services, they are also fundamental to paying for improved neighbourhood and community engagement, empowerment and flexibility across Devon.

Larger authorities will have the capacity to respond to the Pitt Review and carry out their new duties in respect of flood prevention and civil emergencies effectively.

They will be better able to meet their new economic development responsibilities set out in the Sub National Review and respond to the calls from the business community for a pan Devon approach to the economy and strategic roads and transport planning.

Resting on the above assumption, a model based on the concept of three unitary councils for Plymouth, Torbay and Devon with Exeter continuing as its capital would best satisfy the criteria set by the Secretary of State.

It would provide a continuation of the historic tradition of civic governance in Devon and the strong sense of a distinct Devon identity. Strong and local leadership

We propose the creation of a single unitary council for Devon delivering strong strategic leadership across the county, providing capacity to deliver the big budget services and devolving responsibility and budgets for local priorities to a network of innovative and democratically led City and Community Boards.

The Council Overall accountability for the strategic direction would be vested in the Council. At present, administrative Devon is represented by 399 elected members – 62 County Councillors and 337 District councillors. Our concept envisages around 100 unitary councillors subject to a boundary review to reward the new Council area. We believe single member wards would ensure clarity and accountability for the electorate.

Leader and Executive The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 establishes two political leadership models for the future: • Directly elected leader • Leader elected by the Council

Our preliminary work has not indicated a groundswell of opinion in favour of the directly elected leader so, at this stage, a leader elected by the Council is favoured with the proviso that should a consensus emerge in support of the directly elected leader then this could be introduced.

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The Leader and Executive of any unitary authority would be directly responsible for policy making and over-seeing the strategic co-ordination of the big budget services such as education, social care, roads and transport that require economies of scale to ensure value for money, equity of public service and effective integration with partners. Funding for schools would continue to be delegated to individual governing bodies with the unitary council fulfilling all the responsibilities of the local education authority and providing schools with the choice to buy-in the full range of support services.

Our concept envisages a highly visible Leader and Executive in touch with local communities. Based on our experiences in the “Our Town” community engagement initiative we see good opportunities for the Leader and relevant Executive Members to attend community question time events to answer questions about the unitary council’s performance and hear local people’s views and concerns.

As a result of our work with internet technology which has established Devon as the joint most popular local government webcasting service in the country, we believe that best use of modern communications should be used to provide the public with swift and easy access to the decision-makers.

Community Boards Our concept proposes the creation of democratically accountable Community Boards, which would cover the geographical area of each of Devon’s 28 market and coastal towns and their hinterland of surrounding parishes.

We would in no way wish to undermine the existing Town and Parish Councils, but would rather seek to strengthen their role by providing an opportunity to support their local unitary councillors in meeting the needs of their communities.

Each Board would comprise all the elected unitary councillors in each of those community areas together with representatives of their town and parish councils and non-voting representatives from key public service partners and representatives from local stakeholders such as the business, voluntary and faith communities, and neighbourhood associations nominated by a Community Forum. The membership would include: • Town Mayor • Town and Parish Councillors • Unitary Councillors • Police representative • Primary Care Trust representative • Local representatives nominated by the Community Forum.

Each Board would be chaired by a unitary councillor who would, effectively, become the leader and champion for that community area. Boards would be charged with agreeing the priorities for their area with the people and

9 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus

communities they serve through Local Charters with clear democratic accountability for decisions.

The Community Board would provide a focus for leadership and governance of for their area and ensure the needs of the community are balanced with the needs of the county and adjoining areas.

The leaders of the 28 Community Boards together with the leader of the City Board for Exeter will form a strong community voice in any new unitary authority and we envisage new political arrangements in the unitary council which will be designed to provide a direct connection between the local and the strategic leadership and ensure the needs of local communities are firmly embedded in decision making and scrutiny processes.

Each Board would have responsibility for a devolved development budget financed from efficiency savings to fund local priorities. It would have delegated decision making responsibility for agreed service areas and would support the operation of local services delegated under agreement to Town or Parish Council or local community or voluntary sector bodies. Our concept would also envisage an enabling budget for individual unitary councillors to help support local community projects in their constituencies.

To broaden public and stakeholder participation in the development of a Local Charter, the Board would be responsible for establishing and maintaining a Community Forum for local residents, the business community, voluntary organisations, neighbourhood associations and local service providers to be engaged in the development of plans and strategies for the local community and shape its development in the longer term.

The Forum will provide a key focus for local engagement, combining the strengths of representational and participatory democracy in our communities and assisting the Community Board in its planning and scrutiny roles. It would be likely to have a role in respect of community calls for action and could provide a platform for introducing participatory budgeting approaches in relation to elements of the Community Boards’ delegated resources.

The Community Board would therefore take responsibility for establishing arrangements for ensuring effective community engagement across the whole of that area. There will be a level of local flexibility to accommodate and build on existing strong local arrangements. There will however be a minimum set of requirements which must be met.

Under the auspices of the Unitary Council’s Overview and Scrutiny function, Councillors would have the power to initiate neighbourhood inquiries in response to community calls for action.

The City of Exeter Whatever model is adopted, effective governance arrangements for the historic city of Exeter will play a critical part. Exeter is a vibrant cathedral city which has enjoyed an economic boom under the joint stewardship of the County and City Councils, a combination which has delivered strategic 10 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus leadership, investment from big county budgets and a local focus. Exeter is the historic “County Town” of Devon, it has an economic, social and cultural impact across a very wide area of the county and relies upon that area for labour, skills, housing, recreation and spending. The County Council has consistently argued that Exeter is an integral part of the county of Devon and that the creation of a separate unitary authority for Exeter would not only have a detrimental impact on the rest of the county but would bring no advantage to the city itself. The creation of a sub-county unitary council based on Exeter, large enough to satisfy the affordability criterion, is likely to have an even greater impact on the residual area of Devon and would still leave the question of the governance arrangements for the city itself.

Central to the concept of the three unitary council model, with our proposals for City and Community Boards, it is envisaged that there would be overarching governance arrangements for Exeter based on the existing city area undertaking enhanced responsibilities and accommodating the civic traditions and institutions of the city.

It is proposed that a City Board be established comprising all the elected unitary councillors of Exeter. It would be chaired by an Exeter unitary councillor, elected by the voting members of the Board, and have dedicated officer support and resources reflecting the city’s status as the county capital and it could form the basis for a Charter Trust.

Membership of the Board would also include as non-voting members: • Police authority representative • Primary Care Trust representative • Local representatives nominated by the Community Forum (local business sector, voluntary sector, etc.)

The City Board would be responsible for a devolved budget and local management of delegated services such as city centre management, public realm, leisure services, community safety, libraries, youth services and supporting the raising of educational standards.

Like Community Boards, the City Board would be responsible for establishing and maintaining Community Forums in Exeter and agreeing Local Charters to meet local priorities.

Within the city there is no established pattern of locality governance arrangements. Such arrangements would best be established through the mechanism of a community governance review which would involve extensive public consultation and the lessons learned from the arrangements recently piloted by the City Council as part of its bid for unitary status.

Support for the City and Community Boards The arrangements for City and Community Boards, particularly when viewed as part of the overall concepts outlined in this paper, represent a step change in visible and effective local leadership. Our experience suggests that, in order to

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capitalise fully on the potential offered by these arrangements and to support the elected unitary councillors in their community leadership role, there is a need for dedicated officer support focusing on that particular area. Therefore a small team led by senior officer will be assigned to each Board area to provide support at a local level. The senior officer would ensure the logistics of the Board are managed, provide a link to the service delivery structures of the Unitary Council and partner agencies, oversee the arrangements for community and partner engagement and support the unitary councillors in their locality role.

Specific responsibilities would include: • Supporting Councillors in their community leadership role • Developing and managing exciting and innovative public service and local information “hubs” based on the model of the Watermark Centre in • Taking forward local projects to stimulate local democratic involvement • Developing local community consultation and engagement networks • Co-ordinate local scrutiny issues • Assist the local cross sector providers to invest in local community development and local grant and funding submissions.

Scrutiny We would propose to establish strong scrutiny arrangements in any new council covering the full range of the unitary council’s services and functions.

Building on our experience, we see a powerful role for Scrutiny councillors leading local inquiries on issues of wider community concern such as the impact of climate change, the future provision of post offices, and the performance of the utilities.

At the locality level there would be an explicit scrutiny role for the City and Community Boards in relation to how the Unitary Council and other services are performing in the locality which would, in effect, provide for a locality based Comprehensive Area Assessment. The Boards would have powers to scrutinise any aspect of service delivery at that local level, in particular how the Local Area Agreement is having an impact locally, and have a direct link through to the more functionally based scrutiny arrangements. We feel that building a locality and spatial perspective into the scrutiny process and giving a formal scrutiny role to the Community Boards will strengthen the influence available to local communities and functional scrutiny committees.

Appeals Committee We envisage a “roving appeals” set up whereby a county-wide committee of Unitary Councillors would appoint panels to meet at a more local level to determine appeals such as school transport and admissions.

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Stronger Partnerships

Devon has a strong track record of partnership working and joint delivery. Partnership working and integration with partners is a key part of this concept.

A single unitary council for Devon would provide simplicity for partnership working, making collaboration with others in the public sector through Local and Multi Area Agreements less complex and bureaucratic. It would reflect the reality that many of the key partnerships will operate at a county or sub- regional level.

A single Devon unitary would retain and enhance existing countywide capacity to support the unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay on key projects such as the South West Devon Waste Partnership and the by-pass.

We therefore envisage powerful partnership arrangements working for the common good with and as part of any new authority, with strengthened leadership, support and more ability for partners to shape and influence decision-making to help ensure the public receive good, cost-effective and joined-up services in their communities.

Our concept brings partnerships into the heart of the unitary council. We believe this will be more effective for the Council, more effective for partners and will translate into real benefits in terms of service development, delivery and simplified accountability arrangements.

The Local Strategic Partnership will continue to have a key role in leading the development and delivery of the sustainable community strategy and Local Area Agreement and will be a key element of the new governance arrangements. It will include representatives from the City and Community Boards and be supported by a dedicated team drawn from the County Council and partner agencies, building on the resource hub concept currently being established in Devon.

Devon Children and Young People’s Board This partnership would meet the statutory requirement to establish and lead a Children’s Trust and could build upon a successful track record in Devon. Membership would include relevant Executive Councillors and reflect the membership requirements of a Children’s Trust.

The role would include oversight of services to children and young people and their families covering education and social care and incorporate a joint commissioning role. The Board would also oversee service specific engagement and locality management and implementation arrangements including development and delivery of relevant LAA priorities and have strong links to the Devon Strategic Partnership.

Safer Devon Board This partnership would meet the statutory requirement to establish and lead a Crime reduction partnership and would help simplify some of the current

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arrangements that exist in Devon. Membership would include relevant Executive Councillors and reflect, at a minimum, the membership requirements of a crime reduction partnership.

The role would include oversight of services in relation to crime and disorder, resilience, trading standards, environmental health and emergency planning. The Board would also oversee the development and delivery of relevant LAA priorities and locality management and implementation arrangements, and have strong links to the Devon Strategic Partnership.

Devon Health and Wellbeing Board This partnership would co-ordinate policy and strategy for people and their carers in relation to health and well being including older people, people with physical disabilities and sensory impairment, mental health, learning disability, health improvement and stronger communities, safeguarding adults, DAAT, housing for vulnerable people and oversight of the Supporting People Programme. It would have a wide ranging membership, including relevant Executive Councillors, and be supported by a series of sub-groups focusing on specific policy areas. It would also oversee service specific engagement and locality management and implementation arrangements including development and delivery of relevant LAA priorities and have strong links to the Devon Strategic Partnership.

Devon Environment Board This partnership would co-ordinate work in relation to the natural and built environment including climate change, carbon reduction, noise, air quality, coasts, rivers, energy, waste, and maritime issues. It would have a wide ranging membership, including relevant Executive Councillors and would be supported by a series of sub-groups. It would also oversee service specific engagement and locality management and implementation arrangements including development and delivery of relevant LAA priorities. Spatial and Economic Boards

Our concept envisages spatial and economic boards based on the functional economic and travel to work areas of Devon and we would wish to co-design these in consultation with our strategic partners.

Depending on the final outcome of the Boundary Committee review and the impact on Plymouth we also envisage seeking the establishment of a similar approach covering the Plymouth and South East Cornwall area.

The role would be to have oversight of issues such as economic development, transport, housing, and planning, public realm and skills issues (including commissioning of 14-19 programmes previously the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council and delivery of designated “New Growth Points”) and seek to manage them in an integrated and complementary way across the particular geographical area.

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These Boards would oversee development and local delivery of relevant Local Area Agreement priorities. Membership would include relevant Executive Councillors, Chairs of the City and Community Boards within geographical clusters, Regional Development Agency, Government Office South West, Environment Agency, and representatives of Business, Higher and Further Education. Each of the three Boards would have sub boards to deal with quasi- judicial issues such as development control, licensing and regulation. Harnessing technology

Technology has altered our traditional notions of geography and time. We envisage greater usage of technology to provide fast, direct links between the City and Community Boards and the Executive, and to bring local government closer to the people it serves.

The use of video conferencing, webcasting and video booth facilities located in Exeter and Devon’s 28 market and coastal towns will provide technology hubs to support the democratic management of the unitary council and enable residents and stakeholders to engage with Executive Councillors quickly and directly. Consultation responses

The approach taken by the County Council, in line with the advice provided by the Boundary Committee, has been to develop broad concepts for unitary structures and not to rush to ‘draw lines on the map.’

All District, Town and Parish Councils have been invited to a series of Listening Events held across the County, there have been two workshops and a consultation questionnaire for elected Members of the County Council, and discussions have taken place with the Leaders and Chief Executives of Devon’s Unitary and District Councils, a range of partner agencies, MPs, representatives of the business community and other stakeholders such as the PCT.

The purpose of these discussions has been to gauge opinion on how local government should be reformed as a unitary model across Devon and to help create a concept which is well thought through, financially viable and has the potential to produce real benefits for public services and taxpayers.

Further events are planned for Exeter and towns across the county for a broad range of stakeholders including local community leaders, public agencies, neighbourhood groups, business and voluntary sector representatives.

The main findings from the County Council’s consultations so far are as follows: • a willingness among Town and Parish Councils to have greater say in decision making at local level • enthusiasm amongst some local councils to take on more responsibilities for local services (especially Town Councils), but only with the appropriate support and resources, and a view that any devolution or delegation should be negotiated rather than imposed

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• support for the idea of clustering town and parish councils along the lines of the 28 natural communities of Devon • a fear that any large unitary structures might be too remote and therefore a desire to see local contact improved • significant support for the retention of a ‘county voice’ • concern that multiple unitary authorities would lead to a diminution of capacity • a wish to see economic development, investment in skills, and strategic planning for roads and transport dealt with on a pan-Devon basis • recognition that great care would need to be taken in any unitary structure to recognise the special position of Exeter in the county • willingness among major public sector partners to work with the new unitary structure on governance and management arrangements at the market and coastal town and neighbourhood level • concern amongst major public sector partners about the enforced need to duplicate partnerships should multiple authorities be created • mixed views on whether ‘travel to work areas’ could form an effective basis for new unitary structures but a wish to see economic and transport issues addressed on a countywide basis • mixed views on democratic representation: some consultees felt that a significant overall reduction in the number of councillors would lead to ‘democratic deficit’, others felt that fewer councillors would be necessary if all councillors were as effective as their current county councillors, over 60% of whom are already effectively “unitary” councillors representing their communities on both the County and District Councils. Criteria for assessment

The Secretary of State has specified five criteria which must be met for any proposal for a unitary structure to be considered viable. The five criteria state that future unitary local government structures must: • be supported by a broad cross section of support • provide strong, effective and accountable strategic leadership • deliver genuine opportunities for neighbourhood flexibility and empowerment • deliver value for money and equity on public services • be affordable – i.e. that the change itself both represents value for money and can be met from councils’ existing resource envelope (transition costs must be more than offset over a 5 year period).

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These criteria must be met in aggregate and for each individual Unitary Authority proposed.

Criterion 1 – Must be supported by a broad cross section of partners and stakeholders ■ We have taken no steps to influence opinion since this review commenced on 3 March but we have worked hard to engage with partners and listen to their views

■ Many partners would support a move to unitary local government because of the clarity, simplicity and lack of duplication

■ Key public sector partners have indicated their desire to see fewer rather than more new authorities created to maximise opportunities for integrated working and protect the moves already made in that direction.

■ This criterion will be tested properly during the formal consultation process conducted by the Boundary Committee.

Criterion 2 - Must provide strong, effective and accountable strategic leadership ■ Strong, effective and accountable leadership must be built upon good foundations of community engagement and leadership at the most local levels if it is to be effective

■ Our concepts support a robust community and neighbourhood platform, enhance leadership at the local level and provide a direct route through to strategic leadership in a revised structure

■ Our concepts bring partnership planning, development and delivery into the mainstream of the organisation thus enhancing strategic leadership, and integrated working across agencies and sectors and opening a new Council up to external influence

■ Enhancing strategic leadership strengthens the ability of any new authority and its partners to take tough decisions and adopt a long term strategic view in order to tackle the major issues facing Devon

■ Creation of fewer new authorities would strengthen strategic leadership, protect the capacity to assist others, and enable Devon, including Plymouth and Torbay, to punch its weight regionally, nationally and internationally

■ Creation of fewer new authorities would ensure the focus for strategic leadership was clear and visible

■ Creation of a greater number of new authorities risks diluting clear leadership and accountability by creating competing voices in regional, national and European settings – particularly with the imminent creation of 2 new large powerful unitary councils in the region (Cornwall and Wiltshire).

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Criterion 3 - Must deliver genuine opportunities for neighbourhood flexibility and empowerment ■ A move to unitary local government will simplify the further work necessary to meet this criterion and allow faster progress than has been possible under the current structure

■ The concepts outlined have been built with this as the start point and the approach is the foundation stone upon which the other elements of the concepts are reliant

■ The concepts recognise the need to work with both geographic communities and with communities of interest to ensure all have a voice

■ Any new authorities of a realistic size covering the current 2 tier area will face challenges in relation to neighbourhood empowerment and engagement. Those challenges will not be significantly reduced whether there are 1, 2 or 3 new authorities in that area

■ It is easy to assert that a large authority would be remote and a smaller authority more local. However, this is an assertion that does not stand up to scrutiny. Being local and responsive is a not a function of size it is a function of commitment, culture and the consequent structural, process and engagement arrangements that are put in place

■ There is much to be said for the model of local community governance provided by our schools. Under the umbrella of a large countywide authority, 365 schools locally managed by community governors spend £318 million of public money – more than the combined budgets of Devon’s District Councils — and deliver a high quality of performance overall

■ Delivering and supporting effective neighbourhood empowerment in an area like Devon requires capacity. A larger authority provides greater opportunities to effect savings which can be reinvested to support neighbourhood and community empowerment and engagement. Thus, with the right concepts, a unitary authority can marry together the benefits of large size with the capacity to support real neighbourhood empowerment. This capacity will not be available to smaller authorities, which will still face huge challenges in resourcing neighbourhood empowerment over large sparsely populated areas but without the same opportunities to redirect savings to support it

■ Any move to new unitary structures is likely to lead to a reduction in the total number of councillors representing an area. Creating fewer new authorities would release the capacity necessary to invest in supporting and developing elected councillors with the resources necessary to enable them to perform an enhanced community leadership and advocacy role. It would also protect the capacity necessary to support and develop the parish and town council sector to work as effectively as possible as the first tier of democratic representation. A well supported and developed parish sector working together with well supported expert unitary councillors is a powerful proposition

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■ The enhanced models of local leadership, enhanced roles for local stakeholders and town and parish councils, together with delegation of power and resources, will deliver the required outcomes

■ Creation of fewer new authorities will maximise the opportunities for a strategic review of asset management and the ability to support asset transfer to communities.

Criterion 4 - Must deliver value for money and equity in public services ■ A move to unitary local government will save money. It will remove duplication, allow easier integration of related services and deliver savings in management, administration and democratic costs. These savings will be maximised the fewer new authorities are created because disruption caused by reorganising existing countywide strategic services will be minimised

■ It will allow for efficiencies of scale, rationalisation of systems and assets and the capacity necessary to maximise savings on commissioning and procurement

■ It will provide a platform for easier integration with major partners

■ It will protect the capacity of large county services and protect the capacity to support specialist provision

■ It will ensure fair access to services by strengthening existing countywide services and raising the diverse performance of existing District Council services, such as recycling, to the level of the best

■ Larger authorities have more capacity to direct investment to areas of greatest need and improve outcomes for people and communities across the County

■ The potential for more efficient and effective partnership working and the rationalisation of partnerships is greater the fewer new authorities are created

■ Creation of fewer authorities will result in less competition for skilled staff of high calibre and will protect the capacity necessary to ensure the maintenance of specialist services

■ Smaller unitary authorities would certainly need to develop joint arrangements to protect those specialist services, to ensure the necessary capacity for effective commissioning and procurement and would probably seek to keep some of the existing large scale county services intact, managing these arrangements through a shared service arrangement. There is no guarantee that all successor authorities would agree to co-fund shared arrangements. These arrangements cost money to establish, manage and maintain, they are notoriously fragile and do not tend to hold together over any extended period. They also dilute choice and accountability. Such an arrangement would be sub-optimal

19 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus

Criterion 5 - Be affordable – the change itself both represents value for money and can be met from councils existing resource envelope (transition costs must be more than offset over a 5 year period) ■ Any final proposals must be subject to a proper financial appraisal but, on the face of it, the potential for making savings and minimising transition costs is greater the fewer new authorities that are created

■ Setting up more than one new unitary authority would increase costs and complexity for key public service partners as they would have to service more than one authority. At present the PCT and the Police BCU cover the whole of the 2 tier area of Devon. Our experience is that this co-terminosity has accelerated our ability to take forward joint projects and integrate services

■ Creation of a number of new unitary councils in the current 2 tier area would require the dismantling of large county services and would place at risk existing integrated arrangements, in particular with the PCT. There would be duplication and extra cost, particularly for key partners, as, for example, new Children’s Trust, Crime and Disorder, Youth Offending Team and Drug and Alcohol Team arrangements would need to be established

■ Creation of one new unitary authority would reduce the fixed and variable costs of transition, would maximise continuity and reduce as far as possible risks to delivery of key service areas of national importance and would keep timing and overall costs within the control of one authority.

■ The transition to one new authority would be easier than disaggregating the large county services. This would facilitate an early start date for the new unitary arrangements and a phased and managed approach to service integration.

20 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus Conclusion

Our concept being developed will not only meet the criteria as set out for the review it will reinvigorate democratic engagement and provide for neighbourhood flexibility and empowerment. It will provide for easy links between locality and the strategic levels of governance. It will tackle the need for local governance with the capacity to deliver services focused in relation to need and will allow the new Council to provide strong leadership in the interests of the people of Devon.

Looking beyond our boundaries, we see the need for Devon to promote itself as a community of shared interests; a Devon that can punch its weight on the regional, national and European stages; and a Devon that is good friend, ally and partner to our county and unitary neighbours, and with the capacity to continue helping and supporting Plymouth and Torbay where we can for the common good of our region.

These concepts will depend on leadership of the highest order from both elected Members and officers. We will also ensure that there is a seamless support service for elected Members built around ensuring excellent community leadership in their locality role. We will invest in developing those skills and behaviours and it is recognised that this will require an enduring commitment by any unitary authority and politicians.

21 Flying the flag for Devon Strong leadership and local focus Contact details

Devon County Council Information Centre G53, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon EX2 4QD

Tel: 01392 380101 Email: [email protected]

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