Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority Putting Our Rural Communities ﬁ Rst

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst

A concept proposal for Unitary Local Government in Devon that safeguards our rural communities

11 April 2008 Sponsoring authorities: South Hams District Council South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 1 Contacts David Incoll Nick Payne Chief Executive Corporate Director

South Hams District and West Devon Borough Council, West Devon Borough Councils, Kilworthy Park, Kilworthy Park, TAVISTOCK, Devon. PL19 0BZ TAVISTOCK, Devon. PL19 0BZ Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tel: 01822 813600 Tel: 01822 813600

Alan Robinson Roger Nicholson Strategic Director (Community) Head of Improvement

South Hams District Council, South Hams District and Follaton House, Plymouth Road, West Devon Borough Councils, TOTNES, Devon. TQ9 5NE Follaton House, Plymouth Road, TOTNES, Devon. TQ9 5NE Email: [email protected] Tel: 01803 861234 Email: [email protected] Tel: 01803 861234

www.southhams.gov.uk www.westdevon.gov.uk Contents Courtesy of Dartmoor Tourist Association

Page

Purpose 4

Introduction 5

Context 6

Support 12

Strategic Leadership 13

Neighbourhood Empowerment 16

Value for money and equality of Public Services 19

Affordability 22

Conclusion 23

Appendices 24

Appendix A - Letters of Support 24 All maps in thisis proposal can Appendix B - Statistical Information 27 be viewed in larger Appendix C - MOSAIC’s Deﬁ nitions 30 scale at: www.indevon.org.uk/cms/von.org.uk/cms/ Appendix D - Parish Clusters 31

South Hams District Council 1. This document proposes a unitary solution in response to the Boundary Committee invitation to Purpose submit concepts for the structural review of local government in Devon by 11 April 2008. It aligns with the existing boundaries of South Hams District Council, Teignbridge District Council and West Devon Borough Council.

2. Our proposal provides a unitary proposal for the South Devon and Dartmoor area, which will fi t into an overall structure within Devon. It aligns with the way that ‘Integrated Devon’ (service-based clusters in the North, East and South of the county) is developing and provides each authority with How a future unitary suffi cient critical mass for effi ciency gains and resilience in service delivery. structure in Devon could look

North Devon

North & Mid

Torridge Devon Mid Devon Greater Exeter East Devon Exeter West Devon

Teignbridge South Devon & Plymouth Dartmoor

Torbay South Hams

© Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. South Hams District Council. 4 Licence No. 100022628/2008 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Introduction Cllr John Tucker, The South Devon and Dartmoor Leader, South Hams Unitary Authority concept: District Council

3. Is based on existing service delivery because Devon’s size and diversity means public services are increasingly being delivered on a sub-county basis. Cllr James McInnes, 4. Includes Dartmoor National Park and the Leader, general area currently administered by South West Devon Hams District Council, Teignbridge District Borough Council Council and West Devon Borough Council.

5. Places rural issues at its heart, because of the distinct and speciﬁ c challenges faced by our rural communities. Vision 6. Is focussed on local areas, an approach which experience proves has achieved high levels of customer satisfaction. ‘To provide innovative 7. Meets the ﬁ ve criteria set by the Boundary Committee for assessing possible unitary local government for solutions: rural South Devon Broad cross section of support and Dartmoor. Strategic leadership

Neighbourhood empowerment We will improve Value for money in provision of services the well being of Affordability residents, support businesses and maintain our special

8. We believe that a rural South Devon environment working and Dartmoor Unitary Authority, with a population of around 260,000, will in partnership with have the necessary critical mass and unity of purpose to be both effective local and strategic and efﬁ cient. agencies.’

RuralRural SouthSo Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 5 Context A distinctive rural place to which our communities relate and that service organisations recognise.

9. South Devon and Dartmoor is characterised by a mosaic of small towns and villages where people value local community life. It has areas of moorland, rural and coastal landscapes of a high quality and a patchwork of towns and villages. Dartmoor is the largest and wildest area of open country in southern England.

SD&D UA Plymouth Torbay DCC (SHDC, TDC, WDBC) Population 259,900 248,100 133,200 740,800 Area in sq miles 1,050 31 24 2,543 Density per hectare 0.98 32 22 1.15 % living in rural areas 96.2%, 91.31%, 100% 0 0 74.0% (Defra 2005) % of area with 83.1%, 83.1%, 61.8% 8.4% 42.0% 54.7% designated landscapes

Further statistical information is provided in Appendix B.

South Devon and Dartmoor uniﬁ ed by rural sparsity and high quality designated landscapes.

Population Designated

Density Exmoor Landscapes National Park

North Devon AONB

Blackdown Hills AONB

East Devon AONB

Jurassic Coast WHS

Dartmoor National Park Legend Cornwall & People per hectare West Devon WHS Legend 0.0 - 0.5 Tamar Valley AONB National Parks 0.6 - 1.0 World Heritage Sites 1.1 - 10.0 North Devon Biosphere 10.1 - 20.0 Exe Estuary Ramsar Wetland Site 20.1 - 100.0 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty South Devon AONB

South Devon and Dartmoor will balance pressure for growth and environmental protection.

6 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst MOSAIC Groupings by Ward South Hams

10. MOSAIC is a lifestyle classiﬁ cation system designed to identify groupings of consumer behaviour for households and postcodes. The MOSAIC maps (right) show strong similarities across the South Devon and Dartmoor Area.

Tables showing percentages can be found in appendix A and explanations of the two Teignbridge major classiﬁ cations within the area are in appendix C.

11. The South Devon and Dartmoor area is one of the safest and most desirable places in England to live. A Royal Mail survey published in March 2008 indicated that Devon was the fourth most popular place for people to move to in the UK.

12. It is a distinctive area, recognised by residents and visitors. Tourism is a key driver of our local economy. South Hams has Sustainable West Devon Tourism Beacon Status and is a leader in ‘green tourism’ initiatives. A recent BBC Holiday Programme survey placed Dartmoor as the BBC’s No.1 Holiday Area.

13. The area has some of the highest satisfaction levels in the whole country and its current constituent authorities are within the top 15 authorities in the country for satisfaction in ‘As a place to live’.

2007 fi gures SHDC TDC WDBC Plymouth Torbay DCC % of residents Satisfi ed with the area 88% 88% 90% 77% 70% 82% as a place to live All in the top 15 Authorities Satisfi ed with the way 62% 63% 62% 47% 43% 50% the authority runs things All in the top 50 authorities Who think their council 73% 58% 73% 50% 41% 65% is trustworthy All in the top 50 authorities Feel informed as to the services provided and 57% 56% 54% 27% 31% 44% the benefi ts All in the top 25 authorities

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 7 Baynards Cove, Dartmouth

14. South Devon and Dartmoor is somewhere special but there are signiﬁ cant challenges. People living in the area have chosen to live a rural lifestyle, but some - especially young people - can feel excluded due to high house prices, low incomes and limited access to some services.

15. The General Satisfaction Survey (local) undertaken in 2007/2008 highlighted the following issues across the South Devon and Dartmoor area:

The level of crime Health services Most important Affordable decent housing issues for a good Access to nature quality of life Education provision Public Transport Affordable decent housing Issues most in need of Activities for teenagers Improvement to Public transport and the level of trafﬁ c congestion achieve a good Job prospects quality of life Wage levels and local cost of living

8 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst 16. Rural transport is a concern to many residents particularly within a large geographic area and comparatively low ownership of vehicles.

SD&D UA Plymouth Torbay DCC (SHDC, TDC, WDBC)

Miles of Road 3,113 n/a n/a 7,963

Vehicles owned by 140,293 98,436 60,202 370,226 residents

Vehicles per capita 1.8 2.5 2.2 2.0

Travel times to Barnstaple Travel times to Exeter Travel times to Plymouth

Lynton/Lynmouth Lynton/Lynmouth Lynton/Lynmouth Ilfracombe Ilfracombe Ilfracombe

Braunton Braunton Braunton

Barnstaple Barnstaple Barnstaple

South Molton South Molton South Molton Bideford/Northam Bideford/Northam Bideford/Northam

Great Torrington Great Torrington Great Torrington Tiverton Tiverton Tiverton

Cullompton Cullompton Cullompton Honiton Honiton Honiton Holsworthy Crediton Holsworthy Crediton Holsworthy Crediton Axminster Axminster Axminster Ottery St Mary Ottery St Mary Ottery St Mary Okehampton Okehampton Okehampton Seaton Seaton Seaton Exeter Sidmouth Exeter Sidmouth Exeter Sidmouth

Moretonhampstead Exmouth Moretonhampstead Exmouth Moretonhampstead Exmouth

Dawlish Dawlish Dawlish Newton Abbot Newton Abbot Newton Abbot Tavistock Te ig nm o ut h Tavistock Te ig nm o ut h Tavistock Te ig nm o ut h Ashburton/Buckfastleigh Legend Ashburton/Buckfastleigh Legend Ashburton/Buckfastleigh Legend Travel time to Devon Town centre Travel time to Devon Town centre Travel time to Devon Town centre 0 - 30 minutes 0 - 30 minutes 0 - 30 minutes To r b a y UA Torbay UA Torbay UA To tn es 31 - 60 minutes To tn es 31 - 60 minutes To tn es 31 - 60 minutes Plymouth UA Plymouth UA Plymouth UA Ivybridge Ivybridge Ivybridge 61 - 90 minutes 61 - 90 minutes 61 - 90 minutes Dartmouth 91 - 120 minutes Dartmouth 91 - 120 minutes Dartmouth 91 - 120 minutes 121 - 150 minutes 121 - 150 minutes 121 - 150 minutes Kingsbridge Kingsbridge Kingsbridge

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. 100019783 2008 © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. 100019783 2008 © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. 100019783 2008 Travelling time by car from Barnstaple to Plymouth can be in excess of 2.5 hours

17. Challenges faced include; affordable housing, low wages, meeting the needs of young people and children, an aging population, access to services and transport, with a need for agriculture and tourism industries to diversify further.

18. Average house prices are much higher than the Devon average, peaking at £280,000 in 2007 in the South Hams. This is due to the high levels of inward afﬂ uent migration and second homes ownership. Average wages are low despite generally low levels of unemployment and deprivation.

Population Indices of Density Deprivation 2007

Legend Legend People per hectare 0.0 - 0.5 Indices of Deprivation 2007 0.6 - 1.0 Most deprived quartile 1.1 - 10.0 10.1 - 20.0 20.1 - 100.0 Least deprived quartile

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 9 19. All the authorities that form the South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority concept perform well or excellently when judged against national standards by the Audit Commission, though work is needed in respect of Children and Young People. Issues facing children and young people in rural areas can be different to those relevant in an urban environment.

DCC DNPA SHDC TDC WDBC Dartmoor National CPA Park 3 Star Excellent Good Good rating Authority is well run. Direction Improving Improving Improving South Devon Improving and Dartmoor of Travel well well well Affordable will be a good Housing Crime and Beacon Disorder partner to Council Promoting Sustainable Partnerships the existing Tourism

unitaries of 20. Our proposal is a natural progression from ‘Integrated Devon’, an enhanced Plymouth two-tier working partnership model which established North, East and South Devon clusters for the delivery of Devon County Council services. and Torbay 21. South Devon and Dartmoor will be a good partner to the existing and any new unitaries of Plymouth and Torbay and any new neighbouring unitaries, neighbouring providing the opportunity for imaginative cost effective solutions to the challenges facing specialist services e.g. special needs schooling, which unitaries can be procured on a cross-boundary basis.

Integrated Devon Environment Directorate Adult & Community Administration Areas

Environment Directorate Areas (including Highways) Adult & Community Services Administrative Localities

Barnstaple

Exeter

Newton Abbot

Torbay UA Torbay UA Plymouth UA Plymouth UA

10 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Children’s Trust Clusters - ﬁ ve coterminous Devon Structure Plan - with South Devon and Dartmoor landscape and major routes

Combe Ilfracombe Martin

A3123 Ilfracombe & Braunton Lundy Woolacombe

1 6 3 A NOTE : The Devon part of Exmoor National Park is covered by the Somerset and Exmoor Braunton A National Park Struc ture Plan 3

9 Barnstaple Barnstaple 9 R P I I rth Wes tw ar d Ho ! E A No 4900 361 Somerset d an 9 on 3 70ha nd Bideford A Lo l o Bideford to - t NORTH DEVON ris B ine South To L ain Molton n M ter South Molton & Chulmleigh es Bideford t W 5100 ea Gr Great 5 9 M 3 55ha Tor ring ton A MID DEVON Tiverton ) TORRIDGE A (T 36 3 1 0 3 I A E x Tiverton e 5850 Crediton & Culm Valley te ry r I R u - b B ) is e Torrington & Holsworthy T l in a 60ha ( a L rn 0 S s Willand - o t 3 r lo a A te r p e te I le x a Hatherleigh Cullompton EAST DEVON E W Holsworthy Ta A rk 3 a 5 8 L 8 6 M Dorset in 5 e R 3 Hontion & Axe Valley A Crediton & Culm Valley Crediton A35(T) Honiton Axminster e A3 c 77 4950 n a z n T) Clyst Vale, Ottery St Mary & Sidmouth e Okehampton ( P 0 35ha 6700 I M 3 Ottery A o A 35 T I (T Exeter R R INSET B - EXETER4000 AREA St. Mary ) 3450 A30 40ha 52 (T) 30 30ha 85ha A T) Seaton A30 (

A 3 Sidmouth 3 I 7 7 Okehampton & Tavistock Exmouth R 6 WEST DEVON 9 ) 6 TEIGNBRIDGE A30(T 8 3 zance n A Dawlish & Teignmouth To Pe 4250 Teign Valley & South Dartmoor DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK 25ha Exmouth Exeter - Exmouth Line

8 Dawlish 3

900 A Tavistock Dawlish & Teignmouth Cornwall Newton Teignmouth A T) Abbot 3 8( I Kingskerswell Newton Abbot I 8 3 P 6 A 3100 30ha R Bere I Alston P I South 385 T A o Penzance Torbay UA A38(T) Brent INSETR I C - R Totne s I Great TORBAYPaignton AREA Western Main Lin Plymouth UA e 8500 5000 E Ivybridge I SOUTH HAMS INSET A - PLYMOUTHI M AREA Totnes, Dartmouth & Kingsbridge 3850 80ha6,800 20ha Dartmouth

Kingsbridge

Salc omb e

22. We will be able to capitalise on the existing strong partnership working across the South Devon and Dartmoor Cluster and will integrate with Dartmoor National Park Authority wherever possible.

Existing and committed South Devon and Dartmoor shared services (district council based):

Shared Chief Executive South Hams and West Devon Building Control South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon Procurement South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon Corporate Improvement South Hams and West Devon Tourism Partnership South Hams and Teignbridge Personnel and Payroll South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon Property South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon Environmental Health South Hams and West Devon Urban Design South Hams and Teignbridge Joint representation on national and strategic bodies

Proposed arrangements include: Legal Finance Revenue and Beneﬁ ts Audit ICT Waste and Recycling With a range of future collaboration proposals including climate change and economic development

Integrated Devon (with DCC) Community safety Civil parking Public Realm – rural pilot enforcement

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 11 Support “Future unitary local government structures must be supported by a broad cross-section of partners and stakeholders.”

23. In the very limited timescale available we have advised parish councils, local business leaders, members and staff of the concept. We will test out our proposals fully during the preparation of a detailed business case alongside a full programme of community engagement and stakeholder consultation. Letters of support can be found in Appendix A.

Many 24. Parish councils, community organisations and other public services recognise the South Devon and Dartmoor cluster within ‘Integrated partners and Devon’ and its shared services core agenda. The development of a new, rural, unitary authority is a logical progression from shared services, stakeholders and would accelerate that agenda. It also ﬁ ts in with early discussions recognise the regarding a shared South Devon and Dartmoor Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). merit of a 25. Many agency service areas are largely coterminous with ‘the cluster’ South Devon including Highways, Social Services, the Police and the Primary Care and Dartmoor Trust (PCT). The new unitary authority will capitalise on the strength of current partnership working and build on examples of best practice and unitary. ‘It innovation from all agencies within the unitary area. This will ensure that the cost of change is minimised as well as demonstrating its outward is felt to be focus by learning from the best practice elsewhere as new unitary going with the authorities emerge. grain’ 26. Our intention is to have a unitary authority rooted in local areas. This is what communities said they want through the Local Development Framework (LDF) process. During the South Hams’ consultations many communities showed a desire to have self-supporting rural life where they could live, work and play.

A summary of key points from LDF Community Participation days We will build supports our vision for the new unitary: upon current Mix of affordable/open market housing, use of brown-fi eld land, local houses for local people high levels of Mixed economies/development in towns and villages should be satisfaction encouraged, with the promotion of sustainable employment within with local communities. Encourage fl exible and small scale offi ce development Promotion of rural economy. Diversifi cation where agriculture is government in no longer viable. Allow for tourism. Farmers to be assisted where South Devon possible in the maintenance of the environment Transport – better integration. Need for more car parking but with and Dartmoor integrated strategy which includes effective public transport

12 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Strategic leadership “Future unitary government structures must provide strong, effective and accountable leadership. The leadership must work with local communities businesses, the voluntary sector and a range of stakeholders to create a vision of the place and go on to deliver it. Community leadership is one of the most important features of the future of local governance.”

27. The new unitary will be characterised by strong executive leadership focused on a distinctively rural agenda and working closely with local and strategic partners to achieve the best quality of life for our communities.

28. We will develop the existing Devon Local Area Agreement to be speciﬁ c to the needs of an essentially rural population and to ensure that there is full compatibility with our Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) and other key strategic documents such as the Local Development Frameworks. The new SCS will become the Corporate Plan for the whole authority as well as the work programme for the new LSP.

South Devon and Dartmoor’s main priorities, shared with its LSP partners, will be:

Sustainable Communities, including affordable housing, transport, the needs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in our rural economy, environmental protection and a network of services to make villages sustainable

Safer and Stronger Communities focusing on reducing the fear of crime and strengthening community cohesion Healthier Communities and Older People, enabling older people to The new live active independent lives by effective combination of key local services such as social services, health, education, housing, crime unitary will be and accident prevention characterised Children and Young People, including the Building Schools for the Future programme, sustaining improvement in our schools, improving by strong the provision of care and protection and enabling life long learning executive Value for money, through a transformational approach to the delivery of local services based on: leadership,

Engaging with and focusing on residents and communities focused on

Reshaping service delivery to improve accessibility the distinctive

Working together with other agencies and investing in the future rural agenda

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 13 29. We intend to adopt an executive model for the new council with portfolio holders drawn from the council’s membership who are best able to champion their briefs on behalf of the electorate. This builds on the existing practice within most of South Devon and Dartmoor.

30. The new unitary authority will be small enough to operate at a scale local people can relate to but with strategic capacity and inﬂ uence with regional and national agencies.

Multi-Area 31. Multi-Area Agreements (MAA) with neighbouring unitary authorities will be high on the agenda to ensure cross-border challenges are Agreements addressed. Close cooperation will enable more effective representations to be made to the regional agencies to inﬂ uence investment in economic (MAA) with growth, affordable housing and transport infrastructure. neighbouring 32. Executive Members will be responsible for corporate priorities and providing a strategic lead for a geographic area linking local place- unitary making with strategic policy making.

authorities 33. Developing elements of current practice the Council’s Executive Portfolios will be built around the core priorities of our SCS and the will be high shared vision for our area. on the The SCS will provide a policy umbrella and will be supported by:

agenda Social Service, Health Care, Children and Young People and Education Strategies including life long learning

Beneath these will be a range of delivery plans including:

Local Transport Plans

National Park and AONB Management Plans

Housing Strategy

Waste Strategy

Economic Development Strategy

Building Schools for the future programme

Each of these strategies will be inﬂ uenced by the outcome of local town strategies and parish plans.

14 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst 34. Our aim is long term rural sustainability in terms of people, jobs and the environment. We will determine, rather than merely inﬂ uence, the best responses to the challenges posed in effectively serving our communities. South Devon and Dartmoor interests are currently diluted within a large and diverse county agenda.

35. Through the Local Area Agreement (LAA) the council will inﬂ uence and determine the provision and funding of strategic public services. This will ensure that the existing excellent track record in use of resources, public satisfaction and high performance of all the current authorities, is sustained and improved upon in the unitary setting.

36. We will build a strong and effective partnership with the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) in respect of community and strategic planning supported by an integrated LAA.

37. We will support joint commissioning arrangements, with other authorities and agencies for the delivery of services, where these make sense and are most appropriate for serving the population.

38. We will engage with existing partnerships and develop new opportunities, including the possibility of a Care Trust (integrated health and social care), to ensure that the needs of our population are fully recognised and met and that the speciﬁ c needs of disadvantaged individuals and hidden communities are mainstreamed.

39. Local councillors will be vital to the success of this vision. They will work with individuals, towns and parishes and local groups and communities of interest, within their wards to identify the key issues and priorities of local people and represent these priorities at the council and beyond.

40. There will be single member wards each serving a population of approximately 4,000. This is considered the optimal ward size to enable South Devon and Dartmoor Members to properly engage with their electorates as well as providing residents with genuine accessibility to the democratic process.

41. Larger wards would involve too many parishes for meaningful contact and, due to the full time nature of the role, would exclude some The new members of the public, who have the appropriate background skills, authority will from seeking to become a councillor. comprise 42. The new authority will comprise some 60 Members with councillors majoring as community leaders. This is reasonable given the signiﬁ cant some 60 geographic size of the area at over 1,050 square miles serving a Members with population of around 260,000. councillors 43. Strong Overview and Scrutiny arrangements based on service delivery will be deployed to robustly challenge external service providers and majoring as the council, ensuring the best possible efﬁ ciency, performance and community effectiveness of decision-making by all local service providers in our area and that the lives of local people are improving. leaders

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 15 Neighbourhood empowerment “Future unitary government structures must deliver genuine opportunities for neighbourhood ﬂ exibility and empowerment.”

Local 44. Our parishes are the democratic basis for achieving effective neighbourhood empowerment in a rural area. Existing parish planning ownership, will be further encouraged to foster subsidiarity between local communities, the unitary authority and the South Devon and Dartmoor locality LSP. distinctiveness 45. We would also look to develop and build upon the successful local and an ability application of the Market and Coastal Town Initiative (MCTi) to draw together other sector interests in our community and complement the for local people parish planning which, by defi nition, has a strong focus on residents’ to infl uence the interests. priorities will 46. South Devon and Dartmoor will build upon experience and existing good practice in terms of community engagement. Local communities will be be a hallmark involved in budget setting, service development and use of resources. of the new There is a real opportunity for enhanced accountability and decision making around local services being devolved to the lowest possible authority level, subject to a fi nancial viability assessment.

16 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Local communities will be engaged in budget setting, service development and use of resources

47. Local people have a strong afﬁ nity for their local village or town. Our concept will enable that afﬁ nity to be developed to revitalise local democracy and embrace local engagement and empowerment in a structure which is focused on rural issues at a strategic level.

48. ‘Thinking big and acting local’ will improve democratic engagement in election processes. A vote will make a difference. Democratic engagement in local elections is more important in rural communities with between 42% and 49% turn-out in the South Devon and Dartmoor area as opposed to 37% in Plymouth and 32% in Torbay.

49. Service clustering, through Local Forums based on Town and Local Parish Clusters, with populations of up to 20,000, will become the democratically accountable vehicles for distribution and committing people have locality budgets and the recently announced “community funds”. a strong 50. The principle of ‘subsidiarity’ will apply and local communities will be afﬁ nity for engaged in budget setting, service development and use of resources. their local 51. The devolution of appropriate services to market town/parish clusters will achieve local ownership and local distinctiveness by allowing local village or people to determine priorities. There will be the opportunity, at a local town level, to fund enhanced service provision, where required, above a minimum consistent standard.

52. Local Forums will be:

Built on existing Quality Parish arrangements and administer devolved budgets

Be open public meetings

Respond to important local issues best tackled at a local level Local Forums

Provide real local accountability from the organisation’s will be built representatives to the people it serves on existing Assess performance against customer charters and declared service standards Quality Parish

Be supported by innovative use of ICT to enable information and arrangements data to be exchanged, analysed and monitored to raise, and track and the resolution of, local issues administer Enable effective engagement and partnership between the statutory and voluntary sector devolved Be a vehicle for the Councillor Calls for Action process budgets

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 17 53. We also see that neighbourhood empowerment is inextricably linked to Access to Services. We will build upon the successful multi-agency outreach service surgeries already provided in West Devon. This will be a hallmark of the South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority brand.

Town council 54. Town council offi ces, parish halls, mobile libraries, and home visits will all increase the accessibility of services that are vital to the successful offi ces, parish operation of the new authority. Good public satisfaction will be built on the perception that the new unitary authority services are closer to home halls, mobile and more responsive than existing, more distant county services. libraries, 55. The key to the success of many of the unitary authority’s services will and home be effective engagement and partnership with voluntary groups. We will develop and build upon the Council for Voluntary Services Compact and visits will all in conjunction with the Health Service community ensure that there is increase the effi cient and effective joint commissioning of services within the sector.

accessibility of 56. We will evolve the successful budget consultation approaches already in place across the area, to ensure that residents and businesses continue services to have real opportunities to inﬂ uence the new unitary authority’s budget priorities as part of the annual budget setting process.

18 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Value for money and equity of Public Services

“Future unitary local government structures must deliver value for money and equity of public services.”

57. A South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority would commence operation with the best possible credentials for achieving Value for Money (VfM). The current authorities have all achieved good reviews in each previous independent ‘use of resources’ assessments.

DCC SHDC TDC WDBC Use of Resources 3333 Score “Dartmoor National Park Authority is well run and DNPA in comparison with the income sources within other National Parks, it is one of the leading authorities.”

58. Effi ciency saving targets are already fully met by each authority. The new unitary authority will benefi t from the economies of scale on commencement of its operation, the merging of two tiers of local government and more effi cient working.

59. The current authorities have undertaken market testing and have externalised services where this was in the best interests of effective service delivery and value for the council taxpayer.

60. We will adopt a mixed-market approach to achieve value for money We will through the best practicable means. This robust business-orientated approach will become a hallmark of the new unitary authority. adopt a

61. We envisage that as a dedicated unitary we can successfully address mixed- the inequities of previous service delivery patterns. These have tended market to focus services on urban centres of population rather than where most (over 90%) people live and access their services. approach

SD&D UA Plymouth Torbay DCC (SHDC, TDC, WDBC.) % living in rural areas 96.2%, 91.31%, 100% 0 0 74% (Defra 2005)

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 19 The South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority will build upon the excellent track-record of VfM of the outgoing local authorities. It will be high performing and known for efﬁ ciency

62. Our current work on Shared Services has developed effective relationships across the three districts at Member and ofﬁ cer level. This provides a foundation for a radical assessment of how best to integrate top and second tier functions for optimal performance and improved accessibility by our communities and clients.

63. The localised presence and sensitivities of our organisation will be well placed to encourage enhanced community engagement in supporting vulnerable people, possibly through a Care Trust providing health services and the management of social care services for older people and vulnerable adults, day care, home care and residential homes. We will 64. We will enhance existing genuine customer choice for our customers enhance through the roll out of community based service delivery, e-access, our Local Service Centres and utilising assets (such as schools) as community existing hubs for a broad range of activities, educational and otherwise. genuine 65. Our involvement in the Building Schools for the Future programme choice for our will commence in 2011. It will commence with our special schools and customers phased over a number of years. 66. We have already secured LIFT SW funding in 2008 to examine the potential for improved partnership working in relation to waste collection and disposal. We will use the beneﬁ t of that consultancy report to build an efﬁ cient, resilient cost effective approach to waste management across the authority. This will reinforce our top quartile performance on waste minimisation, recycling and high levels of public satisfaction with our service.

67. Our investment in improving procurement through a Procurement We are now Offi cer resource shared across the three districts is further evidence of the current commitment to VfM. We are now achieving enhanced achieving effi ciencies through this combined approach as well as participating in enhanced national and regional procurement schemes. A careful assessment of potential joint commissioning options, such as children’s services and effi ciencies waste management, will be made to achieve the best and most cost through this effective arrangements for combined procured services. combined 68. Public perception of “VfM” in service delivery terms is inextricably linked to the ease of public access to our services. Our service design across approach all aspects of the UA activities will therefore be closely related to where and how people live.

20 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst 69. Providing people with opportunities to engage at:

one-stop-shops,

mobile one-stop surgeries,

community action days,

community forums

and, through the use of technology:

virtual transactional service portals,

will all be essential in providing value for money, as well as neighbourhood empowerment, across such a large rural area.

Opportunities for service integration will be fully exploited to provide more efﬁ cient and effective service delivery, for example:

in relation to addressing the supply of affordable housing and linkages to supporting people

in harnessing the full spectrum of community based services to support vulnerable adults and children at risk

in public realm management

in business advice and related regulatory services

integrating leisure and cultural services

maximising beneﬁ cial use of assets and disposing of underused assets

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 21 Affordability A South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority would have a population of around 260,000 and will have sufﬁ cient critical mass to ensure affordability in implementation, efﬁ ciency gains and resilience in service delivery.

70. Successful 4 star rated rural unitary authorities include: The East Riding of Yorkshire with a population of 325,000, North Lincolnshire with a our experience population of 152,850, and Redcar and Cleveland Borough with a population of 139,500. of ‘Lean 71. The development of a new unitary authority will allow commonality of Thinking’ ICT systems. methodologies 72. Our experience of ‘Lean Thinking’ methodologies and ‘Shared Service’ and ‘Shared delivery will provide a strong framework for development of cost effective Service’ customer focused services. delivery 73. Ofﬁ ce accommodation centres will be reduced and we will promote greater remote working with other public and private sector will provide organisations around local service delivery hubs. a strong 74. Shared service arrangements will provide an alignment of services to framework provide focus on a locality driven unitary ‘place’ through a ‘one council’ approach to services for children and young people, older people, housing provision, environmental standards, public realm, leisure and amenities, economic development and regulation.

75. We recognise that there will be continued areas of ﬁ nancial pressure, through Comprehensive Spending Round 2007, Children and Young People’s services, Adult Care, Transport and an increased public engagement agenda.

76. We welcome recent announcements to changes skills funding and the opportunity to build Further and Higher education provision for 14 – 19 year olds within the unitary authority and will expect to work closely with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Young People’s Leaning Agency (YPLA) to develop excellent provision.

77. A full ﬁ nancial appraisal has not yet been undertaken but we have taken advice and carried out a brief initial assessment of ﬁ nancial viability. We have made comparisons with other recent reorganisations, which suggest that the costs of creating a South Devon and Dartmoor unitary authority would fall within the Governments payback period.

22 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Conclusion We will ensure that South Devon and Dartmoor remains somewhere special for people to live, work and visit.

78. A South Devon and Dartmoor unitary provides an opportunity for radical and innovative development in leadership and service delivery arrangements with rural sustainability as the key driver.

79. Our proposal will provide a rural focus for strong and enhanced community leadership, neighbourhood engagement and partnership working. This will build on existing high quality value for money services currently provided at district and county level, which local people already value, as has been evidenced in this document.

80. Our concept will fully meet the Government’s criteria, build on the existing local sense of community and place, and respond to how our rural areas work socially and economically.

81. We will ensure that South Devon and Dartmoor remains somewhere special for people to live, work and visit through the development of an effective locally focused unitary organisation.

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 23 Councillor John Tucker South Hams District Council, Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5NE Appendices 2 April 2008 Appendix A – Sample Dear Councillor Tucker Structural Review of Devon

Thank you for your letters of 15 of letters of support February and 27 March 2008.

This council is taking a keen interest From: [email protected] [mailto:pete.tansey@ in the Boundary Commission’s bt.com] review of local government in Devon. Sent: 01 April 2008 14:50 Indeed, it has already formulated its To: RJ Tucker own ‘outline policy statement’ which has been approved at the latest full Subject: RE: Local Government Review council meeting.

One of the key aspects of the policy Dear John, is strong support for the creation of a South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary As always you and David can rely on my full support for Authority. Such an authority to be such a logical solution with a ﬁ rmly rural bias. predominately rural in character and Kind regards, which should combine the current district councils of South Hams, Peter Teignbridge and West Devon.

Peter Tansey | Client Director SW - Education & Local The town council is very content Government Practice | BT Global Services to take part in any forthcoming discussions as the review progresses.

Yours sincerely From: Paul H. Dorey [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 01 April 2008 15:16 To: RJ Tucker Martin Johnson Cc: Kate Parsons Town Clerk

Subject: RE: Local Government Review

Dear Cllr Tucker

The view you express in this email coincides very much with the feelings of The Kingsbridge and Salcombe Chamber of Commerce. While we do not always see eye to eye with SHDC we do not wish to be swallowed by an urban authority.

What can we do to help achieve the desired outcome? We have a Business Club Meeting Wednesday 21 May in Salcombe where the matter could be discussed or we could be addressed by someone from the commission. I am quite happy to write or visit to press this case.

Perhaps you would care to call me so we can discuss a way forward.

Yours Aye,

Paul

24 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst From: PETER BENNETT BT To: Nick Payne CC: [email protected]; ‘Jackie Crawford’ Sent: Fri Apr 04 11:46:47 2008

Subject: Eastern Link : South Devon & Dartmoor UA Concept

Dear Nick,

I am writing to you in my role as Chair of the Eastern Link group of Parishes in support of your Concept submission to the Boundary Committee.

Speciﬁ cally from the perspective of the Easter Parishes of the current West Devon Borough, I would like to make the following points to the Boundary Committee.

Boundary

The current Eastern Boundary of the West Devon & Teignbridge councils is a real physical & cultural boundary. It is formed by the Teign Valley and stretches from the A30 down to the A38 virtually due North - South.

Due to the extreme shortage of river crossings there is almost no East to West cultural or physical contact across the River Teign to the lowland around Exeter. The people of North East Dartmoor and the surrounding parishes look West. We have little contact with East and North Devon and Plymouth is virtually inaccessible to us.

Whilst of necessity some of our young people go to College in Exeter, and the RD&E is our main hospital, there is little work commuting to the East, and trade is driven by the M5 connection which happens to be at Exeter rather than the Exeter business community itself. A major trade route is the North South A382 with Newton Abbot as the focus, and culturally we focus on Tavistock and the Atlantic coast of Devon.

The Dartmoor National Park Democratic Deﬁ cit

One of the major issues for the people of Dartmoor is the legacy of the 1950’s style legislation that set up National Parks. For the inhabitants of the Park, effectively we have no middle tier democratic representation on all the issues that the DNPA is responsible for. DNPA members are either appointees or delegates from elected bodies with a wider constituency than the Park. Only the single Parish rep. has a constituency wholly comprised of Park dwellers. Four Councils have interests in the Park and for members delegated from these councils there is no clear remit as to whom they represent; their constituents in the Park, or their wider organization. Thus for, say, Planning, there is no councillor to whom the Park dweller can address specifi c local issues. The S Devon & Dartmoor Concept offers a unique opportunity to address this Democratic Defi cit, without re-writing the DNPA legislation, and would be a major benefi t to Park dwellers, and the surrounding Parishes.

Evolution of Existing Processes

The WDBC and South Hams DC have been working very effectively to develop signifi cant cost savings by sharing resources and developing co-operative processes, whilst keeping the political process fi rmly grounded in the existing constituencies. This process is working well. The results are demonstrable and supported by the population. It would be disastrous to destroy all this good work by combining the area into some suburb of coastal cities or a “not the city” defi nition of a rural rump of Devon County. The proposal incorporated in the SD&D UA is cohesive, based on successful existing evolution and worthy of support by the Boundary Committee. By contrast if the surrounding areas are compared, Cornwall and other parts of Rural Devon, they are not actually working the cost saving and effi ciency models pioneered by WDBC nor the best practice which has earned WDBC a “good council” rating. This best practice includes the Link meetings by which all 3 current tiers communicate effectively and democratically. Supporting the SD&D UA concept would harness the momentum already built up for continuous improvement in this geography.

Peter C Bennett Chair, Eastern Link Committee

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 25

Okehampton Community & Recreation Association Okehampton Community College, Mill Road, Okehampton, DEVON EX20 1PW TEL: 01837 54546 / 07901827126 [email protected]

Nick Payne Corporate Director West Devon Borough Council Kilworthy Park Tavistock

9th April 2008

Dear Nick

Local Government Review

Thank you for your short paper dated the 2nd April 2008

OCRA as a community group from this large rural area are very keen on a local rural option and fully support the need for public consultation.

Yours sincerely

Stuart Lord OCRA Activity Development Manager

OCRA IS A CHARITY THAT AIMS TO MAINTAIN & DEVELOP SPORTING/ RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES & FACILITIES IN THE NORTH & EAST OF WEST DEVON BOROUGH

26 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Appendix B – statistical information

South Devon and Plymouth Torbay DCC Dartmoor UA SHDC, TDC, WDBC Population 259,900 248,100 133,200 740,080 Area (sq miles) 1070 31 24 2,543 Hectares 277,130 7,980 6,288 Density (per hectare) 0.93 32 22 1.15 % living in rural areas 96.2%, 91.31%, 100% - - 74% (Defra 2005) % of area in designated 83.1%, 83.1%, 61.8% 8.4% 42% 54.7% landscapes Band D Council Tax £1,436.76 £1,295.31 £1,414.16 Population Growth by 16.7% 9.4% 25.7% 23.29% 2029 Net Inward Migration 2,900 n/a n/a 7,900 2006 20 – 24 Includes Outward 15-24 years old n/a n/a years old Migration 2006 900 1,500 Major MOSAIC categories % Grey Perspectives 29% 35% 22.53 Rural Isolation 28 % 14.60 Suburban Comfort 12% 11.97 Blue Collar Enterprise 15% Municipal Dependency 10% Suburban Comfort 15% 10% Happy Families 12.5% Ties of Community 20% 31% Election Turn-out District 45.52%, 43.20%, 46% 37.2% 31.8% 67.8%

41,557, 56,249, 22,972 Dwellings 112,230 62,996 336,110 120,778 Second Homes (2001) 10% 0.3% 2% 3.5% Average House prices £k 262k, 202k, 226k 155k 172k 210k 2006

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 27 South Devon and Plymouth Torbay DCC Dartmoor UA SHDC, TDC, WDBC 1,426 Housing Needs – 600+ affordable n/a Units required p.a. n/a homes Average Wages £ 18,542, 19,000, 16,759 23,068 19,012 Unemployment 1,646 3,739 2,037 April 2007 8,857 2.9%, 3%, 3.7% 6.4% 5.2% England 5.5% Economically Inactive 14.1%,15%, 21.3% 21.5% 20.5% Deprivation n/a 230, 71, 181 76 179 Indices ranking

2007 Satisﬁ ed with area as a 2007 2007 2007 88%, 88%, 90% place to live 77% 70% 82% all in the top 15 Authorities

Satisﬁ ed with the way the 62%, 63%, 62% 47% 43% 50% authority runs things All in the top 50 authorities

% of residents who 73%, 58%, 73% think their council is 50% 41% 65% trustworthy All in the top 50 authorities

Feel informed as to the 57%, 56%, 54% services provided and 27% 31% 44% the beneﬁ ts In the top 25 authorities Waste recycling and 48.8%, 50.4%, 39.6% 26.9% 26.1% n/a composting % Recycling centres 81120

County wide Tourism – nights 58,680 inc. Torbay 6,180 44,080 197,460 capacity 30% of Devon (Torbay 22%) Countywide Tourism – nights 75,400 occupancy peak season 6,700 54,800 236,800 32% of Devon inc. private houses (Torbay 23%) 7,963 But care as Miles of Road 3,113 miles n/a n/a DCC web site appears to be incorrect

Cars and Vans 140,293 98,436 60,202 370,226 owned by residents 1.8 per capita 2.5 per capita 2.2 per capita

28 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst South Devon and Plymouth Torbay DCC Dartmoor UA SHDC, TDC, WDBC Total Recorded Crimes 5,377 12,175 4,975 18,341 Fires 163 228 111 524 Governance: Members 40, 46, 31 57 37 62 Executive, Executive, Mayor and Cabinet / Executive Cabinet Executive Committees Cabinet

Housing Authority 0 SD&D 132 81 18 365 12 Secondary 17 Secondary 8 Secondary 37 Secondary (14 Community (5 Foundation, 2 Voluntary 2 community, Aided 1 Voluntary 1 Foundation) Aided) Schools 114 Primary 64 Primary 10 primary 318 Primary (52 Community (3 Foundation, 9 Voluntary 4 Community, Aided 2 Voluntary 3 Voluntary Aided, 5 Special Controlled) 1 Voluntary 10 Special Controlled) Education authorities 1 DCC 1 1 1 Coastguard stations 3118 Fire brigade stations 22 5 3 51 Police stations 10 4 3 30

Rural South Devon and Dartmoor Unitary Authority - a concept proposal 29 Appendix C – MOSAIC’s deﬁ nitions for:

Group J – Grey Perspectives ‘Independent pensioners living in their own homes who are relatively active in their lifestyles’.

This group consists mostly of pensioners who own their own homes and have some source of income beyond the state pension. Many have, on retirement, moved to the countryside or seaside to live among people similar to themselves. This results in the formation of elderly neighbourhoods. Many have quite active lifestyles and are considered in their purchasing decisions. As members of this group age they may use up their capital and their health fail, at varying rates.

Not all members are ‘coastal geriatrics’. Some live in seasonal tourist locations where the servicing of visitors is a major source of income to younger neighbours. The environments have high amenity values, good order and low level of crime. Many residents are still able to drive but many either cannot or do not want to use their cars, relying on public transport and increasingly on taxis.

This group tends to prefer receiving information face to face. Educational levels are mixed, with typically a quarter having a degree, but more than a quarter without qualiﬁ cations. Diet tends to be good, and residents do not drink to excess. Smoking levels are about the national average. Heart and respiratory illness are relatively common, but less so than for more deprived older people. Age adjusted hospital admissions are slightly lower than national average, except emergency admissions, which are high. Crime levels, and the fear of crime, are low, although crime is perceived as increasing.

Group K – Rural Isolation ‘People living in rural areas where country life has not been inﬂ uenced by urban consumption patterns’.

There is a common identiﬁ cation with the life of the village that transcends differences in income and status and demands that people should be treated with equals irrespective of position. Despite the mix of incomes, most people own their own homes and not withstanding the low level of many rural incomes there is substantial hidden wealth in land and property.

Population is generally growing but has an increased average age. There are few opportunities for ambitious young people. Young couples who might like to raise children in these areas worry about lack of facilities; rural living is more attractive to older workers and retired people.

Children usually have good education, but the adult population has a mixed level of qualiﬁ cations. Residents tend to eat a good diet and not smoke. Most forms of disease except some cancers are less prevalent in these areas than in the country as a whole. Mental illness and social problems such as alcoholism and drug abuse, and teenage pregnancies are also much less of an issue than elsewhere.

The isolated nature of these areas make the inhabitants see them as distinctly good places to live, with generally very low fear and incidence of crime. Clearly, the elderly will claim state pension, but most people do not require pension credits. They are amongst the least ‘environmentally friendly’ groups, but through circumstance rather than choice.

30 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst Appendix D – Parish Clusters

Northern Link Committee Eastern Link Committee

Southern Link Committee

Totnes Parish Ivybridge Cluster Parish Cluster

Dartmouth Kingsbridge Parish Cluster Parish Cluster

RuralRural South Devon and Dartmoor UnitaryUnitary AuthorityAuthority - a concept proposal 3131 Putting our rural communities ﬁ rst

South Hams District Council

Sponsoring authorities: South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council