Consultation on Proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay

Overview

This statutory consultation seeks views on the proposals that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has received following the Secretary of State’s invitation to councils in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay to submit proposals for unitary local government for their area. You can find full details of the consultation, including a privacy statement, at: Local government reorganisation in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay - GOV.UK

The 5 proposals in this consultation were made by the following councils on 28 November 2025: 

1. Devon County Council proposed 3 unitary councils These would comprise the current areas of: 

• Devon Unitary Council: East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge and West Devon 

• Plymouth​ to remain unchanged 

• Torbay ​to remain unchanged 

2. South Hams District Council, Teignbridge Borough Council, West Devon Borough Council proposed 3 unitary councils. These would comprise the current areas of: 

• Exeter and Northern Devon Unitary: East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon and Torridge  

• Plymouth to remain unchanged 

• Torbay and Southern Devon Unitary: South Hams, Teignbridge, Torbay  and West Devon ​ 

3. East Devon Borough Council, Mid Devon District Council, North Devon Council, Torridge District Council proposed 3 unitary councils. This includes a request to split existing district council areas between the proposed new councils. These would comprise the current areas of: 

• Exeter and Northern Devon Unitary: East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, and Torridge 

• Plymouth Expanded: parts of the parishes of Bickleigh, Briston, Shaugh Prior and Sparkwell from the neighbouring district of South Hams  

• Torbay and Southern Devon Unitary: South Hams, Teignbridge, Torbay ​and West Devon  

4. Exeter City Council and Plymouth City Council proposed 4 unitary councils. This includes a request to split existing district council areas between the proposed new councils. These would comprise the current areas of: 

• Devon Coast and Countryside: The rest of Devon 

• Exeter: plus 15 parishes from within Teignbridge District Council, 28 parishes from within East Devon District Council and 6 parishes from within Mid-Devon District Council.​ 

• Plymouth: plus 13 parishes from South Hams 

• Torbay: plus 22 parishes from within Teignbridge District Council and South Hams District Council.​ 

5. Torbay Council proposed 4 unitary councils. This includes a request to split existing district council areas between the proposed new councils. These would comprise the current areas of: 

• Exeter Council: plus 15 parishes from within Teignbridge District Council, 28 parishes from within East Devon District Council and 6 parishes from within Mid Devon District Council 

• Plymouth Council: plus 13 parishes from South Hams 

• Rural Devon Coast and Countryside Council: The rest of Devon 

• Torbay Council to remain unchanged 

You can find all five proposals listed above at: www.devonlgr.co.uk. 

This consultation asks questions about each proposal to help inform the assessment of the proposals.