Local government reorganisation: announcement 17/07/2026

 

The Government has now announced its decision on local government reorganisation (LGR) in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.

The Government has selected the proposal put forward by Plymouth and Exeter city councils, creating four new unitary councils across Devon. The 11 existing councils in the area will be reorganised into four unitary authorities, replacing the current two-tier system of county and district councils.

These new councils will comprise of the current areas of:

• Exeter City Council, plus 15 parishes from Teignbridge District Council, 28 parishes from East Devon District Council and six parishes from Mid Devon District Council (referred to in the proposal as ‘Exeter’)
• Plymouth City Council, plus 13 parishes from South Hams District Council (referred to in the proposal as ‘Plymouth’)
• Torbay Council, plus 17 parishes from Teignbridge District Council and four from South Hams District Council (referred to in the proposal as ‘Torbay’)
• East Devon District Council (minus the 28 parishes in ‘Exeter’, Mid Devon District Council (minus the six parishes in ‘Exeter’), North Devon Council, South Hams District Council (minus the 13 parishes in ‘Plymouth’ and the four parishes in ‘Torbay’, Teignbridge District Council (minus the 15 parishes in ‘Exeter’ and 17 parishes in ‘Torbay’), Torridge District Council and West Devon Borough Council (referred to in the proposal as ‘Devon Coast and Countryside Council’)

What happens next?

The Government’s decision marks an important step in the LGR process, but there is still significant work to do before the new unitary councils are established. We will continue to monitor developments and keep members updated as more information becomes available.