Plymouth Looks to the Moors – and Beyond

Civic Centre and Council House, Plymouth.

Plymouth City Council has unveiled ambitious plans to expand its boundaries, incorporating 13 neighbouring parishes. This proposal comes in response to the UK government’s latest English Devolution White Paper, which calls for larger, more efficient local authorities with greater powers.

But is this a necessary step towards stronger regional governance, or a controversial land grab that will face fierce opposition? As councils across the country grapple with Whitehall’s shifting devolution agenda, Plymouth’s push for expansion raises critical questions about local democracy, economic growth, and the balance of power between urban and rural communities.

The council has laid out several options for expansion, some based on NHS boundaries, Housing Market Areas, and one to do nothing. A council report, that’s set for debate on Monday 17th March in an all-council meeting, was published last week and settles on Option 1, based on the Plymouth Growth Area. The new population for this expanded area would be 300,733, an increase of about 30,000. This gets Plymouth closer to meeting the government’s 500,000 population threshold for Unitary Authorities.

Slide to see the proposed changes to the city's boundary.

Councillor Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: "This is a pivotal moment for Plymouth and the residents in our neighbouring parishes. 

“Our preferred option for local government reorganisation will strengthen our city's identity and bring significant benefits to our residents. Through a modest boundary expansion, we can deliver better public services, create more jobs, and build much-needed new homes. This reorganisation is essential for our long-term financial sustainability and will empower our communities like never before. 

In a joint statement published on South Hams District Council’s website, the leaders of most Devon district councils said they had reached an initial agreement to work towards the formation of two new Councils. These proposals are known as the ‘1:4:5’ plans, with Plymouth being the ‘1’:

• South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon areas with Torbay into one Unitarity Authority (being the 4);

• East, Mid and North Devon alongside Torridge District and the City of Exeter into one Unitarity Authority (being the 5).

The leader of South Hams District Council, Liberal Democrat Julian Brazil, said he would fight the "land grab" as councils struggled to reach a consensus on how Devon should be carved up. Speaking to BBC News, the council boss said “This is cherry-picking by Plymouth.

"What they're trying to do is to get the valuable land from the South Hams and put it into Plymouth City Council."

Brazil said he was "struggling to understand how an urban city council can take on a rural hump and expect to deliver efficiencies and better services".

Exeter City Council opposes the ‘1:4:5’ plans and has instead launched its own bid for unitary status.

Exeter City Council Leader Phil Bialyk said: “It was a very good discussion and debate, and I am glad that we have been able to establish cross-party support with a unanimous vote to build our case for Exeter to become a unitary authority and play a full part in a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Devon and Cornwall.

“There are lots of discussions that will now take place with our neighbouring authorities and strategic partners as we work on the details of the proposal.”

At around 130,000 people, Exeter City Council’s area is currently too small to qualify for unitary status under the government’s plans, it’s unclear how the council will address this in their full business case published later this year.