Devon County County Annual Report 2025
Hatherleigh and Chagford Division Annual Report March 2025
It’s hard to believe it’s twenty years since I was elected County Councillor for the Hatherleigh & Chagford Division. Putting the budget together for 2025/26 has been the most difficult in those twenty years. Two months before we had to agree the 2025/26 Budget the government announces we would be losing the Rural Services Delivery Grant, which was £10 million. We had to go back and redo our work, much of this through Christmas and New Year. You will see from the table below that the budget has increased by 5.9%, with more funding going into Adult Services, Children’s Services and Highways. We had to increase Council Tax by 4.99%, 2.99% basic and 2% to Adult Social Care. This was a difficult decision in the economic climate, but we must be able to deliver services to Devon’s residents.
| 24/25 Adj base budget | Inflation & LLW | Other growth & pressures | Savings alternative funding & additional income | 25/26 Target budget | Net change 24/25 to 25/26 | ||
| £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | % | |
| Integrated Adult Social Care | 354,322 | 19,120 | 18,190 | (8,185) | 383,447 | 29,125 | 8.2% |
| Children and Young People’s Futures | 224,970 | 7,834 | 11,054 | (6,530) | 237,328 | 12,358 | 5.5% |
| Public Health & Communities | 13,931 | 225 | 365 | (1,450) | 13,071 | (860) | -6.2% |
| Performance & Partnerships | 7,431 | 121 | 75 | (447) | 7,180 | (251) | -3.4% |
| Corporate Services | 54,709 | 1,251 | 2,822 | (3,319) | 55,463 | 754 | 1.4% |
| Climate Change, Environment & Transport | 84,753 | 3,346 | 1,312 | (1,808) | 87,603 | 2,850 | 3.4% |
| TOTALS | 740,116 | 31,897 | 33,818 | (21,739) | 784,092 | 43,976 | 5.9% |
Adult Services
Adult Services are expecting a Care Quality Commission inspection in the next six months. Customer service data puts Devon’s Adult services in the top quartile. We are fortunate in Devon that most of our providers are Good or Outstanding, but it is a constant struggle for providers, getting staff and dealing with rising costs. How the whole system works together including the NHS, is crucial for the long-term sustainability of services.
Children’s Services
Children’s Services had an Ofsted inspection in October last year and we have not yet received the outcome letter. Our partners tell us Children’s Services are improving and we have seen a gradual reduction in the number of children in care. We are investing in small Children’s Homes and as a result more children are being placed in Devon. We are also investing in accommodation for Care Leavers. We are seeing a more stable workforce, and our Director of Children’s Services said recently, he can see a real improvement.
SEND
Special Educational Needs is the biggest issue the Council faces, like most education authorities across England. We are seeing demand for SEND services continue to grow. Our SEND Transformation Program is making a difference in bringing forward the right services, but the costs are exceeding the money available, and we are still seeing a rise in Education and Health Care Plans. It has been recognised nationally that the SEND System is broken and there have been several influential reports urging government in bring forward plans to overhaul how SEND works. For me we need to see more SEND funding in schools. Mainstream school is the best place for most children with SEND.
Highways
We have seen a slight reduction in potholes this winter. Although we have had a couple of spells of snow it has not been as cold with a hard frost. It is important to report potholes, don’t presume others have.
www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/report-a-pothole/
The roads have been starved of investment for many years and I was pleased with the over £83 million capital investment from government. With the extra funding of £16milllion from DCC, this takes us to nearly £100 million, which will make a difference. We have been working with the Department of Transport on how they can get data from councils on the effectiveness of this sort of investment, so the recent announcement from government on the requirement to submit data is helpful.
CCA
The inaugural meeting of the Devon & Torbay County Combined Authority took place in Tavistock earlier this month. The CCA is a high-level partnership which covers areas like: Adult Training, Strategic Transport and Housing working with District Councils. This partnership is important going forward as government changes how local and reginal government works.
Local Government Reform
DCC are working with the Devon Association of Local Councils and below is some information.
Parish and town councils are the tier of local government closest to the electorate with a range of powers that make a difference to towns, villages across the county. The Civic Agreement between Devon County Council and the Devon Association of Local Councils recognises the critical role of precepting councils, at all tiers of local government, in local service delivery and place-shaping. With a shared commitment to vibrant local governance, both parties aim to foster good relations and collaboration between our organisations, between councils, and the elected members, officers, and communities they represent.
The Government is planning a large-scale programme of local government restructuring in England. It is facilitating local government reorganisation in each of the 21 two tier areas and wants to deliver the process as quickly as possible.
On 5 February 2025 the Minister of State for Local Government wrote to the Leaders (including Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council) of all the principal councils in Devon to formally invite proposals for local government reorganisation. He asked for interim plans to be submitted by 21 March 2025 and final proposals by 28 November 2025. If, having considered proposals, the Government decides to implement any of them, the necessary legislation will need to be approved by Parliament and “shadow” unitary councils established.
Proposed new unitary authorities will be required to:
a) have a population of 500,000 or more “as a guiding principle”, with exceptions requiring a clear rationale
b) “prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens”
c) “show how councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views”
d) “support devolution arrangements”
e) “Enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment”.
The Minister’s letter says that existing district areas should be considered the building blocks for proposals, but “where there is a strong justification more complex boundary changes will be considered.”
Members of Devon County Council considered a proposed interim plan that sets out a range of options at their meeting on 20 March 2025. It is available on this webpage – Agenda for Council on Thursday, 20th March, 2025, 2.00 pm – Democracy in Devon. Each of the possible patterns for future unitary local government recognises the vital role that town and parish councils play in the communities that they represent.
The new County Council will be elected on 1 May 2025, and it will be for those members to determine which option/s to take forward and in light of Government feedback and clarity on some areas within the guidance.
In developing the proposal over coming months, the County Council will engage town and parish councils and the Devon Association of Local Councils. This will include discussion and exploration of a range of issues including:
• Precepting and council tax
• Devolving assets and/or services
• Neighbourhood planning
• Supporting town and parish council in working
The anticipated timetable is currently:
• 21 March 2025: Submission of interim plan to Government.
• April/May 2025: Further development and collaborative work on options and feedback from Government on interim plan.
• June to November 2025: Work and engagement of key partners (eg NHS, national parks authorities, police) on full proposal/s for single local government structure across Devon and submission to Government by 28 November 2025.
• December 2025 – March 2026: Ministerial decision on the best option for single local government structure across Devon
• March 2026 – March 2027: Government consultation on any proposal. Parliamentary legislation. Transition planning and implementation.
• April 2027: Elections to shadow unitary council/s.
• April 2028: Vesting of unitary council/s.
This timetable is speculative and likely to change.
The County Council and DALC will work jointly over coming months to develop a proposal/s that would enable a new unitary structure to engage and empower local communities. Alongside thinking about the future structure of local government in Devon, the County Council also wants to further develop its relationships with local councils and communities and explore opportunities to develop local services and assets.
DNPA
I continue to be a Member of Dartmoor National Park Authority, which is very challenging. As I write this report DEFRA has not yet announced the grant for National Parks and we don’t know if it will be flat cash or a cut. DNPA continues to deliver its role through Lottery funding and other one-off grants, but revenue funding to run DNPA is very difficult. This is an issue that will have to be addressed in the coming years.
Locality Budget
The Locality Budget is closed as we have the County Council elections on the 1st of May. It should be open again by the end of May 2025.
County Election
This will be my last Annual report as I’m retiring on the 1st of May. It has been an honour and a privilege to be the County Councillor for Hatherleigh & Chagford Division. Thank you for all your help and support over the years. I’m pleased that Lois Samuel is standing for the Hatherleigh & Chagford Division. She is an experienced Councillor, who lives and works in the Division.
Cllr James McInnes
Hatherleigh Chagford Division