DEVON councils who are moving towards a link-up which they believe could unlock millions of pounds in government cash have been warned “it’s not a done deal yet”.
The government has given Devon County Council and Torbay Council the go-ahead to prepare to become a Combined County Authority (CCA), which supporters say will give it access to more government cash and more of a say in how to spend it.
The two Conservative-led councils will launch a public consultation on the deal soon, but Labour-led Plymouth has walked away, saying the new arrangement would leave it with less power than it has at the moment.
The CCA, if it happens, would not affect the status of district councils such as Teignbridge. But such local authorities are wary.
“We don’t know if it will be beneficial to the districts or not,” said Teignbridge District Council leader Martin Wrigley (Lib Dem, Dawlish NE).
“There is much to be welcomed, such as more control over public transport, higher education, adult education and other things.
“But there are still questions over the impact on housing and how it might affect this council’s ability to deliver affordable, modern new homes for our residents.”
He said there was still no agreement between potential partners of the new combined authority.
He continued: “We are still having discussions about it. Until we know all the details it is impossible to say if it is going to go forward with our blessing or not.
“I have little faith that it will go ahead, but we shall see what happens.”
Guy Henderson
LDRS