A PROPOSAL for Torridge and North Devon to merge as a new authority under the local government shake up has been thrown out after a heated council meeting which the leader described as “a bit of a circus”.

The plan by Cllr Huw Thomas (Green, Bideford East) for a northern Devon council was voted down by 18 votes to seven at a full council meeting to which a third of the council didn’t turn up.

He was supported by Green, non-aligned and Labour members as he made the case for a unitary authority which would champion the area and its unique strengths.

The government has announced its preference for how Devon should be carved up under the changes with an expanded Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay council and a rural Devon council covering the rest of the county but the process has been put on hold following legal advice.

Cllr Thomas said Torridge should not sit back while the process was in limbo but should instead put forward an amended plan that made northern Devon a focus in the shake-up.

Under his vision for Devon, Cllr Thomas said there should be a northern council consisting of Torridge and North Devon, an eastern council taking in the existing Mid Devon, East Devon and Exeter councils, a west council including West Devon and South Hams and a south council made up of Torbay and Teignbridge while Plymouth remained on its own.

The district councils in Devon had previously spent thousands working up a different proposal to meet the government’s formula putting North Devon and Torridge in with Exeter, Mid Devon and Exeter as part of a three unitary council structure for Devon but this was rejected by ministers, who agreed that Plymouth and Exeter’s vision was the one they would support.

Cllr Peter Hames (Green, Appledore) said Cllr Thomas’ proposal was “a starting point for discussion” and was not being imposed on anyone but it offered an alternative to the Devon rural unitary authority which would be “disastrous”.

Cllr Philip Pennington (Non Aligned, Monkleigh and Putford) said there was mileage in the idea as it would have “a voice to say northern Devon has a lot to offer”.

But council leader Cllr Ken James (Ind, Milton and Tamarside) said he was “really disappointed” by the proposal because North Devon Council had not even been consulted on it, it wasn’t the right time to put forward a new plan to the government and it had caused much anxiety amongst staff who were worried about their jobs.

He said other councils in Devon had written to him asking “what the hell is going on”.

“I do despair to be honest. The government is not asking for new proposals. Other district councils think we are jumping the gun without proper consultation on this.

“Whatever we do we have to do as a Devon-wide thing, we have to involve other councils. There may be time to make representation in the future but this is not the right time.”