Could costly social care services be merged across county?

Plymouth City Council leader willing to look at proposals to make life better for vulnerable children

The leader of Plymouth City Council says he is willing to work with other local authorities across the county to merge some services if it means vulnerable children will have better life chances.

It comes as the government asks local authorities to work up final proposals on how Devon can be carved up under local authority reorganisation.

Savings are being called for and a simpler structure of local government made up of large unitary councils, who will be responsible for all local services.

The two-tier structure of district and county councils which exists in Devon and in 20 other parts of the country will be abolished.

In a feedback letter from ministers, Devon councils have been told that all their interim proposals put forward in March are neither being approved or rejected as this stage.

This means that Plymouth’s plan to expand its boundaries into 13 parishes of the South Hams, and Devon being split into three unitary authorities, favoured by all of districts apart Exeter, is still on the table.

Councils now have to work up one final option each which they believe fits all the criteria set out by Whitehall, showing potential savings and using data to back up their proposals.

One concern is how social care budgets will be managed as it is the biggest pressure on top-tier local authority finances – in Plymouth it makes up 83 per cent of the city council’s budget.

Recognising this, the government is asking councils what options have they considered for joint working across the new unitaries to deliver social care.

Plymouth leader Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) confirmed the city would be continuing with its plan to remain a single unitary authority but would be “up for any proposal that increased the life chances of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send)”.

“That is the prime concern and we will have a look at any proposals coming forward,” he said.

Plymouth has been working to improve its quality of special needs support, following a report of widespread failings in 2023. Recent feedback from parents and children had been good, he claimed.

He added that the authority already works with neighbouring areas as some children from Plymouth attend schools outside the city and visa versa.

He said the fact that the government had not told Plymouth to scrap its proposal for an extended unitary authority is positive.

“What we were looking for in the feedback letter was ‘are we completely bonkers in what we are proposing?’ and they haven’t told us scrap it or stop it so that means carrying on in my language.

“All of us (councils) will have to sit down and have chats about it and if we can come up with a plan of all solutions for Devon then lovely, and if we can’t that’s all right as well.

“We are quite clear about our proposal and why. Exeter have got plans for their area, Devon’s got plans, it might be impossible to bring all those competing requirements together.

“We just don’t know yet, we have four of five months to keep talking, There is a new administration at Devon County Council now so their ideas might have changed. We still have a lot of road to travel.”

Although encouraging merging of council areas, the government says it will consider boundary changes, as in the case of Plymouth, if there is a strong justification for it.

Final proposals have to be submitted in November.