DEVON County Council have welcomed a major new report from the County Councils Network (CCN), which warns that breaking up county councils into smaller unitary authorities could seriously harm the delivery of essential care services.

The report, Local Government Reorganisation: Analysing the Impact on People Services, provides strong evidence that larger councils are better equipped to deliver high-quality adult social care, children’s services, and support for people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

It highlights risks including increased costs, reduced service quality, and challenges in recruiting senior care staff.

Devon’s lead option for reorganisation proposes replacing all eight district, city and borough councils, along with Devon County Council, with a single new unitary authority covering the current county footprint – avoiding fragmentation of care services.

Key findings from the report include:

• Councils with populations below 500,000 could face up to £270 million in extra annual care costs;

• Smaller councils may need up to 1,100 additional senior care staff, costing £95 million;

• Larger councils are more likely to receive ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted ratings;

• Fragmentation could lead to legal disputes over care responsibilities.

Councillor Richard Keeling, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Services, said: ‘Smaller councils are more vulnerable to demand pressures and financial instability.

‘Devon’s preferred model keeps services together and protects quality’.

As well as protecting vital front line care services, the council’s lead option would see a network of local neighbourhood area committees, each comprising a range of representatives, including town and parish councils, health, police, voluntary and business sectors, as well as councillors from the new unitary authority.

Those local neighbourhood committees would have decision-making powers and budgets to improve local services for each community.

Residents can find out more about the proposals and give their views via the council’s community engagement website here: Have Your Say Today – New Devon – Your Say On Our Future – Commonplace