Devon County Council | |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Donna Manson since 17 February 2023 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 60 councillors |
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Political groups |
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Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 1 May 2025 |
Next election | May 2029 |
| Meeting place | |
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| County Hall, Topsham Road,Exeter, EX2 4QD | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Constitution | |
| The Constitution of Devon County Council | |
Devon County Council is thecounty council administering the English county ofDevon. The council is based atDevon County Hall in the city ofExeter.
The area administered by the county council is termed thenon-metropolitan county, which is smaller than theceremonial county; the non-metropolitan county excludesPlymouth andTorbay. The population of the non-metropolitan county was estimated at 795,286 in 2018,[2] making it the most populouslocal authority inSouth West England.
Devon is an area with "two-tier" local government, meaning that the county is divided intonon-metropolitan districts carrying out less strategic functions, such as taking mostplanning decisions. There are eight such districts in the county council's area, each with its own district, borough, or city council.
Devon County Council was established in 1889 under theLocal Government Act 1888, which created elected county councils to take over the administrative functions previously performed by unelectedmagistrates at thequarter sessions. Three boroughs within thegeographical county of Devon were excluded from the county council's authority:Devonport,Exeter, andPlymouth, which were each considered large enough for their existing councils to take on county-level functions. They were therefore madecounty boroughs. The county council was elected by and provided services to the remainder of Devon outside those three boroughs, an area termed theadministrative county.[3]
The first county council elections were held on 16 January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889. On that day it held its first official meeting in the courthouse atRougemont Castle (also known as Exeter Castle), which had been the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council.Charles Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 20th Baron Clinton, aConservative peer, was the first chairman of the council.[4] He had been the chairman of the Devon quarter sessions since 1863 and was also theLord Lieutenant of Devon.[5]
The council's budget in its first year was£50,000. In 1907, women became eligible for election and the first female councillor was elected in 1931.[6]
Stonehouse was removed from the administrative county in 1914 when it and Devonport were absorbed into the county borough of Plymouth.[7][8] Torbay was created as a new county borough in 1968, removing it from the administrative county.[9]
In 1971, Devon County Council signed atwinning charter with the Conseil General of Calvados to develop links with the French department ofCalvados.[10]
The council was significantly reformed in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. Exeter, Torbay and Plymouth were brought within the area controlled by the county council, which was reclassified as anon-metropolitan county. The lower of local government was reorganised at the same time. It had previously comprised numerousboroughs,urban districts andrural districts; after 1974 there were tennon-metropolitan districts in the county.[11] Torbay and Plymouth subsequently regained their independence from the county council in 1998 when their councils took over county council functions, making themunitary authorities.[12]
Since 2025 the county council has been a member of theDevon and Torbay Combined County Authority.[13][14]
In 2012 the council was fined £90,000 by theInformation Commissioner's Office (ICO) after it sent confidential and sensitive information about twenty-two people, including criminal allegations and information about theirmental health, to the wrong recipient. Commenting on Devon and other authorities who had made similar data protection breaches, the ICO said "It would be far too easy to consider these breaches as simplehuman error. The reality is that they are caused by councils treating sensitive personal data in the same routine way they would deal with more general correspondence. Far too often in these cases, the councils do not appear to have acknowledged that the data they are handling is about real people, and often the more vulnerable members of society."[15]
The county council is based atDevon County Hall on Topsham Road in Exeter, which was completed in 1964 to the designs ofDonald McMorran.[16]
Prior to 1964 the council was based at Rougemont Castle in Exeter, where the quarter sessions for the county had been held for many years prior to the creation of the county council. An office building for the county council was built in 1895 adjoining the existing courthouse, which had been built in 1773 within the castle.[17]
The council has been underno overall control since the2025 election, with theLiberal Democrats the largest party, holding 27 of the 60 seats. Theleader of the council, Julian Brazil, is a Liberal Democrat, and the party has nine of the ten seats on the council's cabinet. The other cabinet place is held by theGreen Party.[18]
As of 17 September 2025, the composition of the council was:[19][20]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 27 |  | |
| Reform | 16 |  2 | |
| Conservative | 7 | | |
| Green | 6 | | |
| Independent | 4 |  2 | |
| Total: | 60 | ||
The two independent councillors sit with the Green Party as the "Green and Independent Group".[21]
Since the last boundary changes in 2017 the council has comprised 60councillors, representing 58electoral divisions. Most divisions elect one councillor, but two divisions (Broadclyst and Exmouth) elect two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[22] The next election is due in 2029.[23]
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[24][25][26]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1985 | |
| No overall control | 1985–1989 | |
| Conservative | 1989–1993 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1993–2001 | |
| No overall control | 2001–2005 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2005–2009 | |
| Conservative | 2009–2025 | |
| No overall control | 2025–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 1974 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Creber[27] | Conservative | 1974 | 1981 | |
| Arnold Sayers[28][29] | Conservative | 1981 | 1985 | |
| David Morrish[28] | Liberal | 1985 | Jul 1987 | |
| (no leader)[28] | Jul 1987 | May 1989 | ||
| Ted Pinney[28][30] | Conservative | May 1989 | May 1991 | |
| Simon Day[31][32] | Conservative | May 1991 | 1993 | |
| Brian Greenslade[33] | Liberal Democrats | May 1993 | 2002 | |
| Christine Channon[34] | Conservative | 2002 | 2003 | |
| Brian Greenslade | Liberal Democrats | 2003 | 2004 | |
| Christine Channon[34] | Conservative | 2004 | May 2005 | |
| Brian Greenslade[35][36] | Liberal Democrats | 26 May 2005 | Jun 2009 | |
| John Hart[37][38] | Conservative | 25 Jun 2009 | May 2024 | |
| James McInnes[39][40] | Conservative | 23 May 2024 | 1 May 2025 | |
| Julian Brazil[18] | Liberal Democrats | 23 May 2025 | ||
Devon County Council's responsibilities include schools, social care for the elderly and vulnerable, road maintenance, libraries and trading standards.[41] It is the largest employer inDevon, employing over 20,000 people,[41] and has the largest minor road length (7,373 miles (11,866 km) — 2014) of any UK local authority; major roads are managed byNational Highways.[42] Devon County Council leadsDevonBus, anEnhanced Partnership covering the county, with the purpose of improving the bus network and creating a unified brand for buses in the county.[43] Devon County Council appoints eleven members to theDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority.[44] TheOffice for National Statistics estimated that the mid-2014 population of the non-metropolitan area of Devon was 765,302, which is the largest in theSouth West England region.[45]
The county council's area is also administered by eight smaller authorities that have their owndistrict,borough orcity councils. The responsibilities of these councils include local planning, council housing, refuse collection, sports and leisure facilities, and street cleaning. The district areas are further divided intocivil parishes, which have "parish councils" or "town councils"; the latter of which often use atown hall. Typical activities undertaken by a parish council include maintaining allotments, footpaths, playing fields and the local community or village hall. On some matters, the county council share responsibilities with the district and parish councils. These include economic development and regeneration, emergency planning, tourism promotion and coastal protection.[41]
| No. ‡ | District | Type of council | Population (mid-2014 est.)[45] | Area (hectares)[46] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Exeter | City council | 124,328 | 4,789 |
| 4 | East Devon | District council | 136,374 | 82,372 |
| 3 | Mid Devon | District council | 79,198 | 91,290 |
| 1 | North Devon | District council | 94,059 | 110,504 |
| 2 | Torridge | District council | 65,618 | 99,566 |
| 6 | West Devon | Borough council | 54,260 | 116,472 |
| 9 | South Hams | District council | 84,108 | 90,525 |
| 7 | Teignbridge | District council | 127,357 | 68,101 |
‡ As shown on map
There was no establishedcoat of arms for the county until 1926: the arms of the City ofExeter were often used to represent Devon, for instance in the badge of theDevonshire Regiment. During the formation of a county council by theLocal Government Act 1888, adoption of acommon seal was required. The seal contained three shields depicting the arms of Exeter along with those of the first chairman and vice-chairman of the council (Lord Clinton and theEarl of Morley).[47]
On 11 October 1926, the county council received a grant of arms from theCollege of Arms. The main part of the shield displays a red crowned lion on a silver field, the arms ofRichard Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall. Thechief or upper portion of the shield depicts an ancient ship on waves, for Devon's seafaring traditions. TheLatin motto adopted wasAuxilio Divino ("by divine aid"), that of SirFrancis Drake. The 1926 grant was ofescutcheon (shield) alone. On 6 March 1962 a further grant of crest and supporters was obtained. The crest is the head of aDartmoor Pony rising from a "Naval Crown". This distinctive form of crown is formed from the sails and sterns of ships, and is associated with theRoyal Navy. The supporters are aDevon bull and asea lion.[48][49]
The County Council adopted a 'ship silhouette' logo after the 1974 reorganisation, adapted from the ship emblem on the coat of arms, but following the loss in 1998 of Plymouth and Torbay re-adopted the coat of arms. In April 2006 the council unveiled anew logo which was to be used in most everyday applications, though the coat of arms will continue to be used for "various civic purposes".[50][51]
In 2002, theBBC Devon website held a poll in response to a discussion for aflag of Devon. Ryan Sealey's winning design of green, white, and black was raised outside County Hall in 2006 to celebrate Local Democracy Week and is endorsed by Devon County Council.[52]
From 2007 to 2010 there was a strong possibility that Devon's two-tier council structure might be reorganised. In December 2007, a bid byExeter City Council to become a unitary council was referred by theDepartment for Communities and Local Government to theBoundary Committee for England, as they felt the application did not meet all their strict criteria. Had the bid succeeded, Devon County Council, headquartered inExeter, would have had no local governmental control of the City of Exeter.
The Boundary Committee was asked to look at the feasibility of a unitary Exeter in the context of examining options for unitary arrangements in the wider Devon county area, and reported back in July 2008 recommending a 'unitary Devon' (excludingPlymouth andTorbay), with a second option of a 'unitary Exeter &Exmouth' (combined) and a unitary 'rest of Devon'. This would have abolished lower-tier district councils which work together with Devon County Council. These proposals were put out to consultation until September 2008 and the Committee was expected to make final recommendations to the Secretary of State by the end of the year. As a result of a number of legal challenges to the process and also dissatisfaction on the part of the Secretary of State with the manner in which the Boundary Committee assessed proposals, a recommendation was unlikely until March or April 2009.[53]
The Boundary Committee was delayed again following legal challenge by a group of councils in the county ofSuffolk.[54] TheCourt of Appeal rejected the legal challenge in December 2009 and the Boundary Committee was expected to return to making recommendations on the proposals, to be published at an unknown date.[55]
On 10 February 2010, local government ministers gave the go-ahead for Exeter's unitary authority status and ruled out the chance of Devon's unitary authority status, leaving it as a rural county.[56] However, following the2010 general election the new government announced in May 2010 that the reorganisation would be stopped.[57][58]
...he was leader from 1981 to 1985...
Christine was... Leader of the Council between 2002–03 and 2004–05...
50°42′53″N3°31′3″W / 50.71472°N 3.51750°W /50.71472; -3.51750 (County Hall)
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| National | |
| Other | |
