Purpose

To seek agreement to the submission of
Plymouth City Council’s Local Government Reorganisation
Proposal for Devon in response to the Statutory Invitation issued
by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government under Section 2 of the of the Local Government and
Public Involvement in Public Health Act 2007.

Decision

Having considered all
relevant information—including the report, the Scrutiny
recommendations, the Full Council debate, the alternative options,
and the statutory, legal, financial and equalities
implications—and being satisfied that the decision is
reasonable, proportionate, and in the best interests of the
Council, Cabinet agreed:
 
1.   
The “Plymouth City Council’s Local Government
Reorganisation Proposal for Devon” document as set out in
Appendix A and approves its submission to the Secretary of State
for Housing, Communities and Local Government;

Reason: To respond to the statutory invitation issued by the
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to
Plymouth City Council on 05 December 2024 and to comply
with the requirement to submit final proposals by 28
November 2025;

2.   
To delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with
the Leader, to make any final changes to the “Plymouth City
Council’s Proposal for Local Government Reorganisation in
Devon” before the deadline for submission;

Reason: To enable the Chief Executive to make any necessary
final changes to the City Council’s proposal as
necessary in order to meet the Government’s
submission deadline of 28 November 2025;

3.   
Subject to agreement by Exeter City Council at a meeting of their
Executive (Cabinet) on 26 November 2025, this proposal and Exeter's
proposal be submitted to the Government as a single proposal
comprising a shared Executive Summary and the detailed rationale
for the Plymouth and Exeter position as appendices;

Reason: To acknowledge that the Plymouth and Exeter
proposals are in essence the same; to streamline the
future consultation process; and to send a strong message to
Government that the urban centres of Devon are united in their
support of the Four Unitary Model.