STAFF from Devon County Council will be in Dawlish and Bovey Tracey next week as part of a series of community events to discuss local government reorganisation.

Teams will be at The Strand in Dawlish on Tuesday July 29 between 8.30am and 10.30am then at Town Square, Bovey Tracey between the same times on Thursday July 31.

These are the latest in a series of 28 roadshows across Devon aimed at giving then public the chance to shape services in the county.

Devon County Council leader Cllr Julian Brazil has sharply criticised plans to restructure local government.

He says he doesn’t agree with the way the government is going about reorganising local government structures but that he does believe it’s an opportunity to look properly at how councils could deliver better public services.

Last year, the government announced it wants to abolish two-tier authorities – county councils and district councils – and to replace them with single unitary authorities, some of them Mayoral led.

It now wants local authorities affected to engage with local residents, to seek views on new local government structures for their areas.

Councils need to submit proposals for new structures by 28 November, after which the government will lead formal consultation of firm proposals.

The roadshows are asking residents to prioritise public services that are most important to them.

The public will be asked what they value most in their local area, and what they would like to see more of in their communities.