UNITY among Devon’s councils over how the county should be overhauled looks increasingly unlikely, leading to a claim it is beginning to look like “cloudy lemonade”.

Proposals are being drawn up by various Devon councils in response to the government’s bid to overhaul how local councils are structured, but different civic halls are becoming more determined to submit their own suggestions.

At East Devon District Council’s full council meeting (Wednesday 15 October), Councillor Mike Goodman (Conservative, Sidmouth Sidbury) said the emerging picture from Devon was now becoming mixed because of a range of differing proposals.

Cllr Goodman then referenced comments made by Councillor Paul Arnott (Liberal Democrat, Coly Valley) earlier this month about a “most logical option” being for the county council and Devon’s eight districts to merge into one new unitary council.

However, those comments were linked to Cllr Arnott’s role as cabinet member for local government reorganisation at the county council, and not in his capacity as the leader of East Devon District Council.

“In October, the leader said that through research and community engagement, it was clear a single unitary replacing the eight district councils and Devon County Council was the most logical option, and he went on to say the council been handed a lemon and so was attempting to make democratic lemonade,” Cllr Goodman said.

“Does he agree the lemonade is now cloudy?”

But Councillor John Loudoun (Independent, Sidmouth Rural) reaffirmed that Cllr Arnott had not said that in his capacity as leader of East Devon, but through his role on the county council.

The exchange came shortly before East Devon confirmed it was sticking to one of the earliest local government reorganisation suggestions, known as the 4-5-1 model.

That would see East, Mid, and North Devon combined with Torridge and Exeter to create one unitary council, then West Devon, Teignbridge, South Hams and Torbay fused together to create another, and Plymouth allowed to remain as an existing unitary council.

Councils have been forced by government to submit proposals for how they should be reorganised. This is because ministers want to eradicate the so-called two-tier system of local government that exists in 21 areas of England, including Devon.

This is where in the same geographic area, a county council is responsible for some services and districts for others.

In Devon, the county council has responsibility for the likes of adult and children’s social care and education, while district councils oversee areas such as planning and waste collection.

Torbay and Plymouth are already unitary councils, which mean they have responsibility for all services within their geographic boundary.

Devon County Council recently outlined its ‘New Devon’ proposal, which would see the county council’s existing footprint retained, but the county council and its eight underlying districts merged together to create a mega unitary council. Under those plans, both Torbay and Plymouth would remain distinct local authorities.

Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay are also curating their own proposals.

East Devon said its preferred option – the 4-5-1 plan – reflects Devon’s “natural communities, travel-to-work areas, and economic geographies”, and is designed to “deliver more coherent planning, stronger service delivery, and a unified voice for the county for now and for the future”.

In a joint statement, the five council leaders said: “We are committed to creating councils that are built around people and place, reflecting the unique geography, economy, and identity of Devon and giving its residents services they can be proud of for generations to come.

“We have worked very hard across a wide geography and a range of political backgrounds to develop this plan.

“Our proposal aims to create a more effective and financially sustainable local government for Devon by aligning council boundaries with real communities and local economies. The new structure will deliver better, more integrated high-quality public services, while ensuring decisions are made closer to residents and reflect local needs.”

The group thanked residents, businesses and others for their feedback, which they said had been “central” to shaping its proposals.

The councils are continuing to refine their proposals prior to their submission based on ongoing feedback and will be holding further engagement sessions with stakeholders.

Final proposals will be submitted to the government by the deadline of Friday 28 November.