Yesterday Owl wrote that as a result of failing to join the Devon & Torbay Combined County Council, Plymouth “has, so to speak, been left high, dry and voiceless in the devolution stakes.”
A day is along time in politics.
Plymouth is to explore greater influence over transport, skills and investment decisions, by agreeing to develop a proposal for the city to join the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority.
The decision, which will be taken at Cabinet on 20 July 2026, does not commit the Council to membership. It allows officers to work with the Combined County Authority and National Government to develop a detailed proposal, which would be considered by councillors later this year.
Last year, the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority became a Foundation Strategic Authority, strengthening local control over funding and decision-making and ensuring that more decisions affecting the area are made by local leaders. It is led by a board of council leaders and does not have a mayor. Joining would not create a mayor for Plymouth or change the services the Council provides to residents.
Membership would give Plymouth a seat at the table on decisions that already affect the city, including transport investment and adult skills funding. It would also strengthen the peninsula’s collective case for investment, growth and opportunity.
The move follows a letter sent by Council Leader Councillor Tudor Evans OBE to Government on 13 February 2026, confirming Plymouth’s willingness to explore Foundation membership. It is separate from, and does not depend on, the ongoing process of local government reorganisation in Devon.
Any proposal brought forward for councillors to consider will need to demonstrate clear benefits for Plymouth’s residents, communities and businesses.
Councillor Tudor Evans OBE, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “Decisions about transport funding and adult skills for our area are already being made around a table that Plymouth is not sitting at. This is about ensuring our city has a voice where those decisions are taken and making the strongest possible case for Plymouth.
“No decision has been made about membership. Cabinet has asked officers to develop a full proposal so councillors can consider the evidence, understand the opportunities and make an informed decision later this year.
“Our focus will be on one simple question: whether joining would deliver real benefits for Plymouth’s residents, businesses and communities.”
Councillor David Thomas, Chair of the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority, said: “From the start we have worked on the principle of start well, scale well, and Plymouth choosing to explore membership is a sign of the momentum we are building. Our area is stronger when its rural, coastal and urban communities pull in the same direction.
“Plymouth is a vital part of the economy of this peninsula. We already work together on programmes like Connect to Work and we would welcome the opportunity to develop this proposal jointly, so that decisions about our shared future are made here, by the people who know this area best.”
Here are some relevant quotes from Andy Burnham:
“The time has come to build the broadest possible coalition of people to lift Britain back up to where we all want it to be.
“What hope can we have that it will be different this time. This is the question I would be asking as a voter right now. It’s the one I want to answer as clearly as I can today….
…..”The Greater Manchester way is based on strong partnership between all sectors: public, private, community, voluntary, academic, faith and our trade unions.
“We ask everyone to face the same way and then pull in that same direction together. Let me give you an example.
East Devon Watch 