Or by giving Plymouth, Torbay and an expanded Exeter a free pass from contributing to the upkeep of Devon’s glorious coast and countryside, will it increase rural poverty?

Illfracombe epitomises rural poverty, it’s the most deprived urban area in Devon with the lowest healthy life expectancy of any rural town in the country

Here is a litany of deprivation in Illfracombe, sourced from Devon County Council (various) and Selaine Saxby’s 2023 speech in Parliament.

Parts of the Ilfracombe town centre rank in the most deprived in England (bottom 10%), with nearly 30% to 37% of residents experiencing income hardship and nearly 40% of children affected by poverty.

It is a low-skill economy. Some 20% of over-16s have no qualifications at all.

House prices surged significantly post-pandemic, creating a high affordability ratio (around 10 times local earnings). Some 37% of the population in Ilfracombe rent.

It is 12 miles from Barnstaple, the major town in northern Devon, and almost 60 miles from Devon’s county town, the city of Exeter, leading to economic isolation.

Ilfracombe has the lowest healthy life expectancy of any rural town in the country, and a life expectancy over a decade below that of the healthiest towns in Devon.

Ilfracombe has the second biggest catchment of any secondary school in the country.

The town is still littered with derelict buildings and has 20 large buildings unoccupied. They are falling down and intermittently one is burnt to the ground.

Here’s the challenge – Take the Illfracombe Test

Andy Burnham is planning a summer listening tour across UK coastal and seaside communities to address local decline and devolve powers – dubbed “Burnham-on-Sea”. 

Angela Rayner, the original architect of local government reorganisation, has just been reappointed as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

So here’s a challenge for them both.

Visit Illfracombe and explain how creating a “Devon Coast and Countryside” combined authority, effectively giving Plymouth, Torbay and an expanded Exeter a free pass from contributing to the upkeep of Devon’s glorious coast and countryside, solves rural poverty.