PM is prepared to look again at reorganisation but wants to hear from the Communities Secretary.

From a correspondent:

Dear Owl, 

I read with interest Andy Burnham replying to Conservative MP for South West Devon, Rebecca Smith, on the proposed Devon devolution that:  

“I am prepared to look at local government reorganisation – I’ll ask the communities secretary to do that.” 

“Where possible we need as much consent as we can get – if she’s telling me we need to work harder to find that then I’m always prepared to do what I can.”

We must all, therefore, e-mail/write to Andy and Angela Rayner asking them to reconsider LGR in Devon.

The proposed urban centric devolution plan, opposed during consultation by 70% and only favoured by 20%, leaves around half a million Devonians in an administratively unmanageable rural rump. 

This rump will become the largest unitary area in the country with the lowest density of people, with one of the oldest population groups and one of the largest networks of roads to maintain, 8,000miles.  

It will be one of the only unitary authorities in the country without a dominant administrative centre. Barnstaple in the north is the biggest town. Currently the NHS has suspended all hospital maternity services in Barnstaple because “recruitment had proved challenging over the past few years, due to it being one of the most remote in the country.” 

The rump will only have 103 councillors for 360,000 electors, set against the “three urban centres” with 218 councillors for 586,250. A rural councillor will have to represent 30% more electors. 

Please if you feel as strongly as I do, let Andy and Angie know.

Easiest way is to use the departmental online comments. As we are not constituents we cannot use their parliamentary emails.

For Andy Burnham use:

https://contact.no10.gov.uk/ comment here is limited to 1,000 characters.

For Angela Rayner, Communities Secretary, use: 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-the-ministry-of-housing-communities-and-local-government

Thank you