WEST Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox this week condemned the Government for attempting to push through legislation in favour of an Exeter Unitary authority as a 'political fix'.

And with a general election looming he pledged that a Conservative Government would repeal the move.

Devon County Council this week said it would be launching a judicial review on the Government's decision to allow unitary status for Exeter.

Mr Cox said: 'This whole, painfully-drawn out process has been an unmitigated disaster, undermining morale, draining resources, preventing councils from moving forward with practical measures to improve services and making planning for the future impossible.

'The Government decision at a time of unprecedented debt crisis, to spend tens of millions in ripping up the county of Devon, despite the near unanimous opposition of every interested party, is completely wrong-headed and runs entirely contrary to the overwhelming balance of public opinion on the issue.'

If Parliament approves the proposals, the affected councils can start putting in place transitional arrangements ready for elections to the new councils in 2011.

Mr Cox's views were echoed by West Devon Borough Council Leader Cllr James McInnes.

He said plans to press ahead with legislation and create an Exeter unitary authority were a tragedy for Devon and that just over two years ago, the Secretary of State rejected Exeter's bid to become a unitary authority, saying it was 'financially unviable'.

Cllr McInnes said: 'Following its review, the Boundary Committee recommended to the Government in December that Devon's 750,000 residents should be governed by a single unitary council with Plymouth and Torbay's unitary boundaries remaining the same.'

The borough council said the advice was made even though two public consultations run by the Boundary Committee showed more than 60% of those who responded were against any changes.

Cllr McInnes said: 'The Government is carving up Devon for its own political gain which will fracture the county irrevocably.

'This is a tragedy for Devon.

'If the figures didn't stack up for Exeter in 2007, they surely won't stack up now, particularly as we are just emerging from one of the longest recessions in history.

'This entire process has wasted millions of pounds in public money and precious time for all the local authorities involved.'

Cllr McInnes told the Minister that more than £1-million had already been saved in the last three years through shared working arrangements between South Hams District Council and West Devon.

County council leader John Hart said his council took clear legal advice that there is a substantial case to be made against the Government.

'I have thought long and hard about whether to launch a judicial review or not. Legal proceedings are always expensive. But in this case I believe it is incumbent on Devon County Council to mount this challenge.

'If this unwanted reorganisation is forced through, the cost to the council taxpayers of both Exeter and Devon will be multiplied many times over.'

Mr Hart predicted that the changes would cost every Exeter council taxpayer an extra £200 on their bills and that every resident across Devon 'will paying more for less'.

But Local Government Minister Rosie Winterton argued the go-ahead for Exeter to split away from Devon County Council would mean the city would become a 'far more potent economic force, than within the current two-tier local government' and would deliver growth for the city's residents and businesses.

She added: 'Across Devon we listened carefully to the views of interested councils, MPs and other stakeholders and the option of a unitary structure for the whole of Devon did not have sufficient support from key councils.

'Legitimate fears were expressed that a single authority would not be able to cope with the divergent needs across such a large area. As a result the Government had no option but to rule out a unitary authority for the whole of Devon, as it could not succeed without local support.'

Exeter City Council condemned moves by Devon to mount a legal challenge to the city's successful unitary bid as a 'scandalous waste of Devon council tax payers' money'.