Local government reorganisation may not happen in Devon if councils can’t agree on how it should look in the future, according to one local leader.

Cllr Ken James (Ind, Milton and Tamarside), who has been leader of Torridge District Council for six years and has been heavily involved in the process in Devon, says he understands that the government is going to colour code areas with green, amber and red.

He expects Devon to be in the red zone meaning there will be no change for the foreseeable future and eight districts and the Devon County Council will remain together with the existing unitary councils of Plymouth and Torbay.

Under the shake-up the government had planned to abolish district and county councils by 2028 and create a simpler unitary council structure, with fewer authorities responsible for all local services.

But the process which began back in December 2024 with the government announcing it wanted councils to be united on a single proposal on how counties should be carved up has not been straightforward.

In Devon there have been several different submissions and the one chosen by the government, which is an expanded Exeter and Plymouth, an expanded Torbay and the rest of Devon in a massive coast and countryside unitary, has not been welcomed by the rural areas.

The government put the brakes on its plan to seek legal advice after councils up and down the country announced their intention to challenge decisions, including Devon. A total of 14 areas have been paused.

Cllr James said although he was not 100 per cent sure this would happen he had been led to believe that the coding would come in some time after parliament was back up and running next week following the summer recess.

“Those in the red zone will be the ones who cannot agree a united way forward,” he said. “In Devon we all have different views about how the county should look and there is very little chance of us all agreeing.

“The green zone which is where councils have reached more of a consensus will be taken forward.”

He believes the focus in Devon will be devolution with the Devon, Torbay, and possibly soon to be Plymouth, Combined County Authority (CCA) drawing in greater money from Whitehall for transport, housing and skills and managing the districts below it.

With the addition of a mayor, Devon could become one of the first new mayoral combined authorities in the country able to unlock billions through devolved funding and additional private-sector investment. It’s a move being championed by Devon County Council leader Julian Brazil (Lib Dem, Kingsbridge) who said Devon is ready to hold a mayoral election next year.

“The ultimate aim for the government is to have strategic authorities,” said Cllr James, who sits on the CCA. “Millions has come into the county already through the CCA which is looking at bus services in rural areas and improving education.”

Elections for district councils will take place in May 2027 and Cllr James expects councillors to serve a full four-year term. He said he did not expect anything to happen regarding local government reorganisation until the county agreed on a way forward.