Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)     Decision being taken was important to ensure the survival of Plymouth City Council;

b)    Plymouth was the powerhouse of the South West and was in a unique position to drive growth because of nationally significant defence assets and track record of delivery large scale regeneration and housing projects;

c)     As the anchor for growth in the South West, Plymouth had to embrace opportunities for Local Government Reorganisation;

d)    This was a pivotal moment for Plymouth and presented a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure the future of the city and improve quality of life for all residents;

e)     This was a chance to embrace the communities that surrounded the city so that they could share in the prosperity;

f)      The Government published the White Paper on devolution on 16 December 2024 setting out two separate but related processes: Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and Devolution;

g)     Devolution related to a strategic layer of authority over all Council’s within a region in order to provide representation for geographical locations;

h)    The South West had not had its fair share in the past and had also not had one clear voice, when other regions have been successful in this;

i)      Conversations with neighbours on Devolution would take place after May 2025 local elections that were happening in surrounding Councils;

j)      Plymouth was already working with Torbay and Devon on Devolution plans and continued to leave the door open for Cornwall as it was important for the South West to work together;

k)     There had been a cross-party vote of support for the interim plan at City Council on 17 March 2025;

l)      Adjustments would be made to the interim plan before it was submitted on Friday 21 March 2025, but the fundamentals of what was agreed at City Council would not change:

                         i.         Need to highlight the role of the voluntary and community sector across Plymouth and proposed expanded area, many of whom had their headquarters in Plymouth;

                       ii.         Update to the community empowerment section;

                      iii.         Inclusion of explicit recognition of the need to collaborate with neighbouring authorities to share data to enable details proposals;

                      iv.         Make a commitment that staff and unions across authorities would be regularly engaged as it was a time of change and opportunity, but staff would be concerned;

m)   Government would not be making final decisions until later in the year, giving Councils time to make plans and ensure they were in the best interest of the city;

n)    There was a commitment to undertake a comprehensive engagement programme leading up to submission of plans in November 2025;

o)    Important to reflect the regions balance of urban centres and rural communities;

p)    Desire to create a resilient local Council that was aware and responsive to local needs and demands;

q)    Need to send a clear message to areas outside of the city that were proposed to become part of Plymouth Council, that there was no desire to fundamentally change what they were, and there was the same desire for communities within the city;

r)     Plymouth was often described as group of villages and there had always been a strong sense of community and sense of belonging as smaller communities, but also as part of Plymouth;

s)     This was a defining moment in Plymouth’s history;

t)     No Council had the right to exist, including Plymouth, so the case needed to be made that Plymouth needed to expand or disappear;

u)    The people of Plymouth had embraced the opportunity for Plymouth to become a Unitary Council and break from Devon County Council in 1998, and it was important that these proposals ensured continued independence;

v)     Plymouth had the power to make its own future and not just survive, but to thrive.

Tracey Lee (Chief Executive) added:

w)   This was the first step in a long journey;

x)    Thanks to the team for their hard work on such a substantial and important piece of work;

y)     The team were working with neighbouring authorities, but also with other similar places across England as it was important to collaborate;

z)     Funding needs were included in the proposal, and there was indications Government might provide that, but funding had been allocated in the budget anyway;

aa)  Engagement with staff and other stakeholder was very important.

Ross Jago (Head of Devolution and LGR Office) added:

bb)The team were fully aware of the scale of the task and were looking forward to collaborating with similar cities and neighbours;

cc)  Expressed thanks to Ellie Firth (Head of Public and Partner Relations), Liz Bryant (Service Director for Legal) and Ollie Woodhams (Head of Finance) for their support.

Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) then added:

dd)It was important to take lessons learnt from becoming a Unitary Authority in 1998 forward into this work;

ee)  The LGA (Local Government Association) had set up a unit on LGR and Devolution and those that felt they needed more support and advice could get it;

ff)    He had great confidence in the team.

In response to questions it was explained:

gg)  Councils in two tier areas and Unitary Councils within county boundaries had been invited to make submissions;

hh)Plymouth was not seeking to take any part of Cornwall in Local Government Reorganisation;

ii)     Conversations with Cornwall are centred around forming a Strategic Authority to secure funding for the wider benefit of the South West as a whole;

jj)     The proposals were for a modest extension of Plymouth’s boundaries to better manage and deliver services in 13 parishes, as well as those within the city boundary and to reach a population of over 300,000.

Cabinet agreed unanimously to:

1.     Agree and support the local government reorganisation principles set out in the report; 
 

2.     Approve and agree Option 1 as the preferred approach to an extension of the boundaries of the city as the preferred approach for submission to government; 
 

3.     Approve and agree the submission to government of the Plymouth Local Government Reorganisation Interim Plan; 
 

4.     Delegate authority to make any final changes to the Plymouth Local Government Reorganisation Interim Plan to the Leader; 
 

5.     Delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, the authority tocommission expert advice and support as required to optimise the Council’snegotiating position, including co-commissioning or cost sharing with otherauthorities; 
 

6.     Instruct the Chief Executive to prepare a further report for Cabinet and the City Council following receipt of the Government’s response to the Plymouth Local Government Reorganisation Interim Plan submitted in March 2025.