50°40′44″N
3°14′20″W
/
50.679°N 3.239°W
/
50.679; -3.239
Non-metropolitan district in England
East Devon
is a
local government district
in
Devon
, England. Its council is based in the town of
Honiton
, although
Exmouth
is the largest town. The district also contains the towns of
Axminster
,
Budleigh Salterton
,
Cranbrook
,
Ottery St Mary
,
Seaton
and
Sidmouth
, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
The district borders
Teignbridge
and the
City of Exeter
to the west,
Mid Devon
to the north,
Somerset
to the north-east, and
Dorset
to the east.
Two parts of the district are designated as
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
: the
Blackdown Hills
in the north of the district and the
East Devon AONB
along the district's coast and adjoining areas. The East Devon coastline from Exmouth to the border with Dorset is also part of the designated
World Heritage Site
of the
Jurassic Coast
; the designated area continues into Dorset as far as the
Old Harry Rocks
near
Swanage
.
History
[
edit
]
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972
, covering the whole area of eight former districts and part of a ninth, which were all abolished at the same time:
[1]
The new district was named East Devon, reflecting its position in the wider county.
[2]
Governance
[
edit
]
East Devon District Council provides
district-level
services.
County-level
services are provided by
Devon County Council
.
[4]
The whole district is also covered by
civil parishes
, which form a third tier of local government.
[5]
Political control
[
edit
]
The council has been under
no overall control
since 2019. Since the
2023 election
the council has been run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Greens and some of the independent councillors. Paul Arnott was re-appointed leader of the council after the election, this time as a Liberal Democrat, having previously led as a member of the
East Devon Alliance
, which did not stand any candidates in 2023.
[6]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been held by the following parties:
[7]
Leadership
[
edit
]
The
leaders of the council
since 2001 have been:
[8]
Composition
[
edit
]
Following the
2023 election
and subsequent changes of allegiance and a by-election in May 2024, the composition of the council was:
[9]
The Liberal Democrats, Greens and nine of the independent councillors sit together as the "Democratic Alliance Group", which forms the council's administration. Of the other independent councillors, ten form the "Independent Group", one sits with the single Liberal councillor as the "Independent Councillor Group" and the other two do not belong to a group.
[10]
The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
[
edit
]
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 60
councillors
representing 30
wards
, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
[11]
East Devon is covered by three
parliamentary constituencies
:
East Devon
,
Tiverton and Honiton
and
Central Devon
.
[5]
Premises
[
edit
]
In 2019 the council moved to new purpose-built offices called Blackdown House in
Honiton
. The building was officially opened on 27 February 2019.
[12]
Prior to 2019 the council was based at Knowle, a large converted house in
Sidmouth
which had been the offices of the old Sidmouth Urban District Council since the 1960s, having previously been a hotel.
[13]
Transport
[
edit
]
Exeter International Airport
is located in East Devon. A small stretch of the
M5 motorway
passes through the district, as does a section of the
West of England line
.
Towns and parishes
[
edit
]
East Devon is entirely divided into
civil parishes
. The parish councils for
Axminster
,
Budleigh Salterton
,
Cranbrook
,
Exmouth
,
Honiton
,
Ottery St Mary
,
Seaton
and
Sidmouth
take the style "town council".
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, SI 1972/2039
, retrieved
30 July
2023
- ^
"The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, SI 1973/551
, retrieved
31 May
2023
- ^
Manning, Adam (9 May 2024).
"Tracy Hendren confirmed as chief executive of East Devon Council"
.
Midweek Herald
. Retrieved
9 May
2024
.
- ^
"Local Government Act 1972"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, 1972 c. 70
, retrieved
31 May
2023
- ^
a
b
"Election Maps"
. Ordnance Survey
. Retrieved
25 July
2023
.
- ^
"Council meeting, 24 May 2023"
.
East Devon District Council
. Retrieved
22 June
2023
.
- ^
"East Devon"
.
BBC News Online
. Retrieved
20 November
2009
.
- ^
"Council minutes"
.
East Devon District Council
. Retrieved
28 July
2022
.
- ^
"Local elections 2023: live council results for England"
. The Guardian.
- ^
"Your councillors by political grouping"
.
East Devon District Council
. Retrieved
9 May
2024
.
- ^
"The East Devon (Electoral Changes) Order 2017"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, SI 2017/1315
, retrieved
30 July
2023
- ^
Evans, Francesca (1 March 2019).
"East Devon District Council opens new headquarters"
.
Lyme Online
. Retrieved
29 July
2022
.
- ^
Clark, Daniel (30 March 2023).
"The Knowle: Sidmouth landmark once a 'zoo' and hotel destroyed by fire"
.
Devon Live
. Retrieved
30 July
2023
.
- ^
"Register of interests for town and parish councillors"
.
East Devon District Council
. Retrieved
30 July
2023
.
External links
[
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]
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Unitary authorities
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Boroughs or districts
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Major settlements
(cities in italics)
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Rivers
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Topics
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East Devon
.