A year of change – Devon politics in 2025

It has been a year of political upheavals in Devon – some more successful than others.

The county elections in May saw Reform and the Green Party take seats while Labour and the Conservatives lost out.

The Liberal Democrats came through the middle to retake control of Devon County Council and the Conservatives hung on to power at Torbay Council despite a defection.

But change is on the horizon with a lot of political activity in 2025 focused on how the county will be carved up into new local authorities in the government’s push to reorganise local government.

At the Devon County Council election count on 2 May the first result announced was a by-election win in Exeter City Council for the Reform candidate Antony Payne, who took the Mincinglake and Whipton seat from Labour.

That set the tone for much of what was to follow with Reform taking 18 seats on Devon County Council to form the main opposition.

Conservatives went from being in control of the council with 40 seats to holding just seven seats while Labour lost all of its seats.

After some horse trading the Liberal Democrats – having won 27 of the 60 seats – emerged as the party in control with an informal agreement to work with the Green Party’s seven members and a cabinet position for Green Party leader Jacqui Hodgson.

There were no elections for Plymouth City Council in 2025 but politicians there faced a battle for leadership nonetheless.

Angus Forbes, the millionaire Australian businessman and husband of former Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell, successfully prompted a referendum on whether the city should have a directly-elected city mayor.

A heated campaign saw the city council leader receive a “serious threat of violence” in the run-up to the vote in July.

The campaigners for a referendum came close but lost out on the night.

In Torbay the council has set out major plans for investment in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham and is hoping now to attract developers.

A defection meant the Conservatives went to holding 17 seats of the 36-seat council with 15 Liberal Democrats and four Independents.

The reforms of local government have dominated debate in Devon with the county council and all district councils being abolished.

The county council wants to see itself replaced with a new unitary authority with the same boundaries it has now.

A loose alliance has formed between Plymouth, Torbay and Exeter who all want to have their own unitary authority while the district councils favour three unitaries in what has become known as the 4-5-1 approach.

It will be up to the government to make the decision which will be announced in the spring.

Political leaders will be gearing up for that announcement, and for elections in Plymouth and Exeter where a third of the seats are up for grabs in traditionally Labour strongholds that are expected to be hotly contested – if they go ahead.