The Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority (DTCCA) is a non-mayoral combined county authority covering most of the ceremonial county of Devon.
History Following the Local Government Act 1972 which introduced a uniform national system of "two-tier" local government, the entirety of Devon was governed by Devon County Council and a set of non-metropolitan districts. This changed when in 1998, Plymouth and Torbay were separated from the county council to become unitary authorities.
In early 2022, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay were selected as one of nine pilot areas in England by the UK government in the Levelling Up White Paper for "County Deal" negotiations. However, Plymouth City Council decided to withdraw from the deal in November 2023.
Devon and Torbay proceeded without Plymouth with a joint proposal for a Level 2 Devolution Deal, a Combined Authority without a directly elected mayor. The deal was approved by both Devon County Council and Torbay Council and submitted to the Secretary of State for approval in early May 2024. Proposals for a non-mayoral combined county authority were approved by the new Labour government on 19 September 2024 and the authority was formally launched on 5 February 2025. There are provisions to expand the membership should Plymouth City Council join the DTCCA in the future, and in February 2025 Plymouth, Devon and Torbay Councils agreed to explore the creation of a Mayoral Authority, which would supersede the non-mayoral Combined County Authority.
Membership There are 12 members: 6 constituent members with full voting rights, 4 non-constituent members who do not have voting powers unless extended to them by the constituent members, and 2 associate members who cannot vote under any circumstance.
The six constituent members are chosen by Devon County Council and Torbay Council, who will each choose half. Two of the non-constituent members are selected collectively by the various district councils of Devon to represent their interests, and one is reserved for the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner. The remaining non-constituent member and the two associate members are elected by the constituent members of the DTCCA.
The composition as of 29 May 2025 was as follows: Name Membership Nominating authority Julian Brazil Constituent Devon County Council Paul Arnott Constituent Devon County Council Michael Fife Cook Constituent Devon County Council David Thomas Constituent Torbay Council Chris Lewis Constituent Torbay Council Swithin Long Constituent Torbay Council Phil Bialyk Non-constituent District Councils of Devon Vacant Non-constituent District Councils of Devon Alison Hernandez Non-constituent Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Vacant Non-constituent Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority Alan Dykes Associate Business Advisory Group Laurence Frewin Associate Skills and Employment Advisory Group
Notes
References
External links Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority meetings Devon and Torbay Devolution Deal Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority Regulations 2025