Colyton Parish Council opposes Colyford's bid for independence

Colyton Parish Council has put forward its case against a campaign for Colyford to boom independent and form its own village council, saying the two communities are "far stronger together".

Residents of Colyton and Colyford are currently being asked to share their views on whether the two communities should be formally split, as part of a Community Governance Review launched by east Devon District Council following a petition from Colyford Residents' Association.

Those campaigning for the split say that Colyford is one of the largest settlements in East Devon without its own parish council. They argue that forming their own village council would be advantageous to the current Colyton Parish Council, by "reducing their workload so they can focus on their own unique needs".

Campaigners say the new council would be more representative of village residents and would be able to focus on their specific needs, recognising the unique and historic identity of Colyford.

Ian Priestly, chair of the Colyford Residents' Association, said: "Times have moved on and Colyford would like to transition from its historic 100-year-old arrangement with Colyton and grasp its own initiatives to make a positive difference."

However, Colyton Parish Council has now issued a letter to all residents in the parish, putting forward its arguments against the split.

It read: "The two communities have been represented by one Parish Council since 1894. There are no limits on the number of Colyford residents that can be elected to the Parish Council, so it is possible for Colyford to have a majority of councillors.

"However, this has never been a real issue as the Parish Council has always treated Colyford matters in the same way as those from Colyton and all councillors are treated equally.

The letter goes on to list how Colyton Parish Council has helped Colyford in recent years with issues such as traffic on the A3052, congestion causes by buses for Colyton Grammar School, and defending the green wedge between Colyford and Seaton by opposing housing development on the area.

The statement adds: "The boundary between Colyford and Colyton is based on an arbitrary line originally proposed to indicate properties the Mayor of Colyford would have responsibility for. It was never intended to be a line dividing two parishes.

"Furthermore, the proposed boundary map of Colyford would alienate a good many residents who strongly identify as Colytonian and includes property owned by Colyton Parish Council, the revenue from which is used towards maintaining the cemetery."

The parish council has also argued that the new village council would have less money to maintain village facilities.

Every household in the parish should have now received a questionnaire from East Devon District Council asking for views on the proposal that Colyford forms an independent council.

These should be returned  before the deadline of 5pm on May 4 2022.

Once EDDC has received everyone's views it will consider the results of the consultation and is expected to publish its proposal in June. This proposal will then be subject to further consultation.

If a separate council is set up for Colyford, the aim is that it would be in place in time for local elections to take place in May 2023.