New parish council to be created for Colyford

Colyford is set to get its own parish council, made up of seven members, after East Devon District Council (EDDC) signed off proposals.

The move, which was agreed at the authority’s full council meeting on Wednesday, 7 December, will also see the number of Colyton Parish Council members reduced from 13 to 11 councillors.

Colyford Parish Council will come into formal legal effect on the 1 April, 2023 with elections being held in May 2023.

The move comes following a community governance review that was carried out after a 249-signature petition requesting one had been received in Autumn 2021 and which explained: “The community of Colyford has thus clearly expressed their wish for a village council to be set up, and this should be given considerable weight. We have shown that Colyford has its own identity and sense of place, and that community cohesion will be enhanced by having its own village council. We have shown that a village council for Colyford will be effective and convenient, and will provide strong and accountable local government and community leadership. We therefore respectfully request that EDDC exercise their powers under the Act and undertake a Community Governance Review and recommend the formation of a village council for Colyford.”

The first of two statutory consultations was held between 4 February and 4 May 2022 which resulted in a total 56 per cent of respondents being in favour of a new parish council in Colyford. Following this the Council published draft proposals which were then consulted on between 23 August and 22 November 2022 where comments on the draft proposals were invited and which resulted in some changes to the proposed boundary.

Colyford Parish Council’s new proposed boundary can be seen outlined in red (see picture).

Councillor Sarah Jackson, EDDC’s portfolio holder for democracy, transparency and communications, said: "It is evident from the recent consultation that the residents of Colyford feel a sense of identity separate from that of Colyton, and a clear desire to be self-governed via the formation of a new parish council, and so I am pleased to see this decision which enables the communities of both Colyford and Colyton to move forward with complete autonomy. 

"I sincerely hope that both parish councils will work collaboratively where the need arises in the best interests of all of their residents.

“I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the consultations and governance review. I look forward to seeing the new parish councillors elected in May.”

Visit www.eastdevon.gov.uk/colyford for more information.