Responsibilities For Services
Devon County Council's responsibilities include schools, social care for the elderly and vulnerable, road maintenance, libraries and trading standards. The Office for National Statistics estimated that the mid-2008 population of the non-metropolitan area of Devon was 754,700, which is the largest in the South West England region. It is the largest employer in Devon, employing over 20,000 people.
The county council's area is also administered by eight smaller authorities that have their own district, borough or city councils. The responsibilities of these councils include local planning, council housing, refuse collection, sports and leisure facilities, and street cleaning. The district areas are further divided into civil parishes, which have "parish councils" or "town councils"; the latter of which often use a town hall. Typical activities undertaken by a parish council include maintaining allotments, footpaths, playing fields and the local community or village hall. On some matters, the county council share responsibilities with the district and parish councils. These include economic development and regeneration, emergency planning, tourism promotion and coastal protection.
| No. | District | Type of council | Population (mid-2008 est.) | Extent of area (hectares) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exeter | City council | 123,500 | 4,789 |
| 2 | East Devon | District council | 132,700 | 82,372 |
| 3 | Mid Devon | District council | 76,700 | 91,290 |
| 4 | North Devon | District council | 92,300 | 110,504 |
| 5 | Torridge | District council | 65,600 | 99,566 |
| 6 | West Devon | Borough council | 52,900 | 116,472 |
| 7 | South Hams | District council | 83,500 | 90,525 |
| 8 | Teignbridge | District council | 127,600 | 68,101 |
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Famous quotes containing the word services:
“Those services which the community will most readily pay for, it is most disagreeable to render.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)