The future of local government and local democracy is in the balance.

Local people are being urged to make their views known on the future of local government in Exeter by 19 January 2010.

On 8 December 2009, the Boundary Committee for England provided its advice to the Secretary of State on unitary local government. The Committee's proposal for Devon is a unitary county comprising the whole of the existing two-tier area of Devon City Councillors have agreed to oppose the proposal for a single Devon unitary council and to press the government for a unitary council for Exeter with the rest of the county remaining two tier.

The Council believes that the scale of a single Devon unitary (excluding Torbay and Plymouth) would leave it remote from and unrepresentative of the citizens who would rely on its services. They also feel that the City Council's original proposal for unitary status on its existing boundaries, would provide strong, democratic and dynamic governance for Exeter.

The decision is now up to the government and, following a six week consultation period, the Secretary of State will announce his final decision at the beginning of February.

The legal framework within which the Secretary of State now has to operate allows him to make one of three choices:

• to implement the original City Council proposal (unitary Exeter on existing boundaries), with or without modification;
• to implement the Boundary Committee's recommendation of a single Devon unitary authority, with or without modification
• to take no action

Anyone who would like to make a comment on the proposal for a single unitary Devon and/or about the lack of a unitary proposal for Exeter has until 19 January to do so. Any comments must be made by email to devonstructures@communities.gsi.gov.uk or in writing to Unitary Structures Team, Zone 3/J1, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU.

For more information go to www.exeter.gov.uk/unitarylatest