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Plurality voting system>First past the post2023 North Devon District Council election>4 May 2023| next_election1 = 6 May 2027| session_room = Brynsworthy Environment Centre.jpg| session_res = 250px| session_alt =| meeting_place = Brynsworthy Environment Centre, Roundswell, Barnstaple, EX31{{nbsp}}3NPwww.northdevon.gov.uk}}| motto = }}North Devon Council provides district-level services, including the administration of council tax and local benefits, the provision of car parking services, the collection of refuse and the recycling of waste, planning and building control, housing services, the provision of sport and leisure facilities, environmental services, business-related services and contingency planning. The council also runs and maintains the North Devon Crematorium.WEB,weblink North Devon Council, North Devon Council, 14 August 2016, County-level services are provided by Devon County Council.LEGISLATION UK, act, Local Government Act 1972, 1972, 70, 31 May 2023, The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.WEB, Election maps,weblink Ordnance Survey, 6 June 2023, In the parts of the district within the Exmoor National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the Exmoor National Park Authority. The district council appoints two of its councillors to serve on the 22-person National Park Authority.WEB, Members,weblink Exmoor National Park, 1 August 2023,

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2019.The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:WEB, Compositions calculator,weblink The Elections Centre, 4 March 2016, 1 June 2023, NEWS,weblink England council elections, BBC News Online, 30 July 2011, {| class="wikitable"! colspan=2|Party in control || YearsIndependent politician}} 1974–1987No overall control}} 1987–1991Liberal Democrats (UK)}} 1991–2007Conservative Party (UK)}} 2007–2011No overall control}} 2011–2019Liberal Democrats (UK)}} 2019–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1991 have been:WEB, Council minutes,weblink North Devon Council, 30 July 2022, {| class=wikitable! Councillor !! colspan=2|Party !! From !! ToACCESS-DATE=30 JULY 2022 DATE=4 MAY 2007, {{party name with colour1991 align=right|2007TITLE=TRIBUTES TO 'GENEROUS' FORMER LEADER OF NORTH DEVON COUNCIL ACCESS-DATE=23 JUNE 2023 DATE=24 OCTOBER 2017, {{party name with colour2007 align=right|2009Conservative Party (UK)}} align=right2011TITLE=WHO IS BRIAN GREENSLADE? THE FORMER COUNCIL LEADER WHO SEXUALLY HARASSED AND ABUSED WOMEN ACCESS-DATE=30 JULY 2022 DATE=5 JULY 2018, {{party name with colour2011 align=right|2015Conservative Party (UK)}} align=right5 May 2019Liberal Democrats (UK)}} align=right18 May 2023Liberal Democrats (UK)}} align=right

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:WEB,weblink Local elections 2023: live council results for England, The Guardian, {| class="wikitable"! colspan=2| Party! CouncillorsLiberal Democrats (UK)}}22Independent politician}}10Conservative Party (UK)}}7Green Party of England and Wales}}3! colspan=2|Total! align=center|42The independent councillors and Greens sit together as the "North Devon Independent Group".NEWS, Clarke, Lewis, North Devon's Greens and Independents unite to challenge Lib Dems,weblink 23 June 2023, Devon Live, 6 June 2023, The next elections are due in 2027.

Premises

(File:Lynton House.jpg|thumb|Lynton House: Council's customer service centre in Barnstaple)(File:The main entrance to Barnstaple civic centre - geograph.org.uk - 4578603.jpg|thumb|Barnstaple Civic Centre: Council's headquarters until 2015.)The council's main offices are at the Brynsworthy Environment Centre near Barnstaple (the building is in the parish of Fremington). The council moved there in 2015, having previously been based at the Civic Centre on North Walk in Barnstaple, which had been built in 1969 as joint offices for two of North Devon's predecessor councils, Barnstaple Town Council and Barnstaple Rural District Council.NEWS, Cooper, Joel, Council is 'finalising sale' of one of Devon's ugliest buildings,weblink 30 July 2022, Devon Live, 6 January 2020, WEB, Visit us for a public meeting,weblink North Devon Council, 30 July 2022, The council's main customer service centre is located at Lynton House, Commercial Road, Barnstaple, and it also maintains area offices in Ilfracombe and South Molton.WEB, Contact our Customer Services Team,weblink North Devon Council, 23 June 2023,

Elections

{{also|North Devon District Council elections}}Since the last boundary changes in 2019, the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 25 wards, with each ward returning between one and three councillors. Some wards are coterminous with civil parishes, though most consist of multiple parishes or parts of parishes. Elections are held every four years.LEGISLATION UK, si, The North Devon (Electoral Changes) Order 2018, 2018, 1178, 23 June 2023, The following table lists the electoral wards of North Devon and the associated civil parishes.{| class="wikitable"! Ward! Civil Parishes! No. of councillors|Barnstaple Central|Barnstaple (part)|1|Barnstaple With Pilton|

• Barnstaple (part)
• Pilton West|3|Barnstaple With Westacott|
• Barnstaple (part)
• Landkey (part)|3|BickingtonFremington, Devon>Fremington (part)|3

|Bishop's Nympton|

• Bishop's Nympton
• East Anstey
• George Nympton
• Knowstone
• Mariansleigh
• Queen's Nympton
• Rose Ash
• West Anstey|1|Bratton Fleming|
• Arlington
• Bratton Fleming
• Challacombe
• Goodleigh
• Kentisbury
• Loxhore
• Stoke Rivers|1|Braunton East|Braunton (part)|2|Braunton West & Georgeham|
• Braunton (part)
• Georgeham|2|Chittlehampton|
• Atherington
• Chittlehamholt
• Chittlehampton
• Filleigh
• King's Nympton
• Satterleigh and Warkleigh
• Swimbridge (part)|1|Chulmleigh|
• Burrington
• Chulmleigh
• Romansleigh|1|Combe Martin|Combe Martin|1|Fremington|Fremington (part)|2|Heanton Punchardon|
• Ashford
• Heanton Punchardon|1|Ilfracombe East|Ilfracombe (part)|3|Ilfracombe West|Ilfracombe (part)|2|Instow|
• Horwood, Lovacott and Newton Tracey
• Instow
• Tawstock (part)
• Westleigh|1|Landkey|
• Bishop's Tawton
• Landkey (part)
• Swimbridge (part)|2|Lynton & Lynmouth|
• Brendon and Countisbury
• Lynton and Lynmouth
• Martinhoe
• Parracombe
• Trentishoe|1|Marwood|
• Berrynarbor
• Bittadon
• East Down
• Marwood
• Shirwell|1|Mortehoe|
• Mortehoe
• West Down|1|Newport|Barnstaple (part)|2|North Molton|
• Brayford
• East and West Buckland
• Molland
• North Molton
• Twitchen|1|Roundswell|
• Barnstaple (part)
• Tawstock (part)|2|South Molton|South Molton|3|Witheridge|
• East Worlington
• Meshaw
• Rackenford
• Witheridge|1

Towns and parishes

{{see|List of civil parishes in Devon}}(File:NorthDevonParishesMap.PNG|thumb|400px|Parishes of North Devon)The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth, and South Molton are styled "town councils". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.WEB, Election Maps,weblink Ordnance Survey, 1 June 2023, WEB, Parish council contact details,weblink North Devon Council, 23 June 2023,

Demography

North Devon is popular with retired people. The 2011 census showed that 18% of residents were aged 15 years and under, 60% were aged 16–64 and 23% were aged 65 and over. This compares to the 20% of the population who were aged 65 and over when the 2001 census was taken. For comparison, the same age distributions across England were 19%, 64% and 17% respectively.WEB,weblink Archived copy, 26 June 2013, 23 September 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150923214032weblink">weblink dead, Life expectancy for men, at 77.7, is close to the English average. Female life expectancy is good at 83.1, around 1 year above the English average.WEB,weblink Archived copy, 9 February 2014, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150905063444weblink">weblink 5 September 2015, There is a gap of six years in the life expectancy of men in the least deprived fifth of wards and the most deprived fifth. The region has one of the most ethnically homogenous populations in England, with 97.9% reporting their ethnicity as 'white' in the 2011 census of the population.WEB,weblink 2011 Census - Ethnicity, Government of the United Kingdom, However, this is a decrease on the 99.0% of the population who declared themselves to be white on the 2001 census.

Transport

Along with its neighbours to the east, West Somerset, and west, Torridge, North Devon has fairly sparse transport links. The Beeching cuts in the mid-sixties left the branch line to Exeter as the area's only railway service. Despite being served by only one railway line, the district is served by 5 railway stations, which is a large number, comparable with more urbanised boroughs such as Plymouth and Mid Devon. However sizeable settlements of Braunton and Ilfracombe as well as Bideford are cut off from the Network Rail system.The district is served by three A roads. The primary link is the A361 (known locally as the Link Road) which was constructed between 1986 and 1989. It heads north-west from the M5 motorway, past South Molton, to Barnstaple. From here the A361 classification continues northwards along older roads to Ilfracombe, and the modern Link Road continues westwards from Barnstaple as the A39 where it is designated the Atlantic Highway, and runs via Bideford into Cornwall. The eastern section of the A39 links Barnstaple to Lynton, then crosses the northern coastal hills of Exmoor into Somerset.The other two A roads in North Devon are the A399, a minor local route between Ilfracombe and South Molton (used as a de facto Barnstaple-bypass to Ilfracombe and Woolacombe), and the A377, which is the main road between Barnstaple and the county town of Devon, Exeter.Due to significant peak time traffic delays in Barnstaple, and severe congestion at both peak and non-peak times in the summer when tourist traffic is at its busiest, the Barnstaple Western Bypass was opened in 2007.

Economy

{{update|section|date=June 2023}}North Devon is some distance from the UK's traditional areas of industrial activity and population yet boasts some major manufacturing sites that export around the world, among them TDK Lambda and Pall Europe in Ilfracombe, Eaton Aerospace and Norbord in South Molton, Perrigo in Braunton and multiple businesses in Barnstaple. Due to the historically agricultural nature of the economy alongside a strong tourism industry employment can be seasonal. As a result, some areas of North Devon are considered deprived. The overall average income for the district is 80% of the average for the United Kingdom as a whole. The 1989 opening of the new Link Road connection to the motorway network helped to promote trade, but it had a temporary detrimental effect on a number of distribution businesses. The latter had previously viewed the town as a base for local distribution networks, a need that was removed with an approximate halving of travelling time to the M5 motorway. The region adapted: in 2005 unemployment in North Devon was 1.8–2.4% but in 2018 unemployment in North Devon had come down significantly since its 2010 high to 1.1%. Median weekly full-time pay is £440 per week, the average house price is £230,000 and the number of businesses registered has increased to 4895, up 370 from 2010. 2018 has seen significant Government investment in the area through Coastal Community grants and Housing Infrastructure funds, as well as £83 million to further upgrade the North Devon Link Road.WEB,weblink North Devon Link Road improvements: Here's how the £93 million will be spent - Devon Live, 23 September 2018, Barnstaple is the main shopping area for North Devon. There are many chain stores in the town centre and in the Roundswell Business Park, on the western fringe of the town. Tesco has several stores in the area, including a Tesco Extra hypermarket, a large Tesco superstore. There is also a Sainsbury's superstore, a Lidl supermarket. The multimillion-pound redevelopment of the former Leaderflush Shapland works at Anchorwood Bank, and the surrounding area, is creating a conservation area near the River Taw, hundreds of new homes, a commercial retail area with new shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. A new Asda superstore and petrol filling station is part of the redevelopment. The new Asda store opened in November 2016.{{cn|date=June 2023}} The largest employer in the region is local and central Government. The two main government employers in the area are the Royal Marines Base Chivenor, {{convert|3|mi|km|1}} west of the town, and North Devon District Hospital, {{convert|1|mi|km|1}} to the north.(File:ilfracombe.view1.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Ilfracombe, seen from 447 feet (136 metres) above. The viewpoint (Hillsborough) is part of the South West Coastal Path)

Barnstaple

Barnstaple is on the River Taw estuary, and functions as the main service centre for North Devon. The parish of Barnstaple had a population of 97,214 at the 2011 census.WEB,weblink Barnstaple (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location, citypopulation.de, 28 March 2020, The wider Barnstaple Built-Up Area was estimated to have a population of 32,411 in 2018,WEB,weblink Barnstaple (Devon, South West England, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information, citypopulation.de, 28 March 2020,  whilst the Barnstaple Town Area, which contains satellite settlements such as Bishop's Tawton, Fremington and Landkey, has a population of 46,619 (as of 2020).WEB,weblink Barnstaple profile, Communities, 8 December 2014, en-GB, 28 March 2020,

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in North Devon
• Grade II listed buildings in North Devon
• South West Coast Path
• Tarka Trail
• Valley of Rocks
• Lee Bay

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• North Devon Council
• North Devon Plus
• North Devon AONB
• North Devon UK

{{North Devon}}{{Devon}}{{SW England}}{{Authority control}}{{Coord|51.081|-4.058|display=title|region:GB_scale:100000}}