​THE Government has been accused of “carving up Devon for its  own political gain” after it decided  to let Exeter run all its own affairs  as a stand-alone council like Plymouth.

Council taxpayers in Devon could pick  up a big bill for the decision, a leading  politician has warned.

After two years of rows and uncertainty,  the Government decided yesterday that  Exeter City Council could become a unitary  authority like Plymouth, running everything from schools to transport alongside  existing services like waste.

Plymouth council leader Vivien Pengelly  called it a baffling waste of public money.

In 2007 the former Secretary of State  Hazel Blears judged that a unitary Exeter  was financially unviable.

 The Government ordered the Boundary  Committee to examine other scenarios for  unitary authorities in Devon.

After a lengthy and costly public inquiry  the committee recommended that all district councils could be abolished leaving  Devon County Council to run local government outside Plymouth and Torbay.

Instead the Government has decided to  revive the Exeter option, leaving local government in the rest of Devon unchanged.

Mrs Pengelly said: “This whole process  has been a shambles from the start and I  shudder to think about the amount of  public money wasted. This is another  baffling episode in a long and sorry  saga.”

Cllr James McInnes, the leader of West  Devon Borough Council, said: “The Government is carving up Devon for its own  political gain which will fracture the county irrevocably. This is a tragedy for Devon.

“If the figures didn’t stack up for Exeter  in 2007, they surely won’t stack up now,  particularly as we are just emerging from  one of the longest recessions in history.

“This entire process has wasted millions of pounds in public money and precious time for all the local authorities  involved.”

Cllr John Tucker, the leader of South  Hams District Council, said:  “We did not  seek this review which has wasted a vast  amount of public money and caused much  additional work for the authorities involved.

 “The clear message we received from our residents was  that they wanted to keep the  status quo – keeping services  local, relevant to local people and  maintaining local accountability.

“It remains to be seen if the  financial case for a Unitary Exeter will really stack up without  causing financial hardship to the  rest of the county.”

The proposal for a unitary authority in Exeter will now be  voted on by Parliament before it  becomes law. If Parliament  agrees, the city can start putting  in place transitional arrangements ready  for elections to a new council in 2011.

Gary Streeter, Tory MP for South West  Devon, says the green light by ministers for  Exeter to go it alone will place huge pressures on the rest of the county.

Mr Streeter said: “The reality is ripping  Exeter out of Devon county is like ripping  the heart out of a body.

“It will place huge challenges upon the  rest of Devon in terms of how it functions  and it will cost taxpayers in Exeter and  Devon an awful lot more in council tax.

“It’s a very nakedly political decision, an  attempt to save one single Labour seat and  I think it’s deplorable. We will do our  utmost to block it.”

Leader of Devon County Council John  Hart added: “This decision is complete  madness and we will fight it all the way.”