The local authorityCouncil · district · England · 1 of 164 councils (district)

East Devon.

Independent Berwick Hills Resident-controlled district. £18m net revenue. 30 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.

Typedistrict
Seats62 councillors · 30 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Net revenue · 2025-26
£18m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,461
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
19/62
Independent Berwick Hills Resident 31%
Westminster
2
constituencies overlap · 2 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Independent Berwick Hills Resident chamber, 2-party MP geography.

East Devon is a district controlled by Independent Berwick Hills Resident (19 of 62 seats). Net revenue is £18m for 2025-26. It covers 30 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.62 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

Independent Berwick Hills Resident 19LD 19Con 17Lab 3Green 2The Liberal Party 1

Independent Berwick Hills Resident 31% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Paul HaywardIndAxminster2023
Sarah L JacksonIndAxminster2023
Simon SmithIndAxminster2023
John D HeathIndBeer Branscombe2023
Eleanor RylanceLDBroadclyst2023
Paula Mary FernleyGrnBroadclyst2023
Sarah Louise ChamberlainLDBroadclyst2023
Charlotte FitzgeraldIndBudleigh Raleigh2023
Henry RiddellConBudleigh Raleigh2023
Melanie MartinIndBudleigh Raleigh2023
Mike HoweIndClyst Valley2023
Helen E ParrConColy Valley2023
Showing 12 of 62·All 62 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

61%
Council tax
£10.8m · median 61%
30%
Central grants
£5.3m · median 26%
9%
Business rates
£1.6m · median 11%

Revenue mix is close to the councils (district) median: 61% council tax, 30% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£172
County / upper-tier£1,801
Police£288
Fire & rescue£105
GLA precept£0
Parish average£95
Total Band-D£2,461

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.6 buckets · vs 163 other councils (district)

How does East Devon split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (district)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Waste & Recycling43.4% of net spend · cohort median 32%
21 of 158+36% vs median
Culture & Leisure20.6% of net spend · cohort median 13%
24 of 158+54% vs median
Planning & Economic Development17.6% of net spend · cohort median 14%
55 of 158+22% vs median
Corporate & Central17.3% of net spend · cohort median 27%
132 of 158-35% vs median
Housing & Homelessness11.4% of net spend · cohort median 14%
107 of 158-19% vs median
Highways & Transport-10.3% of net spend · cohort median -2%
131 of 158
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 04Top suppliers.1,296 payments · £10.8m gross · 4 Dec 202526 Feb 2026

Every invoice over £500, published under the Local Government Transparency Code. Best-effort, not statutory — counts and totals net negatives (refunds/reversals).

Top by total — last 180 days

SupplierPaidSharePmts
SUEZ RECYCLING & RECOVERY UK LIMITED£2.33m21.6%10
IAN WILLIAMS LIMITED£2.00m18.6%124
STRATA SERVICE SOLUTIONS LTD£0.81m7.5%16
BAGWELLS LIMITED£0.39m3.6%5
J T MACKLEY & CO LTD£0.39m3.6%2
FIFIELDS CONSTRUCTION£0.28m2.6%7
CBRE LIMITED£0.26m2.4%2
D R JONES (YEOVIL) LTD£0.21m2.0%7
DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL£0.18m1.6%9
'PURCHASE CARD SPEND'£0.16m1.5%22

By service area · top supplier

Service-classified supplier data not yet ingested for this council.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.30 wards split across 2 parliamentary seats

East Devon’s territory crosses 2 Westminster constituencies, with 2 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.

ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Honiton and Sidmouth1860% Richard FoordLD
Exmouth and Exeter East1240% David ReedCon
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Independent Berwick Hills Resident-controlled district — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 163 other councils (district)
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
1,296 payments · 4 Dec 202526 Feb 2026
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level