South Hams.
Liberal Democrats-controlled district. £12m net revenue. 20 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.
31 May 2026
Liberal Democrats chamber, 2-party MP geography.
South Hams is a district controlled by Liberal Democrats (19 of 31 seats). Net revenue is £12m for 2025-26. It covers 20 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.
Who sits in the chamber.
Liberal Democrats 61% · last contested 4 May 2023
Councillors — the people.
| Councillor | Ward | Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Lawford | LD | Allington Strete | 2023 |
| Christopher Michael Oram | LD | Bickleigh Cornwood | 2023 |
| Simon Rake | LD | Blackawton Stoke Fleming | 2023 |
| Bernard Taylor | Con | Charterlands | 2023 |
| Jacqi Hodgson | Grn | Dartington Staverton | 2023 |
| Ben Cooper | Lab | Dartmouth East Dart | 2023 |
| Ged Yardy | LD | Dartmouth East Dart | 2023 |
| Jonathan Denis Hawkins | Con | Dartmouth East Dart | 2023 |
| Alison Dewynter | LD | Ermington Ugborough | 2023 |
| Matt Steele | LD | Ivybridge East | 2023 |
| Victor Abbott | LD | Ivybridge East | 2023 |
| Nadine Dommett | LD | Ivybridge West | 2023 |
Where revenue comes from.
Revenue mix is close to the councils (district) median: 65% council tax, 26% 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 | £197 |
| County / upper-tier | £1,801 |
| Police | £288 |
| Fire & rescue | £105 |
| GLA precept | £0 |
| Parish average | £101 |
| Total Band-D | £2,492 |
Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish
Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.
How does South Hams 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.
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.
South Hams’s territory crosses 2 Westminster constituencies, with 2 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.
| Constituency | Wards | % of council | Current MP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Devon | 13 | 65% | Caroline Voaden | LD |
| South West Devon | 7 | 35% | Rebecca Smith | Con |
This council holds 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Liberal Democrats-controlled district — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.
Sources, methods & last update
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
vs 163 other councils (district)
Police, Fire, Parish on top
Not yet ingested for South Hams
2023 boundaries
Pending ingest at LAD level