Mid Devon

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title: "Mid Devon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mid-devon-district", "non-metropolitan-districts-of-devon"] topic_path: "general/mid-devon-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid_Devon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
timezone	GMT
utc_offset	0
timezone_DST	BST
utc_offset_DST	+1
settlement_type	Non-metropolitan district
subdivision_type	Sovereign state
subdivision_type1	Constituent country
subdivision_type2	Region
subdivision_type3	Non-metropolitan county
subdivision_type4	Status
subdivision_type5	Admin HQ
subdivision_name	United Kingdom
subdivision_name1	England
subdivision_name4	Non-metropolitan district
government_type	Non-metropolitan district council
leader_title1	MPs
established_title1	Formed
population_density_km2	auto
population_blank1_title	Ethnicity
blank1_name	ONS code
blank2_name	OS grid reference
official_name	Mid Devon District
image_shield	Coat of arms of Mid Devon District Council.svg
shield_size	100px
shield_alt	Coat of arms
image_map	Mid Devon UK locator map.svg
mapsize	150px
map_caption	Mid Devon shown within Devon
subdivision_name2	South West England
subdivision_name3	Devon
subdivision_name5	Tiverton
established_date1	1 April 1974
governing_body	Mid Devon District Council
leader_name1	Richard Foord
Rachel Gilmour
Mel Stride
area_total_km2	912.9
area_rank	(of )
population_total
population_as_of
population_rank	(of )
population_blank1	97.8% White (93.8% White British)
blank1_info	18UD (ONS)
E07000042 (GSS)
blank2_info
::

::callout[type=note] the district ::

| timezone = GMT | utc_offset = 0 | timezone_DST = BST | utc_offset_DST = +1

The neighbouring districts are East Devon, Teignbridge, West Devon, Torridge, North Devon and Somerset.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of four former districts which were all abolished at the same time:

Crediton Rural District
Crediton Urban District
Tiverton Municipal Borough
Tiverton Rural District The new district was initially named Tiverton, after its largest town. The district was renamed Mid Devon with effect from 6 February 1978 by resolution of the district council.

Geography

Mid Devon shares borders with several other Devon districts as well as the county of Somerset. Neighbouring districts include Exeter, East Devon, North Devon, Teignbridge, West Devon and Torridge. The area of Mid Devon, according to the Office for National Statistics Census table KS101EW is 91293.48 hectares, or 912.9348 sq kilometres, or 352.5 square miles.

Rivers

The Exe, the Culm, the Yeo, the Dalch, the Little Dart, the Taw, the Dart, the Brockley, the Creedy and the Spratford Stream flow through the district.

Raddon Top

Raddon Top (772 ft) is the highest point of the Raddon Hills. Excavations at the summit in 1994 uncovered traces of Early Iron Age settlement.

Governance

Mid Devon District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Devon County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: ::data[format=table] | Party in control || Years | |---| | | | | | | | | ::

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2008 have been:

::data[format=table]

Councillor	Party	From	To
Peter Hare-Scott		May 2008	29 Oct 2014
Clive Eginton		29 Oct 2014	May 2019
Bob Deed		22 May 2019	22 Feb 2023
last1=Heptinstall	first1=Ollie	title=New Mid Devon leader appointed after predecessor resigns	url=https://www.middevonadvertiser.co.uk/news/new-mid-devon-leader-appointed-after-predecessor-resigns-596978
Luke Taylor		24 May 2023
::

Composition

Following the 2023 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to June 2025, the composition of the council was:

::data[format=table]

Party	Councillors	Total	42
	35
	3
	3
	1
::

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 42 councillors, representing 22 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Premises

Since January 2004 the council has been based at a modern office building called Phoenix House on Phoenix Lane in Tiverton.

Tourism

Grand Western Canal

The Grand Western Canal stretches from Canal Hill in Tiverton to just before the county boundary, near to Greenham, Somerset. It no longer operates for trade purposes, but is a popular tourist location. Visitors are able to walk along its banks or take a trip down the canal in a horse drawn barge. A static barge at the Canal Hill end of the canal offers refreshments. The site is one of two tourism spots owned by Devon County Council.

Devon Railway Centre

The Devon Railway Centre is located at Bickleigh in Mid Devon, in a restored Victorian railway station on the closed Great Western Railway branch from Exeter to Dulverton. The centre operates a 2 ft (610mm) gauge passenger railway and has a large collection of narrow gauge rolling stock, a miniature railway and a collection of model railways.

Coldharbour Working Wool Museum

Coldharbour Mill is a Grade II* listed Georgian mill complex in Uffculme, close to junction 27 (Tiverton turnoff) of the M5. The mill has the largest working waterwheel in the south west, and steams up its stationary steam engines most Bank Holidays. It has a number of other collections, such as dolls' houses, a large tapestry showing five local parishes, and a wide range of worsted wool spinning and weaving machines.

Towns and parishes

Mid Devon is entirely divided into civil parishes. Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council, whilst the three parishes of Clayhanger, Hockworthy and Huntsham share a grouped parish council called Borden Gate Parish Council. The parish councils for Bampton, Bradninch, Crediton, Cullompton and Tiverton take the style "town council".

References

{{cite legislation UK. (1972)
{{cite legislation UK. (1973)
(1978). "Alterations in status and area of local authorities for period February 1978–September 1978". Department of the Environment.
{{London Gazette. (14 March 1978)
"Data Viewer - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics".
"Devon Libraries Local Studies Shobroke Community Page, 22 February 2005".
"Council minutes, 7 May 2025".
"Meet the leadership team".
{{cite legislation UK. (1972)
"Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
"Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
"Mid Devon". [[BBC News Online]].
(20 December 2022). "Five former councillors become Honorary Aldermen".
"Council minutes, 29 October 2014".
(4 November 2024). "Councillor Clive Eginton appointed new leader of Mid Devon District Council". Somerset County Gazette.
"Council minutes, 22 May 2019".
(23 February 2023). "New Mid Devon leader appointed after predecessor resigns". Mid Devon Advertiser.
"Council minutes, 22 February 2023".
"Council minutes, 24 May 2023".
"Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
"Mid Devon". Thorncliffe.
{{cite legislation UK. (2021)
"Contact details and opening hours".
"Mid Devon District Council is on the move".
"Town and parish council contact details".

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