Devon coroner's offices to merge

Offices will be retained in Plymouth and Exeter

Two Devon coroner's offices are to merge.

Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, and Exeter and Greater Devon services are merging to create one.

One senior coroner Phillip Spinney, will reside over both from 1 April, said the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

But offices will be retained in Plymouth and Exeter.

The aim was to "provide improvements" to the service for bereaved families through "more efficiently" run processes, said Plymouth City Council.

It followed a recommendation by the UK's chief coroner that any area where a senior coroner position became available should consider a merger rather than recruit another coroner.

In 2023, Ian Arrow, Senior Coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon retired, and so the MoJ asked for a merger to be considered.

Sally Haydon, council cabinet member for community safety, libraries, cemeteries and crematoria, said "nothing would change for our residents".

"I'm pleased this will be the case and that Plymouth, as Devon's biggest city, will still maintain a coroner's court," she said.