South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Totnes, although the largest town is Ivybridge. The district also contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge and Salcombe and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
Much of the district's landscape is recognised for its natural beauty; the north of the district includes part of Dartmoor National Park, the district's coastline and adjoining areas form most of the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and part of the west of the district lies within the Tamar Valley AONB. The district's coast includes the promontories of Start Point and Bolt Head.
The neighbouring districts are Torbay, Teignbridge, West Devon, Cornwall (across the Tamar–Tavy Estuary) and Plymouth.
Toponymy "Ham" is an Old English term which can mean a homestead, river meadow or peninsula. The settled farming areas either side of the largely uninhabited wilderness of Dartmoor were anciently termed the "North Hams" and "South Hams" respectively. The name North Hams fell out of general usage, but the name South Hams continued to be used for the area between Dartmoor and the south coast.
History The South Hams were formerly part of the Brythonic (Celtic) Kingdom of Dumnonia. Post-Roman settlement on coastal promontory hillforts, such as Burgh Island, followed the established pattern of trading (particularly of tin) found across the western Atlantic coastal regions. The Anglo-Saxon conquest of south Devon was completed in the late 7th and early 8th centuries. In the later Anglo-Saxon era, the South Hams was a feudal estate consisting of all of the land between the River Plym and River Dart and south of Dartmoor with the English Channel forming the southern boundary. As a result of claims made by 19th century antiquarian Richard Polwhele, there is a popular belief that Cornish continued to be spoken in the area until the later middle ages and as late as the 14th century. However, there is, in fact, no evidence supporting this.
In 1917, the village of Hallsands was abandoned after much of it was lost to the sea following the removal of the shingle bank protecting the shore to help build Devonport dockyard.
In 1944 several villages were evacuated so that training for D-Day could be carried out in secret. The area was chosen because of the resemblance of its beaches to those of Normandy. Preparations were disrupted, and secrecy nearly compromised, by a devastating E-boat attack during Exercise Tiger.
The modern local government district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of seven former districts which were all abolished at the same time: Dartmouth Municipal Borough Kingsbridge Rural District Kingsbridge Urban District Plympton St Mary Rural District Salcombe Urban District Totnes Municipal Borough Totnes Rural District The new district was named South Hams, using the long-established name for the area.
In July 2026, it was announced that South Hams District Council would be abolished as part of the nationwide Local Government Reorganisation programme aiming to replace two-tier governance with unitary authorities. Parishes near Plymouth will be incorporated into an expanded Plymouth unitary authority; parishes near Torbay will be incorporated into an expanded Torbay unitary authority; remaining parishes will be incorporated into a new Devon Coast and Countryside unitary authority. The changes are planned to come into full effect as of 2028.
Governance
South Hams 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.
In the parts of the district within the Dartmoor National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the Dartmoor National Park Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 19-person National Park Authority.
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: (Put "South Hams" in search box to see specific results.) Party in control Years 1974–1983 1983–1987 1987–1995 1995–1999 1999–2023 2023–present
Leadership The leaders of the council since 1994 have been:
Councillor Party From To Owen Masters 1994 May 1995 Doreen Flood May 1995 May 1999 Owen Masters May 1999 2001 Richard Yonge 2001 2007 John Tucker 2007 May 2019 Judy Pearce 16 May 2019 May 2023 Julian Brazil 25 May 2023 15 May 2025 Dan Thomas 15 May 2025
Composition Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:
Party Councillors 19 7 3 1 1Total31
Premises The council is based at Follaton House, a large converted house on the outskirts of Totnes. The main house dates back to the early nineteenth century and is a Grade II* listed building. The building had been bought by the old Totnes Rural District Council for £26,000 in 1965 and converted to become its offices, transferring to the new South Hams District Council on local government reorganisation in 1974.
Geography The district's geography can be described in terms of three loosely defined bands: a coastal band of bays, headlands, birdlife, fishing and small harbour towns with the estuaries and rias; a middle band with the main, well-conserved towns; and a sparsely populated band of upland National Park moorland in the north. For over a century its tourism was concentrated around the railway, with most stations built here from 1847 to 1872 so tourism to its beaches and fishing villages began in earnest later than to the 'English Riviera' east of the area. South Hams' widespread tourism multiplied on the dualling of the A38 and time-cutting construction of the M5 and A303 across other parts of south-west England.
The South Hams, along with nearby Broadsands in Paignton, is the last British refuge of the cirl bunting.
Parishes and settlements The whole district is covered by civil parishes. Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The parish councils for Dartmouth, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Salcombe and Totnes take the style "town council".
Settlements in the district include: Ash, Aish, Allaleigh, Ashprington, Aveton Gifford Badworthy, Bantham, Beesands, Beeson, Berry Pomeroy, Bickleigh, Bigbury-on-Sea, Bittaford, Blackawton, Blackpool, Bolberry, Brixton, Broadhempston, Buckland-Tout-Saints Charleton, Chillington, Chivelstone, Churchstow, Cornwood, Cornworthy, Curtisknowle Dartington, Dartmouth, Dean Prior, Didworthy, Diptford, Dittisham, Dodbrooke (neighbourhood of Kingsbridge) East Allington, East Charleton, East Portlemouth, East Prawle, Ermington Ford (Chivelstone), Ford (Holbeton), Frogmore Goveton Hallsands, Halwell, Harberton, Harford, Hemsford, Heybrook Bay, Holbeton, Holne, Hutcherleigh Ivybridge Kingsbridge, Kingston, Kingswear Landscove, Ledstone, Lee Moor, Littlehempston, Loddiswell, Lutton Malborough, Marldon, Michelcombe, Modbury, Moreleigh Newton Ferrers, Noss Mayo, North Huish Rattery, Revelstoke, Rew, Ringmore, Roborough Salcombe, Scorriton, Shaugh Prior, Sherford (near Kingsbridge), Sherford (new town), Slapton, Soar, South Brent, South Huish, South Milton, South Pool, Sparkwell, Start, Staverton, Stoke Fleming, Stoke Gabriel, Stokenham, Sutton Thurlestone, Torcross, Totnes, Tuckenhay, The Mounts Ugborough, Uphempston Washbourne, Wembury, West Alvington, Woodleigh, Woolston Green, Wotter, Wrangaton Yealmpton
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 31 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward election one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
The South Hams district straddles the two parliamentary constituencies of South West Devon and Totnes.
In the 2016 EU Referendum it voted to remain with a very high (80.3%) turnout.http://old.southhams.gov.uk/eureferendumresults
Wards Some of the district's wards are coterminous with civil parishes, though most consist of multiple parishes or parts of parishes. The following table lists the electoral wards of South Hams and the associated civil parishes.
Ward Civil Parishes No. of councillorsAllington & Strete Buckland-Tout-Saints Charleton East Allington Frogmore and Sherford Slapton Strete1Bickleigh & Cornwood Bickleigh (part) Cornwood Harford Shaugh Prior1Blackawton & Stoke Fleming Blackawton Halwell and Moreleigh Stoke Fleming1Charterlands Bigbury Kingston Modbury Ringmore1Dartington & Staverton Dartington Staverton1Dartmouth & East Dart Dartmouth Kingswear Stoke Gabriel3Ermington & Ugborough Ermington Ugborough (part)1Ivybridge East Ivybridge (part) Ugborough (part)2Ivybridge WestIvybridge (part)2KingsbridgeKingsbridge2Loddiswell & Aveton Gifford Aveton Gifford Churchstow Loddiswell Woodleigh1Marldon & Littlehempston Berry Pomeroy Littlehempston Marldon1Newton & Yealmpton Holbeton Newton and Noss Sparkwell Yealmpton2Salcombe & Thurlestone Malborough Salcombe South Huish South Milton Thurlestone West Alvington2South Brent Dean Prior Diptford Holne North Huish Rattery South Brent West Buckfastleigh2Stokenham Chivelstone East Portlemouth South Pool Stokenham1TotnesTotnes3Wembury & Brixton Brixton Wembury2West Dart Ashprington Cornworthy Dittisham Harberton1WoolwellBickleigh (part)1
Notable individuals Teresa Driscoll, author and former BBC TV news presenter.
See also Grade I listed buildings in South Hams Grade II* listed buildings in South Hams
Notes
References
External links South Hams District Council south-hams