Government feedback on Plymouth City Council’s plan to expand its boundaries into the South Hams is “imminent”, according to officers.

As part of a reorganisation of local authorities, the council is proposing what it calls a “modest” expansion to include 13 parishes and 30,000 additional residents.

It is now working on a full business case ahead of a deadline in November, but is waiting to hear what the government thinks of its plans.

Devon’s current two-tier structure of county and district councils is to be abolished and replaced by unitary councils responsible for all local services.

Plymouth is already a unitary council and wants to keep it that way but it needs to cover more residents to be closer to the size the government wants.

The council says that many people living in the proposed extended area already have strong ties to the city and financial savings can be made by the changes as well as strengthening the city’s identity.

Plymouth’s head of governance Ross Jago told a cabinet meeting this week that the city council had been working with neighbouring local authorities to see what savings could be made.

And he said it will shortly launch an engagement programme to make sure “local voices can be heard”, with community meetings and an online platform to gather feedback.

Council officers had been invited to the South Hams Society last month for “a robust discussion” about the future of local government and had talked to Harford Parish Council about its planning concerns and how a future council might work with Dartmoor National Park Authority, he said.

They had also attended Wembury Parish Council’s annual general meeting.

Other parishes that Plymouth is looking to encompass to bring its population size to 300,000 are Newton and Noss, Brixton, Yealmpton, Holbeton, Ermington, Ivybridge, Sparkwell, Bickleigh, Shaugh Prior, Cornwood and Ugborough.

Mr Jago said meetings had been positive so far.

“I’s fair to say many of the issues that people are concerned about in the 13 parishes are very similar to what our residents in Plymouth are concerned about.. affordable housing, potholes, speed of traffic, bus times and so on.

“Of course we need to consider how we are going to be protecting those very local identities in places like Holbeton, Yealmpton and Brixton. We are doing that by continuing to work with parishes council and developing a programme of engagement events over the next couple of months.

“Hopefully soon we will be in a position where we have got all the data we need to start building proposal for November.”

Devon County Council’s former Conservative administration submitted a range of options for how Devon can be carved up but ideas may change under a new administration in which no party is in overall control.

Leader of South Hams District Council Julian Brazil, who is now leader of the Liberal Democrat group, which has the most councillors at county hall, has not been in favour of Plymouth’s expansion into the South Hams, slamming it as a “land grab”.

The government has expressed a desire for unitary councils to have in the region of 500,000 residents but says there is flexibility for growth areas like Plymouth and Exeter.

Devon’s district councils, barring Exeter, have all signed up to a 1-4-5 proposal for three unitary councils, which sees Plymouth as the 1, Torbay, West Devon, Teignbridge and South Hams as the 4 and North Devon, Torridge, Exeter, Mid Devon and East Devon as the 5.