The Deputy Prime Minister has unveiled plans to merge local authorities and have more regional mayors
The Deputy Prime Minister has unveiled plans to merge local authorities and have more regional mayors Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin pose for a selfie with regional mayors, in Leeds.
Photographer: Phil Noble Source: PADeputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner unveiled plans to scrap two-tier council areas in England and replace them with “strategic authorities” with But critics said the move could create a power-struggle between the mayors and councils and warned it could diminish local voices. Rayner said she wanted to end “micromanaging” and centralisation from Westminster by giving more power to regions. A Government White Paper revealed an ambition to merge smaller councils to create bigger authorities and introduce more mayors who, ministers said, would have “a range of new powers across strategic planning, housing, transport and skills”. Rayner admitted the overhaul – which is expected to result in the new councils being formed from 2027 – could mean local elections end up being delayed if councils are in the process of being merged. “We may look at postponing, but it wouldn’t be for longer than a couple of months, a year,” Rayner told broadcasters. The admission sparked anger from opposing MPs. Reform UK MP Richard Tice accused the Government of trying to “stop democracy”. “The stench of fear and panic pervades the Labour corridors of power as they thrash around looking for divine intervention to stop democracy,” he toldThe measures were widely welcomed but councillors, and organisations representing authorities, stressed the need to ensure that local voices would not be diminished by new mayors. George Holt, a Tory councillor in Dartford, questioned whether the changes could mean hyper-local issues like potholes and bin collections become neglected.Part of the Government’s ambitious devolution reforms include a specific focus on the importance of restoring local pride and tackling the increasing number of boarded-up shops and pubs. Often, when business owners or councils are forced to sell high value assets such as buildings, they end up being turned into homes or office spaces. But the devolution overhaul revealed plans to help communities to buy much-loved pubs and libraries at risk of closure. An existing “right to bid” policy allows communities to nominate land and buildings that they want to keep and, if the nomination is accepted, put together a bid to buy it. They said they would replace the existing rule with a “right to buy” things like empty shops, pubs, land or community buildings. This will give communities first refusal when an asset becomes available and will be backed through the Community Ownership Fund. “The Government has succeeded in creating a more complicated landscape for residents to navigate for their local councils,” Holt told“It appears the Government holds a long term view of abolishing district level authorities, so whilst this paper offers devolution it actually hands powers up, and away from local people. “A bigger council means more circling meetings and bureaucracy, and frankly, less time to care about the basics, like bin collections and potholes. “The result? Career politicians move in, while the residents who actually know what’s what step back. Say goodbye to community-driven decision-making.” The County Councils Network said authorities “recognise the need to embrace the benefits of mayoral devolution”, conceding that reorganisation would help to improve devolution funding settlements. But the group warned that “the role of local authorities should be enhanced not diminished; with a clear separation between mayors in spearheading an area’s strategic growth and constituent councils in delivering day-to-day essential local services such as social care”. Tory shadow housing minister David Simmonds said local leaders would be getting the message that “this Government feels that the men from Whitehall know best what their place needs”.“It’s a mishmash of new tiers, new taxes, taking decision making further distance away from residents, and if the experience of London is anything to go by, costing them a fortune at the same time.”Labour MP and chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Florence Eshalomi, said the reforms “raise concerns that there will be a loss of voice for residents”. “Ultimately, there will be some councils who may fear that residents’ voices in smaller district areas may lose that if they’re absorbed into larger unitary authorities,” she said. But minister McMahon said the White Paper “is about rebuilding that local community power”, and councils should work on how to better “give local people a voice”.
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