14 Councils Face Axe

The leaders of Kent's local authorities have sent the government four options for how they want the county's political map to look after reorganisation.

The Labour government is in the throes of its plans for the biggest reorganisation of local government in more than 50 years.

Why is there going to be change?

Minister for local government Jim McMahon MBE has written to local authorities across the country to stress the need for “simpler, more sustainable, local government structures, alongside a transfer of power out of Westminster through devolution.”

Much of the country has a ‘two-tier’ local government system like Kent, with district and borough councils sitting below county councils, and responsibilities and powers split between them.

This system has been the case since the 1970s, with some changes such as the creation of unitary authorities.

However, under the government’s plans, this system will be abolished and almost all councils will be replaced by unitary authorities like Medway, with all of the powers and responsibilities previously split between the two levels.

The new unitary authorities will also pool some limited overall powers into a “combined authority” covering the whole county, which will be led by a directly elected mayor of Kent and Medway.

When?

In January Kent County Council (KCC) applied to be part of the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) – the first tranche of councils to be reorganised.

This could have seen Kent and Medway elect its first mayor in 2026, the new councils elected as ‘shadow’ authorities in 2027, and the whole new system up and running in 2028.

However, in February it was revealed the county had missed out on the fast track.

But papers discussed by every local authority in Kent this week commit the county to having a unitary system in place from April 1, 2028.

It is not yet known when a new mayor of Kent and Medway would be elected and in place.

Today, the authorities have submitted their interim plan to the government, but the full, final plan will have to be given to the government by November 28.

The possibilities

Documents agreed by all 14 of Kent’s councils this week show numerous proposals for how the reorganised county could look.

The idea of dividing the county in half into east and west Kent councils has not been floated – as the two councils would be too large.

The government wants new unitary councils to have about 500,000 people – which means Kent is to be split into either three or four.

But the specific boundaries are yet to be determined.

The proposal for three authorities would see Kent split into east, west and north – using the boundaries of the 12 existing districts and Medway as a guide.

Alternatively, there are several proposals for four councils all with different boundaries.

What would the new unitary authorities be responsible for?

The new unitary councils in Kent would deliver all of the services which are currently split between the districts and the county.

For example, district councils currently organise the collection of rubbish, but the county council runs tips where it is disposed of.

Under the new system, each new council would be expected to organise both the collection and disposal of waste.

Existing powers at the district and borough level, such as planning and managing leisure centres, would be pooled by the new unitary authorities.

However, the responsibilities of the new ‘combined authority’ with a shared mayor – like that already in place in Manchester or South Yorkshire – will be a hot topic when it comes to be discussed.

In a mayoral combined authority, the unitary councils would agree to pool and share some powers and responsibilities across the whole county.

The question remains about whether that combined authority will be responsible for things that KCC currently manages in the 12 districts and boroughs – like roads, education and social care.

For example, the new councils could agree to run education at the level of the combined authority to ensure consistency, rather than each one doing it independently.

But will the roads in Thanet in the east be maintained by the same authority as those in Sevenoaks in the west?

What also remains to be seen is the extent to which services might be pooled between each new unitary.

A lot of government direction will be required to set out exactly how many services might be shared across the new boundaries.
What do councillors think?

KCC’s leadership has welcomed the plans, despite being miffed at not being fast-tracked.

“The challenges are enormous and we have a huge responsibility to get that right for our residents,” KCC leader Cllr Roger Gough (Con) told the council at a meeting in February.

Cllr Gough said the mayor role will not be “a one-person dictatorship” but a partnership with the new unitary authorities.

Although yet to be agreed in any shape or form at this stage, taking examples of other mayoral authorities across the country, a directly elected mayor could lead a cabinet whose other members are leaders or senior members of Kent’s new unitary authorities.

This, for example, is how the combined authorities in South Yorkshire and Manchester are currently comprised.

However, there is disagreement between some of the councils on what exactly a reorganised Kent should look like.

Medway Council leader Cllr Vince Maple (Lab) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) this week that his authority “won’t be supporting” the same model as the other councils.

“Some councillors want three councils, Medway’s very strongly advocating for four but of course we want to speak to the community at large,” he explained.

“We’re dealing with 14 councils on an issue of this nature where there is detail to be looked at – it’ll be difficult to find a consensus but we do have some consensus points.

“Nobody wants one council, nobody wants a council that goes into other regional boundaries like Sussex or London.”

At a meeting of Dover District Council’s (DDC) cabinet on Monday, leader Cllr Kevin Mills (Lab) said: “We’re happy to work towards delivering it for the residents of this district.”

However, he warned: “The concern I’ve got is some key issues regarding finance – this is going to cost some money, it’s going to take up a huge amount of officer time in every district council, additional to what they would already be doing.

“There is a burden with this and I think it’s right that if the government want us to work in that direction, they put their hand in their pockets.”

Local government expert Professor Colin Copus of De Montfort University, however, is critical of the entire plan to reorganise councils.

“The government has embarked on another round in a very longstanding agenda which I think is driven by the civil service – they want fewer councils and fewer councillors, it makes their lives easier.

“There is absolutely no guaranteed improvement in efficiency and effectiveness or cost saving that comes from making local government bigger.”

“It’s nothing to do with the size of the councils – your tax bill will not go down.”

He argues that the government should instead devolve more financial power and autonomy to councils.

What will happen to town and parish councils?

In short, we don’t know for certain.

The future position and role of town and parish councils under the new system is yet to be officially decided.

However, in their joint agreement submitted to the government, Kent’s 14 council leaders say they “are exploring ways in which we can devolve greater powers, funding and responsibilities to parish and town councils”.

Furthermore, some of Kent’s councils are exploring the possibility of ‘community governance reviews’ to establish new town and parish councils in areas which do not have them to be ready for the new system.

Some commentators suggest the roles of towns and parish councils should be enhanced and they may become more important for communities as a result of services being merged.

The final call

Kent’s 14 council leaders today sent their signed interim agreement on reorganisation to the government.

They say they “recognise the significant opportunity that devolution and local government reorganisation presents for Kent”.

However, they have not said exactly what the county should look like after the reorganisation.

“Kent council leaders are agreed that any future geography for new unitary councils is likely to be on the basis of either three or four unitary councils,” it continues.

“The precise geography for each is still being determined, underpinned by analysis of financial, demographic and service demand data.”

The council leaders add: “We would seek government support to meet the costs of scoping up, preparing for and managing any transition.”

Medway council leader Cllr Vince Maple has written separately to the local government minister Jim McMahon to express his council’s preference for four.