Devolution
"It is fair to say that they are some big changes lying ahead for local government in our area, and across the country. The exact detail of what will come next is still to be determined," said Ashford Borough Council Leader, Cllr Noel Ovenden, in a statement on our website.
What we do know
The Government published their English Devolution White Paper, on 20 December 2024 and invited councils to apply for priority status.
Kent County Council and Medway Council have formally asked the government to be included its Devolution Priority Programme (DPP).
What is devolution?
Devolution is all about having a new tier of government allowing strategic decisions that affect local people in Kent, which will be made by the new authority, run by a Kent mayor elected potentially as soon as May 2026.
These strategic decisions are on those contentious issues around roads, transport, education, health, planning - all done currently in Westminster - but will be moved to a local Kent and Medway wide Mayoral authority.
How will it work?
Government needs to approve the Kent and Medway application to be fast tracked to an election for a new Mayor of Kent in May 2026. This does not affect Local Government but rather transfers powers from Westminster to Kent along with funding to deliver those strategic decisions.
These structures already exist around the country in city regions like Manchester and Birmingham, and more recently in places like the West of England, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
If the proposal is accepted by government there will be a consultation process held at a Kent and Medway level run by the government, so residents and communities will be consulted on the proposal.
Local Government Reform
What follows will be changing the current organisation of how local government runs. This will mean that what is known as ‘Local Government Reform’ will see a change from Kent County Council and Borough Councils to Unitary Council’s that combine all responsibilities into one body, hopefully making it easier for residents to know who runs their area for all council services.
By the end of January, the 14 councils in Kent will be invited by government to submit what they think are the right proposals for dividing Kent and Medway into unitary authorities.
The only criteria we know at the moment is that the government has said that these councils should be at a size that should give savings and improvements in services for the residents, and it’s been suggested 500,000 is an approximate population for each. The current population of Kent is approx. 1.6m.
The proposal has to be submitted by March 2025 so once the invitation arrives from the government setting out the criteria, councils will need work together across Kent to attempt to get the right opportunities for the residents across the county.
ABC priorities remain the same
The earliest election for Unitary Councils could be May 2027, so this is still a while away.
In the meantime, Ashford Borough Council officers and councillors will focus on our priorities set out in the Borough Plan and progressing on important work like a new Local Plan, delivering affordable housing for local people and serving our residents.
For further information
Government devolution page
English Devolution White Paper
Kent County Council's devolution statement
