David Ward with Jonathan Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Business & Trade, and Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council.
The Government’s plans for English devolution will bring the biggest changes to our local democracy for over 50 years. They will affect all our vital public services and local authorities. By 2028 Kent’s current structure of fourteen councils* will be replaced by a new group of three or four unitary bodies overseen by a new strategic authority led by an elected mayor for Kent.
Scrapping our current two tiers of local government should improve efficiency and accountability. Instead of being split between Kent County Council (KCC) and Ashford Borough Council (ABC), our local government services (see table 1) will be provided by one single authority. Rather than being represented by six Councillors (one for KCC and five for ABC) voters in the Tenterden area will elect probably three members for our district. These reforms will make it much easier for residents to understand who is responsible for our local services and how they can raise issues about them. That has been the positive experience with Medway Council which became a unitary authority in 1998.
The boundaries of the new unitary authorities will be decided later this year. Currently four options are being considered which will have populations of about 500,000 people (see table 2). The strongest support so far is for a structure of four rather than three authorities. On Tenterden Town Council – where I represent Tenterden North – there is a clear preference for Model Four or a variant that would include Canterbury rather than Maidstone. The fourteen Kent council leaders must submit their final proposals to the Local Government Minister Jim McMahon MP by November 28th.
Alongside unitary councils Kent will also have a new strategic authority and elected Mayor. The new Mayoralty will supervise Kent wide issues – for example taking over the role of Police and Crime Commissioner – and represent the county to central government. This will build on the largely successful experience of metro mayors in providing leadership on behalf of their regions.
An important issue is how the new mayor will be elected. Until 2023 mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections used the supplementary (SV) system which allows voters to express a second preference and helps ensure candidates obtain broader support in their communities in order to win. In 2022, the Conservatives forced the replacement of SV by First Past the Post and as a consequence almost half the successful candidates last May were elected on less than 40% of the vote. This weakened their mandates. Whoever becomes Kent’s mayor needs to speak confidently on behalf of our county. That’s why I believe he or she should be elected using a more proportional voting system that will give our future mayor the greatest depth of voter support.
Kent’s devolution agenda should also not stop with unitary authorities. The reorganization is also an important opportunity to strengthen the influence and powers of parish and town councils. As a Tenterden Town Councillor I have found it frustrating to find our local decisions blocked by Kent and Ashford Councils even where there is clear public support. For example, there should be a one-way system in Bridewell and Highbury Lanes but it has proved impossible so far to get agreement between Kent and Ashford Council. In my view these kind of highway and planning issues should be decided locally. That is what devolution – bringing governance closer to the people – should be all about.
The election on 1st May will almost certainly be the last for Kent County Council. Whoever is elected will need to work hard to defend Tenterden’s interests in shaping the new structure of our local democracy. These issues transcend party politics and to be effective Tenterden needs a county councillor that can influence the Government in Whitehall. Having served as Head of Policy to the late Labour Leader John Smith MP, I know senior members of the Government well and have the experience and commitment to make Tenterden’s voice heard. So, on 1st May, whichever way you usually vote, please lend me your support. #DavidW4Tenterden!
*Kent County Council, Medway Council, Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells
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