Councils Under Threat

Both Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are likely to lose their Borough Councils under changes expected to be proposed soon by the Labour government.

Ministers are considering the biggest overhaul of local government in the county for more than 50 years.

Kent currently has a two-tier council system.

Kent County Council (KCC) delivers big ticket services such as social care, education and roads and is in the ‘upper’ tier - above a dozen borough and district councils, which collect bins and oversee planning.

The government hopes, for instance, if roads and planning functions are contained in the same structure, promised housing developments can be delivered more smoothly.

In July, local government minister Angela Rayner (pictured below) asked 21 county authorities for “expressions of interest”.


A joint letter from KCC and Medway leader Roger Gough and Vince Maple to Mrs Rayner welcomed the opportunity to discuss devolution.

The letter said: “Our planning assumption is that some form of combined authority is the best form of devolution governance for Kent and Medway now, given a KCC only county deal would isolate Medway.

“The exact structure and governance of a combined authority would be decided at a later date, but the creation of an effective strategic authority for Kent and Medway is the foundation for a programme of both devolution, and wider public service reform.

“Strong strategic leadership must go alongside a commitment to subsidiarity and devolution to local places and communities.”

The October letter added: “By ensuring the principle of subsidiarity, and using our existing partnership and local authority structures, we believe we can move swiftly to delivering the benefits of a devolution to the residents of Kent and Medway, whilst the formal governance arrangements are designed and agreed by all partners.”

Both KCC and Medway are facing financial difficulties, complaining the funding they receive does not cover the cost of the services they are legally obliged to provide.

One well-placed local government observer said the Times newspaper may have been “rolling the pitch” ahead of a government White Paper due out in early December.

The source said: “Devolution and council reorganisation are not the same things but the government is keen to get the local authorities on board.

“Kent may not be universally keen on a mayor but might see it as a price to pay for having a greater say in how the future looks.”

One solution often put forward is that Kent and Medway, with a population of nearly two million, might be reorganised into three large, unitary authorities.

No real movement is expected before the county council elections next May.

A senior Kent district council official warned against an elected mayor for Kent as the county “does not need a fourth tier of government” in a mayor, on top of the town/parish, district/borough and county levels.

According to The Times, Kent is one of ten authorities which may see radical reform.

It also reported the housing minister Jim McMahon told council leaders in September that it is “not acceptable” not to have an elected mayor.

A letter signed by all 12 borough, district and city council leaders in Kent to Mrs Rayner also welcomed devolution.

It said: “We recognise the government’s strong desire to deliver regional devolution through a single voice at the Government table, we acknowledge that representative being the primary mechanism by which powers and responsibilities (and the accountability which needs to accompany them) are transferred between government and a Kent region.

“Having said that, we remain concerned about the associated cost, complexity, and the long-term sustainability of introducing a ‘fourth tier’ of local government in the Kent region.”

A joint statement from Cllrs Gough (KCC) and Maple (Medway) said it is important not to “conflate” devolution with local authority reorganisation, each requiring separate pieces of legislation agreed by parliament.

Both authorities say they await the White Paper.

The statement adds: “Devolution allows local areas to access more powers and monies from central government to support issues such as economic development, transport and planning and other services that have a critical role in the lives of our communities.

“It allows local areas more control over decisions that affect them, rather than them being decided by central government.

“Local government reorganisation is about the creation of single, all-purpose councils for a local area which would provide the local services currently split between the County Council and the District Council. This is the structure that has been in place in Medway since April 1998.

“These discussions involve every service that KCC, Medway Council and District and Borough Councils across the county deliver to residents, and it is essential that any outcomes are determined in collaboration, working in partnership for the benefit of the residents and businesses of Kent and Medway.”

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) said: “The government is very clear that it is keen on mayors.

But until we see the White Paper, we won’t have a clear direction of travel.”

A spokesman for the ministry of housing, communities and local government said no decisions have been taken on the future of local government and further details will be set out in the White Paper.