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Devolution & Local Government Reorganisation
On 16 December 2024, the Government published an English Devolution White Paper (Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth) setting out their plans for devolution and local government reorganisation - with the aim of shifting power away from Whitehall and simplifying local government structures.
The White Paper is fundamentally made up of two parts:
What does the Government mean by Devolution?
Under the Government’s proposals to unlock Devolution from the Government, all areas are expected to have a Strategic Authority, and it is likely this would apply to the whole of Kent (including Medway). This would also be likely to include the election of a Mayor and would operate along the lines of current mayoral combined authorities in places like Manchester and the West Midlands.
To begin this process, a letter was sent to all county councils asking them to express an interest in becoming part of the Devolution Priority Programme, which could see the creation of a Strategic Authority covering the whole county of Kent. Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Council submitted an expression of interest on 10 January 2025, along with 15 other county councils in England. We are now waiting to hear from the Government which areas will be selected to proceed as part of the Devolution Priority Programme. The speed of this is required as in order to begin the process, it may involve the postponement of the county elections due in May 2025, with the view to Mayoral elections being held in May 2026.
What is Local Government Reorganisation?
Also, within the White Paper, the Government shared its vision for simpler council structures, making it clearer who is responsible for services. Local Government Reorganisation is about making a pattern of single tier, unitary authorities across England.
As such, the Government is inviting proposals for Local Government Reorganisation where unitary councils with populations of around 500,000 sit between new mayoral strategic authorities and town and parish councils. These unitaries will replace the existing two-tier structure of local authorities (county and districts in an area like Kent). If we proceed, the proposed timeline for this process includes indicative reorganisation plans for Kent by March 2025, detailed business case(s) by Autumn 2025, and new unitary councils replacing the existing structure by 2028.
Fig 2: Streamlining government
Source: MHCLG English Devolution White Paper, Section 4.1
What could this mean for Dover District?
For Dover District Council, which serves an area of 118,600 residents, this would mean the abolition of KCC, the 12 district councils and Medway Council, and for them to be replaced by the creation of a smaller number of unitary authorities (likely 3 or 4). For Dover District specifically, this is likely to be covered by a wider East Kent authority that also covers neighbouring districts as well as the services and functions currently provided by KCC.
What next?
In the first instance, we are waiting on the Government to respond to KCC as to whether Kent has been selected for the Devolution Priority Programme.
We are also waiting for a letter from the Government, inviting all districts and counties to submit proposals for reorganisation. With this in mind, all of Kent’s local authorities are in discussions about the best options for reorganising local government in Kent, to best serve our communities and to maximise investment and growth in the communities we serve.
We will keep you updated as we receive more information.
More information?
If you require any further information, here are some useful links:
Devolution examples in other parts of the country:
West Midlands Combined Authority (three devolution deals since 2015)
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (seven devolution deals since 2009)
Fig 1: Map of current English devolution landscape, December 2024
Source: MHCLG English Devolution White Paper, Section 2.2.2