Kent to miss out on Devolution
The leaders of the Kent County Council and Medway Council were informed by the government about their decision, earlier today.
Kent County Council and Medway Council have not been included by the Government in their devolution priority programme.
Earlier today the Leaders of KCC and Medway Council were informed by Jim McMahon OBE, MP Minister for Local Government and Devolution, that the bid to be part of the first of Devolution had not been successful.
It means this years county elections will go ahead, there be no mayor of Kent and the structure of the local government will remain as it is, not splitting into unitary authorities.
Reacting to the news, Roger Gough said: “I am astonished by this decision and bitterly disappointed that residents and businesses of Kent have been let down by the Government and will not be able to benefit from the increased monies, powers and opportunities promised through devolution.
“The reason we have been given is both confusing and insufficient and we will be seeking more detail from Ministers as to the rationale as soon as possible.
“ I strongly believe that key issues in Kent, such as economic growth, housing and transport, all vital for our residents, would have been improved by devolution, as well as bringing new powers and more funding to Kent and Medway, to boost jobs and skills, improve our infrastructure and transport.
“ We met all the criteria for devolution set out in the White Paper, and our initial expression of interest with Medway Council was supported by all 12 District and Borough Council Leaders in Kent. I am simply stunned that the Government has offered what I consider to be an incoherent argument as to why Kent has been turned down."
While, Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council said: “It is bitterly disappointing to learn today that the Kent and Medway region has not been selected for the Devolution Priority Programme.
"We believe that we had a very strong case to offer and had unanimous support across all 14 councils for our proposal and had made it clear to Government that we were ready and willing to meet its ambitious timeline and work towards a mayoral election in Kent in 2026.
“The rationale for the decision by government needs further explanation and clarity which I will be seeking.
“This decision that other parts of England will have priority access to resources and devolved opportunities that will be denied to the 1.9million people of Kent and Medway is particularly frustrating.
“We are encouraged that the Government has confirmed that they will continue to work with us as they remain committed to rolling out devolution to the rest of the country and we are confident that we will begin the process in our region before too long."