This afternoon Angela Rayner will unveil potentially the biggest shake-up of local government since the 1970s. The Housing Secretary will speak at 1:50 p.m. on her plans for a devolution ‘revolution’. All areas covered by two tiers of local government — generally district and county councils — will be asked to submit proposals to merge into single, unitary authorities. A white paper will be published after Rayner’s speech.
The government’s line is that this move will save billions while simplifying how local democracy works. Local authorities will be expected to cover around 500,000 inhabitants, necessitating a likely cull of hundreds of councillors. Labour argues it will enable the creation of more powerful local mayors to unblock infrastructure and attract greater investment. They will cite the fact that Ben Houchen – the Tory mayor of Tees Valley – has welcomed the plans, including greater powers over transport and planning.
Yet critics counter that the move will create ‘mega-councils’ which undermine local decision-making.
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