McMahon issues feedback on interim proposals for local government reorganisation
The Government has issued feedback to 21 local authority areas on their interim local government reorganisation plans and announced £7.6m in funding to assist the next phase of proposals.
Plans to replace two-tier local authority areas with unitary councils, each covering a population of around 500,000 people, were announced by the Government earlier this year.
In a written ministerial statement made on Tuesday (3 June), English Devolution Minister Jim McMahon announced that the Government has now given feedback to each of the 21 areas on interim plans they submitted in March.
He also announced that £7.6m will be given to local authorities to support the development of final proposals. Each area will receive a flat rate of £135,000, plus an additional 20p per person based on the latest ONS population estimates.
McMahon said: "Ideally, I would like areas to submit their final proposals as a single submission, underpinned by a shared evidence base, that includes all options being put forward by councils."
MHCLG has asked each area to agree on up to three councils to receive an equal share of the funding, which will contribute towards facilitating the development of a shared evidence base that will underpin the final proposals.
"If areas are unable to reach an agreement on up to three authorities to receive an equal portion of the fund to support the development of proposals across the area, or meet my expectations for a single submission and data sharing, we are ready to provide support", McMahon said.
Summarising the feedback his department has given to the 21 areas, McMahon reiterated the Government's position that a population size of 500,000 or more "is a guiding principle, not a strict target".
He also said that there is room for flexibility in submissions as "what works in one area may not apply in the same way in another".
The minister added that a "simplified and standardised system of local area-working and governance is needed, and Neighbourhood Area Committees, led by frontline ward councillors, are the best route to achieve this".
He continued: "Neighbourhood Area Committees support local authorities to deliver their commitments to community partnership-working at a neighbourhood level.
"There are also opportunities to bring in other service providers into broader membership of Neighbourhood Area Committees, for instance town or parish councillors where they exist, and co-opted members from other local community organisations.
"This allows for the benefit of structural efficiencies from Local Governance Reorganisation while deepening localism and engagement across every community."
McMahon ultimately said that the priority for the next phase of reorganisation is supporting areas to establish a shared evidence base that will underpin the development of final proposals and to co-produce solutions to challenges identified by areas.
He added: "I want to reiterate my commitment to working with every area to deliver on this ambitious programme. I am also aware that developing proposals could distract councils from their essential day-to-day activities."
The minister meanwhile said that he continues to expect local planning authorities to work towards the adoption of an up-to-date local plan "as soon as possible", in spite of reorganisation and the changes to the legal framework for local plan-making set to take hold later this year.
Responding to the update, the chairman of the District Councils' Network (DCN), Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, expressed scepticism about the benefits of reorganisation and criticised the Government for delays.
Cllr Chapman-Allen said: "DCN supports local government reorganisation if it's a bottom-up approach, puts residents front and centre, improves services, is backed by communities and ensures that local Government remains local. However, it's still far from clear that these conditions will be met.
"The danger is we'll see the imposition of mega councils with populations bigger than 500k."
He claimed that there is "no evidence" that bigger unitary councils guarantee better outcomes and expressed concern that "mega councils" would undermine local decision-making and weaken local democracy.
He also described the Government's preference for creating neighbourhood area committees as "insufficient and inferior to the clear democratic ethos of a smaller, locally based unitary council".
In addition, the DCN chair noted that the Government had fallen behind on its process, having initially promised to hand out its feedback in May.
He said: "The Government has imposed a breakneck timetable for reorganisation and has fallen behind at the first hurdle. This must raise questions about its capacity to adjudicate on so many proposals simultaneously and to implement LGR on the ambitious timescale it has set out."
Adam Carey
