A deferred decision over unitary authorities suggests central government is not listening to local voices.
The Leader of West Sussex Council, Paul Marshall, has expressed frustration at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s delay in confirming how many new powers will be formed in the county as part of England’s major administrative reorganisation.
A decision on the number of unitary authorities that will be introduced to govern West Sussex had been expected last month. However, a late-March meeting between the UK Government and local chief executives led to an announcement that nothing would be confirmed until summer. The final result will follow a short technical consultation on changes to existing proposals after May’s local elections.
The Ministry has yet to reveal its preference for the county’s future, however representatives from West Sussex have already put forward their choice — a single unitary authority across the county. Responding to the lack of clarity, Marshall claimed central powers wanted to ‘reshape Sussex based on Brighton and Hove’s Agenda’, and that the Government was ignoring its own devolution paper and reorganisation framework.
‘If we find that the Government makes a decision on a model that is completely out of kilter with the devolution framework without any due diligence or that demonstrates an ability to deliver services, then we will consider a judicial review,’ he added. ‘The two models that were submitted were done with due diligence and with clear opportunities of what that programme looked like for implementation.’
Image: Bob Brewer / Unsplash
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