The fresh devolution measures, set to be unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on Monday seem even sensible when considering the billions of pounds that could be saved by efficiencies.
Rayner’s English Devolution White Paper could see dozens of councils abolished in favour of bigger unitary authorities, with populations of at least 500,000 people.
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Read MoreEngland has 21 county councils, responsible for social care and transport. The 164 district councils under them meanwhile oversee planning permission for development and bin collections.
The re-organisation comes after years of financial mismanagement by local authorities and the belief that two-tier local government structures are inefficient. Multiple rows have seen district councils blamed for building up cash reserves rather than spending on improving public services. Meanwhile, district councils are also seen as blockers to growth by rejecting planning developments.
But his philosophy is going to come up against local interests when development decisions filter down and are decided at a regional – not local – level. Rather than giving people more of a voice, he could be depriving them of one.
Under the planning reforms, local authorities must set aside areas for development with no sight of what any future building could look like. Meanwhile, empowering planners to prioritise critical energy infrastructure could see swathes of pylons and on-shore wind farms.
Opposition MPs are also anxiously eyeing the plans after rumours the overhaul will be used as an excuse by the Labour Government to postpone May’s local elections. Slade said any delay “is a real concern”.
A government source said there were no plans to delay May’s local elections. Even so, opposition parties, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK currently riding high in the polls will spend Monday poring over the documents to make sure their electoral ambitions are not put on hold.
Already the Tories are eyeing how it can hold those seats, with some Conservative MPs seeing heavy losses to other opposition parties as a moment of danger for Badenoch, who has yet to score any major blows against Starmer.
While Starmer and Rayner’s relationship with the regional mayors is undoubtedly positive at the moment, some of them have criticised what they describe as a Treasury orthodoxy, which sees Whitehall targets imposed on local areas.
Insiders are contrasting a tough statement made by devolution minister Jim McMahon in September that it’s “not acceptable” for an area to lack a mayor, against what has been seen as a gentler strategy of privately encouraging regional opt-ins. In short, they question will every area end up with a mayor eventually?
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The regional mayors already have a WhatsApp group of their own, although it’s rumoured the Labour mayors have their own breakaway chat group. They’re increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
But by making the voices regional, the reforms risk severing the link voters have with their local areas. Local champions should examine if they really want to surrender that tie.
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