Jenrick: ‘no long-term future’ for districts in devo push (original) (raw)

Two tier local government does not feel like it has a long-term future and the mayoral model in conjunction with unitary councils is strongly preferred by government when considering devolution deals, the housing, communities and local government secretary has said.

Speaking at a Conservative conference fringe event on Tuesday, Robert Jenrick admitted he was “doubtful” about the mayoral model when he first entered Parliament but has since changed his mind.

In a blow to county leaders who stand firmly against adopting the model, Mr Jenrick said: “Having now been in Parliament longer and particularly my experience in the Treasury dealing with the mayors we have across the country, I am now strongly in favour. I have been converted.

“I think they make a huge difference in giving real leadership in an area. I have been very impressed by some of the mayors and the work they have done in transport, infrastructure, inward investment and housing. I would strongly encourage more parts of the country to take forward the mayoral model.”

A devolution white paper was announced by chancellor Sajid Javid on Monday. Mr Jenrick said he hoped the white paper, which would include a set of “principles”, would be published by the end of the year.

He added one of the government’s core principles of devolution is that “it has to come with accountability”.

“It is all well and good asking for more money, but it only works in the long run if people can really hold them to account for the decisions that you are taking,” Mr Jenrick said. “I am sympathetic to arguments like that because that is an obvious way of rooting mayors with their population and be truly accountable.”

Responding to the white paper announcement, Martin Hill (Con), the County Councils Network devolution spokesman said the government’s approach must “trust” counties and move away from a “city-centric approach”.

He added: “The major sticking point for many counties under the previous government was the requirement for a metro mayor in return for a full suite of devolved powers.

“Whilst this model can work in some areas, there is little evidence it is suitable for large and diverse county areas.”

Mr Jenrick said he has been tasked with bringing the same “energy and enthusiasm to the [devolution] agenda that there was in the George Osborne period”.

When asked his opinion on the creation of more unitary councils, Mr Jenrick said it was his preferred structure.

He added: “I appreciate the fact that people want to have a sense of identity and the small scale brings a connection with communities, but it doesn’t feel to me that it has got a long-term future.

“I represent a constituency that has got three small district councils. I love all of them and the councillors who are part of that and I appreciate the upheaval, but I do think we need to move towards a model [that] provides better value for money for taxpayers and able to look much more strategically at challenges like housing and transport.

“So, I will certainly be encouraging local councils to move in that direction.”

2019-10-02