Agenda item

The English Devolution White Paper was published by the Government on 16December 2024. The Council was invited to respond to the White Paper and to indicate its desire to be included in the first tranche, the ‘Priority Programme’, by Friday 10 January 2025.

Background:

This report set out details of the Devolution White Paper, which had been published by the Government on 16 December 2024. This focused on the following areas:

·       Implementing a new framework of Government that makes devolution from the centre the default;

·       Integrated funding settlements;

·       Devolved control of transportation, housing and skills;

·       More local oversight of delivering climate change commitments;

·       Joining up public services and moving towards prevention; and

·       Reorganising local government and moving towards a single tier structure.

Medway Council had responded to the proposals by the Government deadline of 10 January 2025, setting out the desire to be included in the first tranche of authorities to move forward with the policy, the ‘[Devolution] Priority Programme’.

The report explained that it was now necessary to consider how to position Medway Council most strongly in the conversations that were beginning in earnest around the real impact of devolution and, more specifically, Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), across Medway and the wider Kent area.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Maple, supported by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Murray, proposed the recommendations set out in the report.

Decisions:

a)        The Council noted that the Leader of the Council wrote to Minister McMahon on 10 January 2025, indicating the Council’s preference to be included in the Devolution Priority Programme.

b)        The Council agreed to delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to establish the appropriate support and resource to deliver this programme of change (inclusive of recruitment to new posts as deemed necessary).

c)        The Council agreed to establish a Member Working Group which would work closely with officers and to agree its membership and terms of reference as set out in paragraphs 4.4 - 4.7 of the report).