Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
"It is fair to say that there are some big changes lying ahead for local government in our area, and across the country. The exact detail of what will come next is still to be determined," said Ashford Borough Council Leader, Cllr Noel Ovenden, in a statement on our website in January. You can also read his latest update from early March.
What we do know
The Government published their English Devolution White Paper, on 20 December 2024 and invited councils to apply for priority status.
Kent County Council and Medway Council asked the government to be included its Devolution Priority Programme (DPP), however the Government announced in early February that Kent and Medway were not selected.
The Government also asked local authorities to consider how they could reshape the county’s local councils into a smaller group of larger unitary authorities. Something referred to as Local Government Re-organisation (LGR).
Kent councils' interim proposals
Councils in Kent and Medway received a response this week (mid-May) from Government on interim proposals to replace the current system of local government.
The feedback acknowledged the positive partnership working by the 12 borough and district councils, Medway Council and Kent County Council to shape high-quality and sustainable services that best respond to the needs of residents and provide better value for money.
Government welcomed the initial thinking on the options for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Kent and Medway, recognising that proposals are at an early stage and further analysis is planned in the run-up to final submissions in the autumn.
The feedback also included recognition of the geographically important position of Kent as the gateway to Europe, adding that this will necessitate unique considerations for LGR within the Kent and Medway area.
The reorganisation of councils in Kent and Medway will mean councils in their current form will be replaced by unitary authorities with responsibility for all services across a wider geographical area.
There is much more work to be done to build comprehensive business cases for submission by the Government’s 28 November deadline.
A key part of that process will be a public awareness campaign to ensure residents and businesses fully understand the potential changes that LGR will bring.
Further extensive work will take place over the coming months on final proposals to be submitted in November 2025, during which time there will be scope for a much wider programme of public and partner engagement.
The submission from all 14 councils in Kent can be seen here.
What is devolution?
Devolution is all about having a new tier of government allowing strategic decisions that affect local people in Kent, which will be made by the new authority, run by an elected Kent mayor.
These strategic decisions are on those contentious issues around roads, transport, education, health, planning - all done currently in Westminster - but will be moved to a local Kent and Medway wide Mayoral authority.
How will it work?
It means the transfer of powers from Westminster to Kent along with funding to deliver those strategic decisions. These structures already exist around the country in city regions like Manchester and Birmingham, and more recently in places like the West of England, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
If the proposal is accepted by government there will be a consultation process held at a Kent and Medway level run by the government, so residents and communities will be consulted on the proposal.
Local Government Reorganisation
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) will see a change from Kent County Council and Borough Councils to Unitary Council’s that combine all responsibilities into one body, hopefully making it easier for residents to know who runs their area for all council services.
The government has said that these councils should be at a size that should give savings and improvements in services for the residents, and it’s been suggested 500,000 is an approximate population for each. The combined current population of Kent and Medway is around 2 million (Kent is estimated to be 1.6m while Medway is approximately 283k).
The government have indicated that they intend to deliver new unitary authorities included in the Devolution Priority Programme by April 2027 and remaining unitary authorities by April 2028.
The government has asked Kent and Medway councils to submit an interim plan for a new unitary authority or authorities by 21 March 2025, with a full proposal by 28 November 2025.
LGR timelines and process
21 March 2025
Submission of a high-level interim plan, following the guidance set out in the Minister’s letter. We would expect this to reflect the early indications that: the larger geography is the historic boundary of Kent defined by the existing County and District Councils, a single or two unitary solution is not an option and the likely number of Unitary Councils within the area will be three or four.
22 March 2025 – 27 November 2025
Appointment of a Strategic Partner to evaluate the disaggregation of Kent and Medway (assessing costs, functions, assets, and resource distribution), engagement with councils and stakeholders to explore options, financial modelling governance modelling for different unitary structures, political discussions with councillors, MPs, and government, public consultation and feedback collection and finalisation of the business case and proposal.
28 November 2025
Submission of the full proposal to the Secretary of State for Local Government.
Early 2028
Expected implementation of the new Unitary Authorities, subject to government approval.
ABC priorities remain the same
The government's latest announcement that Kent and Medway have not been selected for the Devolution Priority Programme, means that for the near future at least, nothing changes.
In the meantime, Ashford Borough Council officers and councillors will focus on our priorities set out in the Borough Plan and progressing on important work like a new Local Plan, delivering affordable housing for local people and serving our residents.
Local Government Association explainer video
For further information
Government devolution page
English Devolution White Paper
Kent County Council's devolution statement
