17 December, LONDON — UK100 welcomes yesterday’s English Devolution White Paper announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister, which proposes the most significant reform of local government in over 50 years.

The White Paper proposes creating a new system of Strategic Authorities across England and ending two-tier local government in non-metropolitan areas. The reforms propose abolishing district and county councils and replacing them with single-tier unitary authorities. The government plans to legislate for universal coverage, with powers to create authorities where local leaders cannot reach an agreement.

UK100's recent "Power in Place" report set out how devolving key powers to local authorities could accelerate net zero delivery. The key recommendation from the landmark report was to give local authorities the power to act on climate change. UK100 welcomes the inclusion of environment and climate change in the proposed list of new competencies for strategic authorities.

The government has committed to ending the competing and complex grant programmes and UK100 welcomes the commitment to devolve funding on retrofit, housing and transport. 

While the announcement aligns with many of these recommendations, UK100 argues the reforms must come with significant funding improvements and strong local community links, which facilitate robust democratic engagement. 

Christopher Hammond, Chief Executive of UK100, says:

“No one would design local government like England has, it’s too convoluted, too complex. Past changes have tinkered around the edges, so we welcome the ambition in these proposals. 

"There are too many grants, too many hoops to jump through and too many stakeholders to work with, which makes it difficult to implement good public policy that lasts.

“The government has taken on board many of the recommendations from our Powers in Place report, and we welcome the changes that will devolve to local leaders the powers and funds to act in their best interests. We are delighted to see climate change as a key area of focus for the strategic authorities."

On the specific reorganisation plans, Christopher adds:

"It's vital that people recognise and have confidence in the council serving their area. Some members will welcome these proposals, but others fear their communities will lose their voice in bigger combined authorities. However, all agree that reform is needed.

"Reorganisation alone won't solve the fundamental problems caused by fragmented policy, stop-start funding and years of underinvestment. Local and regional authorities, however constituted, need to be properly equipped to tackle the critical issues facing their communities. Our network looks forward to working with the government on these vital reforms."