The Government's English Devolution White Paper

Following the publication of the Government’s white paper on English devolution, Councillor Mark Mills-Bishop, Leader of Broxbourne Council said:

I fully support the principle of devolving powers to local areas.

However, I am deeply concerned about the impact that the creation of single unitary authorities will have on local communities. I have seen no evidence that the services which residents and businesses receive from Broxbourne Borough Council will be improved by handing those services over to a larger, more remote council.

In its white paper, the Government stated that it will be seeking the creation of unitary authorities covering a population in excess of 500,000. This will only serve to move decision-making further away from local people. An authority of that size will be unable to cater for the needs of local residents and the delivery of place-based services will be unmanageable on that scale. I therefore strongly oppose the direction on Local Government Reform proposed by the Government.

At the present time, there has been no consultation with district and borough councils or local residents and I want to ensure that local views are taken into consideration.

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