It’s understandable that there’s a lot of concern and confusion about what devolution will mean for us in Rossendale and Darwen.
Under our current system, decisions which affect our day-to-day lives – from whether a new cycle lane can be built, or a new cattle grid put in place – are made by civil servants far off in London. This slow approach stops local leaders from taking action and results in one-size-fits-all policies that don’t fit our local areas.
With Devolution, local people take back control. Powers are taken from London-based civil servants and given (or ‘devolved’) back to local elected leaders. This means people with skin in the game have the power to create policies which fit their communities. No more waiting on Westminster. No more delays. Instead – dynamic, locally rooted leadership.
For years, Lancashire has been left in the slow lane, with no Mayor and an outdated, inefficient two-tier council system. In the past, our local government has failed to adapt, but that changes now. This week the Government published the English Devolution Bill. This Bill finally paves the way for Lancashire to seize the opportunities we’ve been missing for years. It will allow the Government to ensure devolution deals are no longer held back by those who deny sensible changes for the sake of clinging onto their positions. Local councils will be reorganised into more efficient, agile unitary councils.
Our area, Rossendale and Darwen, is split between two different local authority areas. Darwen is run by Blackburn with Darwen Council. Rossendale has Rossendale Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, making it a two-tier system. This means Rossendale Borough Council has very little power – even the drains and the roads are the responsibility of Lancashire County Council.
A unitary authority would simplify all of this, creating one council with the power it needs to make decisions locally. Unitary authorities are better value for money since there are fewer councils, and decisions are made by people who are more familiar with local issues. It also means more transparency, since it’s clearer who is responsible for what.
Any new councils would also be directly elected, just like our current councils are. Some local elections might be postponed where they would get in the way of the reorganising. It makes no sense to spend millions of pounds on holding council elections when those councils would be going away shortly after they’re voted in.
If our local councils, when they come together, decide they need to postpone elections, they would have to convince the government that it’s necessary. They’re not allowed to take that decision without good reason.
The English Devolution Bill could be a real game-changer for our area. With an ‘integrated settlement’, our local council would be free to spend money in areas where it is most needed. Currently, councils such as Lancashire County Council are given very specific instructions as to what to do with the money they receive from London. Greater Manchester, on the other hand, is free to choose. This is a much better system for delivering value for money since decisions can be made according to the conditions on the ground.
In summary:
– Currently, unelected civil servants in London make decisions that affect us locally
– Devolution hands power to elected local leaders
– Lancashire has an outdated, overcomplicated system
– The English Devolution Bill makes changing this possible
– A unitary authority would save taxpayers a lot of money
– This new authority would be elected
– Elections for old councils won’t make sense if they are being abolished
– Devolution will give us the power to decide what we spend our money on
