Rutland Council Leader Responds to Government's Devolution White Paper
Rutland County Council Leader Gale Waller has issued a statement regarding the UK Government's recently published Devolution White Paper for England.
The White Paper outlines the government's plans to grant more authority to local governments and, in certain cases, restructure them. While acknowledging the potential benefits, Leader Waller emphasised that the proposed changes will necessitate significant time and effort for implementation.
"The White Paper is very much a direction of travel," stated Leader Waller, "with Government keen to work closely with local authorities to grow the UK economy and deliver public services."
The statement further highlighted the potential impact on Rutland County Council, particularly given the government's expectation of significant changes to local government operations.
"It's clear that Government expects to bring about significant changes to the way local government works and that this will affect a large number of Councils – particularly among those who are not already accessing devolved powers," Leader Waller continued.
In response, Rutland County Council plans to actively engage in the process. This includes ongoing discussions with neighbouring authorities to understand their perspectives and evaluate the potential implications of the White Paper's proposals for the region.
"We will need to continue discussions about devolution with neighbouring authorities, to understand their views and consider the various permutations of what’s proposed in the White Paper, relative to our area," Leader Waller explained.
The government has indicated its intention to invite initial proposals from council leaders in the New Year. These proposals will need to adhere to specific criteria for sustainable unitary structures, including submission deadlines and government response procedures.
Leader Waller concluded by emphasising that Rutland County Council will only support plans or proposals that demonstrably benefit the county and its communities.
This statement underscores Rutland County Council's commitment to carefully considering the potential impacts of the government's devolution plans and ensuring that any changes serve the best interests of its residents.
Full statement:
"The UK Government has published its Devolution White Paper. This sets out how it plans to give more powers to and – in some cases – reorganise local government in England. The White Paper is very much a direction of travel, with Government keen to work closely with local authorities to grow the UK economy and deliver public services.
"It’s clear that Government expects to bring about significant changes to the way local government works and that this will affect a large number of Councils – particularly among those who are not already accessing devolved powers. It’s also clear that this amount of change will take a long time. It will require a number of years to fully understand, agree upon and then implement any kind of largescale reorganisation.
"It’s important that Rutland engages constructively and proactively in this process. We will need to continue discussions about devolution with neighbouring authorities, to understand their views and consider the various permutations of what’s proposed in the White Paper, relative to our area.
"The Government has said it will write to council leaders in the New Year to invite initial proposals, setting out the criteria for what it considers to be sustainable unitary structures, when areas should submit proposals and how Government will then respond.
"What we can say for certain is that we will only support plans or proposals if we believe they are beneficial to Rutland and its communities."
Gale Waller, Leader of Rutland County Council
