South East councils demand greater power from government

To have greater power and freedoms to be devolved for the South East, West Sussex, East Sussex and Surrey county councils are all joining forces.

A letter, signed by all three council leaders, has been sent to Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in which they demand a meeting to take place to discuss the future of their areas.

In the letter, the leaders describe how their focus is to provide better services for local residents, communities and businesses.

They write: “Together we can ensure that the right decisions are made in the right places to guarantee that the current contribution to our nation’s success and finances is not only continued but also expanded to the full potential it can reach. Our three counties are special places with a strong sense of identity and place. They are achieving the delicate and fundamental challenge of balancing strong growth and preserving a beautiful environment. However, their ability to sustain that crucial balance needs us all to work differently.”

The three councils have listed a number of ‘devolution offers’ they can use to manage the impact of economic growth on sectors such as road and rail infrastructure, housing and social care.

In order to address these issues, the councils want to gain access to more of the locally raised taxes, influence over road and rail infrastructure decisions, additional powers over apprenticeships and skills to promote employment and support small businesses, as well as new ways of supporting services that provide care to the elderly and vulnerable.

The three councils claim controlling these things over a larger area will be very beneficial.

Louise Goldsmith, Leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “Our region plays a critical

role in the UK’s economy and we must nurture that. I’m excited to be taking forward our proposals with my colleagues from East Sussex and Surrey County Councils and I know we will all be working closely with our respective district and borough councils who will be key to making this a success.

“I do think devolution is the future for local government. It is as exciting as it is challenging. But it will allow us to deal with those difficult issues so much better if we have greater powers and freedoms. Such opportunities do not happen often in local government but if and when they do we should embrace them for the benefit of those we serve.”

Keith Glazier, Leader of East Sussex County Council, added: “We want decisions about how services are delivered made closer to the people affected by those decisions. With more autonomy we believe we can help to grow the local economy and encourage greater investment in our county and our region.”

David Hodge, Leader of Surrey County Council, commented: “Our residents and businesses are at the heart of our plans and only through collaborating and working as one team – using the local expertise we possess – can we be certain to make the services people rely upon fit for the future.”

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