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[Politics] mega councils '26 no thread ?



H

Hotchilidog

Well-known member
Jan 24, 2009
9,305
Stato said:
As I understood it, ESCC & WSCC merge with their respective district/borough/town councils to become unitary authorities. B&HCC is already a unitary. Then the three run themselves, but under the leadership of a strategic Authority and an elected mayor. Central government wants this to happen, so are giving financial incentives to the local councils that act quickest. After so many years of taking the brunt of the previous governments' austerity cuts, all of the nation's LA's face severe to impossible financial challenges, so would be open to any proposal that might ease these. The new strategic authority will have wider powers and wider responsibilities, so a cynic may suggest that this could give central governments even more opportunity to restrict local government funding and pass on the blame for the resulting cuts.
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You may like to say that I couldn't possibly comment....
 




R

ROSM

Well-known member
Dec 26, 2005
7,233
Just far enough away from LDC
Westdene Seagull said:
Merging East Sussex CC, West Sussex CC and B&H Council to cover the whole of Sussex. Also to have a Mayor of Sussex with most the political power over the whole county.
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That's not quite what the proposition is.

It's to have a mayor of sussex (same as the mayor of south Yorkshire or greater manachester for example). But sussex will be split into 3 administrations each of c500k people. Brighton and hove is currently c250k but if it merged with most of Worthing and adur (currently c350k people) then that makes a sensible area (or if it took all of adur, some of Worthing and the peacehaven part of lewes district council).

Then the remainder of west sussex can be an administration. the remainder of east again would be one too. In effect we do away with district councils.

Power is then devolved from Westminster to a rep body across sussex made up with elected officials from each council (a bit like a cabinet in a coalition govt) headed by the mayor.

In this day and age with tech, having a local councillor for <5k people isn't as much a necessity as it was. In my own area for example it's now becoming clear how a local councillor can exert way too much power over a small community with very few checks and balances in place
 
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Westdene Seagull

Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,713
The arse end of Hangleton
ROSM said:
That's not quite what the proposition is.

It's to have a mayor of sussex (same as the mayor of south Yorkshire or greater manachester for example). But sussex will be split into 3 administrations each of c500k people. Brighton and hove is currently c250k but if it merged with most of Worthing and adur (currently c350k people) then that makes a sensible area (or if it took all of adur, some of Worthing and the peacehaven part of lewes district council).

Then the remainder of west sussex can be an administration. the remainder of east again would be one too. In effect we do away with district councils.

Power is then devolved from Westminster to a rep body across sussex made up with elected officials from each council (a bit like a cabinet in a coalition govt) headed by the mayor.

In this day and age with tech, having a local councillor for <5k people isn't as much a necessity as it was. In my own area for example it's now becoming clear how a local councillor can exert way too much power over a small community with very few checks and balances in place
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Fair enough - the Argus description is somewhat vague. That said it does add both another level of bureaucracy and also consolidates a lot of power into a single person's hands - i.e. the mayor.

Absolutely don't agree with your statement I've highlighted though. In Hangleton we've had a number of issues where it was helpful to have a local councillor to get them sorted - when they're local they tend to be much more engaged in local issues. In our case we had the pitbull Dawn Barnett and two other very capable councillors in Nick Lewry and Tony Janio (thankfully Timmy never got voted in). Putting aside their party memberships it always helped that they were local - less than a 5 minute walk from my house - to enable locals to engage. I really don't think local councillors will have the same leverage within a super council spanning the whole of Sussex.
 




Weststander

Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
71,095
Withdean area
ROSM said:
That's not quite what the proposition is.

It's to have a mayor of sussex (same as the mayor of south Yorkshire or greater manachester for example). But sussex will be split into 3 administrations each of c500k people. Brighton and hove is currently c250k but if it merged with most of Worthing and adur (currently c350k people) then that makes a sensible area (or if it took all of adur, some of Worthing and the peacehaven part of lewes district council).

Then the remainder of west sussex can be an administration. the remainder of east again would be one too. In effect we do away with district councils.

Power is then devolved from Westminster to a rep body across sussex made up with elected officials from each council (a bit like a cabinet in a coalition govt) headed by the mayor.

In this day and age with tech, having a local councillor for <5k people isn't as much a necessity as it was. In my own area for example it's now becoming clear how a local councillor can exert way too much power over a small community with very few checks and balances in place
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It makes complete sense and always has done that single conurbations have one administration. For many reasons including strategic planning, efficiencies. They are to all intents one city. Dotted lines on a map a quirk of history.
 




R

ROSM

Well-known member
Dec 26, 2005
7,233
Just far enough away from LDC
Westdene Seagull said:
Fair enough - the Argus description is somewhat vague. That said it does add both another level of bureaucracy and also consolidates a lot of power into a single person's hands - i.e. the mayor.

Absolutely don't agree with your statement I've highlighted though. In Hangleton we've had a number of issues where it was helpful to have a local councillor to get them sorted - when they're local they tend to be much more engaged in local issues. In our case we had the pitbull Dawn Barnett and two other very capable councillors in Nick Lewry and Tony Janio (thankfully Timmy never got voted in). Putting aside their party memberships it always helped that they were local - less than a 5 minute walk from my house - to enable locals to engage. I really don't think local councillors will have the same leverage within a super council spanning the whole of Sussex.
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I would argue it reduces a level because at the moment if you live in newhaven you have newhaven town council, lewes district council, West Sussex county Council and the department of regions (whatever its currently called) at Westminster level.

Going forward for many items these will be devolved from Westminster mayor/mayoral admin committee. And below that you have West Sussex and then maybe newhaven.

So at least one level less and maybe two.

I'm not dismissing all local councillors. But it's possible in a 2 cllr ward to have one very powerfully voiced person drive their own agenda locally whether it's raising complaints against local businesses they've fallen out with, or silencing opposition to actions by local businesses they get on with, or not publicising things from local consultation so they can view their own way.

But there will still be local councillors albeit they may have more people to support than they do now
 
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Dick Swiveller

Dick Swiveller

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2011
9,756
Less jobs for NSC arsehats to stand for? I'm in.
 




L

Lenny Rider

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2010
6,266
Is this all about the party in power, producing a system with large enough boundaries creating a the possibility of them never getting voted out?
 




Titanic

Titanic

Super Moderator
Helpful Moderator
Jul 5, 2003
40,139
West Sussex

[Sussex] - One Sussex - time to unify?

From the Sussex Facebook page: Modern local government areas such as ‘East Sussex’ and ‘West Sussex’ are both artificial inventions, which were manufactured in Whitehall (via the Local Government Act of 1972), can equally, also be scrapped at the will of any incumbent new parliament. Therefore...
www.northstandchat.com

Next step - abolition of the House of Lords, and a senate-style second chamber formed of elected mayors/senators :thumbsup:
 


Eeyore

Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
27,322
Lenny Rider said:
Is this all about the party in power, producing a system with large enough boundaries creating a the possibility of them never getting voted out?
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Not in Sussex it wouldn't be. I'm pretty sure Labour never ran any of those councils and never will.
 


R

ROSM

Well-known member
Dec 26, 2005
7,233
Just far enough away from LDC
Lenny Rider said:
Is this all about the party in power, producing a system with large enough boundaries creating a the possibility of them never getting voted out?
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Not really, no. Yes it was the the labour manifesto at the last election (and isn't it good to deliver on a manifesto promise) but actually in Sussex, despite brighton and hove and Worthing and adur having significant labour support, with east and West Sussex added its more than possible it would be a Tory mayor (just like Katy Bourne is the tory pcc for sussex)
 








Thunder Bolt

Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
Aug 18, 2009
68,757
Beside the seaside, beside the sea
Eeyore said:
Not in Sussex it wouldn't be. I'm pretty sure Labour never ran any of those councils and never will.
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Lewes Lib Dem MP brought this up in the House of Commons. He is still a county councillor (East Sussex), and at the vote, all the non Conservative councillors voted against this, but unfortunately the Chair had the deciding vote.
 


A1X

A1X

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 1, 2017
21,680
Deepest, darkest Sussex
Personally I cannot wait for the Crodo “Who should be mayor of Sussex?” thread
 




keaton

keaton

Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
Nov 18, 2004
10,053
Lenny Rider said:
Is this all about the party in power, producing a system with large enough boundaries creating a the possibility of them never getting voted out?
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I think you meant to post this on the thread about redrawing constituency boundaries last year?

Or the voter id one?
 




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