The government’s decision to exclude Kent from its fast track devolution “priority” programme came as a major blow to the county’s political leaders on February 5.

It would have seen the election of a mayor next May and the break up of all 14 councils to be replaced by a handful of much larger unitary authorities. So, what happens next? Simon Finlay explains…

What do the changes in local government mean for Kent?

In line with everywhere else in the country, there are two strands to the changes proposed by Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner.

The first is “devolution” in which people elect their own mayor for the whole county will see the election by residents of a mayor for the whole county.

The second is “local government reform” under which all 14 councils in Kent will be abolished and replaced by a much smaller number of larger unitary authorities.

The new model would aim to promote greater efficiency and drive down costs.

This system would be simpler and designed to get decisions made more quickly as well as saving the public purse about £2bn. Greater powers and responsibilities will go to the communities.

The services provided at a local level, such as bin collections, will not change but the councils running them will be different.

Why did Kent fail to make the government’s fast track to devolution and local government reform?

In his letter to the architects of Kent’s bid for “priority” status, Conservative Kent County Council (KCC) leader Roger Gough and Labour Medway Council leader Vince Maple, the local government minister Jim McMahon said he has “concerns about the size of the population disparity between the two proposed constituent members of your proposed Kent and Medway Combined County Authority and the consequential impact on its governance”.

Mr McMahon said he believed this would impact the authorities’ “readiness and ability” to meet the delivery criteria set out in December’s government White Paper on devolution.

Cllrs Gough and Maple were astonished by the decision and have sought detail from Mr McMahon because their positions are no different from neighbouring counties.

They wrote: “Not being part of this accelerated devolution programme is undoubtedly disappointing, given that Kent and Medway made it clear to government that we were ready and willing to meet its ambitious timeline and work towards a mayoral election in Kent in 2026.

“The reason we have been given is both confusing and insufficient and we will be seeking more detail from ministers as to the rationale as soon as possible.

“We remain committed to securing a deal for Kent and Medway and will continue the valuable work with you that we have carried out across the county, to shape the best possible deal for our region."

This means Kent’s 14 councils will have to come up with a plan to reorganise themselves into unitary authorities. Cllrs Gough and Maple were keen to get into the fast track process as it could have meant better funding settlements from Kent with the early introduction of an elected mayor.

What is the time frame for the reorganisation?

The leaders of KCC and Medway Council, as well as all 12 district and borough councils in the county, now have until March 21 to come up with an interim proposal as to how Kent and Medway could be divided into unitary authorities, with full proposals expected by November 28.

How quickly it will advance beyond that point is anyone’s guess. Bearing in mind the government may well be distracted by the other authorities on the fast track, this could take years.

The Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) said: “The government is clear that it has a vision for simplifying the structure of local government as part of its move towards universal coverage of strategic authorities across the country with directly elected mayoral leadership.”

For the estimated 15,000 council workers in Kent, uncertainty remains over their job security when the reorganisation comes in. Unions are keeping a close eye on developments and and will be trying to ensure expected job losses are kept to a minimum.

Will Kent still get a mayor?

The government favours a mayoralty in all regions where it is possible to install one.

However, the government does not appear to have given any clear indication when this will happen in Kent.

Will the elections to Kent County Council go ahead?

Yes, they take place on May 1.

KCC had applied to the local government minister to have the elections shelved, particularly if Kent was to be placed on the priority list.

The minister has told Kent the elections must go ahead as planned.

Some observers say that the KCC four year term could indicate the government sees Kent taking much longer to reorganise than originally anticipated.