A Kent mayor and the restructure of local councils is a net positive, but needs to be done carefully says one of the county’s most prominent politicians.

Medway Council leader Cllr Vince Maple (Lab) says the white paper laid out by the government yesterday (December 16) offers new resources for the county, but the right arrangement should be made - even if this means a delayed rollout.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced the biggest shake-up of local government in 50 years, which could result in a new mayor for the county and the abolishing of 12 district and borough councils, as well as Kent County Council.

Proposals would instead create a number - as yet undecided - of unitary authorities, like Medway Council, and a directly-elected mayor.

While Kent was not named in the white paper as a priority area for the government restructure and creation of a mayor, previous reports have suggested the county is one Whitehall is keen on.

The plans unveiled by Ms Rayner on December 16 said some reorganisation could take place in time to elect mayors by May 2026. However, Cllr Maple says more clarity is needed on what changes are to be decided and when.

He said local politicians - and importantly the public - need to be informed of the timeline of what changes will occur and when, but the moving of power to local areas was important.

Previously an opponent of a Kent mayor, Cllr Maple says the proposed creation of a Council of Regions and Nations - where England’s mayors and the leaders of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland meet to discuss issues and collaborate - had changed his view.

He said: “The big game changers for me are the mayoral powers, those are things which we currently don’t have control over and I think it is right to bring those powers down from Whitehall into our communities.

“The other big change for me is the Council of Regions and Nations. I think that is important.

“This government have clearly got an understanding of trying to equalise on devolution to make sure that the voice of English regions are heard on a level playing field with those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“I don’t want our community, those two million residents, to miss out on having a voice.

The government’s proposals outlined how some areas may be prioritised to elect their mayor in May 2026, but Cllr Maple said he was not concerned about being a priority for the government, just getting the arrangements right.

He continued: “I would want to see a series of milestones to understand the timescales for both devolution and local government reorganisation.

“From my perspective, whether it makes us a priority area or not, before we make that decision we need to know all of the facts.

“That’s what the people of Medway and Kent deserve - they need to understand and have information to understand what the next steps will be for their council, for their local government, for their democracy across the region.

“I’m keen to get this done right even if that means us being in the first or second or third tranche, I want to have those conversations but I think people need to and deserve to know what the changes will be and how their community will be impacted by this.

“Do I want more resources to come to Medway and Kent? Yes, I do. I want that as soon as possible - but not at any price. We’ve got to go through due process.”

The government’s plans say new unitary authorities should be around the size of 500,000 people, meaning Medway would almost double in size - but the proposed boundaries need to worked out and Cllr Maple says all councils will have an equal voice to find the best route forward.

A letter from Jim McMahon MP (Lab), minister of state for local government and English devolution, to council leaders outlined that plans for new authorities should be submitted by January 10.

This date is in order to assess whether local elections due next year should be postponed in cases where the authorities are to be reorganised shortly after.

Kent’s council leaders are to meet several times before the January 10 deadline to discuss their views on the proposals and how to approach them.