Everyone should be paying attention to Labour's changes to local government - Kevin Foster
MILLIONS to be hit by council tax RAID as rates hike up …
GB News
If you have been down the Dog & Duck for a pint, attended a community meeting or put the world to rights over lunch with your friends, you can guarantee the talk of everyone has been...
Any subject other than the sweeping local government reorganisation the Labour Government is set to force through.
Announced on 16th December, Councils had to say by 10th January not whether, but which, new Elected Mayoral Authority their area should be part of.
The biggest changes for 50 years delivered at break-neck speed, with many councils now required to spend 2025 focused on their own futures, with their scheduled elections scrapped.
The lack of public demand for this change was visible when I attended my own local council’s debate about the whitepaper and who they should team up with for an Elected Mayor...I was one of only 2 people in the public gallery.
Regional Mayor's will have to cover at least 1.5 million people under Labour's plan.
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Talking about changes to council structures and boundaries is usually one for political anoraks, moving lines on a map to set out who could best empty your bin or represent a particular street. Yet these should grab GB News readers attention and not just from the prospect of elections being delayed.
First, ignore the fake outrage of any Labour MPs claiming it’s their local council’s decision to ram through changes: It’s the Government’s. Labour Ministers have said all areas will have an Elected Mayor and they should cover at least 1.5m people, all local councils can do is decide exactly where they fit in and have had only weeks to do so.
Second, look at the powers proposed for Regional Elected Mayors to see what Labour is hoping to achieve. Some such as local rail devolution, transport cross-ticketing, skills budgets and potentially taking over the role of Police & Crime Commissioner replicate other Elected Mayoral roles.
Yet let’s look at some of the others, starting with Mayoral Authorities being “at the heart of making Britain a Clean Energy Superpower”, with powers on delivering local power and warm homes plans. Any bets this results in Labour blaming local Mayors for not being “ambitious” or “blocking windmills” when the wheels come off Ed Miliband’s wholly unrealistic plans to decarbonise the grid?
Ed Miliband's net zero plans have drawn much criticism.
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Then add “Mayors becoming responsible for strategically planning for housing growth”, in other words Elected Mayors will get to decide where Labour’s housing targets will be delivered in local areas. Expect plenty of hypocritical campaigns from local Labour MPs, plus the Lib Dems, who will call for more housing at Westminster, then campaign against every decision as to where they go.
Yet abolishing smaller councils and giving strategic housing to mayors elected over a wide area, will make it far easier to ignore local voices which Councillors needed to respect to get elected.
Then there is tax. London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has not just shoved up council tax, but been busy inventing new taxes like ULEZ to hit Londoners. New Elected Mayors means new chances to levy Mayoral Tax and create new taxes. Yet this is not always the case. Ben Houchen levies no Mayoral Tax, plus Reform and Conservative Candidates for Regional Mayor should pledge policies like ULEZ will not spread from London.
Whilst Council re-organisation is more likely to produce a yawn, than excitement. If you worry about whether you could afford a new tax, want to drive your car without another levy and ensure your community has a say on new house building. Then it will be too late to become interested once a new Labour Mayor in your area is taking it in the wrong direction.
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