Councils disappointed at not making devolution list

Kent and Medway will not be on the government's priority list for devolution, it has been confirmed.

Last month, Kent County Council (KCC) voted to ask the government to accept them onto the fast-track devolution programme, which would have seen local councils, as well as KCC and Medway Council, scrapped in favour of a metro-style mayor.

In a joint letter, KCC leader Roger Gough and Medway Council leader Vince Maple described the decision as "disappointing" – particularly given the shared willingness to meet the government's "ambitious timeline".

As a result, KCC elections will take place in May – something the authority had hoped would be delayed if accepted.

The decision also means a new mayor is unlikely to be appointed in this parliament, with the first set of devolved councils not expected to start until 2028.

Mr Gough said the government's decision was "totally incomprehensible" and that he was "devastated and angry".

He said the authority's bid had met all the criteria laid out in the government's Devolution White Paper.

Both councils said they will seek further clarification from the government over the failure to be accepted.

Mr Maple said it was particularly frustrating that the opportunities afforded by devolution would be "denied to the 1.9m people of Kent and Medway".

"We are confident that we will begin the [devolution] process in our region before too long," he added.

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