Devolution for Suffolk?

Is today’s news that the Government is to devolve significant power to major cities, provided that they embrace the idea of an elected Mayor, a genuine attempt to share power and to  resolve the crisis that is developing in Local Government funding?  Or is it just a sop to the metropolitan North, where, once again, the Conservatives failed to make much headway in the recent Election.

It certainly feels like the latter in rural counties such as Suffolk.  As with other rural counties we suffer from very unfair government funding in comparison with urban authorities.   It is also the case that ‘one size fits all’ policies evolved by the London elite often sit uncomfortably in an essentially rural county.

Suffolk however is not sitting still!  On Tuesday, at what will be my last cabinet meeting, at least for the time being, we will be discussing the first steps towards making our own proposal for local devolution.  This will mean working together with our public sector partners to come up with something that is sufficiently attractive to central government to encourage them to devolve tax raising and increased flexibility to the county.

Local Government finance is currently unfit for purpose.  This was recognised recently in a major report from the Local Government Association and CIPFA (organisation for Local Government Finance Officers).  Something has to change, otherwise services that we all take for granted will suffer irrevocably as the currently unfair situation continues.   Working towards a devolved solution that will enable us to tailor local government specifically for Suffolk’s unique issues and problems, and have more control over local taxation, must be the right way forward.

Unfortunately a devolved solution is likely to take a little while to develop, and in the meantime savings must still be made.