Mergers could have advantages

Kent council leader Paul Carter’s stinging condemnation of moves by districts towards creating their own unitary authority has exposed deep fault lines in the county.

He says devolution is a waste of time and a disaster. But it might be opportune, now, to consider other factors and ask if it’s something which could be greeted with open arms.

The problems with the complex and opaque system of twotier local government is selfevident on our roads – especially the A249 where problems of litter at the Roadside Nature Reserve between the County Showground and Stockbury continue unabated.

Two separate councils are responsible for cleaning up but neither seems to be making much headway. It doesn’t help that the road itself is the responsibility of KCC and all three authorities have to co-ordinate action. Surely, anything that can simplify the snarl of competing councils and reduce the duplication of services should be welcomed?

Should Canterbury, Dover, Ashford, Shepway and Thanet councils merge into one, the result could be a smaller, yet more effective unitary authority.

Could it be KCC’s position is derived more out of self-interest, in that any authority has to perpetuate its own existence, rather than a genuine concern?

Either way, some say Cllr Carter is jumping the gun as, for many of the 12 districts in Kent, the prospect of the break-up of KCC is an unwelcome one.

Maidstone council is part of a cluster of northern districts which are in talks to share more services – not split off and form a separate authority. Tonbridge and Malling is seeking a closer working relationship with KCC.