County break-up fear over merger

Five councils in east Kent are to put forward plans to merge to form a “super council” which some fear could in time lead to the break-up of the county.

The proposal for a new combined authority in east Kent was revealed by the KM Group in March, when it emerged talks had been held about the idea of “home rule” under the Government’s devolution agenda.

Although the five - Ashford, Shepway, Dover, Thanet and Canterbury - say they are only discussing ways to share services they already run, some believe it could be a stepping stone to a new unitary authority.

The five say residents could benefit because the cost of providing joint services would be cut at a time when councils are bearing the brunt of the government’s austerity regime and cuts in grants.

A joint statement issued by the councils stated: “These discussions are in the very early stages and have led to a consensus to explore the potential benefits and savings that could be achieved through the merger of the five East Kent district councils, into a single district authority.”

It added: “It would also seek to explore the best place for services across the three tiers of local government (county, district and town & parishes) to ensure the most accessible and efficient services for the public.”

The government has been inviting councils to come forward with options to do things differently and has already signed off a number of schemes involving combined authorities elsewhere.

The five Conservative controlled councils will each consider what is being described as a “statement of intent” which will then be followed by an assessment of how the combined authority could work in practice.

Options f or the f i ve are expected to be published by the end of the year.

KCC l eader Paul Carter said he was relaxed about the plans and said the overriding objective of any pan-Kent reorganisation had to focus on what was best for residents.

Jeremy Hunt visited staff at the William Harvey Hospital