Devolution plans spark fears that powers could be taken from local communities
The proposals include creating so-called strategic authorities across England to bring together councils in areas where people live and work.
A redesign of local governments expected to see district councils scrapped and more elected regional mayors brought in has sparked fears that powers will be taken away from local communities.
Some local authorities will close under Government plans for devolution which are due to be published in a white paper on Monday.
Angela Rayner, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, has promised to make devolution the “default setting” under the plans.
The proposals include creating so-called strategic authorities across England to bring together councils in areas where people live and work.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said this would help “to avoid duplication and give our cities and regions a bigger voice”.
The District Councils Network has warned that plans to reorganise local authorities could create “mega councils” that could deprive the public of local representation in those areas.
Public services think tank Reform raised concerns about the risk of creating “mini Whitehalls” by focusing on strategic authorities and abolishing district councils.
Local government minister Jim McMahon said that merging councils could save £2 billion.
Asked if some local authorities would be closed or merged, he told LBC: “That’s the nature of reorganisation.”
There will be a statutory consultation before any authorities are changed, he said.
“If it’s a choice between £2 billion in the running cost of an organisation or £2 billion on frontline neighbourhood services, I would say that most of the public want that investment in the front line,” he told Good Morning Britain.
In areas with two-tier local governments, county council areas are subdivided into independent district councils. There are 164 district councils in England.
The District Councils Network warned of the risk of removing localised decision-making.
“We’re concerned that any creation of mega councils will prove the opposite of devolution, taking powers away from local communities, depriving tens of millions of people of genuinely localised decision-making and representation,” councillor Hannah Dalton, vice chairwoman of the network, said.
There is a danger that reorganisation leads to a “period of turmoil” that stops councils from focusing on local services, the leader of Epsom & Ewell Borough Council in Surrey said.
She said there is little evidence that such reorganisations have saved money in the past.
