Monday 8 March 2010

Psst...have you heard?

There is a rumour circulating that KCC has been in discussion with the Labour Government and that should Labour be re-elected it will be proposed that KCC becomes a unitary authority and the district councils abolished.

(A few years ago there was a proposal to abolish KCC and the district councils and replace them with a number of unitary authorities.)

Let's hope KCC is willing to scotch this rumour of discussions with central government.

Is there megalomania abroad? We know the Great Leader hopes to see regional bodies scrapped and their powers vested in local authorities. Is the Great Leader seeking to gobble up district councils also?

Hopefully, the Tories if they win the general election will not go down the unitary road if their stated enthusiasm for localism is to be believed. However a good case could be made out for halving the number of district councils.

Local government should be just that: local. The problem with a unitary authority covering the whole of Kent is that the local element will be lost: people living in Edenbridge couldn't give a hoot about problems in Broadstairs.

Already West Kent is suffering at the hands of KCC as priority is given to East Kent. West Kent is much more affluent than East Kent, but West Kent is falling behind Surrey and even East Sussex. It is vital to maintain investment in the economic engine that is West Kent.

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