Cllr Ade Osibogun: Devolution Bill does not devolve power

Buckinghamshire residents may face an extra tax due to a new Bill which would result in Mayors being imposed on every region of the country.

New measures in the English Devolution Bill would enable Mayors to fund the full range of their functions from a mayoral tax separate from the council tax.

Although the Government claims the new system represents devolution, the new Mayors will not represent a small, local area – they will be responsible for over one and a half million electors and Buckinghamshire will have to be merged with other neighbouring counties, although we don’t know which ones, so this cannot be devolving power to local communities as currently being promised.

The new Mayors will have far-reaching powers – they would be in charge of housing - and therefore planning, health, roads, transport, skills - and their powers may extend to taking over the role of Police and Crime Commissioner and running of the local health authority. They would report to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, which makes a mockery of the purpose of the bill being called the English Devolution Bill, as power is being taken away from local communities.

The result would be that unitary and parish councillors would have far less say on local issues, while villages and towns will be in danger of losing their local voice. Neighbourhood and Local Plans will have less relevance because of the strategic plans of the mayoral office. An example of how this has already happened is the ULEZ zone charges being expanded in London by the Mayor against many residents' wishes.

The government’s ambition is to compel all local authorities to evolve into Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs).

As planning decisions may not be made locally there would be a risk of overdevelopment and the loss of more of our beautiful Bucks countryside if the Bill, which was published in December, is passed.

This MSA framework enables the mayor to take key decisions unilaterally, without the local community’s approval, provided a decision is taken to drive long-term economic growth. This is a huge concern as Buckinghamshire faces an almost 50% increase in housing targets with Buckingham, Winslow and surrounding villages in North Bucks particularly vulnerable to new developments, despite a lack of adequate infrastructure.

It is wholly undemocratic that local communities haven’t been consulted prior to such drastic constitutional reforms being imposed on local councils - the details of the reforms were not published before the general election. It's vital that local residents have their say before this radical Bill is passed.