The chair of South East England Councils (SEEC) has called on the Government to not impose devolution in a uniform way, and instead carry it out in consideration of the differences of each area in England.

Cllr Roy Perry, chair of the group, further said the Government should have a “core principle of less Whitehall imposition, and more local determination.”

He will appear before MPs on the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee next Tuesday to discuss the topic “Evolution of Devolution: English Devolution”.

Reacting before the session next week, Cllr Perry said: “Devolution should not be imposed in a uniform way, and the Government must recognise that all areas of England are different, therefore, devolution should not be imposed – rather it should be carried out in consideration of the differences of each area in England. 

“For example, while eight city regions currently have ‘metro’ mayors, it should not be assumed that ‘metro’ mayors are suitable to all areas of England. As a survey of 275 councillors in the South East revealed - 69 per cent were opposed to the introduction of ‘metro’ mayors in the South East. There needs to be a careful and independent assessment of the role, value and implications of directly elected mayors before there is an extension of that model.

“Therefore, it is critical that the government in developing its proposals for English devolution, ministers reflect on the importance of local identities, communities, and links.”

SEEC is a cross-party that brings together district, unitary and county councils to promote the views and interests of all tiers of local government across the South East. The majority of the 71 local authorities across the South East region are members of SEEC.

Cllr Perry acknowledged the fact that the government’s bandwidth has and will continue to be consumed with the coronavirus pandemic, but said the south east are concerned the proposals are not reduced to local government re-organisation rather than a genuine devolution of powers from the centre to the regions.

“The Conservative Party 2019 General Election manifesto outlined a commitment to ‘devolving power to people and places across the UK’. 

 “The manifesto said its ambition was for full devolution across England, with proposals set to be outlined in an English Devolution White Paper. It is disappointing the White Paper has so far not transpired.”