25 Feb 2025
With SADC facing an uncertain future as the Government pushes forward with its plans for English devolution, district councillors are keen to have a say on any new structure.
This week’s Full Council meeting will see two motions – from Cllrs Robert Donald and Matt Cowley – specifically addressing the issue and what it will mean for the city.
Cllr Donald warns that the Government’s White Paper for local government reorganisation could present serious risk to the continuance of locally devolved democracy.
He said: “Electors will understandably regard these proposals with suspicion, if not opposition, when they realise they are not really about devolution of political representation or power at all but their centralisation and that more key local decisions will be made remotely from them.”
With SADC set to work alongside other borough and district councils, as well as Herts county council, in establishing the form any reorganisation will take, Cllr Donald set out several recommendations as to how negotiations should take place.
These include empowering communities to be the primary driver for change and not the perilous state of local government finances, giving residents the choice whether to have unparished areas like St Albans city becoming a town council, retaining historic Royal Charter Mayors with apolitical and ceremonial roles, and for the election of unitary authority councillors to be based on a proportional representation system.
Meanwhile, Cllr Cowley also lodged a similar motion, and called for the primary focus of any SADC proposal to be the impact devolution will have on residents.
“No option should be ruled out or pursued by this council without understanding further the views of our residents on the various options and trade-offs we may be faced with.”
He stressed the need for openness: “With our committee system, no decision on the future of this council should be able to be made by a lead councillor or the leader behind closed doors.”
Cllr Cowley called for a special Full Council meeting on March 19 to agree the council’s position, and for a report to the strategic and resources committee setting out areas where town and parish councils may wish to take on powers from SADC.
