Devolution debate: key takeaways from parliament

On 16 September 2025, the Commons committee stage of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill heard from local government leaders, auditors, community groups and parliamentary representatives about the implications of structural reform - especially for areas preparing devolution deals like Sussex. The debate covered both devolution and local government reorganisation.

🟦 Key takeaways from the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill debate

🧭 Local voices, democratic deficit, and the 500k confusion

• Sam Chapman-Allen (District Councils’ Network) warned of a “democratic deficit” if district councils are excluded from new strategic authorities, especially as they deliver 45% of planning consents. He said, “You could see 90% of councillors across shire areas removed overnight. That would be a democratic deficit and an absolute catastrophe.”

• MPs raised concerns that the Government’s suggested 500,000 population threshold for new unitary authorities was initially presented as a “hard target” but is now being described as “not fixed”. Matthew Hicks (Suffolk CC) said it created “confusion and head-scratching” as councils scrambled to meet unclear criteria.

🏗️ Strategic planning and housing delivery

• Catriona Riddell, planning consultant, said the new Spatial Development Strategies (SDS) could help fix England’s patchy local plan coverage (fewer than 30% of LPAs are up to date) and rebuild strategic planning lost since 2010.

• She argued that SDSs could improve housing delivery if mayors are given real convening powers: “If we get spatial development strategies right, they should be the ringmasters of sustainable development.”

• But she warned of capacity issues, noting that planning teams lack specialist skills and that “resources are thin on the ground.”

🏘️ Local government reorganisation (LGR): friction and fear

• Councillors from Essex and Suffolk said the LGR process is underway but complicated by the lack of clear direction from central government.

• Kevin Bentley (Essex CC) said, “Drawing lines on a map is the easy part. Doing it is something very different.”

• There’s agreement that successful unitarisation requires serious implementation resourcing and better communication from MHCLG.

⚖️ Accountability, mayors and power balance

• Evidence from Greater Manchester highlighted the benefit of portfolio-based power-sharing among leaders. Bev Craig (Manchester CC) said that in GM, “We all hold portfolios. That makes it work.”

• Concerns were raised about the shift to majority decision-making in strategic authorities, which may dilute local checks and balances.

• There were repeated calls for stronger scrutiny structures to hold mayors and commissioners to account.

🌱 Community voice and neighbourhood governance

• Justin Griggs (National Association of Local Councils) and Nick Plumb (Power to Change) called for neighbourhood governance models to “build on what already exists” and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.

• 57% of the public preferred councils to work with existing local groups, rather than imposing new formal structures.

• Plumb proposed an Independent Commissioner for Community Power to handle complaints and ensure accountability in neighbourhood governance.

🛒 Upward-only rent reviews and the high street

• Ion Fletcher (British Property Federation) called the ban on upward-only rent reviews “unexpected and without consultation”. He warned of investment uncertainty and said the measure should be targeted only at high streets.

• Government countered that England and Wales are outliers internationally, and that “we are moving to a system that works in other countries.”

🌿 Nature recovery and health infrastructure

• Riddell welcomed the “health in all policies” duty in the Bill and stressed that SDSs must integrate Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) and health system infrastructure.

• She praised Liverpool City Region’s health-led strategic planning model as a template for others.

⚽ Sporting assets and community right to buy

• Robbie Whittaker (Football Supporters Association) supported new powers to designate sporting assets of community value, especially for lower-league clubs.

• Nick Plumb stressed the need for revenue funding to sit alongside the expanded right to buy - which now includes economic as well as social assets.

🔍 What’s missing?

Multiple witnesses flagged key omissions or weaknesses in the Bill:

• No firm support for resourcing LGR implementation or strategic planning

• Lack of clarity over governance, scrutiny and audit structures for new mayoral authorities

• No statutory footing yet for the Mayoral Council (a body that would allow mayors to influence national policy together)

• Risk of fragmentation due to unclear direction on neighbourhood governance and planning frameworks

Was Sussex mentioned?

• Siân Berry MP (Brighton Pavilion) sits on the Committee and contributed to the wider scrutiny.

• No councils or leaders from East or West Sussex gave evidence.

🔗 Read the full debate transcript here

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