Letter to the editor: Welcoming change - let's get on with the job
Change is happening! Angela Rayner has thankfully included West Sussex in the Government’s fast-track devolution scheme and we will move towards electing our first mayor in 2026. Whilst there has inevitably been some disappointment because of the cancellation of local elections this year, I think we can all see the sense in not unnecessarily causing the disruption and additional cost that inevitably comes with replacing a large number of councillors for a relatively short period of transition.
I understand the disappointment which very reasonably comes from the various political parties who were looking forward to campaigning this spring and hopefully getting their candidates elected as new councillors. But other, more neutral parties, such as the Local Government Association aren’t ‘hitting out at the decision’ as Carolyn Aldred of the Liberal Democrats suggested last week, they are simply arguing that funding needs to be sufficient, and that “Ensuring that communities are engaged will be crucial to mitigating risk and capitalising on opportunities, ” I’m sure we can all see the sense of that. So let’s move forward.
There’s a real prize to be had. Looking at how it can provide a better future for Sussex, perhaps the most important factor is shown elsewhere with the ‘flagship’ mayors like Andy Burnham in Manchester and Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire championing their areas and making a real difference to local services. For example, we see in London and Manchester how transport systems can be transformed by having local control and budgeting. We can also expect to see better strategic planning for houses and local roads, with an emphasis on integrated planning.
There will be a host of other changes, including of course, who is responsible for bin collection. Perhaps like you, I really don’t care much which authority collects my bin, as long as it’s done efficiently and on time. But there are real cost savings to be made by combining services that are currently run by different authorities into a single provider.
This is a rare opportunity to help build a better, more devolved local government. Let’s work together to build better services for the local community.
Phil White
Chichester Constituency Labour Party