Roger Gough devolution update - video transcript

This transcript is for the video for Roger Gough devolution update.

The video shows Roger Gough, the Leader of Kent County Council sat in an office in his work suit talking to the camera. He is being interviewed by an off-camera colleague.

Transcript

Roger Gough: Well it’s deeply disappointing and lets down the 1.9 million people of Kent and Medway who are now not going to have access to the benefits of devolution that all our neighbours - Essex, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire - all of those are going to have that. And I am also baffled because there was no good reason given as to why we were in effect made an exception, made a devolution desert amidst everything that is going on across the south east of the country, and I have yet to see any satisfactory explanation from government as to why that is. Above all, as I said, I am deeply disappointed as I believe we put together a very strong application, I believe that there are many benefits for Kent in being part of devolution, and that is clearly now going to be delayed for reasons that no one is able to give a satisfactory explanation for.

Interviewer: So what comes next?

Roger Gough: Well the Government has set out that it expects two tier areas, so county and district areas like Kent, to reshape into unitary authorities. The timetable as to when that happens is not clear, but we are expected to be submitting various proposals through this year, but we will then see how long that would take. What we were working towards was devolution and what’s called a mayoral strategic authority by May next year. That’s the bit that now certainly won’t happen but equally, as I say, Government is continuing to emphasise reorganisation but the timetable of that is not clear. In the meantime our commitment is that, as a county council and working with all our residents and communities across Kent, we will go on seeking to deliver the very best services that we can.

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