In the mid 1930s, just before I was born, there was a proposal that our local Unban District of Birstall, with its own elected Council, should be merged with the next-door Borough of Batley. A referendum was held to judge public views on this and the results were:
For the proposal: 25
Against: 3500
Spoiled papers: 190
Nevertheless the "powers that be" went ahead and forced through the merger (take over?)
This enlarged Borough of Batley endured for just over 35 years when, under the Heath Conservative government’s proposals, we in turn were merged (taken over?) to form the Metropolitan District of Kirklees. This is a massive area which includes Huddersfield , Dewsbury, Batley, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike and much of the Colne valley. It could not be called Huddersfield because that would have annoyed the burgers of Dewsbury, and vice versa.
So it is called Kirklees , which is one of the places where Robin Hood is alleged to have shot his arrow to determine where he should be buried (though that Kirklees is in fact over the border in Calderdale, the name imposed on what is otherwise Greater Halifax.)
These, along with the Metropolitan authorities of Leeds, Bradford, and Wakefield were originally overarched by the West Yorkshire County Council, but this was abolished (along with the Greater London Council) by Mrs Thatcher because it persisted in electing a Labour majority.
It is unlikely that Kirklees and similar Metropolitan areas will be affected by the present Labour government's proposals for local government reform sine we are already Unitary Authorities - we have no District Councils to deal with more local needs and services. But most of the country still has them. They are to be abolished, as Labour's proposals follow the trend, of taking local government further and further away from the people it is designed to serve.
The proposals will reduce rather than enhance local democracy. In the words of the conclusion of the Guardian's leader when the White Paper was published just before Christmas, the effect is to streamline local government so that it might more effectively carry out the instructions of Westminster and Whitehall. (summarised as recollected from memory.)
Taking the administration of local areas further and further away from the people they serve reduces the sense of belonging and ability to exert influence. Democracy only works well if people feel a real sense of involvement: that they can work together to "do" things, rather than have something done to them.
A uniform and streamlined system of local government of large areas may sound more efficient, but it isn't. It is now accepted that the UK is the most centralised of the developed democracies and this assumption that "Whitehall knows best" is one of the reasons why our performance in so many area is so relatively poor.
The proposals increase the number of directly elected executive mayors, whether local people want one or not. (West Yorkshire didn't, but got one anyway). This system, borrowed from the US, places the emphasis on personalities rather than policies. The personality may be good at both publicity and policy (Andy Burnham?) or maybe just good at publicity (Boris Johnson.) Government by councillors elected to implement policies may sound dull bit is likely to be more effective.
The proposals seem to favour dividing the country into city regions. This is a mistake: rural, semi-rural and urban areas are not acolytes feeding the needs of the cities they surround: they have their own priorities and needs..
Finally there are no proposals for local government to have any serious independent powers of taxation. The humiliating, wasteful and potentially corrupt (levelling-up funds for Rishi Sunak's Richmond constituency) system of competing for funds dispensed at the whim of the the centre remains in place.
As argued previously on this blog, there is a need of a root-and-branch reappraisal of how the UK is governed. We should set up a commission, perhaps advised by citizens assemblies, to try determine what structure will best serve our future needs. In the meantime, the present parts of the imperfect system should be adequately funded to perform the functions required of them.
Against
a referendum was hald
a refeendum was hald to jidge putoc feeling on tis. the result were
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