Assembly point: What is the point of KCC's regional assemblies?
Is KCC reinventing the wheel?
Amid the political bluff and bluster around the strategic blueprint set out by Kent County Council’s Reform party, there is one feature that warrants some examination.
That is the proposal for the authority to set up “assemblies” to ensure the single unitary council that KCC wants for the whole of Kent does not concentrate power at the top and leaves smaller communities without a role.
The draft document that sets out the new framework contains more than 60 references to the concept, with the inevitable references to “hubs”.
Although it is not directly comparable, the Conservatives and indeed Ukip were consistently opposed to the government’s efforts to regionalise parts of the country to help turbo charge the economy.
This was in the form of regional assemblies made up of business and political leaders - with Kent being in what was a much unloved body that was appointed rather than elected.
So, what to make of the model put forward by the Reform party that embraces the concept of “assemblies?”
According to the document setting out the authority’s blueprint, assemblies will have a pivotal role to play in shaping the new unitary authorities, acting as a second tier (sound familiar?) in the case of KCC’s preferred model. At least we think so: the report sent to the government was a little woolly in terms of detail.
In a preference to the huge report setting out the council’s plans, the leader Linden Kemkaran emphasises their importance, saying three new “area assemblies will ensure “that locally focused services are delivered in ways that best meet the needs of our unique communities.”
And Area Assemblies, [we] would provide local responsiveness, flexibility and innovation in community services, working with local partners and people.”
Suitably vague, a further stab at explaining comes later in the report:
“A single unitary paired with Area Assemblies balances strategic capacity with local responsiveness. Assemblies in North, East, and West Kent reflect travel, education, and healthcare patterns, supporting local identity without fragmenting services or infrastructure.”
And more: the assemblies could as a single unitary ‘potentially avoiding service fragmentation entirely by maintaining a single top-tier authority. It ensures continuity of service delivery, simplifies governance, and reduces transition risk.” Note the word ‘potential’.
This doesn’t seem to be a model of power sharing or devolving power downwards - the give-away is the word “influence” in certain operational matters. The commitment to set up assemblies is, it seems, designed to provide “local responsiveness” that will see them “shape community services like libraries and family hubs to meet local needs.”
The concern here is that there’s no specific powers set out for these assemblies - what, for example, does “shape community services” mean in practical terms? Would assemblies actually have any power to force the executive (cabinet) to consider a different decision?
And what guarantee is there that “community services remain locally grounded?” There’s not too much the county council’s Reform administration has to say on that front either.
As to elections to these assemblies - or possibly appointed - the process is a little fuzzy.
Would would-be members of these assemblies would stand for election in a poll that would see them elected as members of a single-tier county authority rather than as a member of one of these assemblies.
Again, that tilts power towards the executive. And so too does the necessity for a not-inconsiderable number of council staff with responsibility for “engagement” - some at top tier salary levels.
Overall - and given their apparent significance in the makeover - there is rather more for us to learn about these assemblies than less. Devolved powers are all well and good but they have to be seen as serving a particular purpose.
As things stand, it looks like their primary focus is to fill in the gaps in a Heath Robinson-style - no consultation, the bare necessities, some loose padding - all factors that raise questions about what the real point of assemblies might be…