Kent can be a powerhouse of our economic recovery, with high levels of job creation and new business start ups. However, Kent should also be a powerhouse in its structure and organisation, like the new Northern powerhouse that is being created around Manchester. Kent in terms of population is similar in size to Northern Ireland, and there is no reason that it could not benefit from a devolution of power from the government to give it more control over infrastructure, economic development, and the delivery of health services.
On Monday I made this case in the House of Commons in a debate on devolution in England. Firstly it is absolutely right that as more power has been given to devolved government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, that they should lose their influence on matters that only have force in England. We need to have an English veto on English only laws as the government has recommended. However, we should also look at more devolution of power to city regions and large counties like Kent. Through the Kent board of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, we have shown that decisions on the priorities for investment in new infrastructure can be better made by people who already work in the local area. To give Kent more power on investment in new roads and rail connections would be a further positive step.
We should also look at whether other powers exercised by national government agencies could be transferred to a Kent strategic authority, and look to see whether there could be better co-ordination of services between the county council and the district and borough councils. We have already seen good working together in East Kent on issues like waste management and social housing provision.
The government announcement on the planned devolution to the new Greater Manchester authority of powers to jointly manage with the NHS the provision of health and social services, is a further positive step and one that we could look to emulate in Kent. Closer working together between health and social services enables us to create better care for residents, particularly older people and those with more complex health requirements. It also supports the delivery of more and better local care, closer to where patients live, which I believe should be at the heart of improvements to our NHS.
The government response to my call for a Kent Powerhouse was positive, and the Minister Kris Hopkins made clear that the Department for Communities and Local Government would like to work with any councils that want to come forward with a plan for the further devolution of power.
I would also like to thank everyone who came out and supported my charity walk from Dungeness to Folkestone last Saturday. We have raised over £2,500 for the Young Lives Foundation, which is a fantastic effort. We can certainly not be accused of being fair weather friends, as we braved the cold, wind and rain over the twenty miles in support of this excellent organisation, that does such good work for young people in Kent.
