Prime Minister Andy Burnham's push for English devolution is expected to be a slow and messy process, according to reports. Whitehall's reluctance to transfer money and power is anticipated to result in piecemeal agreements, starting with a deal for Cornwall that will not include a mayor.
The reorganisation of local government by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, which aims to establish hundreds of unitary authorities, is currently mired in judicial reviews. This reorganisation is contributing to the anticipated delays in the devolution process. Some councils have accumulated significant debts over the last decade, and the method for dividing these debts among the new entities remains unclear.
Hertfordshire county council and Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council recently wrote to Ms Rayner, requesting clarification on the government's decisions for their areas. Lincolnshire county council sent a similar letter a week prior. In Essex, where the county is set to be divided into five unitary authorities, Whitehall officials' recommendation for only three new authorities was reportedly overruled by Ms Rayner.