English Devolution White Paper

The White Paper commits to supporting local government reorganisation in all areas which remain under 2-tier local government arrangements, and sets out the following as the ‘next steps’:

• Widening devolution: The government has already started to deliver on the plans set out here, with 2 new Mayors and 6 non-mayoral devolution agreements confirmed since July, getting powers to local areas sooner. We are doubling down with a new Devolution Priority Programme for places ready to match our ambition.
• Deepening devolution: We are delivering deeper powers for more areas, increasing the number of Mayoral Strategic Authorities we are committing to give Integrated Settlements to 6, and considering how to apply it to London. We will now work with the Mayoral Council on delivering the ambitious Devolution Framework, and where relevant will shape the details of proposals with spending implications through the Spending Review process.
• Local government reorganisation: We will work with individual areas, inviting proposals from all remaining 2-tier areas and those unitary councils where there is evidence of failure or their size or boundaries may be hindering their ability to deliver sustainable and high-quality services to their residents.
• We also recommit to the English Devolution Bill, which will be introduced in the first session, subject to parliamentary time, putting the Devolution Framework into statute and moving to a systematic approach that ensures local leaders have the powers they need.

Measures Applicable to all Local Transport Authorities – Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles

The White Paper discussed out-of-area working by private hire vehicles specifically, saying:

“Taxis and private hire vehicles are an important part of our transport networks and some of the most vulnerable groups in our society rely on them. We recognise there are concerns about out-of-area working by private hire vehicles and are exploring how best to address these concerns. As part of this, we will consult on whether to make all Local Transport Authorities (including Strategic Authorities) responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.

“Administering taxi and private hire vehicle licensing across this larger footprint would increase the consistency of standards and enable more effective use of enforcement powers across a whole functional economic area. Greater economies of scale should also enable authorities to improve the efficiency of licensing, reducing the incentives for people to license out of their usual working area. This would be a significant change for the sector, and we will work with stakeholders to understand possible impacts before taking a final decision. In London, taxi and private hire vehicle licensing is already the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London.”