Plans for a devolved authority with an elected mayor for Kent have received a lukewarm response from political leaders of all colours across the county.

Although a new arrangement would guarantee more government cash for the county, critics see it as another unnescessary layer of governance.

Kent already has parish, town, district, borough, unitary and county councils.

One leader has called for the entire dismantling of the present structure.

Under the proposed new powers, Kent and Medway could become a “regional powerhouse” with a directly-elected mayor to manage and implement the devolution deal.

A combined authority, known as the Mayoral County Combined Authority (MCCA) could have control of massive sectors such as roads, brownfield funding, employment and public health.

Calls for a devolved administration for Kent are nothing new but the elected mayor formed part of a fresh push by Conservative Kent County Council leader Cllr Roger Gough, who set his ideas out in a recent paper to cabinet colleagues.

Titled Framing Kent’s Future, it sets out the ambition to “level up” the county in line with government strategy elsewhere.

The purpose of Cllr Gough’s June 27 paper is to gauge reaction to the possibility of formulating an “expression of interest” to take to the government.

He said recently: “We cannot go on with this as we are and some aspects of the government’s devolution agenda give us the chance of more powers coming to Kent and Medway and to do the big things that matter to people at a time when we are hugely overwhelmed by the people services like social care.”

The devolution deal could take around two years.

How has the idea of a devolved administration been received by political leaders in Kent?

Any area with a population of more than 500,000 can propose a devolved administration but, as it stands, it would have to be a combined Kent and Medway authority.

We approached several political figures to gauge their views.

The new Labour leader of unitary Medway Council, Cllr Vince Maple, said: “I love devolution but not the kind of devolution on the table.”

Cllr Maple has written to Cllr Gough outlining his concerns about the idea after considering the proposal with cabinet colleagues.

The letter stated: “There was a very strong rejection of taking forward any of the three options at this stage.”

Cllr Maple said that it was not a rejection of the two authorities working closely together in the future.

Conservative leader of Maidstone Borough Council Cllr David Burton said the proposal was “not the right answer” and called for the scrapping of all district and borough councils as well as KCC.

In their place would be two or three large unitary authorities which would be cheaper for the taxpayer, he said.

He added: “I know turkeys don’t vote for Christmas but I would be delighted to disappear to achieve it.

“There are 14 councils in Kent. With, say, three unitary authorities means three chief executives instead of 14, three finance directors instead of 14 and so on.

“It’s a terrible idea. People have to realise that once they’re in, you’re stuck with them for four years...”

“It means a total rethink because, at present, what we do does not serve the people very well.”

Medway Council is Kent’s only unitary authority at present but Cllr Burton says it is “not quite big enough to afford themselves” and provide schools and highways services effectively.

Labour leader of Dover District Council Cllr Kevin Mills said: “I would really want to examine the detail of this proposal. There are quite a few coincidences with the timing of this.

“A lot of Conservative-held councils went to other political parties in May and now the Tory leader at KCC pushes for a full devolution.

“KCC is in a whole world of financial trouble and the Conservative KCC leader now wants full devolution with an elected mayor. Funny that!

“My question would be: how does it benefit the people round here? We’ve already got parish, town, borough, district and county councils and this one would be another one on top of all those when we already feel quite a distance from county hall.”

Liberal Democrat group leader at County Hall, Cllr Antony Hook, said: “It’s a terrible idea. People have to realise that once they’re in, you’re stuck with them for four years.

“It’s not like having a council leader who you can get rid of if things go wrong.

“The cost of running for the mayoral office would be prohibitive to most people. There are a million households in Kent and it would take a lot of money and machinery to run that election.”

Conservative leader of Tonbridge and Malling Council, Cllr Matt Boughton said: “The devil is in the detail. So, I would like to see the detail and find how it will work for the people of Tonbridge and Malling.”

Green Party leader of Folkestone and Hythe District Council Cllr Jim Martin said: “I’m no constitutional expert and I am watching and waiting for further details and consulting with other Kent council leaders before I pick a side. Something has to be done because they (KCC) are in such a pickle.”

Cllr Noel Ovenden, leader of Ashford Borough Council, said: “We are taking a watching brief and will work with Kent County Council in a partnership approach to achieve the best outcomes across the county.”