Plans to devolve greater powers to city mayors should be extended to South East councils to help drive economic growth say leaders of South East local authorities.

A joint response to Government consultation What can a mayor do for your city? from South East England Councils (SEEC) and South East Strategic Leaders (SESL) has argued that devolution of powers should not be restrictied to a small number of cities with elected mayors. The Government had highlighted 12 cities that are line for powers to help boost their economic potential - but none of these is in the South East.

Councillors believe the South East's economic track record is better than that of many cities and so our councils should have access to the same devolved powers to give local politicians the tools to help promote further growth. The South East's network of smaller towns and cities has delivered the highest net economic benefit to UK PLC, despite the lack of a single dominant city in our area.

Members have also argued that strong local leadership can be delivered by traditional council structures in the South East, without the need for directly elected mayors. Read the full reponse from SEEC and SESL here.