Councils in Cheshire set to begin devolution discussions with Government

Councils in Cheshire are set to begin discussions about devolution with the Government “within the next few weeks”, Cheshire East Council has revealed.

In a report to be discussed at a meeting tomorrow (21 August), Cheshire East said it is “clear” that the Government consider Cheshire and Warrington as an early candidate for “accelerated and proactive engagement” to achieve a proposal.

The central principle of devolution is to support structured governance to enable the transfer of powers and funds to local functioning economic areas, and to empower sub regional areas to take control and drive forward their local economies.

Last month, Cheshire East received a letter, sent to all council leaders, from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, which stated:

(i) We will devolve new powers over transport, skills, housing, planning and employment support. As we have set out to Mayors, we want more regions to benefit from integrated settlements, with access to this important financial flexibility for mayoralties with capacity, strong accountability structures and exemplary track records of financial management.

(ii) We will move away from a deal-based approach, setting out clear conditions and a clear offer in return for places seeking devolution agreement, and will enshrine a presumption towards devolution, so places can take on new powers automatically if they meet certain conditions.

Cheshire East revealed that Government would seek to commence “detailed” discussions about devolution with Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington and Cheshire East “in the next 6-8 weeks”.

It added that the council will be engaging with government on both non-mayoral and mayoral models “to establish the principles and key benefits”.

A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said: “Local authorities across Cheshire and Warrington are focused on growing the local economy and extending opportunity to all residents.  

“Taking on new powers from central government could support local jobs, improve transport, and protect the environment.   

“We welcome the new Government’s commitments to devolving powers and more money to areas like Cheshire and Warrington. Any potential devolution agreement will need to be right for Cheshire and Warrington, and would be informed by the views of our residents, businesses and communities.” 

Lottie Winson