Councillors get behind effort for devolution
WEST Lancashire councillors have approved an early set of principles and arrangements agreed by 15 local council leaders to negotiate a devolution deal for Lancashire with the Westminster government.
Councillors from all political groups at West Lancashire Borough Council held a special meeting where they voted to back the new proposals, called A New Deal for a Greater Lancashire.
Lancashire councils need to work more closely to get greater control over how government funding is spent in the county, councillors were told. The Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester had reached their own devolution deals with the government and were now seeing the benefits of devolved decision-making, councillors believed.
As a result, West Lancashire residents were now ‘looking down the road to Maghull and Merseyside’ and asking why changes there were not happening closer to home, one councillor said.
The New Deal for a Greater Lancashire plan would keep the existing borough and county council system but bring together 15 Lancashire council leaders to decide exactly how a potential £5.6 billion budget should be spent over coming years rather than Westminster.
Priority areas for spending earmarked by council leaders include the economy, skills, education, transport, digital and telecoms infrastructure. No public poll or referendum is proposed.
There would be no new elected mayor, unlike Steve Rotheram in the Liverpool City Region, Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester or Ben Houchen in the Tees Valley area of the north-east.
The new arrangements include one vote per council leader with a two-thirds majority needed for decisions.
Individual boroughs can veto anything which directly impacts their area, with some exceptions.
Current borough boundaries. many of which date from 1974, are not up for negotiation.
Previous Lancashire devolution talks in recent about other arrangements have been unsuccessful. There have been disagreements about the potential grouping of boroughs and the creation of larger new authorities for different parts of Lancashire. However, the latest proposals had found agreement among all Lancashire council leaders.
The devolution negotiation arrangements were approved at a special meeting of West Lancashire Borough Council on Thursday, officially called an extraordinary meeting. It was held at Edge Hill University.
The meeting began with a period of silence to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. The date of the council meeting, January 27, was the anniversary of the date during the Second World War of the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland, which was the largest Nazi death camp.
Once the meeting started, Labour Coun Ian Moran, who is also the leader of the council, was asked to outline the proposed arrangements for devolution negotiations with the government. He then asked councillors to formally vote on three recommendations. These were:
Support the outline New Deal for a Greater Lancashire as the initial draft for further discussion and development of a possible county deal.
Agree the ‘principles of governance’ for any future deal.
Agree that the leader of the council continues to work with other Lancashire council leaders in-line with the recommendations. Any formal proposals will be considered by the borough’s cabinet and/or the full council in future.
Coun Moran said: “We have been involved with devolution talks for a number of years. I’ve been involved for the last seven years and Coun Westley was involved before that. Things have come a long way in that time and we have had a few stumbling blocks too.
“Some of the wealthier boroughs in Lancashire did not want to get involved. However, we have now got every one on-board.
“We have also seen how the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester are moving further and further ahead. Lancashire is getting left behind.
“This new deal could bring over £5bn to Lancashire over a period of years. Three-quarters of that would be new money. The other quarter would be decided (allocated) by us in Lancashire rather than by Westminster. This brings more powers and more money.”
Conservative Coun David Westley, who is the borough’s Conservative group leader, also supported the negotiating arrangements and recommendations.
He said: “I was at a county council meeting earlier this week, when I sat through hours of people saying exactly the same things. So I will keep this speech brief. I am very supportive of this.
“Coun Moran mentioned the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, and all the money they have received.
“Those arrangements have come in phases over the years.
“We need to establish a track record and move forward.”
Our West Lancashire group leader Coun Adrian Owens said: “Yes, I support this too. Devolution has been a topic going back years under different leaders. It’s quite a saga. We need to seize the initiative. Decisions would be made locally and the principles are spot-on.
“We have residents asking why something can happen in Maghull and Merseyside just down the road but not in West Lancashire? I have had to explain that a lot of it is about finance that goes to Merseyside. This plan is about getting some of that funding into Lancashire. I’m a big supporter.”
Councillors voted in support of the Greater Lancashire county deal recommendations and negotiating arrangements.