Council leader county deal ‘real power’ call
Warning an ‘agency agreement’ offer would be ‘pretty close to a red line’
A COUNCIL leader says he wants local authorities to get ‘real power’ from the government’s county deal.
Although the white paper for county deals, announced earlier this year by prime minister Boris Johnson, has not yet been published, there are many politicians who are hopeful that it will place control back into the hands of local councils.
At Hampshire County Council’s cabinet meeting in Winchester on Tuesday, council leader Cllr Keith Mans outlined what he would like to get from the deal – and what he would be willing to compromise on.
He said: ‘It’s not just about money – it’s about powers.
It’s always annoyed me that in the western world we have the most centralised form of government.
‘What would be interesting to us, although unlikely, would be the power to increase revenues.
‘If you have a system where you can raise more money locally it can be adapted to the people you represent.
‘I think we would also like more flexibility, specifically more engagement with the funding of tertiary colleges of education, so we can line up the courses with the jobs that are available.’
Cllr Mans added that the white paper, which will provide an outline for the county deals, will not be published by the government before Christmas.
The county council is also working alongside other counties, such as Wiltshire and Sussex, to strengthen Hampshire's relationships with its neighbours.
At the cabinet meeting, questions were raised by opposition Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Keith House, over whether there were any ‘red lines’ - areas that the county council would not compromise on.
He said: ‘It is not yet clear whether the council itself has any red lines, specifically on getting devolution rather than just a “levelling up”.’
Cllr Mans responded: ‘I don't think we should have any red lines before we see what's in the white paper, because I don’t want to prejudge what might be in there or not. But the county deal should be something that gives us real power. If what we’re offered is simply an agency agreement - like in the past - then that gets pretty close to a red line.’