Buckinghamshire Council prepare bid for more powers from government
The proposal will be voted on by the council's cabinet when it meets later this month.
Buckinghamshire Council say they are in a strong position to control local decisions.
A bid for devolution is being put forward by Buckinghamshire Council, as part of their COVID-19 recovery plans.
The council are asking for more powers to decide how to govern the area, which would reduce what decisions central government can make.
The Council's hope is that this aligns with the Government's forthcoming 'Devolution White Paper', which will pave the way for devolution bids across the country and Buckinghamshire wants to be in the vanguard of those areas who might benefit from devolution in the future.
Martin Tett, Leader of Buckinghamshire Council explains:
"The government is keen to devolve powers from central government to local governments. That can be powers, it can be flexibility around various acts and laws and potentially money as well.
"As a new council we are really keen to take advantage of that and we will be putting forward what we think is an ambitious bid to the government."
The proposal is subject to being approved by the council's Cabinet when it meets later in the month.
In putting forward this proposal the new council, together with the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership, has chosen to withdraw from the Oxford to Cambridge 'ARC Leaders Group' and present a bid led by business opportunities and strengths in key growth sectors.
Michael Garvey, Chairman of the Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) said:
"Post-Covid it is very important that Buckinghamshire is free to be 'business led'. It has become clear that business needs to be able to form alliances and exploit opportunities wherever they lie, rather than being tied to a particular geography.
"Bucks business will embrace growth and recovery opportunities in working with partners across many areas including Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire or Surrey.
"It is important to stress that we will work with a broad range of organisations and industries to maximise business opportunities wherever they occur."
Buckinghamshire Council say they are confident its devolution and recovery proposal will be ambitious and compelling. Martin, Andrew and Michael agreed that:
"We are not looking for handouts, but rather the freedoms, flexibilities and investment to help rebuild this country and accelerate its economy post-Covid and Brexit".