Disputes over planned mayoral system in Wiltshire just 'delaying the inevitable'
Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer says there's a 'huge risk' to rural parts of England being 'left behind'.
Last updated 11th Dec 2024
Wiltshire Council's leader has claimed disputes over a proposed mayoral system in the county, Dorset and Somerset would be just 'delaying the inevitable'.
Richard Clewer says there's a 'huge risk' to rural parts of England being 'left behind' amid the idea of devolution being floated in the three counties.
In July the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the government will not shy away from making the case for a Metro Mayor.
Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, December 10, council leader Richard Clewer described fighting the plans for a mayor as “delaying the inevitable”.
Although Cllr Clewer said that he had received a “great deal more” clarity from the government since its request for expressions of interest in devolution, he added that there was “a lot of work” left to do.
When asked what the functional benefits of a regional mayor would be, Cllr Clewer responded: “I honestly don’t think there are any.”
However, he acknowledged that there were benefits to having such a “figurehead” for a single city and that there would be a “huge risk” to rural England being “left behind” without a similar voice.
Cllr Clewer concluded that if devolution had to be carried out in this manner, the Heart of Wessex mayor should have “a strong voice for a large rural setting”.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats on Wiltshire Council, Ian Thorn, described it as a “bizarre form of devolution” that was “being done to” local authorities rather than being “asked for” by them.
Cllr Thorn also expressed concern over the lack of consultation with other members of the council outside of the cabinet, which Cllr Clewer explained was due to the need to put in an expression of interest “at speed” following government’s request.
Cllr Clewer explained: “I think it will be Westminster’s democratic process more than anything that shapes this rather than ours.”
Cllr Thorn said: “I think it’s absolutely critical, if only for our own democratic soul in Wiltshire, that members get a vote, even if that vote is completely and utterly ignored by the government.”
Labour’s manifesto described an intention to “widen and deepen devolution across the country” and the government has pledged to devolve new powers over transport, skills, housing, planning and employment support.
In a letter from the Deputy Prime Minister to local leaders sent in July, Angela Rayner wrote: “While we will not force places to take on a metro Mayor, we will not shy away from making the case for their huge advantages, with some powers continuing to be reserved for institutions with directly elected leaders, such as Mayoral Combined Authorities.”