Members of Bath and North East Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council will be meeting separately this week to consider the proposal for the Government’s Devolution deal worth £1 billion to the West of England.The deal, proposed by Chancellor George Osborne will allow extra funding to the West of England, along with addition powers.
Following a previous meeting, where North Somerset Council rejected the plans, the remaining three South West authorities are planning to move ahead. If all Councils agree to the terms of the deal, there will be a public consultation held, where residents in each area will have the opportunity to offer their views on the scheme. As B&NES residents recently rejected the idea of having a regional mayor in a referendum held earlier this year, it is likely that the inclusion of a mayor as part of the deal will be a contentious issue.
In Bath and North East Somerset, the deal will be firstly considered at a special B&NES Cabinet meeting immediately prior to full Council, when all Bath and North East Somerset Councillors will have their say on whether or not to accept the proposal, before it is referred back to Cabinet later in the evening. The meeting is planned for 29th June.
Councillor Tim Warren (Leader, Bath and North East Somerset Council) said: “Members of Bath and North East Somerset Council will be deciding on the 29th if they wish to support the Devolution deal offered by the Government.
“The deal will unlock £1 billion worth of additional investment in the West of England and bring more local decision making to areas, such as transport, adult education and housing – this includes a requirement for a regional mayor to oversee these devolved arrangements. The local Council Leaders and Bristol’s Mayor have negotiated the best available deal from the Government; it is now over to Councillors to have their say.
“Council members will be considering all of the aspects of the deal before making an informed choice about what the Council thinks is the best course of action for the people of Bath and North East Somerset.”
Earlier discussions had seen members of B&NES Council keen to renegotiate the condition of having an elected ‘metro mayor’ as part of the deal.
If Bath and North East Somerset Councillors decide to back the Government’s deal and if Councillors in Bristol and South Gloucestershire also agree to do likewise, the next stage will be for local people to have their opportunity to make their views known to the Secretary of State, as part of a public consultation during July, before the Government takes a final decision.