Council leaders in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have written to the Government to ‘begin a conversation’ about devolution in the region.
But members of the Staffordshire Leaders Board – 10 council leaders representing the county council, city council and eight district and borough councils – said they didn’t want to have an elected mayor or make changes to any of the area’s existing local authorities.
Instead, they said they wanted to explore how evolution – the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government – could boost the economy and living standards in the region. Devolution could see new powers and funding unlocked around issues like economic development and skills, housing, transport, energy and the environment, regeneration and planning.
Daily Focus previously reported that Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce welcomed the opportunity for more joined-up working between local authorities across the county, after Stoke-on-Trent City Council joined the Staffordshire Leaders Board earlier this year. An English Devolution Bill was unveiled in the King’s Speech in July.
Leader of Staffordshire County Council and chair of Staffordshire Leaders Board, Councillor Alan White, said: “Councils across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are a united force, working together to unlock the economic potential of the area.
“This is about creating more jobs and opportunities, better transport, breathing new life into our cities, towns and villages and ensuring good homes are available for people who need them.
“As a Board, we’ve been working together for the benefit of our residents and businesses for years and a conversation with Government around the opportunities that devolution may bring is an extension to this commitment.”
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s council leaders ruled out introducing an elected mayor or making changes to the current arrangement of local authorities – the county council, city council and district and borough councils.
Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Vice-Chair of the Staffordshire Leaders Board, Councillor Jane Ashworth, pictured above, said: “We are clear that if devolution is to work across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, it must be flexible enough to recognise and meet local needs.
“We want to see sustainable growth which makes a real difference to people in our cities, in our towns and in our villages.
“There is more detail to come from Government around new devolution framework and what this means in practice, but we are ready to work with them to explore how this devolution could bring extra powers and investment to support our ambitions”.
Staffordshire’s leaders say they will now need to wait for further guidance from the Government around a new devolution framework and what this means for the region in practice.
