Election rivals welcome more power for Warrington – but council leader opposes elected Mayor

FORMER General Election rivals David Mowat and Nick Bent have both welcomed news that the Government is offering devolution powers to Warrington – on condition the town has an elected Mayor.

But the united front of the election rivals is not matched by Labour leader of the Borough Council Cllr. Terry O’Neill, who while advocating Warrington having more control over its finances – but not at the expense of having an elected Mayor.

News of devolution for more towns and cities was made in yesterday’s budget by Chancellor George Osborne.

Mr Mowat, the Conservative MP for Warrington South and his former Labour rival Nick Bent have both welcomed the news.

Mr Mowat, said: “I support more decisions affecting Warrington being taken in Warrington. To that extent the Government’s devolution plans are exciting for the town and I fully support them.

“Part of such a power transfer will be for the town to elect a mayor who is clearly accountable for the decisions made. This is exactly how it works in London and Liverpool.”

But Council leader Cllr Terry O’Neill says the government has said many times that there is no set model.

“We understand the city region mayor model but we think the deal we have at the moment does not require an elected mayor for Cheshire and Warrington.

“We are continuing with the conversation with government and hope to get a deal based on a combined authority made up of the three unitary Councils plus the LEP.

“We will be saying that an elected mayor model isn’t necessary for our small county sub-region model.
“The conversation will continue with Communities and Local Government minister Greg Clark.”

But Mr Bent, Labour’s Constituency Spokesperson for Warrington South, said: “This is big news – a fresh devolution offer is welcome and worthy of proper public debate before any decisions are made.

“A special stand-alone deal for Warrington, with an elected mayor just for this town, could secure this town’s future prosperity and allow us to control our own destiny.”

“From what we know, the deal is this: no elected Mayor for Warrington, no extra money for Warrington. So an elected Mayor is worth serious consideration.”

“Terry O’Neill is wrong to say an elected mayor is another ‘tier of government’ – the role of Warrington council leader would simply be replaced by a directly elected mayor, with the added benefit of a huge increase in funding. Some politicians may fear this change, but the top priority for voters is that Warrington Labour secures the best possible deal for our town – they are right and that is my focus.”

The devolution powers would include towns and cities like Warrington retaining their business rates and having more financial control of their affairs without interference from central government.