A DEVOLUTION task group set up by Warrington Borough Council is to recommend the authority’s executive board to throw in its lot with the Liverpool City Region.
The recommendation comes after months of discussion over whether the town should join with Liverpool, Manchester or Cheshire to take over powers currently held by Westminister.
The stumbling block has been the Government’s insistence that the deal should include a directly elected Mayor for the region.
Warrington has, for some years, steadfastly opposed such an idea.
Orford councillor Morgan Tarr – a member of the task group – said: “The task group has been meeting for the last few months and we have heard evidence from Cheshire, Liverpool and from our own council officers. Having heard all the evidence it was clear to me, as it was to the majority of the task group, that the best option available to us is to continue negotiations with the Liverpool City Region in order to secure the best possible deal for the residents of Warrington.
“The Lib Dems on the task group joined up with the Tories and attempted to drag Warrington back under the control of Cheshire. A deal with Cheshire is certainly not in the best interests of my residents in Orford nor the residents of the town as a whole.”
The Government has said it is still open to devolution talks with Warrington – although they are still pressing for a directly elected mayor to be part of the deal.
Warrington South MP David Mowat said: “For me, the key to unlocking Warrington’s growth potential will be the transfer of powers and millions of pounds worth of budget for infrastructure from Westminster to Warrington.
“If that means we need to have an elected mayor, it seems like a reasonable price to pay.”
Liberal Democrat leader on Warrington Council Bob Barr said the imposition of a directly elected Mayor on Warrington and the two Cheshire authorities – Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester – is “quite unacceptable.”
Orford councillor Morgan Tarr
Task group to urge council to throw in its lot with Liverpool
77 Comments
7 Comments
Lets have a referendum, and see what the people of Warrington think whether its an elected mayor, or going in with another adjoining authority, LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE
If you think it’s between an elected mayor, or going in with another adjoining authority, you illustrate why it might not be appropriate to “let the people decide”. They aren’t alternatives. The alternatives are no change, or joining a “combined authority” (Cheshire or Liverpool City Region?). If the Brexit vote is any guide, even on a simple yes or no people didn’t really know what they were voting for….
Basically, having done away with the regional development agencies and all regional economic and housing strategies, the Tories, worried about Scottish devolution, have come up with another wheeze so they can blame local authorities for the problems caused by their ideological austerity measures.
“The directly elected Mayor for Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCR) will autonomously exercise new powers. The LCR Mayor will chair the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. All Leaders (of the individual authorities) within the Combined Authority will have a clear portfolio of responsibilities and will act as a supporting and advisory function on their respective policy areas on behalf of the LCR Mayor and the Combined Authority. The LCR Mayor and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will be scrutinised and held to account by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny committee(s). The LCR Mayor will also be required to consult the Combined Authority members on his/her strategies, which it may reject if two-thirds of the constituent council members agree to do so. The Combined Authority will also examine the LCR Mayor’s spending plans and will be able to amend his/her plans, if two-thirds of the constituent council members agree to do so.”
Is that what “the people of Warrington” want? How many would turn out to vote?
It would be most helpful if the evidence provided to the Task Group and referred to in the article could be published. With regards to devolution, all that I would say is, tread carefully, tread very carefully…it might prove to be somewhat of a poisoned chalice.
Councillor Tarr’s account of the view of the Task Group gives an inaccurate impression. The vote in favour of joining the Liverpool City Region was four to three, with a Labour councillor joining the Liberal Democrat and the Tory to vote against the proposal.
The vote was also rigged in Labour’s Favour. Labour with 45 Councillors were given 5 places on the task group, the Liberal Democrats, with 11 Councillors, only 1. Fair proportionality would have demanded 2.
Sadly Labour’s elective dictatorship in Warrington no longer does, fair, proportional, or transparent. There is a danger Labour will go for a bad deal for Warrington for purely internal party political reasons, tying relatively prosperous Warrington to much needier areas so Warrington will lose out, again! It will be the least well off in the town who will suffer. And, more than likely, this deal will be stitched up in private Labour Party meetings and then announced to the rest of the Council.
Not satisfied with letting Warrington down before, which Labour has ‘run’ since 1974 with the exception of 5 years, during which Liberal Democrats made a lot of progress with improving prospects for Warrington, they now want to tie us to areas with much more acute deprivatIon. Even during the 13 years of Labour rule nationally, local Labour achieved little for the town. When they lost control of the Council their Labour government, cut and cut and cut again finance to the town.
Making the wrong devolution decision would be another betrayal of the people of Warrington who deserve better.
Why was Cllr Tarr issuing this statement anyway? He is not chairman of the Task Group. Why, indeed, is he even on such an important Task Group as a newly elected councillor, elected in controversial circumstances and still somewhat wet behind the ears?
In light of the fiasco of the library closures in Warrington,Lymm should leave Warrington Borough. Lymm is just a cash cow for WBC, Livepool will treat Lymm just the same