Plans for new combined authority in Wiltshire heat up

A new devolution deal could bring more powers and funding to Wiltshire and its neighbours.

The Wessex region - covering Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole - is exploring plans to form a combined authority, potentially led by a directly elected regional mayor.

The Wessex Mayoral Strategic Authority proposal, supported by all four councils, aims to secure greater control over transport, infrastructure, housing, and skills funding.

Council leaders are working to ensure the region is ready if Government approval is given.

Meanwhile, within Wiltshire, all three leaders of the political groups back a 'devo' deal - to a greater or lesser extent - with the ruling Liberal Democrats the most enthusiastic.

Ian Thorn, leader of Wiltshire Council, said the region could be missing out on as much as £300 million a year in funding by not having a formal devolution arrangement.

"When you look at the financial benefits of the mayoral authority, we would be crazy not to get involved," he said.

"We have been engaging with government, both with politicians and with civil servants, over a number of months."

He acknowledged some concerns about creating an extra layer of government, but said the potential benefits outweigh those risks.

"Now, others will argue quite rightly, it's just not another tier of bureaucracy; more politicians with snouts in the trough," said Cllr Thorn.

"I completely understand that argument and would have maybe made that argument myself at times, frankly.

"But when you look at the powers that mayors have and the resources available to them, my starting point is that the current arrangement simply is not fair."

He said a regional mayor could help deliver improvements in public transport, roads, and economic development.

Conservatives have expressed cautious support for devolution, recognising potential benefits but warning of “risks” around governance.

Group leader Richard Clewer said there could be advantages in attracting funding and improving decision-making closer to home.

However, he raised concerns about the creation of new layers of bureaucracy and the risk of reduced accountability under a combined authority model.

Cllr Clewer said: "You hope a mayor wouldn't need vast amounts of staff, although when you look at them they vary wildly.

"You'll either place too much strain on the mayor, or you'll force them to have 70 staff, and you create something that is no longer democratically accountable – neither of which is the right outcome."

He acknowledged that devolution could bring funding and greater influence, but questioned whether the model would work for rural areas.

"The Conservative group as a whole has a slightly greater degree of scepticism on some of this," he said.

"There are concerns, with some justification, around how things will operate within there."

He reiterated his reservations about the mayoral model, especially for rural areas.

Cllr Clewer said: "The directly elected elements in the creation of that sort of mayoral power block, especially in rural areas, I have reservations about."

He also warned that the introduction of a combined authority could undermine the role of existing unitary councils, effectively creating a new tier of government.

Cllr Clewer said: "We've been getting rid of three tiers of local government or four tiers, and then we're going to create a full tier to put in between two of the tiers.

"That is what just doesn't make a great deal of sense to me."

He said the system appears to be designed around models that have worked in larger urban areas such as Manchester and London, but "didn't really work in Birmingham and failed in Bristol."

Despite his reservations, Cllr Clewer agreed that decisions are better made locally and that government should provide resources for local people to decide how best to deliver services.

He said: "The principle that decisions are better made locally, and the local people have a better handle on priorities than such, and I absolutely agree with."

Over in the Reform UK camp, group leader Ed Rimmer maintained that "local government that is smaller and closer to the people is good."

But he was concerned that devolution "would add an extra layer of bureaucracy and cost."

"It's an area of potential funding, but there is also the potential risk of the mayoral authority becoming the only authority," he said.

"The man on the street doesn't trust democracy. There has been a fundamental betrayal of voters.

"The danger is that this keeps going with more layers and less accountability."

For more on this story check out the upcoming reports from our series on devolution:

Roads, rail and new homes - what benefits could devolution bring? (Published on Saturday, September 20.)

What are the risks of devolution? (Published on Sunday, September 21.)