Cheshire political leaders are stepping up their efforts to follow Liverpool city region and Greater Manchester down the devolution road. Tony McDonough reports
Cheshire is pushing for formal discussion with Government about a possible devolution deal for the county.
Political leaders have seen both Liverpool city region and Greater Manchester benefit from the greater autonomy that comes with devolution and are now pushing Whitehall for a deal of their own.
Leaders of Cheshire and Warrington’s three councils have written to Government asking for the region to be included in its priority programme for devolution.
This would formally open conversations with ministers about potential new powers and funding Cheshire and Warrington could receive if it goes ahead with devolution.
The letter to Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon, follows the publication of a White Paper in December 2024, which sets out Government’s commitment to devolution across England.
It states the three councils’ aspirations to seek a devolution agreement that would include an elected Mayor.
Louise Gittins, leader of Cheshire West & Chester, Hans Mundry, leader of Warrington, and the leader and deputy leader of Cheshire East, Nick Mannion and Michael Gorman, have all signed the letter.
It reads: “The three local authorities, Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester and Warrington are committed to working in partnership to progress a devolution agreement with His Majesty’s Government and establish a Mayoral Strategic Authority by May 2026.
“We look forward to working with you and your colleagues in 2025 and are grateful that you have recognised all the previous pre planning work we have done together that has resulted in us being recognised for inclusion in the Devolution Priority Programme.”
Before any agreement, views will be sought from the region’s residents, communities and businesses on how devolution could benefit Cheshire and Warrington.
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Any formal devolution agreement would need to be agreed by each council as well as the Cheshire & Warrington Joint Committee, which provides leadership on strategic economic issues for the region.
The letter adds: “It’s clear that devolution would bring significant power and funding to the Cheshire and Warrington region. We’re ambitious for our region and we want to seize this opportunity to benefit our residents, communities and businesses.
“Devolution would allow us to make more decisions here in Cheshire and Warrington, rather than decisions about our region and its almost 1m residents being made in London.”