South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2006 | March | 3
From the archive, first published Friday 3rd Mar 2006.
LEADERS of the four local authorities in the West of England, including South Gloucestershire, have welcomed proposals calling for greater devolution in England.
The leading councillors at Bristol City, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils have spoken out in response to proposals from the Institute of Public Policy Research to give greater power to the sub regions of the country.
In a statement released this week the four civic heads agreed that the West already enjoys an excellent partnership rejected the idea that new local government structures and directly-elected mayors in Greater Manchester and Greater Birmingham could also be adopted for the West of England sub region.
Leaders Cllr Barbara Janke (Bristol City Council), Cllr Ruth Davis (South Gloucestershire Council), Cllr Alan Hockridge (North Somerset Council) and Cllr Paul Crossley (Bath and North East Somerset Council) said: "Here in the West of England we have been developing a co-ordinated sub-regional approach for almost three years and have a very effective partnership of the four local councils in place.
"This partnership has developed a shared vision and priorities; submitted a joint local transport plan to Government and responded to the regional assembly on spatial planning strategy/policy proposals. We have recently appointed a chief executive to co-ordinate this joint work and are about to start the development of a new sub regional waste management strategy.
"For this reason, we believe we already have in place effective sub regional leadership arrangements and are not immediately looking to serve as a pilot for any new sub-regional structures. Such an approach may be more appropriate for larger city regions such as Manchester and Birmingham, where the sizeable number of partner councils involved may make joint working more complex and require different solutions."
The foursome stressed that although some governmental powers and quango powers be devolved to city regions, the power of local councils and South Gloucestershire's unitary authority should not be dissolved.
"What is important is that we do not see an erosion of individual local authority's existing responsibilities or powers and their transfer to a new higher tier of bureaucracy, which will be more remote from local communities and may add to the tax burden for people across the sub region," they added.
"We do not feel that an elected mayor would necessarily improve matters here in the West of England."
© Newsquest Media Group 2008