Devolution a go in Cheshire and Warrington
Warrington Council’s cabinet cast the final vote on Monday in creating a combined authority for the county, following previous approvals by Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cheshire East Council.
It was a unanimous vote in Warrington, with the proposal to create a combined authority already having secured the endorsement of the full council in a 48-6 vote last week.
“The opportunities are vast and it’s up to us to recognise those opportunities and grasp them the best we can,” Warrington Council Leader Cllr Hans Mundry told his cabinet.
He emphasised that the deal would see £651m come to the three Cheshire councils over a period of 30 years, with £4m allotted to set up the combined authority.
Prior to the vote, he put a series of questions to the executive: “Do we want £651m extra for Cheshire Warrington over the next 30 years? Do we want more decision-making powers fetched locally down to our areas and away from Westminster? And [do we] go along with what Cheshire East and Cheshire West have already voted for?”
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin described devolution as “a huge opportunity” for Warrington, adding that it was not all about the money.
“It’s about devolving power more locally so we’re not just begging from Westminster all the time,” she said. “We can start shaping our own future and be a proper power in the field between Liverpool and Manchester. I think we’re worth that.”
Cllr Hitesh Patel added that devolution would aid in democracy in Warrington.
“Bringing these powers locally, closer to Warrington and Warrington people, allows a mayor, allows a combined authority, and allows us to be more accountable to our constituents so that when they say that is not working well in transport, education, or health in the future (when we have those devolved powers) we have more of a chance to do something and respond to those concerns,” he said.
The final vote was unanimous.
Things had not gone as smoothly at the Cheshire East and CWAC votes the weeks before.
Cheshire East councillors had voted 36-32 for devolution, with detractors stating that it would add another layer of bureaucracy and not help small towns and rural areas.
CWAC, like Warrington, required a full council vote and subsequent cabinet ruling to get the sign off for devolution. At CWAC’s full council meeting there was a mass walk out, with opposition members stating that the vote was “a bureaucratic waste of time” as devolution would pass at the cabinet meeting regardless of their views.
The motion to endorse the plan did pass the full council and the subsequent cabinet meeting.
What’s next?
Government will now weigh in on the matter, making its official orders to create the combined authority in early 2026. The first mayoral elections for Cheshire and Warrington will be held in May 2027.
