County ‘big enough to have its own strategic authority’
Gloucestershire is “big enough” to have its own strategic authority rather than join a Bristol-centric partnership or one which includes its northern neighbours of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
That is one of the views put forward during a recent debate on devolution at Gloucestershire County Council.
Joining the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is the preferred option among the Liberal Democrat leadership at Shire Hall due to county’s strong economic and cultural ties with Bristol.
However, civic chiefs claim the feeling is not mutual in Bristol and the WECA mayor does not want Gloucestershire to join them.
Meanwhile, Reform UK who lead the opposition at Gloucestershire County Council are in favour of a so-called Mercia partnership with counties to the north as it would better suit the county’s “historic and cultural ties across the Midlands region”.
Another option would be for Gloucestershire to go it alone. As part of the devolution proposals, council chiefs have agreed to submit a preference for a single-county foundation strategic authority along with its long-term preference for joining WECA.
County Councillor Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton), who is alo the leader of Gloucester City Council, suggested a strategic authority for Gloucestershire would be the better option.
“We are being offered the opportunity to set up a Gloucestershire foundation strategic authority before we will be able to join WECA,” he told the meeting.
“Lets remember, the Labour mayor of WECA doesn’t want Gloucestershire. She will resist it until she’s out of office.”
He said the council should get the so-called responsibilities and powers that were taken away from the County Council years ago.
“Then we’ll find out, chair, that the Government has been sacked and we’ve got a strategic authority of our own and we might find that it becomes a permanent solution.
“It should be a permanent solution. Gloucestershire is big enough. It’s got a population of over 660,000.
“It’s big enough to carry out the so-called devolved responsibilities and handle the money the government is planning to give.
“We do not need to be part of Bristol. We do not need to be part of the same authority as Bath or Hereford or Worcester.
“What we could do with our Gloucestershire foundation strategic authority in a few years time we could invite South Gloucestershire to come back and join the fold and reunite the whole historic county of Gloucestershire and have its own authority to deal with the major issues.”
During the debate, Councillor Martin Horwood (LD, Leckhampton with Warden Hill) said the devolution process was an “unhelpful, top-down centralising imposition” from the central Government.
He said if they have to choose the council should look south. And historically Gloucestershire “was only Mercian for a couple of hundred years”, Cllr Horwood added.
“Bristol was part of Gloucestershire. That’s why Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is in Bristol,” he added.
He went on to agree with Cllr Hilton and said there is an argument to be made for a “Greater Gloucestershire”.
“I think that is a rather good idea if we can pull it off. I’d be all in favour of having a Greater Gloucestershire Strategic Authority.
“North, East, West and South Gloucestershire all in one go.”