A new day has dawned over Lancashire after the county was finally handed the devolved powers it has sought for so long – meaning more decisions will soon be taken at a local level.

It comes after the Labour government announced that it was going to implement, rather than reinvent, the devolution deal provisionally struck between Lancashire and the previous Conservative administration late last year.

That agreement – signed by the leaders of Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council – was put on ice after failing to make it onto the statute books before the snap general election.

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The subsequent changing of the political guard at Westminster sparked a sustained attempt by Lancashire’s Labour MPs and the majority of the county’s district authorities – including Preston and Chorley – to have the deal ripped up and renegotiated.

Their aim was to secure more control and cash for the county than it will get under the arrangement now being put in place – an outcome that would almost certainly have resulted in Lancashire getting an elected mayor, like Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham, which has proved a perennially controversial prospect in some quarters.

After the deputy prime minister and local government secretary Angela Rayner put out a call to local leaders across England asking them for proposals that would pave the way for a devolution revolution, it looked like those agitating for a deeper – and, as they see it, stronger – deal for Lancashire were poised to win the day.

However, the three local leaders who signed the deal – along with Lancashire’s three Conservative-controlled districts – pushed for the provisional agreement to be honoured first before any attempts were made to change its terms.

The government has now said that it will sign off on the deal currently on the table – under which Lancashire will be handed power over policy areas including adult education and regeneration, along with a one-off £20m fund to help boost “innovation-led growth”.

It means a new combined county authority (CCA) will be established to oversee Lancashire’s additional responsibilities, subject to the set-up being approved by Parliament.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the CCA could hold its inaugural meeting as soon as January.

The moment would mark the end of more than eight years of challenging negotiations about how devolution could be brought to the county.  Lancashire’s 15 council leaders have more often than not failed to agree amongst themselves on the shape of any deal – and that is before the ever-shifting devolution demands of successive governments, whether in relation to a mayor or the streamlining of the local authority map, have been factored in.

That debate has raged while Lancashire has become something of an island in the North of England – left without a deal long after most of its nearest neighbours have started to feel the benefit of more local decision-making.

Notwithstanding the now imminent implementation of the agreement signed last November,    Lancashire is unlikely to have seen its last political wrangles over devolution.

In announcing its decision to push the current deal over the line, the government is nevertheless encouraging Lancashire to move towards what it describes as the “gold standard” of mayoral devolution at a later date.

Done deal

Angela Rayner said of the long-awaited confirmation that Lancashire would be getting a devolution deal:  “‘I’m delighted that we’ve been able to mark another moment in Lancashire’s rich history by agreeing the first steps of its devolution journey.

“This agreement will empower local leaders to make key decisions locally, and ensure they have a say on how to shape the future of their area instead of having it imposed on them from Westminster.

“We want to work closely with them to unlock this area’s untapped potential, and keep the red rose of Lancashire blooming proudly.”

Meanwhile, Lancashire County Council leader Phillippa Williamson described the moment as a “very significant step forward in our devolution journey”.

She added:  “We know our county is already a brilliant place to live and work, but we also know that we can be even better if we are able to make more decisions locally, this is just the start and we are committed to exploring how we can go further.”

Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said she was looking forward to being able to implement plans for the county “that will benefit residents across the whole of Lancashire and not least here in Blackpool”.

“It is really important that decisions that affect our residents here in Lancashire are made at a local level,” Cllr Williams said.

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