Leaders across Preston, Chorley, Wyre, South Ribble and Ribble Valley have given their reaction to the government giving Lancashire’s Devolution deal agreement to move ahead.

Previously stalled following the general election the so-called second-tier authorities were controversially not included in the negotiations that led to the agreement late last year between the previous Conservative government and Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council.

That deal – which will determine the new powers and cash coming to the county as part of its devolution settlement – has now been given the nod by the new Labour administration.

Read more: Lancashire devolution deal finally done but debate over more powers – and mayor – will continue

All 12 districts have broadly been in agreement about wanting a bigger role in the new combined county authority (CCA) that will be responsible for implementing the agreement. Just two of their number will have a seat at the table as ‘non-constituent members’ representing the rest – and neither will have voting rights.

However, the councils have split largely down party lines when it comes to the contents of the deal.
The seven Labour-run districts of Preston, Chorley, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Lancaster, Rossendale and Hyndburn, along with coalition-controlled Burnley and Pendle, took the opportunity of the devolution limbo caused by the snap general election to call for Lancashire’s provisional agreement to be radically redrawn and made “more ambitious”.

Meanwhile, the trio of Conservative-run districts – Wyre, Fylde and Ribble Valley – stressed their opposition to the prospect of an elected mayor being part of any strengthened devolution package and pressed for the deal to remain as it stands.

Although the latter option is the path the government has now taken, it comes with a caveat, revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), that ministers hope to see Lancashire bring forward proposals for “deeper and wider devolution” by next autumn.

The comment was made in a letter to the three top-tier leaders from local government minister Jim McMahon – and was set against the backdrop of a public push by the government for Lancashire ultimately to pursue a “gold standard” mayoral deal.

For that reason, even those leaders whose case for implementing the current agreement found favour now feel they have cause for concern about the future.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stephen Atkinson said he is alarmed not only about a mayoral role being created, but what it could mean for district authorities like his.

“A Labour MP has said to me that if they create an extra level of government with a mayor, there will be too many layers [in Lancashire] – and, by implication, that will mean the [scrapping] of the two-tier system.

“If that was to happen, we would have three [standalone councils] across Lancashire – or even just one in Preston.  That removes democracy from the people – it makes it ever more remote.

“Mayors are also being presented as your chance to have your say with Westminster – but that’s nonsense.

“This is a centralised power grab – Keir Starmer has patronage over lots of things in the Labour Party, including having an influence over who is selected to be [mayoral candidates]. He also holds the purse strings as the government.

“So it’s like going back to Norman times, where one baron has all this power in conjunction with the king who sits in the centre – it’s 180 degrees away from devolution.  Power in Lancashire is already devolved [to the] 12 districts and two unitary councils,” Cllr Atkinson said.

Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent is equally opposed to the idea of a mayor of Lancashire – but he hopes that implementation of the current deal will show that the all-powerful figurehead is not needed.

He said: “The problem with a directly-elected Lancashire mayor for somewhere like Wyre – and other places in Lancashire – is that the money in that circumstance goes to the big towns: Preston, Blackpool, Lancaster and Blackburn.  Areas like ours don’t see anything.

“I hope this [deal] is a stepping stone, but not towards a mayor – towards more money [being devolved] and the government seeing that county combined authorities can work just as well as mayoral combined authorities.

“This deal is something to build upon, not something to basically rip up the day it gets put in place, to have more upheaval and squabbling,” Cllr Vincent said.

Read more: See more politics news from in and around Preston

Mayoral hope on the horizon?

In contrast, some of the leaders who wanted to go back to the devolution drawing board, have been heartened by the government’s talk of its longer-term ambitions for Lancashire.

Chorley Council leader Alistair Bradley said there were reasons for those Lancashire politicians who want more out of the deal to be “optimistic”.

“We’re pleased that the government has referenced an elected mayor with timescales as it indicates that the government does want to work toward an ambitious deal for Lancashire.

“Reference has also been made to Lancashire’s upper-tier authorities working with others to develop the future options. District councils will continue to work to secure the best for our boroughs and Lancashire, but we’re disappointed that the role of all district councils is not clear.

“A key risk in creating a combined authority is that it will become removed from the real lives of our residents. District councils are best placed to understand our communities and our boroughs. That is why all district councils need a clear and full role in devolution,” said Cllr Bradley.

He and the other Labour district leaders have written to Jim McMahon to express that view – and to explicitly call for an elected mayor.

Amongst them is Preston City Council leader Matthew Brown, who told the LDRS that he could see the sense in using the current deal as the basis to “move towards something better”.

“We need to have more transformative policies as part of this devolution deal – more support for new affordable homes, fair work charters, public control of buses and moving towards net zero in quite a transformative way.  That’s what we need to aim for.

“I will also be pushing for all 15 councils to have a seat on the combined county authority,” Cllr Brown said.

Meanwhile, South Ribble Borough Council leader Jacky Alty said her authority was “determined to secure a devolution deal which offers improved opportunities for our residents – and we are pleased that the government has referenced an elected mayor”.

She added that “clarity was needed on the role of district councils in the devolution process”.

“An inherent risk in creating a combined authority is that of distance from the communities served – and this must be guarded against.

“When provided with the means to contribute, district councils provide local relevance and context.

Continued engagement between district council leaders and the government will emphasise the value of local knowledge and will drive forward ambitious plans to benefit our local communities,” Cllr Alty said.

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