Council considers wider region strategic authority

Councillors have agreed to consider a proposal to be part of a mayoral strategic authority formed from councils across counties connecting Oxford and Cambridge.

Adam Zerny, the leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, said at a meeting on Wednesday an authority that included councils across Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough would be powerful and get more funding.

"If we are going to get the best possible deal we have got to make sure we get as many local authorities around the table as possible," he said.

Councils in Luton and Milton Keynes said they still favoured a model that only included unitary authorities in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.

Last year six councils in the East of England missed out on joining the first fast-track devolution programme, but now the government said it wanted every area in England to have a strategic authority in place by the end of 2028.

Councils have now been given six months to express interest again in forming an authority, which would not replace them but give them greater influence over decisions currently made by central government.

Zerny said: "The default for years has been to go ahead as Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes but the funding would not be as great as the big cities.

"If we're going to compete with Manchester, Birmingham and London we need to make sure we have as much influence as we possibly can.

"I firmly believe the region we live in is going to be hugely influential in the years to come and we're going to have a big visitor economy with Universal and other firms coming in so we've got to make sure we get the best possible deal for residents."

Councillors also agreed to include a government-funded public vote in its proposals.

Zerny added: "It should be about democracy and transparency and while I appreciate many regions are going into devolved authorities without a local referendum, I'm a firm believer the public's view should matter."

Jane Carr, the leader of Milton Keynes City Council, said: "A strategic authority covering Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes is the logical choice to secure more powers, greater investment and better outcomes."

Tahmina Saleem, the leader of Luton Council, added: "We already have strong partnerships across Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes and devolution gives us the opportunity to build on that."

Bedford Borough Council said it had not made a decision on devolution as it wanted to gather more information on what it would mean for its residents.

Councils in Northamptonshire have expressed support for an authority made up of councils in the south Midlands, which would not include Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

West and North Northamptonshire councils said: "The south Midlands geography is the only option that meets all the government's criteria."

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