West of England Combined Authority
| West of England Combined Authority | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unicameral |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | proposed for 2017 |
| Leadership | |
Mayor of the West of England |
TBD |
| Website | |
| http://www.westofenglanddevolution.co.uk/ | |
The West of England Combined Authority is a proposed combined authority for the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset.[1][2] The original proposal was to cover the same area as the County of Avon which came into formal existence on 1 April 1974 and was abolished in 1996.[3]
The combined authority will be led by the Mayor of the West of England, with the first election in May 2017.[4]
The government's vision is to create a "Western Powerhouse" analogous to the government's Northern Powerhouse concept. The proposal could bring nearly £1 billion of investment to the region.[1][2]
In June 2016 North Somerset council rejected the proposal.[5] Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils agreed to progress with the proposal.[4][6]
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the mayor and combined authority will be:[7]
- Responsibility for a consolidated, devolved local transport budget, with a multi-year settlement.
- The ability to franchise bus services, subject to necessary legislation and local consultation, which will support the Combined Authority’s delivery of smart and integrated ticketing.
- Responsibility for a new Key Route Network of local authority roads that will be managed and maintained by the Combined Authority on behalf of the Mayor.
- Powers over strategic planning, including to adopt a statutory spatial development strategy which will act as the framework for managing planning across the West of England region.
- Control of a new additional £30 million a year funding allocation over 30 years, to be invested in the West of England Single Investment Fund, to boost growth.
- Responsibility for the 19+ Adult Education Budget, which will be devolved from academic year 2018/19.
References
- 1 2 "West of England £1bn devolution deal announced in Budget". BBC News. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- 1 2 Gavin Thompson (16 March 2016). "Metro mayor and £1 billion investment for Greater Bristol announced in Budget 2016". Bristol Post. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ "The return of Avon: Osborne announces devolution plans". ITV news. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- 1 2 "The West of England devolution deal". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ↑ Crawley, James (8 June 2016). "West of England devolution: North Somerset rejects metro mayor plan". Bath Chronicle.
- ↑ Crawley, James (29 June 2016). "BANES backs £1billion west of England devolution deal and metro mayor but will residents support it?". Bath Chronicale. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ↑ "West Of England Devolution Agreement" (PDF). Retrieved 13 April 2016.