Gloucestershire will not become the forgotten county of the South West when it comes to devolution, Cllr Lisa Spivey, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, has warned.
Gloucestershire was not included in the Government’s devolution announcement today, despite deals being announced for the rest of the region.
Following the announcement, Cllr Lisa Spivey is demanding urgent answers from Government and a clear pathway to securing greater powers and investment for Gloucestershire.
The Government has previously stated that devolution was the prize for going through the turmoil of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), but with LGR “paused” on the 7 September, a greater focus has been placed on devolution.
Gloucestershire leaders have been clear about the best pathway for the county and have written to government several times expressing a clear desire to join the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), but while devolution is progressing elsewhere, the county remains without a deal or a clear route to one.
Gloucestershire has a strong case for devolution, with mature partnerships, a clear economic direction and nationally and internationally significant strengths in secure technologies and digital, agri-tech, advanced engineering and manufacturing, and energy transition.
Cllr Lisa Spivey, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I am angry and deeply frustrated that Gloucestershire has been left behind. Gloucestershire is ready. We have the ambition, strong partnerships, and economic potential to deliver more homes, better skills, good jobs and the growth this country needs, all the things this government has said it wants to achieve.
“Greater devolved powers would help implement our clear plans for Gloucestershire to build more homes, create jobs, give people the skills businesses need and to grow the local economy and our globally important sectors.
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to greater devolution of growth funding. Gloucestershire businesses and residents deserve their fair share of this investment, and we will want to ensure that areas like ours are not disadvantaged while new strategic authority arrangements are developed.
“Along with other leaders, I will be writing to the minister again inviting him to come here to see for himself the enormous potential Gloucestershire has to offer and demanding that we are not kept in limbo a minute longer.”