How will Devolution affect Wiltshire?

Referring to the recently published Government’s devolution White Paper, Angela Rayner, Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said that her proposals will ensure regional powers are “no longer agreed at the whim of a minister in Whitehall”. In a speech to regional leaders, the Deputy Prime Minister will vow to push power out of Whitehall and into the hands of people with “skin in the game” across a range of policy areas including housing. The White Paper expects that all areas covered by two-tier county and district councils will be asked to submit plans for mergers. This is likely to lead to the scrapping of all districts and the creation of unitary authorities with about 500,000 people in each.
Wiltshire is already a unitary authority.
The last Labour Government enthusiastically promoted regional governance. Regional government offices already existed when they came to power in 1997, but they initiated regional assemblies that were tasked with producing statutory regional spatial strategies (RSSs) and regional development agencies (RDAs) that were responsible for regional economic strategies (RESs).
Now it is likely the government will make devolution the “default setting” for councils across the country after senior Government figures warned they could overrule local authorities’ objections to push through key building plans.
It comes after ministers warned they would be prepared to step in if plans to build more prisons, wind turbines and homes met opposition at a local level.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said Labour’s devolution policy will allow regional leaders to “guide” development projects “across areas, housing, transport and skills”.
England’s regions will be “centre stage” in the Government’s mission to grow the economy and build 1.5 million homes, she is expected to say.
Proposals to create so-called “strategic authorities” across England, bringing together councils in areas where people live and work, are among the measures.
Possible regions
The IfG (Institute for Government – a think tank), envisages regional mayoral devolution arrangements for the Thames Valley – consisting of the historic counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire; for the South East Midlands – consisting of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes; for a ‘Pan-Hampshire’ area made up of Hampshire County Council, the Isle of Wight Council and Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils; and for ‘Historic Sussex’ consisting of East and West Sussex County Councils and Brighton and Hove City Council.
In addition, they envisage the creation of mayoral authorities across the historic counties of Essex and Kent, Cheshire, Cumbria and another for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
Their report also recommends the expansion of the South West of England CA to include North Somerset Council and it says the Devon and Torbay devolution deal should include Plymouth City Council. However, it says that the boundaries of the existing metropolitan mayoral authorities should remain untouched.
Ministers, the report says, will face a choice between scale and simplicity in other places such as ‘Wessex’ covering Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset and East Anglia, Staffordshire and Shropshire.
How much credence the government will give to their suggestions remains to be seen. In the meantime, the government has committed to giving more powers to existing regional mayors who have been asked to draw up local plans to boost economic growth. And more powers are promised for local authorities, including over their bus services.
Wiltshire’s position, falling under the “Wessex” group.
Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole along with Swindon BC submitted an expression of interest in devolution soon after the election when devolution proposals were being considered by the new government.
At that time, the Dorset leader Nick Ireland (Lib Dems) said that in discussions with other authorities, “pretty much everybody is against a mayor”.
Richard Clewer (Con), leader of Wiltshire, said he did not feel a mayoral deal would be right for a large rural area as it could lead to a “one size fits all approach”.
But Jim Robbins (Lab) leader of Swindon said the council was “exploring all options”.
However at the 10th December Cabinet meeting, Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, presented a report providing an update on Wiltshire Council’s expression of interest in devolution submitted to government by Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire councils.
The Leader reported that since the last update to Cabinet in October 2024 further discussions have taken place with Dorset and Somerset councils and the Expression of Interest (EoI) has been amended for the proposed ‘Heart of Wessex’ devolution deal for a directly elected mayor for the Combined Authority.
Cabinet noted that a letter has been sent to the Deputy Prime Minister requesting that the Heart of Wessex be considered in the first tranche of devolution deals. The revised submission reflects the shared vision for securing better funding deals through local empowerment and collaboration.
Cabinet, although accepting of the proposals, expressed concerns about additional tiers of bureaucracy being imposed, recognised the many challenges ahead and raised queries about the Combined Authorities ability to raise finances through precepts.