‘Bristol must take charge of its own destiny’

Earlier in June I wrote on Bristol24/7 to explain why I believe devolution is the only game in town. Since then, a major decision has been taken by the UK to leave the European Union and we are all still feeling the shockwaves of that.

However, this referendum result does not mean that devolution is off the table. I spoke to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark, on Friday who assured me that the £1 billion deal is still on offer to us and our neighbours (Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire Councils) pending the results of our three parallel council meetings on the evening of 29 June.

This is a significant decision for both the city and the West of England on a deal that would be worth around £1,000 per head of population. Naturally, many people have been asking me to comment on the national picture in recent days – but my focus has to be Bristol, not Westminster, in the days ahead.

In fact, the economic and political uncertainty prompted by the referendum result could put other potential funding streams in jeopardy, meaning we should grasp the new money and powers currently offered by this deal without further hesitation. Now more than ever the region needs to be in charge of its own destiny.

Yes, concerns have been expressed over some aspects of the deal so far – such as the requirement for a ‘metro mayor’ to oversee the deal. I too believe the deal could have been approached differently, as I have told Bristol24/7 before.

However, being part of this first deal would not only give us access to the £1billion deal on offer, but would unlock future deals which could see even more investment for housing, planning, transport, skills, renewable energy and innovation. Manchester has recently announced its fourth deal in five years.

Crucially, future deals in the West of England would give us an opportunity to be more direct and negotiate on different terms, whether that is reflecting further ambitions in some areas, housing for example, or the level of transparency built into the deal development.

And this latter point is vitally important. Concerns have been voiced locally over the involvement of the public in this first deal. I too wish there had been more opportunity to consult the public at an earlier stage over this deal.

However, it is not too late. We have worked hard with Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire Councils to develop what we believe is a meaningful consultation programme which would launch on July 4 if councils vote to proceed with the deal.

The results of this consultation would be shared with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for their consideration, before a final decision is made.

Locally, the council’s Overview & Scrutiny Management Board has considered public consultation as one of many aspects of the devolution deal and just this week (June 27) the board has proposed meeting in mid-August to consider the results of the public consultation.

A letter could then be submitted to the Secretary of State outlining the council’s view on the implications of the consultation results for the region.

I still believe this devolution deal could be a game-changer for the region and now more than ever we should be seeking more local control over our own destiny wherever possible. I welcome the interest and challenge of others on this subject and I think the proposed deal would ultimately deliver more for the people of Bristol as a result.

Read more: ‘This deal is a mess’