‘Who will win the only game in town?’

We’re told devolution and the metro mayor is the only game in town. But if we play, who will be the winners and losers?

The Greens have mixed views on the devolution deal. As our group leader Charlie Bolton said recently: “Beware of Tories bearing gifts.” But what are we so concerned about?

The Greens are committed to devolving power. Our country is so centralised that the government controls most local expenditure and powers taken for granted by mayors and cities across Europe – so devolution is a good thing.

We’re desperate for powers over transport to tackle years of inaction, congestion, lethal pollution and damage. But devolving powers and budgets can also mean devolving cuts.

Following years of austerity, designed to shrink the public sector, we’re naturally suspicious of the former chancellor’s desire to push devolution, with a “take it or leave it” model linked to a new, elected metro mayor. With funding linked to business rates and local charges in the future, there’s also a risk if income growth drops.

We also have concerns about the governance model. A metro mayor with three council leaders that decide all major investment decisions on transport, economic development and housing, plus skills, across the three West of England  authorities – Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset – raises concerns about accountability, scrutiny and governance.

What about a cabinet based on proportional representation to take account of all the views in the area? Some areas outside Bristol worry about the bigger city “taking over”, but frankly the suburbs and commuter belt could be in charge – those councils which up until now have been noticeably unwilling to fund the range of public services and facilities provided by the city they live next to.

Decades of transport problems stem, in a large part, from the unwillingness of the group of councils to take difficult investment and collaboration decisions, even when there was scope to work together (think the infamous tram route debacle).

And finally, what about the policies our councils are signed up to? The former chancellor made clear he was creating this arrangement to “drive growth” – pushing the infinite economic growth model that fails to recognise the limited capacity of the planet to provide resources, absorb lethal pollutants, and deal with climate change.

It is this same push for growth that has failed to deliver a fair share of the benefits to so many people across our city, by exacerbating inequalities and pricing people out of their neighbourhoods.

Building more houses and attracting more jobs is a good thing, but what if we get a metro mayor who is only funded to focus on these two things alone, in isolation of other measures of well-being?

We recognise that economic development has to be shared around the whole city, and for environmental constraints and the protection of well-being to be built into those decisions.

The Greens have pushed for tackling inequality and protecting the environment to be added to the core goals of the proposed metro mayor. We’re glad to say Bristol’s mayor spoke of the need for “good growth” to be pursued.

At July’s full council, Labour agreed to a Green amendment that says tackling equality and protecting the environment are council priorities linked to supporting the deal being consulted.

Our Green colleagues in Bath & North East Somerset asked for a similar amendment. Major decisions really do need recognition that regional development must not destroy the assets we all rely on.

Most politicians seem to have adopted a take-it-but-hold-your-nose approach; start out as the government sets it, but see how far the deal can be taken, with our sights firmly on the future.

We’ll be looking for ways to take more local control of budgets and services currently off limits to the region, for powers to be devolved from government (not taken from the councils), which will bring more comprehensive functions that let us manage the city region in a more coherent, sustainable way.  

Martin Fodor is a Green Party councillor for Redland ward.

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