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This Thursday at 18.00.
Should we apply to become part of the Heart of Wessex mayoral authority?
This Thursday evening, there is a meeting of the full WC council “To consider a report … in respect of potential Wiltshire Council involvement in the government’s Devolution Priority Programme.”
Basically, this is an idea to ‘apply’ with (probably) Somerset and Dorset councils to allow an ‘Heart of Wessex’ mayor to be appointed – probably with an election for the post in May ’26.
It is all to do with obtaining extra funding for the county.
The government is, we are told, going to force every authority into a ‘mayoral’ system and, if Wiltshire doesn’t ‘volunteer’, it will be forced to do so further down the road.
Part of a recent email from the Leader of WC stated “It is clear from the Devolution White Paper that all of England is going to end up in Strategic Authorities with mayors at their head. Whilst I am still not convinced of the need for a mayor in a rural area, Government has made it clear that if strategic authorities are going to maximise the funding opportunities available devolution deals will require a mayor. We can either look now to create a Strategic Mayoral Authority in a geographical footprint that works for Wiltshire, which I believe the Heart of Wessex does, or wait and be forced into an authority in a few years that may not suit our needs.”
If you have any thoughts, please let me know!!