West Northamptonshire councillors vote to move forward in pursuit to find devolution deal despite 'billy no-mates' concerns
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has voted to move forward in its pursuit of a devolution deal for the area, despite concerns it is on the “billy no-mates” list of authorities.
The authority is poised to submit an expression of interest to create a Foundation Strategic Authority (FSA), which would provide greater control over key issues such as jobs, transport, housing and long-term investment.
WNC has agreed that a South Midlands authority (SMA), alongside North Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, would be the preferred option for any deals, but the geography has yet to reach consensus from all councils involved.
If full agreement for SMA cannot again be reached at this stage, WNC says it will work with NNC to put forward a joint proposal establishing a Northamptonshire Foundation Strategic Authority, so the region doesn’t “miss out” on devolution. If this is pursued, WNC says it would still be open to expanding the footprint in the future.
This follows the government’s recent invitation for areas not already on a devolution priority pathway to submit proposals for FSAs by March 20.
Discussing the options at an extraordinary meeting of full council on Friday March 13, council leader Mark Arnull said giving an expression of interest would avoid WNC being “misaligned or dangerously left behind”.
He said: “We are advocating for a Strategic Mayoral Authority SMA plus, but the very steps we have got to get there is through a Foundational Strategic Authority first.
“An expression of interest is not a legally binding commitment. If we do nothing, devolution could ultimately be imposed upon us.
“It gives us a voice, a choice and a seat at the table as the national picture evolves. It ensures that major decisions about our future are not shaped in Westminster, but here in Northamptonshire.”
However, Conservative leader Councillor Daniel Lister told members that the government had set a rolling deadline to begin accepting expressions of interest, and that pushing ahead at this stage would be jumping the gun on the Milton Keynes Council elections in May, which could help move forward with SMA discussions.
He said: “If South Midlands forms without us, we are surrounded by better resourced neighbours on every side, with no mayor and no equivalent fund – that is the worst of all worlds.
“We are being asked to signal to government that Northamptonshire has moved away from South Midlands before that [MK] election has even taken place.
“We would be solving a temporary political problem by creating a permanent institutional one. This is not a vote against devolution, this is a vote against locking in a smaller geography on a self-imposed timetable.”
Councillor Sally Keeble, Labour group leader, added: “One of the key things we have to do is to take with us the public, who have seen a lot of government restructuring, ongoing shuffling around of bureaucracies, and meanwhile residents are still absolutely crying out for improved service delivery.
“It will be harder for us to persuade them to go in with North Northamptonshire when we have only just left, than it would be to go into the much more ambitious project, which is the South Midlands.
“We have to spell out how these proposals will benefit the public in terms that mean something to them.”
Lib Dem leader Councillor Jonathan Harris added: “Over the last five years, since the creation of the Northamptonshire unitary authorities, we have seen increased disaggregation of services, and more doing our own thing.
“We believe we must advocate for true regional status and not simply a return of the existing county boundaries – this is the only way we will see the real benefits of devolution.”
Councillor Christine Ware (Lib Dem) also criticised the options set out in the report, which she said “looks like we are prepared to accept the billy no-mates label” and stressed that a Northamptonshire-only deal should be the “very, very last resort”.
Councillor Ian McCord (Independent) told the chamber: “We either hold out for something meaningful – a South East Midlands deal – or we do nothing. We should not help [government] manufacture the illusion of progress, another ‘expression of enthusiasm’ to tick a box in Whitehall.”
The chamber voted on the recommendations in the report, which agreed to progress towards establishing an FSA and submitting an expression of interest. A total of 48 councillors were in favour, with eight against and one abstention.
North Northamptonshire Council will hold a meeting on Wednesday March 18 seeking approval to submit an expression of interest to create a Northants FSA.
Strategic Authorities do not replace local councils and are designed to work across multiple council boundaries to handle regional issues, instead of managing day-to-day services.