Former deputy leader criticises devolution plans

An elected mayor for Cheshire is "neither welcome nor necessary", according to a former deputy leader of one of the area's councils.

Independent councillor Craig Browne said he felt there should be more responsibilities and funding for town and parish councils instead.

Cheshire East's Conservative group has also raised concerns on the proposals and said although it supported devolution as a principle there had not been enough information from the government.

Cheshire East Council has said it supports devolution for the county, and leader Nick Mannion said he believed it would "release the full potential" of the area.

The comments from Browne and the Conservative group were part of their responses to a government consultation on devolution for the area, which recently closed.

Browne, who stepped down as deputy leader last year, said he felt that a mayor was "merely another layer of bureaucracy".

Meanwhile, the Conservative group said it also believed that Warrington should not be included in a devolution deal for the county.

"It is different in socio-demographic makeup, geography, and its economy to either Cheshire East or Cheshire West and Chester," the group said.

It also criticised the proposed name of Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority and said it was "unnecessarily long".

The Conservative group reiterated its previous calls for the election for a mayor to be delayed until 2027, highlighting that both Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester Councils would be holding full elections that year.

In its response to the consultation, Cheshire East Council said devolution would offer "a powerful voice for growth" for the area.

Nick Mannion, the Labour leader of the authority, said it was time for the county to join other areas in the region that were "reaping the benefits".

"We believe that devolution will help us to release the full potential of our borough with the wider Cheshire and Warrington area and will support us to have greater influence nationally," he said.

Deputy leader, Independent Michael Gorman, added: "Getting this funding and additional powers to make decisions locally through devolution, across all these areas, means we will be able to get the best for our residents and businesses."

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