Council considers whether to join 'Heart of Wessex'

Swindon Borough Council is assessing its options over whether it wants to combine with other councils to obtain greater powers.

Wiltshire Council voted last week to join Dorset and Somerset councils to move forward with a new Heart of Wessex combined authority. Now Swindon is also deciding if it wants to join them, or look elsewhere.

The government is offering greater powers over transport, strategic planning and infrastructure to 'strategic authorities' with elected mayors.

Swindon Borough Council leader, Jim Robbins, said: "We are keen to consider all the options open to us in light of the local government reforms as we need to make the best decision that benefits our local residents and businesses."

He added: "Other options are also open to us. The important thing is that we don't rush a decision as we have dance partners to choose from. We need to make sure we pick the right ones."

The government has suggested that these strategic authorities should be about 1.5 million people strong, meaning most upper-tier councils will need join partnerships, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Wiltshire Council has announced that it, along with its partners in Dorset and Somerset, will write to the government asking for the Heart of Wessex partnership to be included in plans for devolution settlements.

Swindon has said it is still considering its options, and that it might make sense to look more towards Oxfordshire and Reading, than rural counties further from London.

After Wiltshire Council's announcement, Mr Robbins added: "We have had discussions about what being part of a Heart of Wessex Mayoral Strategic Authority could offer, but we have also proactively assessed the merits of working with neighbouring councils looking east along the Thames Valley corridor which is where our business leaders also think the greatest opportunities lie."

He added that in the meantime things will not change.

"We will continue to have a close working relationship with Wiltshire Council and all the partners we jointly work with across both local authorities," he said.

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