West of England Combined Authority
| West of England Combined Authority | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unicameral |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | proposed for 2017 |
| Leadership | |
Mayor of the West of England |
TBD |
The West of England Combined Authority is a proposed combined authority for the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset.[1][2] It would cover the same area as the County of Avon which came into formal existence on 1 April 1974 and was abolished in 1996.[3]
The combined authority will be led by the Mayor of the West of England, with the first election in May 2017.
The responsibilities of the mayor and combined authority will be:[4]
- Responsibility for a consolidated, devolved local transport budget, with a multi-year settlement.
- The ability to franchise bus services, subject to necessary legislation and local consultation, which will support the Combined Authority’s delivery of smart and integrated ticketing.
- Responsibility for a new Key Route Network of local authority roads that will be managed and maintained by the Combined Authority on behalf of the Mayor.
- Powers over strategic planning, including to adopt a statutory spatial development strategy which will act as the framework for managing planning across the West of England region.
- Control of a new additional £30 million a year funding allocation over 30 years, to be invested in the West of England Single Investment Fund, to boost growth.
- Responsibility for the 19+ Adult Education Budget, which will be devolved from academic year 2018/19.
The government's vision is to create a "Western Powerhouse" analogous to the government's Northern Powerhouse concept. The proposal could bring nearly £1 billion of investment to the region.[1][2]
References
- 1 2 "West of England £1bn devolution deal announced in Budget". BBC News. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- 1 2 Gavin Thompson (16 March 2016). "Metro mayor and £1 billion investment for Greater Bristol announced in Budget 2016". Bristol Post. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ "The return of Avon: Osborne announces devolution plans". ITV news. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ↑ "West Of England Devolution Agreement" (PDF). Retrieved 13 April 2016.
External links
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