Islanders can expect a government-led consultation and final County Hall vote on Whitehall’s fast-track devolution programme, says the Isle of Wight Council’s chief executive.
Updating the Corporate Scrutiny Committee Tuesday evening, Wendy Perera said a devolution consultation will enable the “council as well as communities and others” to have a say, with councillors making a “formal decision” on moving forward with devolution “towards the autumn of this year”.
This is a moving feast
Ms Perera said the Isle of Wight’s local elections were “minded to be postponed”, but stressed it was “still as yet an announcement” with no formal order so far being made to confirm a postponement.
She told the chamber,
“I caveat this with a health warning which is that what I can give you is the information as I currently know it, and this is a moving feast.
“Six areas were successfully accepted onto the (devolution) priority programme. Hampshire and the Solent authorities of Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight Council were one of those.
“The next stage in terms of moving forward with information about devolution is government-led. There is a consultation which government will draft and send out. I think the aim is that it will be live for between six and eight weeks.”
Ms Perera said she expected to hear when the consultation would begin imminently.
Her assumption, she added, was that Whitehall’s consultation document would be based on the framework set out in the English Devolution White Paper.
New regional Strategic Authorities and mayors
Published in December last year, the paper put forward the government’s devolution vision, describing it as the ‘biggest transfer of power out of Westminster to England’s regions this century’.
‘Delivering deeper powers for more areas’, the project includes the creation of new regional Strategic Authorities and mayors.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
