Lancashire Devolution reaction: 'A baron and a king'
Muted reaction to a historic day for the county
As the sun rose on Thursday 19 September and Lancashire got on with its day you'd be forgiven for thinking this was any other day in the county.
Not one where a fundamental shift had taken place in how power and influence may be yielded across the county for the first time in decades.
Muted is the best way of describing the reaction to the 'Devolution deal' which has been signed off by the government - as Paul Faulkner reported first-thing this morning and our special edition of the Lancashire Lead reported.
Scanning through social media as a litmus test, there's precious little in the way of MPs (of any colour) lining up to wax lyrical about the deal, business leaders are limited in their enthusiastic re-sharing and it all seems very quiet in comparison to the reaction in the Humber, Devon and Lincolnshire who have all seen Devo deals progress.
David Filmer, partner at Forbes Solicitors - a big employer in the county - picked up on this saying on LinkedIn: "A green light for the first phase of Lancashire devolution. It has been interesting to see (anecdotal to me) waning of support for this from the start of the year - whether this was linked to the pause due to the election, or a genuine downturn in positive approval for the proposal in general - remains to be seen now that it is progressing."
The majority of those sharing it appear to be official council bodies - of the unitary level councils such as Blackburn and Blackpool - while those in the other cities, towns and shires that make up the county bite their tongues.
Executive chairman of Harrison Drury & Co and director of The Preston Partnership business group, John Chesworth, gave it a cautious welcome.
He said: "Congratulations to all involved in getting Lancashire on the devolution journey. While many wanted a greater level of devolution and for Lancashire to become a mayoral authority, this deal is the first step of many more to come.
"Lancashire’s economy is the 3rd biggest in the north of England and we hope that the devolved powers that will start to come on tap will help us strengthen our historic base of innovation and industry for the good of all in the Red Rose county."
Why the muted response? Well, the Deal has driven up as usual the deep divisions which exist between the districts.
Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Faulkner, who I'd go as far as to describe as a Devolution expert (definitely be his specialist subject on Mastermind) has been seeking the views of those district council leaders who have been very vocal in the interim period on whether the current Deal - to establish a Combined Authority for Lancashire - would go ahead.
But the mood-music from the government, and Angela Rayner who signed off on moving forward, is they very much see this as the step towards Lancashire having an elected mayor in the same vein as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and the North East set ups.
Tory-controlled Ribble Valley Borough Council leader has been very outspoken on the need to retain the existing deal - and the district council set up - and not go down the Mayoral route.
Councillor Stephen Atkinson sounded rather medieval in his comments saying:
“A Labour MP has said to me that if they create an extra level of government with a mayor, there will be too many layers [in Lancashire] – and, by implication, that will mean the [scrapping] of the two-tier system.
“If that was to happen, we would have three [standalone councils] across Lancashire – or even just one in Preston. That removes democracy from the people – it makes it ever more remote.
“Mayors are also being presented as your chance to have your say with Westminster – but that’s nonsense.
“This is a centralised power grab – Keir Starmer has patronage over lots of things in the Labour Party, including having an influence over who is selected to be [mayoral candidates]. He also holds the purse strings as the government.
“So it’s like going back to Norman times, where one baron has all this power in conjunction with the king who sits in the centre – it’s 180 degrees away from devolution. Power in Lancashire is already devolved [to the] 12 districts and two unitary councils."
Those agitating for an elected Mayor include Chorley Council - which is Labour controlled - leader Alistair Bradley.
He and Cllr Atkinson clashed on the Jeremy Vine show, when it was broadcast live from The Black Horse in Preston during Radio 2's visit to the city.
Cllr Bradley said he and other Labour leader district leaders were lobbying local government minister Jim McMahon heavily over the issue.
“We’re pleased that the government has referenced an elected mayor with timescales as it indicates that the government does want to work toward an ambitious deal for Lancashire.
“Reference has also been made to Lancashire’s upper-tier authorities working with others to develop the future options. District councils will continue to work to secure the best for our boroughs and Lancashire, but we’re disappointed that the role of all district councils is not clear.
“A key risk in creating a combined authority is that it will become removed from the real lives of our residents. District councils are best placed to understand our communities and our boroughs. That is why all district councils need a clear and full role in devolution."
The first big test the Combined Authority will have - beyond trying to get the squabbling districts into some kind of formation - appears to be making anyone in Lancashire care and explaining what it all means.
Politicians will point to consultation events, attended by a sparse few who were already likely very engaged, but when it comes down to what will actually get done then suddenly they may find themselves with a lot of explanations needed to the average man and woman in Clitheroe, Colne and Callon.
We’d be interested to know your views on Devolution in Lancashire, even if it’s that you don’t care. Use the comment button below or drop us a note at lancashire@thelead.uk
Jamie Lopez will be back with you for the usual Sunday digest, no doubt be more Devolution fall-out by then too, so until then have a good weekend. And do check out our sister publication,
, which has made the move over to Substack this week.Ed, Jamie, Luke and Lillian
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