'Metro mayor' claims false, Welsh council leader says
A Welsh council leader has dismissed claims a ‘metro mayor’ could rule over boarder areas of England and Wales as “false”.
The claims surfaced after the UK Government unveiled plans for a shakeup of local government in England including the creation of new regional mayors similar to posts held by Andy Burnham, in Manchester, and former Coronation Street actress Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire.
It had been reported Monmouthshire and Powys could form a regional authority area with neighbouring English counties Herefordshire and Shropshire.
That has however been rubbished by the leader of Powys council, James Gibson-Watt who said: “The press report is false and without foundation.”
The Liberal-Democrat councillor also said any such governance arrangements spanning both Wales and England wouldn’t be “legally possible”.
He had provided a written response to Plaid Cymru’s group leader on Powys council, Elwyn Vaughan, who had asked for a “categorical assurance” a metro mayor isn’t being “pursued” as part of the Marches Partnership, a voluntary cross border working arrangement between the four councils.
Cllr Vaughan, who had highlighted the report that featured on the Mail Online website, also asked for assurance “any attempts will be opposed by Powys” and described the speculation as “a total ignorance of the devolution settlement and a total waste of money”.
In his response Cllr Gibson-Watt said: “The Marches Partnership has been set up as an informal partnership of four separate sovereign organisations with their own governance structures.
“There are, and never have been, any plans to create a formal, pan-authority governance structure, which would not in any event be legally possible, given the devolution settlement that means that Wales and England now operate under separate political and legal structures.”
When the reports first surfaced, earlier in December, Monmouthshire County Council also dismissed the speculation, and pointed out organisation of local government in Wales remains a responsibility of the Welsh Government.
A spokesman said: “The reforms the UK Government has announced are for local government in England only, the devolution of powers to local authorities within Wales remains the responsibility of the Welsh Government.”
Part of the proposals announced for England by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner would involve streamlining the current two-tier system of district and borough councils, while Wales moved to single unitary authorities nearly 30 years ago.
The plans would give regional mayors more powers over housing, transport, education and employment intended to help drive economic growth, all areas the Welsh Government has responsibility for and which could create potential conflict, and questions around democratic accountability, if areas of Wales were under separate governance arrangements.
