Islanders can expect a Government-led consultation and final County Hall vote on Whitehall’s fast-track devolution programme, the Isle of Wight Council’s Chief Executive has confirmed.
Updating the Corporate Scrutiny Committee earlier this week, 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 – or not – towards the Autumn of this year.
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.
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.
Did anyone seriously think the council wouldn’t have been able to vote? And this is exactly why the Conservative group have been banging on about still wanting May elections to go ahead. Had they got in as opposed to a cross-party council any vote would have gone down party lines and not to what is good for the majority. Again, in their manoeuvrings it’s not what they do tell you that counts, but what they don’t. PS, read the White Paper. It could be construed that it’s idealism, except that it does have real life measurable and evidenced examples which are working fine for ALL citizens and local businesses in other parts of the country. The IOW will be no different; under this devolved area it would not be allowed to suffer as a poor relation, as we do currently
Devolution will only increase the parasite head count and waste more public taxpayers money. . Labour just want to increase the civil service as they are all potential Labour voters. Look at the state of Scotland and Wales.
Those are countries, these are regions. I guess you didn’t read the white paper as suggested…..