Today in Parliament, during Prime Minister’s Questions, I invited the Prime Minister to join me in calling for Lancashire’s council leaders to put aside their political differences and self-interest, and work together for a devolution deal that will unleash this county’s potential.
As it stands, our constituency of Rossendale and Darwen is split between two local authority areas.
Darwen, which currently falls under Blackburn with Darwen Council, will see a number of benefits from the devolution process. Being part of an East Lancashire authority will mean greater powers and money from central government, along with a mayor who can give Lancashire a strong voice.
Rossendale has two levels of council authority: Rossendale Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, making it a ‘two-tier’ system. This two-tier system means that Rossendale Borough Council has very little power. Decisions on what to do about potholes, speed cameras, drains and gritting the roads, for example, are not taken by the council which represents Rossendale, but by Lancashire County Council, directed from Preston.
This is an inefficient and unrepresentative process which fails to provide either value for money or decisions tailored to the needs of residents.
Taking powers away from Preston and giving it to more local leaders elected to a new authority would strengthen local democracy, save money by reducing the number of councils which need to be funded, and allow taxpayers money to be spent according to the needs of local areas.
Since Lancashire County Council has refused to call for the suspension of elections until after the devolution process has been completed, money will now be spent holding two sets of elections within a short space of time. Constituents will firstly be asked to vote for a Lancashire County Council representative, and then soon after that, Lancashire County Council will be dissolved, including the positions of all those newly elected councillors. New elections would then be held for the devolved unitary authority. The cost of these unnecessary extra elections will run into the millions of pounds, at a time when council services are already struggling.
You can watch the video on Parliament Live here.
