Lancashire residents and businesses back county devolution deal

Lancashire’s proposed devolution deal has received unanimous backing from the business community in the county - and broad support from the public.

It follows a two-month consultation into the agreement signed late last year between Lancashire’s three top-level councils and the government, which will finally see the county secure some new powers and additional cash from Whitehall - after more than seven years of stalled attempts.

Respondents were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with what was on the table across each of the eight key areas of the deal.

Support exceeded 50 percent in every category, with the housing and land proposals receiving the lowest level of agreement and those for skills the most, at 64 percent.

Almost 1,900 responses were received in total – a similar volume to consultations into deals in some other parts of the country. The majority came from members of the public, while there were 186 from businesses – or groups representing them – and other stakeholders, including MPs and councillors.

There was significant support from businesses, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has been told.

Speaking to the LDRS after the results were published, Lancashire County Council leader Phillippa Williamson said the overall feedback had “reinforced” what the authority - together with Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils - “intuitively…thought was the right thing to do”.

The trio signed up to a so-called level 2 deal - out of a possible three - with the government back in November, subject to the now completed consultation and the necessary legislation passing through Parliament. It will see Lancashire handed control of the adult education budget for the county, some strategic transport and compulsory purchase order powers and £20m for investment in “innovation” projects linked to carbon reduction schemes and the arrival of the National Cyber Force HQ in Samlesbury in 2025.

It drew criticism from some of Lancashire’s 12 district authorities for, as they claimed, lacking in ambition and failing to properly involve the second-tier councils in the process of drawing up the deal and in its eventual operation.

The agreement will now go back to the government, with some minor tweaks to reflect the consultation responses. However, the fact that the document remains largely unchanged is, for County Cllr Williamson, a positive.

“No-one has said it's fundamentally the wrong thing to do or that devolution is a bad thing. There are disagreements about how you might want to go about it, but [the three top-tier leaders] were clear from the outset that this particular way of going about it was the best [one] for us to get started,” the County Hall leader said.

She and Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Phil Riley stressed their delight at the support received from businesses and the further education sector.

“If we hadn't done it, then people would not understand why - [especially] business people, who see what's going on in Manchester and Liverpool and all the other places that have got [deals],” Cllr Riley told the LDRS.

“It's just a reinforcement of the fact that this was an opportunity to make a step forward for Lancashire and it would have been, in my view, criminally irresponsible not to do it.”

County Cllr Williamson added that the consultation process had been a “genuine” one, in which the three authorities had answered all of the points and themes that were raised. She also thanked those who took the time to respond online or attend any of the dozens of face-to-face public drop-in and business events during the consultation period.

Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said it was “encouraging to know that people in Lancashire and Blackpool are supportive of the devolution deal and recognise its importance and the opportunities it presents”.

“Starting this journey towards devolution is incredibly important. I believe the timing is right to take this next step and I very much look forward to working with colleagues across Lancashire to provide better transport, training and skills opportunities, housing and all our other shared priorities,” Cllr Williams added.

The regulations that will govern the deal are now being drafted by the government before being laid before Parliament. The LDRS understands that if all goes to plan, the county combined authority (CCA) body that will oversee devolution in Lancashire could be in operation by the autumn.

HOW LANCASHIRE VOTED

These are the results of the consultation across the eight key themes of the deal in answer to the question: “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the proposal on (the particular subject area) for the Lancashire Combined County Authority?”

Skills - 64% agree, 25% disagree

Transport - 62% agree, 27% disagree

Digital and Cyber - 59% agree, 25% disagree

Culture and Tourism - 59% agree, 25% disagree

Net Zero and Climate Change 56% agree, 28% disagree

Delivering Our Ambitions - 51% agree, 32% disagree

Housing and Land - 50% agree, 35% disagree

The remainder of the responses were either “neither agree nor disagree” or “don’t know”.

Source: Lancashire County Council

BUSINESS BACKING - BUT WITH A WARNING

Babs Murphy, CEO of the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce said the establishment of a CCA in Lancashire will create a unified platform for dialogue with central government

She added: “One of the key benefits of a CCA is its ability to provide a centralised vision on critical issues impacting the economy's growth potential. Improved collaboration among stakeholders in areas such as transport, waste, skills, and economic development would enable a coordinated approach to addressing these challenges. By leveraging collective resources and working together, Lancashire can continue to prosper and attract investment.”

However, reflecting on the historical and ongoing divisions over devolution in the county, Ms. Murphy warned of the need to bring the whole of Lancashire along for the devolution journey.

“It is crucial to have a proactive and inclusive approach to ensure that all perspectives are considered and that decisions are made collectively. This will help to ensure that the interests and needs of all areas within Lancashire are adequately represented and that the devolution deal is truly reflective of the diverse communities within the county.

“Keeping communication channels open and fostering collaboration between the districts and the combined authority will be key in ensuring the success and effectiveness of the devolution deal.”