Regional projects push fuelling devolution bid

THE leaders of councils in Wiltshire, Somerset, and Dorset have announced a series of “ambitious cross-regional projects” as they push for a devolution bid.

- PETER DAVISON

Earlier this month, the Local Democracy Reporting Service told how Wiltshire Council, Somerset Council, Dorset Council, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council were trying to get the Wessex Partnership back on the government's radar after being told they would not be considered in the first tranche of applications.

The councils - which are all led by the Liberal Democrats are hoping that a new mayoral strategic authority would attract more money for big infrastructure projects than the four councils could attract on their own.

When the government doled out three quarters of a billion pounds in June's Spending review, all of the cash went to combined authorities, with the West of England which includes Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire given £752 million to invest in better transport, which could include a new mass transit plan for Bristol. This week the Wessex Partnership announced three new joint initiatives: