Latest news with #devolution
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cheshire and Warrington: Early 2026 for new combined authority
A combined authority for Cheshire and Warrington is set to be created early next year, ahead of the area's first mayoral elections in the from Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East and Warrington councils were told the new authority will be created in the first two months of were also told more detail would be revealed next month about what powers will be devolved in a report setting out guidance received from the new combined authority is set to be in place for its first mayoral election on 7 May 2026. The update was given at a meeting of a joint committee of councillors and public servants from each of the three local authorities in the county of the new authority, each council would remain separate local authorities but would work together on areas including transport, skills, housing, the environment and creation was given the green light after the county was included in the government's devolution priority programme (DPP) in February. 'Significant' Funding to set up devolution in the area would mostly come from a government grant of £1m, the meeting committee is also waiting for a government response to a formal consultation on the creation of the new authority, which closed last East Council leader Nick Mannion said the government was expected to make a further announcement next month "as to whether Cheshire and Warrington have met the government's statutory tests to move forward for devolution"."This will be a trigger for a significant amount of detail to flow to us from the government in Whitehall," he told the committee.A total of £1m in funding would be provided through a mayoral capacity grant, which would be confirmed after government approval is granted.A further £250,000 has been made available from Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington, made up of business rates retained by the economic development organisation, and the Local Government Association has also provided a £25,000 grant to support devolution cost of running a mayoral election would be reimbursed by the future combined authority, it has been Price, the police and crime commissioner for Cheshire, told the meeting he welcomed the government funding."I know a lot of members of the public out there are nervous about council finances and what the cost is, but the department has funded this, alongside that grant from the Local Government Association."Ultimately, that's a form of endorsement that we're doing something the government is keen for us to pursue and they're putting their hand in their pocket to help make it happen." Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC and follow BBC North West on X. For more local politics coverage, BBC Politics North West is on BBC One on Sunday at 10:00am and on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Isle of Wight council leader to 'finish the job' on devolution
A council leader who survived a narrow re-election has said he is motivated to "finish the job" he started on Phil Jordan stays in charge of Isle of Wight Council following a tied vote on Ed Blake, leader of the Conservative group of councillors, received the same amount of support but lost out on a casting Cowes Councillor Karl Love was ousted as chair of the council after being replaced by Binstead and Fishbourne's councillor Ian Dore. Mr Jordan, the head of County Hall's Alliance group, has been a keen supporter of devolution and local government changes will transfer powers and funding away from central government and allow decisions to be made and Southampton city councils, along with Hampshire County Council and the Isle of Wight, voted to accept the government's offer to create a combined mayoral authority earlier this year. Mr Jordan said it was "vital" to maintain "consistency and continuity in our relationships and establish the best deal for our island in our negotiations with government".He continued: "This is a pivotal moment for our Island, and we have less than a year to get the best outcomes, the best funding, the best transfer of powers and the key asks I have already made, such as oversight of the ferries and additional funding for the island in a fair funding settlement."It is not the moment for someone to be learning on the job or having doubts about the past two years of intense work."Our island comes first, before personal wishes or aspirations and I am confident, and best placed, that I can deliver the best outcome for the Isle of Wight." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Burnham closes in on hundreds of millions to tackle worklessness
Andy Burnham is closing in on a devolution deal with Rachel Reeves that could unlock hundreds of millions of pounds to help tackle worklessness in the North. The Mayor of Greater Manchester has been in talks with the Treasury and other government departments about expanding the region's £631m pot of flexible funding ahead of the Chancellor's spending review on June 11. Mr Burnham is pressing ministers for more control of traditional back-to-work schemes, as well as wider support to help people deal with other issues that prevent them from returning to work, such as debt, health and relationships. The Labour mayor has long called for job centres in Manchester to be absorbed into the city's planned network of 'Live Well centres', currently focused on issues such as health and housing, as part of a strategy to get thousands of people back into work. It is understood the Mayor is calling for powers to pool funding currently allocated to employment schemes into a more flexible pot that will allow him to focus on preventing people from falling into a life on benefits. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Burnham called for a 'more bottom-up localised approach rather than a top-down tick-box system' that he warned 'often doesn't move people towards work'. Mr Burnham said: 'The reason a lot of people don't move into work is not that they just can't access the right training, it's because they may have very significant worries about debt, or housing, or issues in their relationship. 'You've got to go first to dealing with some of those issues before you can, if you like, put people on a path towards work.' The proposal, to be revealed in June, could even see the Mayor take responsibility for flagship employment programmes such as the Restart scheme, which helps benefit claimants who are long-term unemployed to find work. Restart is the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) contracted employment support programme and is funded until 2026. It is run in Greater Manchester by a private sector firm called Ingeus. Details of the proposed deal come after the Chancellor handed Mr Burnham a so-called integrated settlement in the Budget, which is essentially one pot of funding that the mayor can choose to allocate as he sees fit. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, has also given Greater Manchester more control over employment schemes since the start of this year. It is understood that Alan Milburn, former health secretary and Labour adviser, has been helping to broker the talks, which at one point officials hoped could lead to a broader devolution deal with Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire mayor. However, those talks have now fallen away, with Mr Burnham racing to secure a new funding settlement ahead of Ms Reeves's three-year spending review in June. Mr Burnham is seeking extra cash as figures show that inactivity among working-age adults is higher in the North than the UK average. The North also has far higher school absence rates. Mr Burnham called for a 'very different approach' to tackle worklessness instead of 'funding employment support through large corporate entities that often don't get to the heart of what people want'. He said: 'You build up through local community and voluntary organisations, provide that whole-person approach, working with the work coaches at the DWP. 'It's about a bottom-up approach that's whole-system and whole-person, compared to the, I would say, the top-down, DWP approach that demonstrably hasn't worked over the years.' Ms Reeves is reviewing government departments' spending plans for the next three years, which will be confirmed at her June spending review. Labour is also facing a backbench rebellion over welfare cuts, with dozens of MPs warning the prime minister that his plans to slash the welfare bill by £5bn a year were 'impossible to support' without a 'change in direction'. The Treasury declined to comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Andy Burnham closes in on millions from Reeves to tackle worklessness
Andy Burnham is closing in on a devolution deal with Rachel Reeves that could unlock hundreds of millions of pounds to help tackle worklessness in the North. The Mayor of Greater Manchester has been in talks with the Treasury and other government departments about expanding the region's £631m pot of flexible funding ahead of the Chancellor's spending review on June 11. Mr Burnham is pressing ministers for more control of traditional back-to-work schemes, as well as wider support to help people deal with other issues that prevent them from returning to work, such as debt, health and relationships. The Labour mayor has long called for job centres in Manchester to be absorbed into the city's planned network of 'Live Well centres', currently focused on issues such as health and housing, as part of a strategy to get thousands of people back into work. It is understood the Mayor is calling for powers to pool funding currently allocated to employment schemes into a more flexible pot that will allow him to focus on preventing people from falling into a life on benefits. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Burnham called for a 'more bottom-up localised approach rather than a top-down tick-box system' that he warned 'often doesn't move people towards work'. Mr Burnham said: 'The reason a lot of people don't move into work is not that they just can't access the right training, it's because they may have very significant worries about debt, or housing, or issues in their relationship. 'You've got to go first to dealing with some of those issues before you can, if you like, put people on a path towards work.' The proposal, to be revealed in June, could even see the Mayor take responsibility for flagship employment programmes such as the Restart scheme, which helps benefit claimants who are long-term unemployed to find work. Restart is the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) contracted employment support programme and is funded until 2026. It is run in Greater Manchester by a private sector firm called Ingeus. Details of the proposed deal come after the Chancellor handed Mr Burnham a so-called integrated settlement in the Budget, which is essentially one pot of funding that the mayor can choose to allocate as he sees fit. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, has also given Greater Manchester more control over employment schemes since the start of this year. It is understood that Alan Milburn, former health secretary and Labour adviser, has been helping to broker the talks, which at one point officials hoped could lead to a broader devolution deal with Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire mayor. However, those talks have now fallen away, with Mr Burnham racing to secure a new funding settlement ahead of Ms Reeves's three-year spending review in June. Mr Burnham is seeking extra cash as figures show that inactivity among working-age adults is higher in the North than the UK average. The North also has far higher school absence rates. Mr Burnham called for a 'very different approach' to tackle worklessness instead of 'funding employment support through large corporate entities that often don't get to the heart of what people want'. He said: 'You build up through local community and voluntary organisations, provide that whole-person approach, working with the work coaches at the DWP. 'It's about a bottom-up approach that's whole-system and whole-person, compared to the, I would say, the top-down, DWP approach that demonstrably hasn't worked over the years.' Ms Reeves is reviewing government departments' spending plans for the next three years, which will be confirmed at her June spending review. Labour is also facing a backbench rebellion over welfare cuts, with dozens of MPs warning the prime minister that his plans to slash the welfare bill by £5bn a year were 'impossible to support' without a 'change in direction'.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Burnham closes in on hundreds of millions to tackle worklessness
Andy Burnham is closing in on a devolution deal with Rachel Reeves that could unlock hundreds of millions of pounds to help tackle worklessness in the North. The Mayor of Greater Manchester has been in talks with the Treasury and other government departments about expanding the region's £631m pot of flexible funding ahead of the Chancellor's spending review on June 11. Mr Burnham is pressing ministers for more control of traditional back-to-work schemes, as well as wider support to help people deal with other issues that prevent them from returning to work, such as debt, health and relationships. The Labour mayor has long called for job centres in Manchester to be absorbed into the city's planned network of 'Live Well centres', currently focused on issues such as health and housing, as part of a strategy to get thousands of people back into work. It is understood the Mayor is calling for powers to pool funding currently allocated to employment schemes into a more flexible pot that will allow him to focus on preventing people from falling into a life on benefits. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Burnham called for a 'more bottom-up localised approach rather than a top-down tick-box system' that he warned 'often doesn't move people towards work'. Mr Burnham said: 'The reason a lot of people don't move into work is not that they just can't access the right training, it's because they may have very significant worries about debt, or housing, or issues in their relationship. 'You've got to go first to dealing with some of those issues before you can, if you like, put people on a path towards work.' The proposal, to be revealed in June, could even see the Mayor take responsibility for flagship employment programmes such as the Restart scheme, which helps benefit claimants who are long-term unemployed to find work. Restart is the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) contracted employment support programme and is funded until 2026. It is run in Greater Manchester by a private sector firm called Ingeus. Details of the proposed deal come after the Chancellor handed Mr Burnham a so-called integrated settlement in the Budget, which is essentially one pot of funding that the mayor can choose to allocate as he sees fit. Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, has also given Greater Manchester more control over employment schemes since the start of this year. It is understood that Alan Milburn, former health secretary and Labour adviser, has been helping to broker the talks, which at one point officials hoped could lead to a broader devolution deal with Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire mayor. However, those talks have now fallen away, with Mr Burnham racing to secure a new funding settlement ahead of Ms Reeves's three-year spending review in June. Mr Burnham is seeking extra cash as figures show that inactivity among working-age adults is higher in the North than the UK average. The North also has far higher school absence rates. Mr Burnham called for a 'very different approach' to tackle worklessness instead of 'funding employment support through large corporate entities that often don't get to the heart of what people want'. He said: 'You build up through local community and voluntary organisations, provide that whole-person approach, working with the work coaches at the DWP. 'It's about a bottom-up approach that's whole-system and whole-person, compared to the, I would say, the top-down, DWP approach that demonstrably hasn't worked over the years.' Ms Reeves is reviewing government departments' spending plans for the next three years, which will be confirmed at her June spending review. Labour is also facing a backbench rebellion over welfare cuts, with dozens of MPs warning the prime minister that his plans to slash the welfare bill by £5bn a year were 'impossible to support' without a 'change in direction'. The Treasury declined to comment.
