On the 16th September North Somerset Council voted to begin proceedings to scope out a proposal for joining the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), spending £280,000 in the process.
The Conservatives tabled an amendment which ensures that North Somerset must actively seek the opinion of our town and parish councils.
Originally, it was only going to be North Somerset's classic eight-week consultation, inevitably ignored.
Our Conservative councillor team led the charge, by proposing a motion about local government devolution and the merits of the proposed Wessex Area in April 2025. The Liberal Democrats, Labour and Greens (despite agreeing) rejected our call to seriously consider the alternatives and doubled down on recreating Perfidious Avon.
Questions remain about the size and ability of WECA, with some criticism that as a strategic authority, it is too small.
The government white paper for Local Devolution (December 2024), sets out that combined authority mayors will have 'unprecedented powers'.
Most notably by having consolidated budgets and changes to the voting rights of constituent local authorities.
In 2020, when asked about North Somerset joining WECA, the then Labour Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees stated:
'I support the expansion of WECA to include North Somerset but only when there is a clear financial offer that benefits Bristol and the West of England economy.'
Just like Perfidious Avon, all Bristol wants is North Somerset's money.
With empowered mayors, how can an individual member council defend the principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit?
More importantly, why should North Somerset blindly follow the money into an arrangement which badly burned the area the last time?
The government is clearly moving towards combined authorities and directing most funding for local government through mayors.
It would be salient to remind everyone this is the same Labour Party who derided 'trickle down economics'. Now they are subjecting local government to it.
Local government provides the services which affect you on a daily basis from social care, highways, public transport and waste services. The Labour Party are threatening these services with incompetent local government reforms. They even have the decency to mislead the public by calling it 'devolution'.
Devolution is about enhancing local government so that decisions are made closer to our communities. It is not devolution to force local government to cede power, responsibility and accountability, through centralisation, to an elected mayor in the tier of government above.
Avon was abolished in 1996 after the Banham Review concluded that a unitary structure:
'Allows [councils] to formulate clear objectives and policies for its services to local people. A unitary structure overcomes the problems of competition and overlap...'
MPs raised their concerns with Avon during the House of Commons (22/2/95) and decided to abolish the 'ogre of Avon'.
MPs were concerned by the 'domination of Bristol' and 'overlapping rivalries' within Avon.
These 'rivalries' are still clear today, shown by the recent special measures WECA was placed under for dysfunctional political leadership.
This is the same argument presented today and the same argument that led to a rejection of WECA membership in 2017, backed by our town and parish councils.
We are the party that protected the voice of our towns and parishes, that abolished Avon and that has learned the lessons of history.
Councillor Luke Smith Clevedon West
