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Steps to devolution
Cheshire and Warrington is part of the government’s Devolution Priority Programme (DPP). This means that the area's plans to set up a Mayoral Combined Authority and hold Mayoral elections in May 2027 have been accepted by government. The three constituent councils have now voted to progress with a devolution agreement for the area.
Devolution is about national government transferring powers and resources away from London and into regions. It’s not about merging councils or taking decisions away from councils. Individual councils would retain most of their current responsibilities and continue to provide services for local people.
Cheshire and Warrington is a successful place but we also face pressure in areas such as transport, skills, and housing. We need affordable and convenient transport for residents in our rural areas and our towns, large and small, affordable homes in the right places, close to employment and services, and a workforce with the skills our businesses need.
People don’t live their lives according to council boundaries - they live, work, learn and spend time in different places, so a regional approach to improving things like skills shortages, housing and transport makes sense.
Read about our devolution journey so far.
Preparing for devolution
Now that the Cheshire and Warrington Joint Committee and each constituent council has approved moving forward with a devolution agreement, formal consent can be given to enable government to move forward with legislation to formally establish the new Mayoral Combined Authority for the area.
Views continue to be sought from the area's residents, communities, and businesses around devolution and the benefits it could bring to Cheshire and Warrington.
This website has been set up to share information about devolution and is updated regularly.
The Joint Committee
"We welcome the government’s commitment to devolving powers away from London to areas like Cheshire and Warrington.
"The Joint Committee, which is made up of Leaders and Deputy Leaders of Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Warrington Borough Council, alongside the Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Business Advisory Board, provides leadership on strategic economic issues for the area.
"We’re ambitious for our area and we believe devolution will bring significant powers and funding that would benefit our residents, communities, and businesses. It would allow us to make more decisions here in Cheshire and Warrington, rather than decisions about our area and its almost one million residents being made in London. "
Cllr Louise Gittins
Cllr Hans Mundry
Cllr Nick Mannion
Cllr Michael Gorman
