At the inaugural meeting of the Shadow Board of the Cheshire and Warrington new Combined Authority, Opposition leaders in Cheshire requested places around the table that will determine the Devolution Agenda prior to Mayoral Elections in 2027.
The shadow combined authority board is made up of the leaders and deputy leaders of the three authorities - five Labour politicians, one independent - alongside two other non-voting members (including the Labour PCC).
Cheshire East Council Conservative leader Stewart Gardiner called for the Conservatives on Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester councils, as well as the Liberal Democrats on Warrington Council, to be given representation on the shadow combined authority.
The Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority is set to be in place by the end of March 2026, with the area's first mayoral elections due to take place in May 2027.
Cheshire East Council is currently led by a coalition between Labour and independents, although the Conservatives have the largest number of councillors.
Cheshire West and Chester Council is in no overall control; Labour has the largest party, with 35 seats, while the Conservatives have 21.
For Warrington Council, Labour have 40 of the 58 seats, while Liberal Democrat councillors hold 12 seats.
Lynn Gibbon, a Conservative councillor on Cheshire West and Chester Council, told the meeting on Friday, that opposition groups "have no voice at the table" regarding the new combined authority and that "Without formal opposition representation there's no internal challenge.”
Stewart Gardiner, the Conservative group leader on Cheshire East Council, said Cheshire was a different proposition to neighbouring areas which had introduced devolution where there was often a "large incidence of one political group across the piste".
"I'm not crying for my own sake," he said. "I'm concerned about what happens going forward - particularly as none of us know who will be sitting here in 2027." "We should have a system that operates fairly."
Both Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester Councils will be holding all-out elections in 2027.
"All I'm asking is, as the official opposition on two of the councils, that our positions are represented - and also, given the position of the Liberal Democrats in Warrington, they should have a position on this table," he said.
Whilst the board agreed to note the comments no changes were made to the membership even though, under the Board’s terms of reference, (approved by each of the three participating councils), they do have powers to appoint non-voting members.
Reference: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly91w5v77eo
Photo: Courtesy of CWAC Conservatives, NWCC
