Plans for devolved regional authority put on hold after Oxfordshire withdraws support
Plans to create a new devolved regional authority covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon have been put on hold after Oxfordshire County Council withdrew its support.
Council leaders from Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon met on Wednesday, June 17, to finalise plans for a new Foundation Strategic Authority (FSA).
The proposed FSA would councils from across the three areas combined to form one large authority, which supporters say would help attract investment and jobs while tackling cross-county issues such as transport, economic growth and climate targets.
However, Oxfordshire County Council withdrew its support for the plans over disagreements about the inclusion of Swindon.
Council leader Tim Bearder also said he had concerns about the government's proposal for a Foundation Strategic Authority rather than a mayor-led Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA).
He said: “I support devolution. I support giving local communities more control over their own destiny. What I do not support is Whitehall dictating a geography that makes little sense and then telling local leaders it is our decision.
“We were originally invited to discuss a Mayoral Strategic Authority. That offer has now been downgraded to a Foundational Strategic Authority with very limited powers, very limited funding and no meaningful answer to the question of how it will improve the lives of Oxfordshire residents.
“The natural Thames Valley geography is Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire's decision not to participate should not mean that Oxfordshire is forced into a different arrangement simply to solve a problem elsewhere.
“Swindon is not part of the Thames Valley. It is not part of Thames Valley Police, it is not part of our Integrated Care Board, and its economic and public service geography is fundamentally different. The Government's own rationale appears to be based on administrative convenience rather than genuine local coherence.”
Cllr Bearder said Oxfordshire County Council remains supportive of devolution but believes the government's Foundation Strategic Authority proposal offers significantly fewer powers than a mayor-led authority.
He added: “If the Government wants us to support devolution, it should trust local leaders to determine the most sensible geography and offer a package that genuinely transfers powers and resources from Whitehall.
“Devolution should be about empowering local communities, not about central government drawing lines on a map to suit its own political goals.”
The leaders of Cherwell District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council have since released a joint statement backing the proposed Foundation Strategic Authority.
In the statement, Cllr Lesley McLean and Cllr Andy Graham said: “A consensus could not be reached at the recent Devolution meeting, however, both Cherwell and West Oxfordshire remain supportive of the benefits a Foundation Strategic Authority could hold for our districts.
“It would bring increased investment and provide that strategic scale to proactively tackle key issues like economic growth, transport, net zero and skills, and would support the ambitions we jointly hold as councils to improve our districts.
“With other significant change coming imminently through Local Government Reorganisation, we will be focusing on making sure that process delivers for our residents and we can revisit the strategic authority conversation in future when it is right for our area.”