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Councils approve
devolution deal
ALL Councils across the Liverpool
City Region have approved the Liverpool City Region Devolution Agreement,
announced earlier this week by the Government. Council meetings took place
in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral.
Councillor Phil Davies, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined
Authority, said:- "This is a momentous day for the Combined Authority
and the Liverpool City Region as a whole. Through this deal, we have secured
almost £1 billion of extra funding over the next 30 years as well as putting
ourselves in a better position to support and grow our local economy.
A fundamental aspect of the deal is the recognition by Government that
decisions made about the Liverpool City Region are better taken in our City
Region by local leaders than in London or Whitehall. We are much better
placed to take decisions about how to target investment, provide support and
resources, and celebrate and promote our area.
There is no doubt that this Government will continue with its austerity
agenda which is going to see further funding cuts across our City Region.
Even though many of us disagree completely with the Government's overall
economic policy, securing this deal puts us in the strongest possible
position to cope with the challenges we will face over the coming months and
years.
The deal is the start of a long journey and our discussions with the
Government will continue in order to secure further devolved powers for a
range of priority issues, including delivering public sector reform and
improving the health and wellbeing of people who live and work in the
Liverpool City Region."
A full copy of the Devolution Agreement can be found online.
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