'There are big benefits to be had here' Central Bedfordshire Council opts for further talks on devolution deal
Central Bedfordshire “doesn’t need to fold quickly” to achieve a regional devolution deal, as the local authority seeks “the best possible outcome for residents”, a meeting heard.
Power and responsibility would be transferred from central government to a regional authority, led by an elected mayor under Labour plans.
But one of the party’s councillors has warned any desire by Central Bedfordshire Council to delay the process would mean “saying goodbye” to £150m proposed funding.
Labour Dunstable North councillor Matt Brennan tabled an amendment to a motion by CBC council leader Adam Zerny, which he hoped would direct the council to a collaboration with Bedford Borough Council, Luton Borough Council and Milton Keynes City Council (BLMK).
“I love aspiration, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the possibility of real change for residents,” he said.
“If you agree to the BLMK footprint and my amendment, you’re backing the possibility of more than £150m of infrastructure funding for that area from 2028 onwards.
“Saying ‘yes’ to the alternative, which is councillor Zerny’s ‘let’s wait for something bigger’, you can say goodbye to that funding. We could be getting that finance in 2027 if we’d agreed this two years ago, but you didn’t.
“Central Bedfordshire as a whole needs that money. Every year you delay for political reasons is another 12 months where our residents don’t get that millions of extra infrastructure investment.
“BLMK will soon be going through a staggering amount of change. Universal, Milton Keynes growth, Luton Airport expansion and Tempsford are all things within BLMK.
“Disconnected and disjointed thinking during these changes will negatively impact outcomes for Central Bedfordshire residents. If we’re properly engaged with a BLMK authority, we get to shape growth.”
But his amendment was lost in a vote, with councillors opting to back the resolution proposed by Independent Potton councillor Zerny.
Clr Zerny said: “Whether to have a mayoral or non-mayoral strategic authority is the direct question from the government.
“There’s the geography involved and deciding if there should be a vote for residents of this area, which I feel strongly there should be. It’s a matter of democracy and transparency for residents to get their say.
“We’re talking a few hundred thousand a year for a non-mayoral strategic authority, whereas for a mayoral, those figures increase to more than £25m annually for an area including Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.
“My concern is if we go for the smallest possible geography, namely Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, with less than a million [people], the chances of competing on a national stage with Manchester, Birmingham and London aren’t great.
“Our region has the potential to be one of the most important in the UK. Universal won’t be the last major international leisure organisation looking to come here.
“There’ll be many more and that will provide significant opportunities for the generations to come living in this area. To truly benefit from this visitor economy, we need to be working with a far greater proportion of the OxCam region.”
The government would like a mayor in place by May 2028, according to councillor Zerny. “There are big benefits to be had here,” he added. “We need to ensure we get the best possible deal for our area.
“That might mean we decide to wait and not go for the immediate offer. As Central Bedfordshire, we’ve a very strong hand here. We don’t need to fold quickly.”