Plans for elected mayor for region delayed

Plans for a directly elected mayor for the Thames Valley have been delayed.

Leaders from across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon have been told the area will need to form a foundation strategic authority (FSA), before becoming a mayoral authority.

In an update to Oxfordshire County Council, leader Liz Leffman also said a decision about the areas to be included in the authority, that expected this week, had been delayed until after the local elections.

She said it was "clear" the government wanted Swindon to be involved - something which Oxfordshire was opposed to, but promised to "work in partnership" with the Wiltshire council.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has been approached for comment.

A mayoral authority would see existing council areas combined to form one so-called mega-authority.

The government says its devolution plans would bring more money to a region as well as giving local politicians a say on how to spend it, in areas such as transport and economic development.

An elected mayor would hold ultimate responsibility for the budget as well as oversight on where it is spent.

Council leaders had submitted an expression of interest letter in December on behalf of 13 councils, asking for the creation of a mayoral strategic authority (MSA) for the Thames Valley.

However the region now faces the prospect of first forming an FSA.

FSAs are described by the government as "a stepping stone towards mayoral devolution in the future".

A joint committee would be created to lead the authority, with representation from each existing council.

But there is no indication about the time frame between forming a FSA and getting a mayor.

Jeff Brooks, leader of the Liberal Democrat run West Berkshire Council said an FSA was a step in the right direction.

"In many ways the leaders of Berkshire and Oxfordshire in particular would want to go straight to a mayoral authority, but that is not the journey they [the government] want to take us on," he said.

Leffman's update included news that Swindon would likely now be involved in the Thames Valley FSA.

Oxfordshire councillors expressed their disappointment at the proposal, highlighting that Swindon is not included in the existing Thames Valley integrated care board, police or fire authorities.