'We want to be different from other devolved areas'

Political leaders in Cheshire have said the new combined authority there was "not going to replicate what's being done elsewhere" in terms of devolution, as it held its first board meeting.

Louise Gittens, leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, was named as the first chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority (CWCA).

She described the first board meeting, held at Warrington Youth Zone, as a "genuine milestone".

Former Homes England chief executive Nick Walkley was also approved as CWCA's interim chief executive.

The board is made up of the leaders and deputy leaders of the three councils; Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Warrington Council.

Gittens described the choice of venue as a "statement of intent and ambition", highlighting that decisions made by the combined authority would "shape the region for decades to come".

Speaking after the meeting, she said the location was deliberate because leaders "want young people to be at the heart" of what they were doing.

"We're doing this for their future, we're not going to be explaining to them what they think, we want them to tell us what they want for their futures," she said.

Gittens added that although the members were council leaders, they wanted to "put a distance between ourselves and the councils", particularly around the choice of meeting venues.

She also added that the authority wanted to be "very different" to other places.

"We will work closely with the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Wales, but want to do it differently here and I think that's what's so exciting about it all," she said.

At the initial meeting, as well as approving the board members and chair, CWCA also approved the appointments of officers, including interim chief executive, Walkley.

"This is about taking power from Whitehall and putting it in the hands of local politicians," he said.

Alongside the creation of the £650, Mayoral Investment Fund - which he said was "central" to the devolution powers, he said there was a "bigger prize".

"This is characterised by Northern Powerhouse Rail, which comes right through where we are in Warrington but we didn't really have a seat at the table," Walkley said.

"A mayor, sat alongside Mayors Rotheram and Burnham, allows Cheshire to get both its fair share but also highlight its central importance to the economy of the North West."

The Combined Authority board will hold its next meeting in June.

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