With 1.3 million people across three local authorities, our proposed mayoral authority area is small compared to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. However, Cheshire is an area of great prosperity and natural beauty. What we need is a political structure to deliver a Nature, Nurture and Needs plan; with funding adequate for us today. What we are being offered is a band aid, a smokescreen. We already have three Councils struggling to provide basic services to our residents, to protect the vulnerable and to enable us to thrive in our natural environment. We need real change right now.
Living under three Labour-led Councils, who have concurred with the current plan, what we do not need is another layer of government, with a mayor who is little more than an agent of the current central Labour government. The current proposal provides little or no scrutiny of the actions of the Mayoral Authority. The Mayor may be elected, but other representatives would be unelected “non-constituent and associate members”.
We look for true and democratic devolution, to meet the needs of our local population, a system which can focus on bringing fairness and equality, and protecting the vulnerable:
Championing public transport and active travel
Improving health and wellbeing of our residents
Focusing on a healthy, local food supply
Looking after our green spaces and biodiversity
Tackling poverty and inequality especially among children and pensioners
Looking to improve local economies based on small local businesses rather than exploitative multinational companies.
