Council opts to 'look west' for devolution bid

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councillors have voted to join forces with Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset councils in a devolution deal.

The council's other option was to join Hampshire County Council, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight's Hampshire and the Solent bid.

If approved, the Heart of Wessex authority would see the four councils combine to form a new strategic authority with an elected mayor.

At an extraordinary meeting held on Wednesday the substantive motion, to be part of the Wessex deal, was passed by 43 votes to 12 with four abstentions.

The Liberal Democrat-run council will now accelerate plans to "look west" and collaborate with its neighbouring councils.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) leader, Millie Earl said: "We came to the decision that joining the Heart of Wessex is the best option for BCP and we're looking forward to taking that forward.

"Looking west... there are opportunities for growth everywhere. We would be a significant part of the Heart of Wessex - our voice would be louder in that context rather than in Hampshire."

Last week, Dorset Council confirmed its own bid to be part of the Wessex deal and said the door was open to BCP to join them.

At Wednesday's BCP Council extraordinary meeting its leader, Millie Earl, along with many councillors wanted a third option, a BCP stand alone deal, but with its population not meeting the 1.5m needed it was ruled out of the discussion.

Poole Conservative councillor Karen Rampton was among several members to criticise the government for the way the process was being rushed.

She called it "an affront to democracy".

"We are being forced by the government to do this, like naughty children," she added.

Preferring the Wessex model, she said: "We'd be the granny annexe on the back of the Portsmouth and Southampton house" if we were included in the Hampshire deal."

Former Tory leader Phil Broadhead said it was lamentable of the government to put councils in the position of deciding over Christmas which option to choose.

The government announced the plans for every English region to have an elected mayor to oversee housing, planning, education and other services in December.

Lib Dem councillor Sandra Moore said many services like Police Fire and Healthcare were already shared within the Wessex region, "yes, it's more rural" she said, "but it's a better fit for our existing services and existing links".

Elections for the new mayor will be held in May next year.

Along with local council leaders, the mayor would make decisions about how to spend a pot of money in a regional area on things like transport and infrastructure investment.

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