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'Now is our time': Cheshire tables devolution plan

Cheshire West and Chester Council Louise Gittins, the leader of Cheshire West and Chester CouncilCheshire West and Chester Council
Louise Gittins is the Labour leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council

A council leader has said "now is our time" as a county bids to be part of a devolution deal.

Louise Gittins, the Labour leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, told BBC Politics North West that the government seemed "really interested" in the area's proposition.

Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington councils have written to the government seeking to be part of its devolution priority programme, with the aim of electing its first mayor in May 2026.

The government had set a deadline of 10 January for priority applications.

BBC/Getty The Eastgate Clock in Chester, the Golden Gates in Warrington and Jodrell Bank near MacclesfieldBBC/Getty
The three councils have applied for a devolution deal

Ms Gittins said the area had been "trying to get a devolution deal over the line for a long, long time".

"We actually believe that the government is listening to us now, they seem really interested in our proposition and what we have to offer as a sub-region," she said.

The area is seeking to have an elected mayor, which the county has had discussions about in the past.

"I think what this government has been really clear about is they're expecting devolution to go out of Westminster to all areas of the country," Ms Gittins said.

"We sit between the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Wales, the devolved powers they've got there, and we can see the difference that having that elected mayor will make."

She added that devolution work in other areas allowed them to see "things that are going on there that we could bring to our area".

"We're already really strong in terms of our economic growth, but we're starting to be left behind now and we want to be at the forefront," she said.

She added that it might be "quite a tight turn around" to have a deal agreed in time for elections in May 2026.

"We just need to spend the next 15 months making sure we have the right devolution for us here in Cheshire and Warrington."

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