Councillors have voted against joining the West Midlands Combined Authority.
A special meeting of Lichfield District Council was called this evening to make the final decision.
A report to the session revealed that there could still be unknown risks associated with joining the link-up.
And it seems the concerns were too great for councillors.
So controlling group @Lichfield_DC decide not to join @WestMids_CA….
— Sue_Woodward (@Sue_Woodward) October 13, 2015
In his report to the meeting, Conservative council leader Mike Wilcox had outlined a number of positives.
“The combined authority presents opportunity for local decision making and local control to make the investment and changes needed to lead to more prosperous and skilled communities with better life opportunities,” he said. “This is the basic premise of government policy on devolution and is based on evidence from other areas.
“Our area and our businesses and communities could potentially benefit from the devolution deal.
“There is a clear desire from the Metropolitan Councils, Local Enterprise Partnerships and districts to be directly involved in decision making. This will mean we have a voice around the table and can influence the growth and investment across the region as well as in our own area, and will play an active part in strategic decision making on behalf of our communities.”
I’m very surprised by this decision. Good for them for going against the grain. Perhaps sitting back and seeing what happens to other areas in the years to come first may be the best idea.