The Labour opposition group leader on Lichfield District Council has said that a decision to join a West Midlands combined authority is a “no-brainer”.
Lichfield District Council will decide whether to join the link-up with other authorities in mid-October.
Conservative council leader has been involved in discussions over the move for several months.
But with a decision looming, his opposite number, Cllr Sue Woodward, says the benefits of a combined authority are likely to outweigh any risks.
“It’s a bit of a no-brainer for me,” she said. “If there are opportunities to be capitalised on then you shouldn’t shut the door on that.
“People do tend to confuse the issue of combined authorities with local government reorganisation and say ‘we don’t want Lichfield taken over by Birmingham and the Black Country’. But it isn’t going to be about that.
“A combined authority will be about maximising opportunities we have by collaborating with a wider area. I’m of the ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ view on this and think that we should join as a non-constituent member.
“It’s really about looking ahead and seeing what opportunities might be available without putting the council and local residents at risk. At the moment, I don’t see what those risks would be.”
Initial opposition to the combined authority link-up had centred around the desire for Lichfield to join a Staffordshire grouping instead.
But Cllr Woodward insists that such an option does not exist.
“People might have been inclined to go for a Staffordshire option, but there isn’t anything on the table there,” she said.
