Some local elections could be ‘held off’ next year under devolution plans, minister suggests
Some local elections may not go ahead next year under the government’s devolution plans, a minister has suggested.
Jim McMahon said local authorities could be closed or merged, meaning voting in these areas would be held off.
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Labour’s manifesto promised to “deepen” and “widen” devolution, with more areas expected to take on the mayoral combined authority (CA) model like that headed by Sadiq Khan in Greater London.
Local elections are held every year in May – but Mr McMahon told LBC some councils “essentially won’t exist” if they make a request for reorganisation under the devolution proposals.
“At the moment, the assumption is that elections are going ahead,” he said.
“However, it’s usual in a process of reorganisation that when a council makes a request for reorganisation – that if there are elections taking place to a council that essentially won’t exist within the term of those elections – then you hold off the elections and you elect to a shadow body, and the shadow body basically is a form of the new councils that will follow.”
Some local authorities have already requested reorganisation, he added, saying there will be a statutory consultation before any changes are made.
Asked if some local authorities would be closed or merged Mr McMahon said: “That’s the nature of reorganisation.”
There are 12 areas of England under the CA model, headed by regional metro mayors. These mayors, including Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, have more powers than leaders or mayors of local councils.
Mr McMahon, the minister for local government, told Sky News he wants the “whole country to realise the benefit of what that mayoral combined authority can bring”.
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Speaking later to Good Morning Britain, he said merging councils could bring £2bn in efficiency savings.
He said there are only 21 counties still with a two-tier system of local government – meaning there is a district and a county council – and lots of people “don’t know which council to go to”.
“This is about simplifying the system so that the accountability is strong, but it’s not to diminish the work that district councils and county councils have done in the past,” he said.
Mr McMahon will set out more details of the plan this afternoon in parliament.
It comes on the same day as a speech by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who will vow to push power out of Whitehall and into the hands of people with “skin in the game” across a range of policy areas including housing.
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‘House building target is achievable’
One of the central missions of the new Labour government is to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament – with local councils last week told to come up with “immediate, mandatory” housing targets as part of the plan.
Ms Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, is expected to say that bringing together “strategic authorities” would help “to avoid duplication and give our cities and regions a bigger voice” in order to get spades in the ground.
However, the Local Government Association – the membership body for authorities in England and Wales – warned devolution was “not an end in itself” and “cannot distract from the severe funding pressures that are pushing local services to the brink”.
The government’s full devolution proposals will be set out in a White Paper, due to be published in parliament later today.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.
The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.
Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA
Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.
The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.
Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA
Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.
Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.
Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.
Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.
As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.
Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.
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