Lancashire mayor question could finally be answered by Chancellor in the budget

Lancashire set out its future devolution ambitions in a letter that was sent to the government just days ahead of the budget, the Lancashire Post can reveal.

The move means all of the county’s political eyes will be on Chancellor John Healey to see whether the move leads to a last-minute addition to his speech in the Commons on Wednesday lunchtime, promising the county any new powers or cash.

The big question is whether the contents of the correspondence - which are being kept a closely-guarded secret - will result in any movement on the vexed issue of if, and when, the county will get an elected mayor.

It comes a month after members of the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) - the organisation that oversees Lancashire’s existing, non-mayoral devolution deal - met devolution minister Jim McMahon at County Hall in Preston.

During that gathering - as the Post revealed at the time - Lancashire County Council leader Stephen Atkinson, Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Phil Riley and the leader of Blackpool Council, Lynn Williams, were told by Mr. McMahon that creating a mayor for Lancashire was “a priority” for Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

He also gave an indicative figure for the funding that would likely come the county’s way with any mayoral deal - £35m a year over 30 years, or just over £1bn in total.

Cllr Riley later told a Preston Partnership event on 14th October that Lancashire had been invited to write to the government in the wake of the meeting, confirming whether it wanted to head down the mayoral route - and that the sooner the letter was sent, the more likely provision could be made in the budget for the necessary funds.

The Post understands that the delicate process of drafting the document continued for more than a week after that date - but was ultimately signed by the LCCA members and sent to Whitehall. Exactly what it said is unknown.

While Cllr Riley and fellow Labour politician Cllr Williams are staunch advocates for a mayor, County Cllr Atkinson, of Reform UK, has long been sceptical of whether the post brings with it any true benefits.

He has repeatedly warned that insufficient day-to-day funding for the office would lead to an extra levy being put on Lancashire council tax bills.

County Cllr Atkinson has also called for a referendum on the issue, but the government has never given any indication it would be willing to abide by the outcome of a locally-staged vote.

As things stand, Lancashire is the only place in the North of England not to have - nor to have signed up for - its own flag-flying political figurehead.

The county might know whether that position has changed when the Chancellor takes the weight off his feet after his hour-long speech ends at around 1.30pm.