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Steps to devolution
Cheshire and Warrington is part of the government’s Devolution Priority Programme (DPP). This means that the area's outline plans to set up a Combined Authority and hold mayoral elections in May 2026 have been accepted by government. A final decision will be made by the three councils later this year.
Devolution is about national government transferring powers and resources away from London and into regions. It’s not about merging councils or taking decisions away from councils. Individual councils would retain most of their current responsibilities and continue to provide services for local people.
Cheshire and Warrington is a successful place but we also face pressure in areas such as transport, skills and housing. We need affordable and convenient transport for residents in our rural areas and our towns, large and small, affordable homes in the right places, close to employment and services, and a workforce with the skills our businesses need.
People don’t live their lives according to council boundaries - they live, work, learn and spend time in different places, so a regional approach to improving things like skills shortages, housing and transport makes sense.
Preparing for devolution
Before any agreement, views will be sought from the region’s residents, communities and businesses on how devolution could benefit Cheshire and Warrington. Any formal devolution agreement would need to be agreed by each council as well as the Cheshire and Warrington Joint Committee, which provides leadership on strategic economic issues for the area.
This website has been set up to share information about devolution and it will be updated regularly.
The Joint Committee
"We welcome the government’s commitment to devolving powers away from London to areas like Cheshire and Warrington.
The Joint Committee, which is made up of Leaders and Deputy Leaders of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington councils, alongside the Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Business Advisory Board, provides leadership on strategic economic issues for the area.
We’re ambitious for our area and we believe devolution could bring significant power and funding that would benefit our residents, communities and businesses. It would allow us to make more decisions here in Cheshire and Warrington, rather than decisions about our region and its almost one million residents being made in London. "
Cllr Louise Gittins
Cllr Hans Mundry
Cllr Nick Mannion
Cllr Michael Gorman
