Mayoral-Combined Authority Proposal

This branch is opposed to the Conservatives’ Mayoral-Combined Authority proposal for the Northeast on the basis that there has been insufficient public education and consultation; that it will concentrate power in too few hands; that the Mayoral office would be not be fully accountable; that it will undermine established systems of local democracy; that – together with the Manchester devolution package, it risks the further fragmentation of the national public services including the NHS; and that it could accelerate the further outsourcing and privatization of public services. The branch also notes that the proposed allocation of £30 million for capital spending by the Mayor-Combined Authority across the seven local authority areas is woefully inadequate given the scale of the local authority cuts imposed by the Conservative Government and the other proposed changes to local authority finances (e.g. the localization of business rates).

This branch calls for

(1) Labour councillors in the Bridges and Deckham branch(es) to oppose this proposal in all Labour Group meetings and to vote against it when the final vote is taken by Gateshead and Blaydon Labour councillors.

(2) The leaders of the seven Labour-run authorities in the proposed Mayoral-Combined Authority area to launch an initiative to develop alternative proposals for Northeast devolution that are democratic, fully costed and financed, and which meet the needs of the people of the Northeast.

(3) The Labour leadership nationally to establish a constitutional-devolution review to develop a set of proposals for devolution to the English regions and cities.