Devolution is coming to Cheshire and Warrington.  

Last week, our local area reached an important milestone with the announcement that Cheshire and Warrington are now part of the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme, with a view to Mayoral election in May 2026.  

This is a major step forward in empowering our local area, boosting our economy, and making sure decisions affecting our region are made closer to home. 

Currently, England is one of the most centralised countries in the developed world. However, this Labour Government is embarking on a once-in-a-generation project to relight the fires of our regions by shifting power out of Westminster and into local communities. If English cities outside of the capital met their potential compared to similar cities in other countries, the national economy could be £34bn-£55bn larger per year. 

Every one of our towns and cities has a vital contribution to make to growth. Devolution will provide Cheshire and Warrington with greater control over vital areas like transport, skills, housing, and economic development—helping us tackle local challenges and unlock the full potential of our area.  

This means more opportunities for local businesses, better job prospects for residents, and enhanced services tailored to our unique needs.  

Given discussions started in 2015 with Conservative ministers, it’s taken a change in Government to move forward towards a deal that Cheshire and Warrington and our subregion needs and deserves. For more than a decade, the previous Government held back the potential of our region, starved our local authorities of resources and overlooked the needs of our region. 

Devolution isn’t just about transferring powers – it’s about making sure the voices of local residents are heard and acted upon. Our local area has so much potential and so much to offer. A devolution deal will give our region even more opportunity to fulfil that promise.  

Important new powers come with the deal which mean decisions will be made for the local people by local people.  

This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for, and I look forward to working with all levels of government and our local communities to get the best possible devolution deal to deliver real change for people across Chester North and Neston and the whole of Cheshire and Warrington.