North Somerset faces ‘four-year wait’ to join WECA

Bristol city councillors have passed a motion supporting North Somerset’s bid to join the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) – but it could face a four-year wait.

Opposition Conservative and Lib Dem members criticised the final version pushed through by the ruling Labour group with support from Greens as “kicking the issue into the long grass” by removing the need for consultation by the Government’s deadline on Friday, November 27.

They claim it means there is now no chance WECA will expand until the next local elections cycle.

The Greens say they backed Labour’s amendment because it still “demonstrates strong support for North Somerset’s inclusion” and calls on Bristol mayor Marvin Rees to meet urgently with other WECA leaders to agree a deal and publish the statutory consultation.

Members from all parties agreed at an extraordinary meeting of full council on Wednesday, November 25 that North Somerset’s exclusion from WECA was “nonsensical”.

The subject was discussed at an extraordinary full council meeting on November 25. Image: Bristol City Council

But Rees said a financial package from the Government needed to be in place first or the risks to the city would be too high. He told the remote meeting: “There is no deal on the table for us to agree. The Government has cancelled two scheduled meetings to discuss the potential of a deal, which shows a lack of interest.

“We would be one voice among four local authorities rather than one among three, and the only city voice among three rural voices. We want safeguards within the governance that our interests will be looked after.

“The relationship between Bristol and its neighbours has been a very strong narrative historically around clipping Bristol’s wings, not expanding to the point that the consequences of Bristol’s growth spills over the boundaries and hits village life.”

He said the city would be potentially “shortchanged” by the assumption that WECA’s money was split equally between the unitary authorities despite Bristol having a larger population and greater needs in terms of deprivation.

Rees said Conservative metro mayor Tim Bowles should have pushed his own party’s government months ago for North Somerset’s inclusion but that it had been left until the eleventh hour, a claim disputed by WECA and the leaders of the neighbouring authorities.

“It’s like the kids haven’t done their homework and they’re asking the teacher to give them a pass on the paper anyway a minute before midnight,” he said. “The work has not been done.”

Rees said Bowles should have pushed for North Somerset’s inclusion months ago. Photo: WECA

The mayor said it was very unlikely that the treasury would give more money to an  “underperforming, relatively invisible” political structure rather than specific projects during an economic crisis.

“It’s a big bet and it’s incredibly optimistic,” Rees added. “This is not about Bristol wanting to block anything, this is about the failure of the combined authority to get deals done.

“We would be going down that rabbit hole of moving towards an expanded combined authority with no additional money and all the risks. I’m not opposed to North Somerset joining the combined authority but safeguarding Bristol’s economy is more important to the West of England’s economy than North Somerset joining WECA.

“That’s not a boastful statement, it’s economic fact. This is about looking after the interests of Bristol people.”

Labour cabinet member councillor Steve Pearce said: “Not all areas were created equal – some are more equal than others.

“Despite making up the bulk of the population and being the main wealth creator in the region, Bristol is being neglected and funding is not allocated proportionately to population.”

Green group leader councillor Eleanor Combley said the amended motion “still clearly states Bristol City Council believes North Somerset belongs in WECA”.

She said: “This amendment does not prevent the consultation being launched on a timescale that gets North Somerset into WECA in 2021 – I could not support it if it did. It allows a consultation to proceed in parallel with continuing discussions on the details.”

Eleanor Combley says that Bristol City Council believes North Somerset should be part of WECA. Photo: Bristol Green Party

Conservative councilor Steve Smith said it was “blindingly obvious” North Somerset should be part of WECA and the district’s decision in 2016 not to join was a “mistake we can put right”.

He said: “The economic case is overwhelming. There isn’t a Bristol economy and a North Somerset economy. The two are the same thing. You cannot separate the two.

“There isn’t a bet or gamble here. If the deal at the end of the process isn’t right then we don’t sign it, but to complain there’s no deal when you’re deliberately blocking the process that would get to a deal is putting the cart before the horse. It makes no sense at all.”

Tory group leader councillor Mark Weston said Bristol did get a fair amount of money because it had just under half the region’s population and received just under half of WECA’s funding, while the remainder was spent strategically on cross-border issues such as transport.

“If you put a park and ride on the M32, the spend may be in South Gloucestershire but the benefit on air quality would be felt in Bristol,” Weston said. “We are not weakened if North Somerset comes in, we are strengthened.”

He said the amendment was “shameful” and “let people down”.

Mark Weston said WECA would be “strengthened” by North Somerset’s inclusion. Photo: Ellie Pipe

Conservative councillor Geoff Gollop said: “The enlargement of WECA is fundamental to the economic and environmental wellbeing of Bristol and the greater Bristol area. The amendment removes the emergency, kicks this into the long grass and keeps North Somerset out in the cold until 2025. It is absolutely appalling.”

Lib Dem councillor Tim Kent said: “The amendment with the deletions means we accept the mayor has managed to derail the regional cooperation project and North Somerset will not be allowed to join for four more years.

“This leads us down the track of missing out on additional funding. The mayor has ripped up the whole process before we even get to a deal.

“The deadline was clear. You’ve thrown out the very little wriggle room we had. You’ve blocked the request to publish the in-principle consultation, the one thing the Government told us we had to do to get to the detailed negotiations.

“Mayor Rees, having wrecked the finances of Bristol, has now moved on to WECA. You had one chance. It’s gone.”

The amended motion was passed by 42 votes to three, with 17 abstentions.

Adam Postans is a local democracy reporter for Bristol.

Main photo: Bristol City Council

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