At an Extraordinary Meeting of Warwickshire County Council today, councillors from the Liberal Democrat, Conservative, Green and Independent Groups united in support of combined Lib Dem/Tory recommendations:

• Not to enter into the West Midlands Combined Authority as proposed;
• Continuing to pursue a Coventry – Warwickshire alternative solution;
• Looking at all other possible devolution models for Warwickshire;
• Pledging open and transparent debate and the widest possible consultation with residents before any final decisions are taken.

Earlier the Council had rejected a Labour amendment proposing that Warwickshire should agree to the West Midlands Combined Authority immediately.

A cross-party working group of councillors has been established to carry out the decisions taken today, and to report back to Full Council.

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, Lib Dem Group leader, said:

“The Council was right today to reject this ‘take it or leave it’ offer from the seven West Midlands metropolitan authorities, even after a last-minute revised offer made public today which suggested that the six local authorities in Warwickshire could somehow share one voting place on the Combined Authority.

“We do not accept that we face a ‘now or never’ situation. Our roles as elected councillors is to represent the best interests of Warwickshire residents, and right now it is totally unclear what benefits to the County would accrue, while the risks and dis-benefits are obvious. How will this new layer of regional bureaucracy be paid for? The Treasury is demanding fiscal neutrality, so what would have to go in order to pay for it?

“Too much of this has involved discussions in secret up until now. Following today’s debate, the Lib Dems intend to play an active role in finding the best solutions for Warwickshire, and making certain that residents are properly informed and consulted at all stages up to any final decisions being taken.”