Berkshire MP anticipates devolution will accelerate key infrastructure projects

A Member of Parliament for Berkshire expressed optimism that increased devolution might facilitate the completion of significant initiatives, such as a western railway connection to Heathrow Airport originating from Reading and Slough. The government declared on Monday its intention for every English region to have an elected mayor, forming part of a substantial overhaul of local governance. Matt Rodda, the MP for Reading Central, endorsed the expansion of local authority “over transport, housing and other important economic matters”. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner stated the government’s aim for devolution to be the “default” approach, rather than “at the whim of a minister in Whitehall”. She further commented that the UK stood as the “most centralised” nation in Europe and committed to ceasing “micromanaging by central government”. The proposed framework suggests that mayors could be granted authority to oversee rail networks and implement a public transport model similar to London’s, where buses, trains, and trams operate as a unified system. Mr. Rodda informed the House of Commons that “many other strategic projects have been held up, such as a third bridge for Reading”. Both he and Slough MP Tan Dhesi have consistently supported the £900 million rail connection between Reading and Heathrow, which Dhesi indicated could serve 20% of the UK’s populace. This project has been paused since 2020. A significant component of the government’s proposals involves the potential consolidation of district and county councils, aimed at rationalizing service delivery. However, Berkshire would remain untouched by this particular aspect, as its six councils function as unitary authorities, tasked with delivering all services within their respective jurisdictions. Clive Jones, the MP for Wokingham and council leader from 2022 to 2023, stated that his constituents would be “waiting to see” the impact of the new initiatives on them. He added, “They will want to ensure that their voices are listened to if we are to be shuffled around, merged or abolished by Whitehall,” and concluded, “Importantly, they will want to know whether the government’s plans will hit their wallets.” Lee Dillon, the Newbury MP and former leader of West Berkshire Council, remarked that councils were “clearly on their knees”. He implored local government minister Jim McMahon to ensure that “not a penny of councils’ budgets” would be allocated to any potential restructuring. Mr. McMahon indicated that the emphasis would be “about partnership, about tone and how we can work together”. The government announced that the specific regions designated for prioritized devolution would be disclosed at a later time, with the objective of conducting mayoral elections in those localities in May 2026. For updates, BBC Berkshire can be followed on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is available.