11 August 2016
Green councillors in Norwich have slammed the “incredibly undemocratic” devolution proposals for Norfolk and Suffolk in their official response to the consultation.
The response to the two-county consultation, which runs until 23rd August, states the Greens’ opposition to an elected mayor and condemns the “staggering” failure to mention climate change in the deal. It also argues that there is no place for unelected Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) members on any combined authority.
Other points raised in the response include concerns over the cost of a mayor, which will initially be met by over-stretched local councils, with the possibility of a tax rise to fund the role in future; and the misleading nature of the consultation itself. The survey, the councillors argue, includes “several heavily biased questions” and is essentially meaningless, since “it has already been made clear that there is no opportunity to change the deal”.
Councillor Martin Schmierer, leader of the Green group on Norwich City Council, said:
“We have opposed this “dodgy devolution” deal from the start, and we are pleased that Norwich city councillors voted unanimously to throw it out back in June. However, the government may still push ahead with the deal, so it is important that people in Norwich, as well as elsewhere in the region, have their say.
“There is clearly no appetite for an expensive and over-powerful mayor, and if residents make their views known by responding to the consultation, we may yet be able to stop this Tory stitch-up.”
