Leaders of Cheshire East, West Cheshire and Chester and Warrington Councils all support devolution.
Devolution for Cheshire & Warrington means more decisions made locally, by the people who know our area best—not dictated from Westminster. It means local leaders will make the important decisions about our area that matter most our residents, communities and businesses.
We need affordable and convenient transport, good-quality homes in the right places, and a workforce with the skills our businesses need. Devolution would help us to meet these challenges.
Our shared vision for Cheshire and Warrington is to be the healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and growing economy in the UK.
For residents, devolution will mean better transport, more jobs, stronger skills training, thriving town centres and prosperous rural communities —creating a place where everyone benefits.
For businesses, it will enable growth and investment in our world-leading sectors—life sciences, clean energy, digital, and advanced manufacturing. We will also support growth in our SMEs and our rural economies, creating more and better jobs in the area.
This is a once in a generation opportunity for us to improve Cheshire & Warrington for everyone who lives, works and enjoys life in a place they are proud to call home.
With devolution, we take control of our own future. The future is local and the future is ours. More jobs, better transport, smarter investment – it’s our time!
Let’s make it happen.
As part of the priority programme, there are a number of key dates and targets we will need to meet, including:
1. Supporting the Government led consultation and engagement across the region, seeking the views of residents, communities and businesses about how we can make best use of the powers and funding that will come with
devolution. We expect this to take place in February and March, subject to Government timescales
2. During spring and into early summer 2025, the three councils will consider, in principle, the decision to progress with a devolution agreement that will involve the creation of a new Strategic Authority with an elected Mayor for Cheshire and Warrington. Similar to the Mayors seen in Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, and other places across England.
3. Between summer and winter this year, we’d expect to be working through the detail and the process of establishing a Mayoral Strategic Authority.
4. Finally, in early 2026, following agreement by all three Councils, we will make preparations for Mayoral elections, so that a Mayor is elected in May 2026. Of course, these timescales could shift, but we wanted to be open about our current thinking around key dates and milestones.
We will of course provide further updates if this changes.
