“Even an authority…which inherits unchanged geographical areas from its predecessor will have a different range of services to cope with and the period of transition will involve a degree of dislocation and expense,” said Graham Page MP, Minister of State for Local Government.
Is this a new name on Labour’s parliamentary frontbench? Hardly. It’s a forty-year flashback to the parliamentary debates on the Local Government Bill. The late Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe was particularly animated, fretting over the cost of setting up offices for the soon-to-be Avon County Council in Bristol.
The Avon ‘solution’ came and went, abolished in 1996 as part of the slow dissection of the 1972 Local Government Act. What it left behind is still with us today: fragmented governance and patchwork councils that perhaps echo Avon’s disjointed legacy.
Fast forward to 2024, and Labour is going all-in on its devo agenda. Strategic Authorities, single governance tiers, and Mayoral Combined Authorities are their new rallying cry. The evolution of local governance, kicked off in the mid-1990s, is entering what feels like its final act. But what about the West of England Combined Authority (WECA)? Does Labour’s plan herald a new era of regional growth, or will it drag WECA further into governance limbo?
The West of England: A modern Avon?
In May 2025, the new WECA Mayor could find themselves wielding significantly enhanced powers. Among the most eye-catching:
- A Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) to set a unified vision for housing, transport, and infrastructure.
- Call-in powers to decide contentious planning applications that span regional priorities.
- A Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) to fund ambitious projects, like the long-awaited Mass Transit system. For an example of MCIL in action, think the London Elizabeth Line.
Haven’t we been here before? Until 1996, Avon had a Structure Plan that worked as a similar overarching framework, guiding its districts’ local plans. Yet Avon was widely disliked, and for good reason: it centralised power, creating constant friction between the county and district councils. But this time, the governance rules are different. Instead of clunky inter-council gridlock, the WECA Mayor will need a 3-1 majority on major decisions like the SDS. Notably, there will be no veto for Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, or South Gloucestershire leaders. No more political standoffs or brinkmanship; the Mayor will have more autonomy to push through a coherent regional strategy without a proverbial gun to their head.
From piecemeal funding to integration
Perhaps the most transformative aspect of Labour’s proposals is the promise of an integrated funding settlement. Forget the current maze of prescriptive grants and narrow funding pots, often tied up in bureaucratic competition. The new system would roll housing, transport, and skills funding into one flexible settlement.
For WECA, this could be a game-changer worth billions of pounds. Instead of slow, piecemeal delivery dictated by central government priorities, the region could finally gain the ability to direct funds to where they’re needed most—whether that’s kickstarting Mass Transit or addressing urgent housing challenges.
Governance challenges: the elephant in the room
It’s not all smooth sailing. WECA is already under special measures following a Best Value Notice earlier this year. Governance breakdowns, tensions between the Mayor and constituent councils, and delays in decision-making have plagued the authority.
This puts WECA at severe risk of missing out on new powers and money. The current WECA Mayor was conspicuously absent from Angela Rayner’s speech to Combined Authority Mayors on Monday 16 December, instead observing the WECA audit committee from the public gallery. The new Mayor will need to foster unity among constituent councils, no small task given the region’s history of division, to get WECA off the naughty step.
And then there’s North Somerset, the glaring absence from WECA’s patchwork. Labour’s push to ‘complete the map’ of devolution raises the question: will North Somerset finally be brought into the fold? Certainly, North Somerset’s leaders seem to think so. However, WECA could be left behind in size with the potential for Heart of Wessex (Somerset, Dorset, Bournemouth, and Wiltshire) likely to be created ahead of North Somerset being incorporated into WECA.
A familiar question: what’s the point?
As Labour leans into its vision for streamlined governance, it’s worth reflecting on Lord Cocks’ sharp critique of Avon’s creation in response to Mr Page’s remarks in Parliament: “The Government insisted on Avon, and many Bristolians are beginning to ask what was the point of reorganisation; what benefit are we supposed to be getting from it? They can see no benefit.” Nearly half a century later, Bristolians—and their neighbours across the West of England—may find themselves asking the same question. What’s the point of reorganisation?
For the reforms to succeed where Avon failed, they’ll need to deliver tangible benefits that people can see and feel. The new governance structures must prove their worth, whether it’s smoother transport, more housing, or better jobs. As history threatens to repeat itself, WECA and its leaders must embrace this opportunity to overcome old divisions and deliver for their region, or face the same fate as Avon—abolished and unlamented.