The leader of Gloucestershire County Council is demanding 'urgent answers' from the government on why an agreement has not been reached on devolution for the county, with deals being announced for all other areas of the South West this October 2026.
Chancellor Jon Healey revealed that 10 new deals for the devolution of powers to local authority areas in England were in 'the final stages' in his Budget this week, but Gloucestershire was not mentioned in the announcement.
With local government reorganisation having been paused pending a review in September 2026, a greater focus has been placed on devolution, which the government previously stated was the prize for 'going through the turmoil' of the process, the council says.
Claiming that 'Gloucestershire is ready', county council leader Lisa Spivey has called out the omission of a deal for the county, and is demanding the government provide 'a clear pathway to securing greater powers and investment in Gloucestershire'.
The council says leaders have been clear about what they have identified as 'the best pathway' for the county, and have written to government several times expressing a clear desire to join the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).
And it argues Gloucestershire has a strong case for devolution, with mature partnerships, a clear economic direction and nationally and internationally significant strengths in secure technologies and digital, agri-tech, advanced engineering and manufacturing, and energy transition.
Lisa Spivey said in a statement: 'I am angry and deeply frustrated that Gloucestershire has been left behind. Gloucestershire is ready.
'We have the ambition, strong partnerships, and economic potential to deliver more homes, better skills, good jobs and the growth this country needs, all the things this government has said it wants to achieve.
'Greater devolved powers would help implement our clear plans for Gloucestershire to build more homes, create jobs, give people the skills businesses need and to grow the local economy and our globally important sectors.
'We welcome the Government’s commitment to greater devolution of growth funding. Gloucestershire businesses and residents deserve their fair share of this investment, and we will want to ensure that areas like ours are not disadvantaged while new strategic authority arrangements are developed.
'Along with other leaders, I will be writing to the minister again inviting him to come here to see for himself the enormous potential Gloucestershire has to offer and demanding that we are not kept in limbo a minute longer.'
