"It's not a choice on whether they do it - it's how they do it" Central Beds Council leader on devolution plans

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councilor Adam Zerny (The Independent Alliance, Potton) said: “I do not believe the government is in any mind to give residents the opportunity to say no to the principle of mayoral strategic authorities.

“It is a question of how local authorities want to do this, and while there will likely be public consultations, residents should not be surprised if there is relatively little choice as has been the case elsewhere.”

He added that while the government is currently focusing on six “priority programme” areas, the intention is clear.

“If you read carefully the consultations going on elsewhere, it is very, very clear — this isn’t a choice on whether they actually do it. It’s about how they do it,” he said.

The government’s devolution agenda involves creating larger strategic areas, often led by elected mayors. In some cases, this has gone hand-in-hand with replacing existing district councils.

While Central Bedfordshire is not yet part of one of those priority areas, it has previously been linked to a wider strategic zone that could include Bedford, Luton, Milton Keynes, and councils in Northamptonshire.

Asked about previous tensions — such as when Luton and Milton Keynes pushed to exclude Northamptonshire councils — councillor Zerny said the focus now should be on looking forward.

He said: “Whatever has gone on in the past, we are going to need to move forward as neighbouring local authorities and work out what happens next.

“I want to work not just with Bedford, Luton, Milton Keynes, but other neighbouring local authorities like Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, with whom we have much in common”.

Councillor Zerny said he remains focused on securing the best outcome for residents if devolution moves forward.

“I want to make sure that whatever happens in terms of devolution in our area, we’re doing this for the benefit of the residents and no one else,” he said.