REGULAR readers may recall that two months ago I wrote about an exciting new devolution deal which would benefit Warrington.

I finished the article by expressing a hope that local politicians of all colours would rise to meet the challenge.

Sadly, that hasn't happened.

A few weeks ago, the Labour group on Warrington Borough Council decided that they would not support the deal and recently I contributed to a depressing debate on the issue in Parliament.

The Government has been clear that it is willing to give up powers and the budget which goes with them – but they will only hand over that budget to an individual who is directly elected by the whole population of that area, not an ad hoc committee of council leaders meeting four times a year.

Labour's main reason for rejecting this deal – according to several of the MPs who spoke in that debate – is that they are worried that the demographics of the region will mean it will elect a Conservative Mayor.

Let me be clear, there are perfectly reasonable arguments against devolution to a particular region – but the political identity of the person they might elect is not one of them.

I am in favour of devolution deals because they bring powers away from Whitehall and into local communities.

All of the powers that the new mayors will have are currently being exercised from offices in a very narrow quadrant of SW1 and that allows London to power ahead of the rest of the country.

Manchester and Merseyside will both elect mayors next year. It is highly likely, though not certain, that they will elect Labour mayors.

I have no issue with that and it certainly should not prevent those deals from going ahead.

The newly-elected mayors will act as champions for their regions – banging the drum for inward investment and with the power and budget to put deals together.

If Warrington refuses this power we will be continually edged out by Merseyside and Manchester.

I hope that Labour politicians will rethink their opposition and rise to the challenge.