Six Berkshire councils agree to create £130,000 devolution role

The six councils in Berkshire have created a new job with a £130,000 salary to help with plans which could see a Thames Valley strategic authority created.

The Labour government is driving ahead with plans to create new ‘combined authorities’ that will handle strategic planning, housing and transport policies.

These authorities will cover multiple existing council areas and counties.

A proposed Thames Valley strategic authority could cover Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and even Swindon, and be led by an elected mayor.

To help negotiate with other counties in the interest of Berkshire, the six councils have created the ‘Programme Director for Devolution’ position.

The decision to create the role was made by the Berkshire Prosperity Board, which is made up of the six council leaders and top officials at those councils.

The board met at Bracknell Forest Council to make the decision.

Presenting the proposal, Jackie Yates, chief executive of Reading Borough Council, explained that the Oxfordshire councils have already appointed Kim Sawyer to be their programme director.

She said: “In terms of Oxfordshire, they have already collectively appointed a programme director.  

The director will be paid £130,000 on a one-year fixed-term contract.

Although the appointee will be paid £130k, a total of £165,000 will be spent on creating the role, a point that was noted by councillor Stephen Conway (Lib Dem, Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst), the leader of Wokingham Borough Council.

Mrs Yates explained that an agency fee must be paid above the salary outlined.

She then reassured the leaders that all the costs would be paid for through interest acquired through the Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership fund.

Councillor Mary Temperton (Lab, Great Hollands), the leader of Bracknell Forest Council, said: “If there’s already a person in place in Oxfordshire, then we need to make sure that we’re not catching up, but we’ve got someone there ready to go to represent Berkshire’s views.”

Cllr Temperton referred to a bid to the Government, as councils are set to submit final proposals for strategic authorities to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the autumn.

The leaders unanimously decided to create the programme director for devolution role at the meeting on Monday.

Wokingham Borough Council will be the accountable body for human resources for the appointee.