The leader of Lancashire County Council says he will not agree to a directly-elected Lancashire mayor until the government sets out exactly what the financial benefits may be – including whether a council tax hike would be required to fund the role.
Reform UK Councillor Stephen Atkinson was speaking after Andy Burnham announced last week that areas with a metro mayor would be allowed to keep a share of any growth in income tax and business rates raised in their patch.
Cllr Atkinson, who has for years pushed back on the prospect of a Lancashire mayor, said unless government funding is provided for the cost of running a Lancashire mayoralty, the post-holder would have to add a charge to council tax bills.
He said he will be writing to ministers seeking clarity on that issue and others, adding to a list of stipulations upon which the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) has already said its support for a mayor would depend.
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But the Labour MP for Ribble Valley has warned the county needs to sign up for a mayor now – before it becomes the only place in the North of England without one as of next May.
Maya Ellis said negotiations over terms should come after Lancashire has made the mayoral commitment that it has conspicuously failed to do in the decade since devolution deals between the government and local areas across the country started to take effect.
The income tax retention is latest thing Lancashire is missing out on by not having a mayor - last year business leaders said the county has missed out on huge investments and jobs because it does not have a mayor.
The Prime Minister’s push to expand and extend devolved powers across England comes as Lancashire’s own devolution journey hovers in limbo.
The LCCA is currently awaiting a meeting with the government over the mayoral issue, with two previous meetings cancelled and no date in the diary at present.
Of the trio leading the LCCA, Blackburn with Darwen's Phil Riley and Blackpool's Lynn Williams are desperate to get on with appointing a mayor, but Cllr Atkinson has repeatedly stymied efforts. He has long been sceptical of the move, dating back to his time as a Conservative before he switched his allegiances to Reform before the 2025 election.
Cllr Atkinson claimed: "First of all, there is no capacity funding to run a mayoral authority at this moment in time, so that would mean we would have to raise a council tax precept."
He said the cost of running such an authority would be about “£5 million a year, minimum”, adding: “But if you wanted to do a lot of things, like Manchester does, that rises to many tens of millions.”
Just four of the 12 non-London mayoral authorities in England charge a levy on residents, which on average is £89 for a Band D property this tax year.
Combined authorities run by mayors received between £2.2m and £2.8m in capacity funding to cover their operating costs this year, whereas Lancashire’s non-mayoral combined county authority was handed just £250k.
Cllr Atkinson added: “We need to see the details, and it looks like they’re not going to reveal them until the budget.
"We will not go any further with this until we understand what the funding is and whether it’s going to cost Lancashire residents more money without any reward."
However, Labour MP Maya Ellis said Lancashire is now “not in a position to be negotiating with government over the terms” after years of dither and delay.
She said: "They’ve been clear on the offer – we need to move towards it as fast as possible.
"We should be doing everything we can to get a mayor in place."
The LCCA have asked for some funding to be released before a mayor is installed, but Ms Ellis said that is a conversation for after a mayoralty has been confirmed.
She added: “I understand why they might want to try to secure an agreement upfront, but I think they have lost that luxury – because positioning it like that suggests they are in the driving seat of this.
“I think what they should be saying is, ‘We’ll sign for a mayor, we’re committed’ – and then after that, working with MPs to say, ‘Okay, we’ve signed – the sensible thing to do now is give us an interim settlement so that we can start work'.
“Ultimately, it’s not the fault of our people and our places that different administrations locally have chosen not to push devolution at the earliest opportunity."
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