County's new devolution vision includes mayor

Current plans - agreed by Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool Councils - do not require a mayor

The government is keen to see Lancashire get an elected mayor as part of any devolution deal, an MP has said.

Blackpool South Labour MP Chris Webb said he has met with local government minister Jim McMahon to discuss the next steps for a settlement, after the provisional agreement with the previous Conservative administration was left in limbo by Labour's victory at the general election.

Blackpool South Labour MP Chris Webb said he believed a "significantly better deal" was possible for Lancashire if it agreed to an Andy Burnham-style figurehead.

He said the arrangement would leave the county "hundreds of millions" of pounds better off than under the one currently proposed.

Blackpool South Labour MP Chris Webb said he believed a "significantly better deal" is possible for Lancashire

Mr McMahon will meet a group of Lancashire MPs in the coming days to discuss their devolution vision.

The creation of an elected mayor would entitle Lancashire to the highest of three levels of possible devolution deal.

However, the prospect of an all-powerful individual to oversee the extra cash and responsibility that would come with such an agreement has divided the county's 15 local authorities for the eight years that they have been struggling to reach a consensus over devolution, both with each other and the government of the day.

It was for that reason that the three so-called top-tier authorities, Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council, last year struck a level 2 deal with the then Tory administration.

The agreement did not require a mayor – but consequently came with fewer powers and less money than would have been on the table under level 3.

'No-brainer for Lancashire'

Mr Webb said it was now time to put past disagreements aside along with the county's provisional deal, whose implementation was halted by the snap election and "look at what’s best for Lancashire".

"Significant powers [and] significant resources are going to be on offer for those with metro mayors and so, for me, this is a no-brainer for Lancashire and I'm urging all leaders to get behind this," he said.

Acknowledging the hard work that had gone into securing the level 2 deal, which included a one-off £20m boost for "innovation led growth", he added: "We've now got an opportunity – with a new government – to get a much better deal.

"It's not going to be a few million [more] you're going to be talking hundreds of millions difference, from what I'm hearing."

In a recent letter to local leaders across the country, deputy prime minister and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said the new government would "not force places to take on a metro mayor", but would also "not shy away from making the case for their huge advantages, with some powers continuing to be reserved for institutions with directly elected leaders, such as mayoral combined authorities".