Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet has endorsed the proposed devolution of powers and functions from central government, agreeing to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to signal their readiness for further discussions. The EOI, designed to position the region for early consideration in the next wave of the Devolution Programme, is an initial invitation to government and not a final decision on establishing a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA). A further report will be presented to the cabinet before any final decision is made regarding the creation of an MSA.

Devolution for Oxfordshire

The cabinet approved recommendations to endorse the benefits of devolution and to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the government, signalling the council's interest in participating in the next phase of the Devolution Programme. This move is seen as an opportunity to drive economic growth, improve public services, and provide strategic leadership in areas like economic growth, sustainability, planning, skills, employment, and transport.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, emphasised that the EOI is an initial step to open discussions with the government and does not commit the council to establishing a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA). The council aims to understand the government's requirements and expectations before making any final decisions.

The report presented to the cabinet highlighted that becoming an MSA could provide the support network needed for the innovation eco-system that drives economic growth, sustainability, and prosperity in the region. It noted that the Thames Valley economy, while dynamic and globally connected, faces challenges such as underinvestment, infrastructure constraints, and uneven growth across localities.

The EOI emphasises the region's strengths in innovation and productivity, highlighting that the region has national or international excellence in at least five of the eight key business sectors identified in the Modern Industrial Strategy¹. It also commits to collaborative governance across constituent councils and strategic powers and funding over transport, skills, housing, and economic development.

The next steps in the process include:

• Submitting the EOI to the government.
• Ongoing governance and oversight via the Devolution Board.
• Building the proposal through regular engagement and agreeing on the geography and scale of the MSA.
• Stakeholder engagement with residents, businesses, and public sector partners.
• Finalising the proposal with further decisions made by the cabinet.

The cabinet was informed that the government intends for all of England to be devolved and is committed to ending the deals-based approach. The government may directly create Strategic Authorities in areas where local leaders cannot agree on how to access devolved powers.

The Public Reports Pack also noted that Oxfordshire County Council has already committed £10 million from earmarked reserves towards the cost of local government reform and devolution, with a portion of this allocated specifically for devolution-related expenses.