MP hopes devolution will speed up major projects

A Berkshire MP hopes further devolution could lead to major projects being delivered, including a western rail link to Heathrow Airport from Reading and Slough.

The government announced on Monday it wants every English region to get a mayor as part of a major redesign of local government.

Reading Central MP Matt Rodda welcomed more local powers "over transport, housing and other important economic matters".

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said the government wants devolution to be the "default" and not "at the whim of a minister in Whitehall".

She said the UK was the "most centralised" country in Europe and pledged to end "micromanaging by central government".

Under the plans, mayors could get powers to manage rail networks and introduce London-style public transport, where buses, trains and trams are integrated into a single system.

Mr Rodda told the House of Commons that "many other strategic projects have been held up, such as a third bridge for Reading".

He and Slough MP Tan Dhesi have long been advocates of the £900m rail link between Reading and Heathrow, which the latter said could benefit 20% of the UK's population. It has been on hold since 2020.

A major plank of the government's plans could see district and county councils merged in an effort to streamline services.

But Berkshire would be unaffected in that respect because its six councils are unitary authorities and responsible for providing all services in their areas.

Wokingham MP Clive Jones, who led the council between 2022 and 2023, said his constituents would be "waiting to see" how the new plans might affect them.

"They will want to ensure that their voices are listened to if we are to be shuffled around, merged or abolished by Whitehall," he said.

"Importantly, they will want to know whether the government's plans will hit their wallets."

The former West Berkshire Council leader, Newbury MP Lee Dillon, said councils were "clearly on their knees".

He urged local government minister Jim McMahon that "not a penny of councils' budgets" would be spent on any possible reorganisation.

Mr McMahon said the focus would be "about partnership, about tone and how we can work together".

The government said the parts of the country it was prioritising for devolution would be revealed in due course, with the aim of holding mayoral elections in those areas in May 2026.

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