COUNCILS in Wiltshire and Swindon are talking to each other about whether they might work together.

But it’s fair to say both authorities are less than enthusiastic about merging.

Shortly after the general election, the new secretary of state for housing and local government Angela Rayner wrote to councils across the country, including Swindon’s and Wiltshire’s.

She said: “Westminster has hoarded power and held back towns, cities, and villages across the country from achieving their true potential.   

“I have seen first-hand the benefits of devolution, from better-integrated transport and publicly controlled buses to new skills programmes and good, affordable housing projects. But our ambitions go further.   

“We will devolve new powers over transport, skills, housing, planning and employment support.”  

But the government is keen to give these powers to larger areas than either Swindon Borough Council, or Wiltshire Council.

Ms Rayner said regional mayors, such as those in Greater Manchester or the Tees Vallery, would not be forced on areas, but she is in favour.  

She said: “We continue to believe that new devolution settlements should be tailored to sensible economic geographies so that local leaders can act at the scale needed to effectively deploy their powers.

"In the majority of cases that will require local authorities to come together in new combined or combined county authorities.  

“I encourage you to begin discussions with your neighbouring authorities on this basis.”  

Both Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council said they were having discussions, but both were cautious about merging.

Swindon Borough Council’s leader Councillor Jim Robbins said: “We welcome the approach from Angela Rayner and the new Labour government to move power towards local communities and are keen to understand the opportunities that this might bring to Swindon.   

 “We will be working with other local authorities to understand their position on devolution and exploring the options that are open to us.   

 “Before making any decisions, we will, of course, consult the people of Swindon.”   

Councillor Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “We value our partnership working with neighbouring authorities and there are projects and services we already provide where it is more effective that these are delivered in partnership.  

“We are supportive of devolution where it enhances services for residents, with decisions being made locally.

"However, we don’t think a mayoral system would be right for a large rural county, as this could weaken local democracy and lead to a ‘one size fits all’ approach for a diverse range of rural communities with their own needs and priorities.  

“We are having informal discussions with many neighbouring authorities about different possible options and once there are concrete proposals we will communicate these to residents and consult on any options which could be taken forward.   

“We look forward to receiving further detail from the government which will inform our discussions.”