RESIDENTS in Somerset will be asked to vote in 18 months’ time on a mayor to rule over the county in a newly-formed Wessex region.

Somerset Council is taking the county into a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Wessex without any public referendum on the issue and said it could attract £460 million annually of devolved Government funding.

The mayoral authority combines Somerset with Dorset, Wiltshire, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils.

People in all four areas will vote in May, 2028, to elect a Wessex mayor who could hold powers over transport, housing, skills, strategic planning, economic development, the environment, aspects of health and public safety, policing, and major planning applications.

Prime minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey have supported the move

Somerset Council leader Liberal Democrat Cllr Bill Revans said: “We had confirmation the Wessex devolution proposal is going ahead, subject to consultation and a formal Government announcement.

“The expectation is the local authority will be set up next year and mayoral elections for the new mayor of Wessex will take place in May, 2028.

“This is incredibly good news for this region.

“It will bring in significant inward investment.

“This is a significant vote of confidence in our region and recognition that decisions affecting local people are best made closer to the communities they serve.”

Conservative opposition group leader Cllr Diogo Rodrigues gave the Wessex mayoralty a ‘cautious welcome’.

Cllr Rodrigues said: “I have reservations about whether creating yet another layer of bureaucracy will deliver any real benefits for the people of Somerset.

“However, if devolution means bringing investment and additional funding into our county, then I am prepared to support it.

“What matters to me is that Somerset gets its fair share of funding and that any new authority delivers genuine improvements for our residents and businesses, rather than simply creating more politicians and bureaucracy.”