Plans for an elected mayor in Cornwall could face a referendum in a bid to force the decision beyond county councillors.
A cross-party motion on the proposal will be debated by the council as the county revealed leader Linda Taylor was set to make a decision to accept a government devolution deal on a ‘minded to’ basis.
The council, which is already planning a public consultation on the move, claims the deal would be worth £390m to the county.
It comes after Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt used the Autumn Statement to reveal ministers had agreed a mayoral deal with Suffolk CC and were in talks with Cornwall, Norfolk and another council in the North East of England.
The Treasury claimed the deals would lead to half of England being covered by directly elected mayors with devolved powers.
Cornwall Council has previously failed to secure the Government’s backing for a devolution deal with the desired powers without introducing an elected mayor.
This article was originally published by The MJ (£).
