Mayor For Devon – Number 10 Plymouth?

MAYORAL MANIA IN THE WESTCOUNTRY

By Our Local Government Correspondent, Looe Back-and-Forth

As the great and the good of Whitehall prepare for the inevitable day that Greater Manchester’s King-Over-The-Water, Andy Burnham, finally packs his bags for Number 10 Downing Street, local grandees in Devon have hatched a characteristically modest plan to ensure they aren’t left behind in the devolution gravy train.

• A “Devonish” Devolution: Not content with a mere “Combined County Authority”—a phrase designed to put even the most caffeinated civil servant to sleep—local council chiefs are suddenly demanding a fully-fledged, directly elected Regional Mayor to rule over the fields, moors, and pasty shops of Devon.
• The New Seat of Power: In a bid to save the taxpayer millions in sign-writing costs—and to gently remind the future Prime Minister Burnham who really runs the country—visionaries have proposed that the new mayoral headquarters be situated in Britain’s true cultural capital.

STOP PRESS: THE NEW ADDRESS

Moving forward, all official correspondence regarding Devon’s transport, housing, and occasional arguments over cream tea etiquette should be addressed to: Number 10 Downing Street, Plymouth. (Please note: The Prime Minister’s cat, Larry, will not be relocating to the Hoe, though local seagulls have already applied for the position of Chief Mouser).

• Plymouth’s Strategic Pivot: While the city previously looked at the Devon devolution deal with the enthusiasm of a man handed a cold cup of tea, the prospect of having the Westcountry’s answer to the White House situated right on its doorstep has reportedly turned heads.

Whether the new Mayor of Devon will adopt a Burnham-style black North Face jacket to withstand the Plymouth drizzle remains to be seen.