Member

It is important to get to the heart of what devolution is all about. No matter what some people have said during the past 10 months or so, it is not political. It is not about me or my colleagues, or the local Conservative and Reform parties, which have vocally opposed devolution for political brownie points and who often use demeaning language and spread disinformation about their neighbours, especially Stoke. It is about our children and grandchildren, not the next electoral cycle. It is not about the next five years but the next 50 years. It is about being able to plan for a sustainable and investable local public transport system. It is about properly planning for the houses that we need, where we need them and for the people who need them—the young couples, young families and older people who need more suitable options.