GLOUCESTERSHIRE has submitted a bid to take greater control of its public services.

The statement of intent document, We are Gloucestershire, was sent to government Ministers last week, setting out what the county is asking for as part of the bill of devolution.

Devolution would allow Gloucestershire to have responsibility for public services based on what people need and want.

Partners across the county would have more say over social care and health spending, local transport networks, business rates, education and infrastructure.

The document has been developed by countywide partners ,Gloucestershire County Council, the six district councils in the county , GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

We are Gloucestershire states that the county’s boundary is shared by all partners involved, unlike many other areas asking for devolution, and says because of this it is perfectly situated and already making good progress in joint working.

Five areas that the partners would like to focus on and take more responsibility for are included in the document.

The areas are economy, skills and employment, planning, transport and infrastructure, health and social care, community safety and collective decision making and accountability.

Nick Parsons, deputy leader of Cotswold District Council, said: “This bid has our full support because it would bring more decision-making and control across many important issues closer to the local level. We have already enjoyed considerable success through joint working partnerships with other councils and related organisations, and this reinforces our view that devolving a range of central government responsibilities to Gloucestershire authorities would be an excellent means of obtaining better value for money while promoting greater efficiency.”

To see the full bid visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/devolution.