Time is running out for residents to have their say on plans to radically overhaul how local democracy works in Cheshire.

A public consultation is set to end in the coming weeks designed to gauge the views of local people on a devolution plan for Cheshire and Warrington.

If approved, it would see the both areas become part of a new 'mayoral combined authority'.

While people in Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Warrington – roughly 990,000 residents – would retain their own councils, the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority (CA) would function similar to CAs found in Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region.

It would act as an additional tier for local government, separate to each council with an elected mayor, with additional powers handed to it from Westminster.

Power over things like:

• Transport
• Environment and climate change
• Health, wellbeing and public sector reform
• Public safety
• Skills and employment support
• Housing and strategic planning
• Economic development and planning

The new CA would have an elected mayor, which residents would have to vote for in May next year.

The mayor would be the figurehead for the CA, representing it in talks with other regions and national Government, similar to how Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham currently do in their own respective devolved regions where they serve as 'metro mayors'.

The move came about after the Government published the English Devolution White Paper last December.

It set out plans to move power out of Westminster and back to local communities, ensuring that every part of England is covered by devolution.

This consultation runs until April 13 and seeks views from those who live and work across Cheshire and Warrington on the effect of establishing the new Mayoral Combined Authority.

The consultation can be found here.