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People look set to be denied a vote into whether Coventry should join Birmingham in a combined authority.

A report by Coventry City Council officers, due to be reviewed by the authority’s cabinet on June 17, concludes that a referendum would not be feasible.

It states that there is not enough time to give residents a vote on the issue, that it would be too costly and that questions on the voting form would be too complex.

Officers estimate a poll on the issue could cost £150,000 via a postal vote system, with online and telephone responses possible, or up to £500,000 for a full referendum.

Insistence that a vote would be too expensive to organise comes despite the council recently signing off a budget of up to £250,000 to “engage” with residents over the issue of a combined authority.

The news comes in the wake of strong public opposition to Coventry joining forces with Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull in a combined authority in a bid to secure more spending powers from central government.

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Many fear such a set up would see Birmingham overshadow other areas and more than 3,500 people had already signed a petition calling on the council to offer residents in Coventry a vote on the issue.

The Labour group, which controls Coventry council, prefers a partnership with Hinckley and Bosworth and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull and the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership areas along with Warwickshire.

But two Warwickshire council leaders have already publicly stated they prefer a combined authority set up away from Birmingham.

The Conservative group in Coventry prefers an alliance with Warwickshire and had also called for a referendum on the issue.

Coventry City Council now insists it will still engage with residents on the issue through a series of drop-in sessions.

In a statement issued this evening, Coun Ann Lucas, Labour leader of Coventry City Council, said: "It’s really important that people have as much information as possible about what a combined authority really means.

"People have told me they don’t want us to be part of Birmingham, or for Coventry to lose its identity.

"Neither do I, and as an equal partner in a West Midlands combined authority it simply won’t happen.

"Coventry will always be a proud city, with its own identity, boundaries and ambitions. None of that changes.

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"Just as Coventry has strong links with Birmingham and other Midlands cities where we’ve worked together on issues like transport for many years, we also work closely with Warwickshire County Council and hope they, and district councils across the county, join us and reap the benefits of a combined authority, and talks are continuing.

"The government has made it clear we have to move at speed on this issue if we’re not going to fall behind the rest of the country, so we haven’t had the time to explain the details as fully as we would have liked.

"That work needs to start in earnest over the next few weeks so we can start to allay peoples’ fears about a Birmingham takeover.

"The answer isn’t a referendum – the Chancellor has made it clear we don’t need one and it would be difficult and expensive to organise in the time allowed to us to consult Coventry people.

"But the engagement programme we’re proposing will see us do far more here than will be taking place in other areas. It will give us the opportunity to listen to peoples’ views and talk to them about combined authorities."

Cabinet are set to approve the report at their meeting on June 17 – and a debate on the combined authority will take place at full council on July 14.