New 'County Deals' to devolve capacity to local neighborhoods
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to empower strong local leaders if you take a more flexible approach to devolution, with new ‘County Deals’.
Ahead of the publication from the White Paper within the Autumn, which will include more details on the government’s approach, the Prime Minister used an address in Coventry to announce a series of interventions to assist deliver the purpose of levelling in the UK.
The headline was the announcement of recent ‘County Deals’ to take devolution beyond the largest cities, providing the remainder of England exactly the same powers metro mayors have gained over things like transport, skills and economic support.
County Deals will be bespoke towards the needs of individual places, bringing decisions nearer to people and places, potentially allowing more places to profit from strong, high profile local champions. County Deals will give places the tools they have to pilot new ideas, create jobs, drive growth and improve public services.
The Pm said that he desired to create ‘new deals’ for county areas, because there was ‘no reason why our great counties cannot take advantage of the same powers as we have devolved to city leaders’. He promised a flexible approach to deals, such as the option for a directly elected mayor, but said there was no ‘one size fits all’ template.
Martin Hill, Devolution and Levelling-Up Spokesperson for that County Councils Network, said: “Counties contain some of the most prosperous places in England, but they're also the place to find a few of the least socially mobile and deprived communities in the united states, whilst others play host to isolated and rural coastal communities or former manufacturing towns.
“That’s why the County Councils Network has led calls for levelling up and devolution to reach all corners of England, and we strongly welcome the best Minister’s speech today. His resolve for devolution to counties recognises the significance of our places, and also the have to empower local leaders to ensure that you provide the levelling up agenda.
“Local areas should be able to decide the most appropriate devolution arrangements for counties, and ministers must generate a flexible approach through the forthcoming Levelling-Up White Paper. Levelling-up the left-behind areas in counties are only able to be performed if county councils and unitary authorities, dealing with their partners, receive exactly the same devolved powers as cities and are make the driving seat of delivering change and we're pleased this looks firmly on the table.”
