January 2023
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This conference examined key developments in the devolution of powers to local authorities in England.
It was an opportunity to discuss the future direction of government policy on devolution, and the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, currently in Parliament, which includes:
- delegation of powers such as transport, housing and skills, with further functions for economic development
- different types of governance models, including a directly-elected Mayor, leader and Cabinet, or statutory board, each with varying levels of policy and financial autonomy
- democratic engagement, scrutiny and accountability within newly-devolved council governance
- funding and local government finance provisions for delivering public services in the region
It came with the agreement announced of a proposed new North East devolution deal, and also followed the recent announcement of Labour’s plans for political and economic devolution to move power away from central government.
Stakeholders and policymakers discussed next steps for implementation of devolution deals for local authorities as negotiations continue with Government - including the creation of a new governance model for combined county authorities, proposed as the County Deals approach put forward in the Levelling Up White Paper.
The conference was an opportunity to consider what can be learned from the successful devolution agreements for the East Midlands and York and North Yorkshire, both with proposals for the formation of an elected mayor position.
We expected discussion on the ongoing progress of negotiations for devolution deals, political and financial priorities for local government in this area, and the direction of wider government policy following the Government’s recommitment to the policy, as highlighted in the Autumn Statement.
Sessions in the agenda included:
- policy: priorities for devolution in England
- the Mayoral Combined County Authority model: implementation of regional government in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
- learning from metro mayors: tackling administrative and policy challenges for new authorities - establishing effective governance structures, scrutiny and budget responsibility - the future for devolution in the North East
- effective delivery in devolved authorities: public services - encouraging economic growth and investment - county-wide strategies - new responsibilities for policing - engagement with local stakeholders
- strategies, case studies and new County Deals:
- combined authority allocation of resources and tailoring investment to local priorities
- implementing existing strategies for local economic development in newly-combined authorities
- tackling emerging policy challenges for county and constituent district councils
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with Dehenna Davison MP, Minister for Levelling Up, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Councillor Ben Bradley MP, Leader, Nottinghamshire County Council; and Chair, County All-Party Parliamentary Group; Jamie Driscoll, Metro Mayor, North of Tyne Combined Authority; Councillor Tim Oliver, Leader, Surrey County Council; and Chairman, County Councils Network; and Chris Starkie, Chief Executive, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside policy officials who attended from DLUHC; BEIS; Defra; DfT; DIT; Department for the Economy, NI; Home Office; IPO; NIC; and the Welsh Government - as well as parliamentary pass holders from the House of Commons.
