A public consultation over devolution plans for Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire has begun. It comes after leaders of Derbyshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Derby City Council, and Nottingham City Council all signed up to work on a devolution deal in August this year.
A devolution deal worth £1.14 billion could provide the region with a guaranteed income of £38 million per year over a 30-year period. Now, a public consultation is taking place from Monday November 14 until Monday January 9, 2023 in order that the public can have their say over the plans.
The consultation is open to residents, businesses, community and voluntary groups, and other organisations in the region.
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Since August the councils have been working on agreeing a more detailed proposal for consultation, which includes more information about how devolution would work. The four councils agreed to go ahead with a public consultation as the next step in the process, so everyone has the chance to give their views on the proposal.
David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “This deal has the potential to make a significant difference and local people would see the real benefits from the investment with more and better jobs, housing, training and much more.
“For too long this region hasn’t had the investment it needed and deserves - by working on a deal we can start to address this, but this is just the start, and I will make sure that we get our fair share and make the most of this funding.
“Importantly the deal would give us more control over our own area, where local people would have a say in the region’s priorities rather than decisions made in London. I look forward to hearing people’s views on the deal when the consultation launches.”
Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “It’s great news that we’re moving forward with devolution plans for Nottinghamshire and the wider area. I’m really pleased that we’re making progress with this.
“Devolution can bring real benefits for local people, as it has done in other parts of the country. It will mean more funding for our region, and the opportunity to have more meaningful decisions made here, near the people they affect, rather than in London, so they can be better tailored to local needs."
He added: “This is an opportunity to create jobs, boost our economy, enhance transport, build more and better homes, improve our environment, and more, and we need to grab it with both hands. I don’t want our area to miss out on a chance to improve things for everyone who lives and works here.
“Devolution can help us be more effective locally, make better use of public money, and most importantly, improve people’s lives. It would lay the groundwork for us to build on in the future, to benefit future generations. I’d encourage everyone to take part in the consultation and give us their views on the devolution deal.”
If the plans go ahead, it will mean a new regional mayor and it would create the first of a new type of combined authority for the two counties and cities, which requires new legislation from central government.
The new elected regional mayor would represent the whole area and the first election for a regional mayor for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire, would be in May 2024. The role of the mayor would be to look at major issues affecting the whole region, give the area a bigger voice, and take advantage of local knowledge and expertise.
The regional mayor would lead the new combined authority, which would also include representatives from local councils, with decision making powers and resources moving from London to the East Midlands. Local businesses would also have a voice, including other organisations.
As well as the £1.14 billion, devolution plans include an extra £16 million for new homes on brownfield land, and control over a range of budgets like the Adult Education Budget, which could be better tailored to the needs of people in East Midlands communities.
The devolution deal would not mean scrapping or merging local councils, which would all continue to exist as they do now and would still be responsible for most public services in the area. The mayor and combined authority would instead focus on wider issues like transport, regeneration, and employment across both cities and counties.
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