The North East has secured a trailblazer devolution deal that could provide a package of new funding potentially worth more than £100m, chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced in his Budget.
Hunt’s announcement comes ahead of the election in May of a mayor for the expanded North East region.
It comes after trailblazer deals with the West Midlands and Greater Manchester committed the Government to confirming a single financial settlement for the two regions in the next Spending Review.
Local government secretary Michael Gove recently announced West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool city region will all receive level four devolved powers, which will act as a ‘stepping stone to the full trailblazer-style single settlement’.
Hunt also revealed level two devolution deals for Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire and Surrey, giving the counties powers over adult education and infrastructure.
Spokesperson for the County Councils’ Network, Phillippa Williamson, said the announcement represented ‘another crucial milestone in the devolution agenda’.
Director of the IPPR North think-tank, Zoe Billingham, described the devolution deals as ‘modest steps forward’ while local and devolved government leader at consultancy PwC, Justin Martin, called for a ‘more wholescale devolution of power’.
Shadow communities secretary Angela Rayner has promised to go ‘further and faster’ on devolution if elected to Government.
This article first appeared on themj.co.uk.
