Last chance for Hucknall residents to have their say on devolution plans

Hucknall residents have until Monday (9 January) to have their say on devolution plans for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Derby, and Nottingham.

The public consultation will end next week, and so far, there have been thousands of responses, with more expected before the closing date.

The consultation, which opened on Monday 14 November, is an opportunity for everyone in the area to have their say about devolution proposals. It is open to residents, businesses, community and voluntary groups, and other organisations in the region.

The four councils are urging everyone in the area to have their say on the proposals before the consultation closes.

The leaders of Derbyshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Derby City Council, and Nottingham City Council all signed up to work on a devolution deal on Tuesday 30 August this year at Rolls Royce in Derby, following an announcement from the Government that a package of new powers and funding, worth £1.14 billion, were available for the two counties and two cities.

Since August the councils worked on agreeing a more detailed proposal for the consultation, which includes more information about how devolution would work in the local area.

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.

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.

"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."

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."

Devolution would provide the region with a guaranteed income stream of £38 million per year over a 30-year period, and would cover around 2.2 million people, making it one of the biggest devolved areas in the country.

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 two cities, which requires new legislation from central government.

The new elected regional mayor, like those who are already in place in other areas, would represent the whole area. 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.

As well as the £1.14billion, devolution plans include an extra £16million for new homes on brownfield land, and control over a range of budgets like the Adult Education Budget, which could be tailored to the needs of local people.

The four councils sent initial proposals to negotiate a combined devolution deal back in March 2022, after being named as pathfinder areas by the Government in February and then being invited to apply for a devolution deal.

If the devolution deal is formally approved, the Government would pass legislation bringing a new combined authority for the East Midlands into existence. The first election for a regional mayor for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire, would then be in May 2024.

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, as well as other organisations.

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.

More information about the consultation, and a link to the online survey can be found by clicking here.