This evening (07th December 2023) at an Extraordinary Council meeting, Nottingham City Council agreed to government legislation establishing the East Midlands Combined County Authority with the inaugural mayor being elected on 02nd May 2024.
This is a landmark day for Nottingham, a devolved authority will mean greater funding for the region and city, an estimated £4 billion for the city and region.
This is about working with our neighbouring authorities to do what is best for the people we serve: to secure funding for more jobs and skills, more homes, and to further improve our transport infrastructure and the environment.
Devolution helps to address historic underinvestment in the East Midlands. It will mean:
• A £1.14 billion devolved investment fund for our region – at least £38 million per year over 30 years
• Plus a brand-new City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement of over £1.5bn
• Devolution of Adult Education Budget to improve local skills worth approximately £50m per year.
• Significant additional funding – £18m early investment into the area on housing and Net Zero, £17 million for the building of new homes on brownfield land, and new funding for capacity building as we establish the new authority.
Nottingham has been struggling financially. The government has slashed our budgets and hollowed out local government via over a decade of austerity. While rising cost of homelessness and caring for adults and children have caused us to issue a Section 114.
This week, more councils – both Labour and Conservative – have written to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities warning that they too face a financial crisis.
For too long we have been left behind by this government and not had the investment we need and deserve in Nottingham.
Devolution is a chance to readdress this. The government makes more funding available via devolution, and now Nottingham and the East Midlands in general will have a seat at the table.
This deal will include a regional mayor. The inaugural mayoral election will take place on 2 May 2024.
Claire Ward has been selected as the Labour candidate. Nottingham Labour know that she will be an outstanding mayor and a champion for people across the region.
The Conservative candidate Ben Bradley will not serve the interests of the region and city. He is more interested in making up stories about ULEZ in Nottingham and creating imaginary victories than he is representing the people of Mansfield as MP or in leading Nottinghamshire County Council. Frankly it is amazing he has time to be a candidate, alongside those two jobs.
13 years of austerity have hurt our city and our citizens. Each year, less money flows into Nottingham from the government.
This devolution deal will start to address that – and hopefully when this new combined authority comes into being in Spring next year, it will very soon be followed by a Labour Government who can begin the work of undoing years of cuts, years of austerity and years of financial hardship for councils and citizens alike.