The proposed Devon & Torbay Devolution Deal

The public consultation finishes this coming Sunday 24th March

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The draft for the Devon and Torbay Devolution Deal was published in early February:

Why do we need a devolution deal?

Devon and Torbay is a special place with enormous potential in its businesses, people and places. But Devon and Torbay face challenges that impact productivity levels and the ability to grow:

• Productivity lags behind the UK average and requires an 30% increase to close the gap.
• Public spending per person has historically trailed the rest of the UK.
• Rural, urban and the coastal areas suffer from nationally significant levels of poverty.
• Social mobility and youth aspiration and progression are particular areas of concern.
• Young people are leaving the area due to a lack of available housing and attractive employment opportunities.
• There are significant challenges with skills and educational performance and pockets of nationally significant educational need.

We believe that our proposal for a Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority will help us address these challenges.

The public were asked to have their say – and the consultation finishes this coming Sunday 24th March:

A six-week public consultation has been launched on the draft proposal to create a Combined County Authority (CCA) for Devon and Torbay to oversee new powers and funding transferred from Government.

The ground-breaking devolution deal announced by Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young last month, proposes to create the CCA, which would be a formal partnership of elected members drawn from the councils of Devon and Torbay, including district councils, together with representatives from business and education.

People are being invited to have their say on how the CCA would work, the powers that it would have and the functions it would be responsible for. These include investment in local economic growth, delivering affordable housing, improving public transport, and meeting net zero ambitions.

The idea for the Combined County Authority was being fully explored some two years ago.

And this week the leader of East Devon District Council gave their response to the proposed Devolution Deal for Devon and Torbay:

Assessment of the Proposed Devolution Deal for Devon and Torbay

This letter provides East Devon District Council’s response to the proposed Devolution Deal for Devon and Torbay. The proposed Deal was discussed at Cabinet on the 28th February. This response captures the key points from this discussion and highlights areas that we wish to see strengthened as the proposals move forward. This is aligned with the issues and concerns identified across the network of Devon Districts.

Overall Support for Devolution

We welcome the potential of the proposed Devolution Deal as a positive step towards increased local control. The transfer of powers and resources from central government aligns with the principle of subsidiarity, allowing decisions to be made at the most appropriate level. We recognise the considerable time and effort that has been invested in to securing the offer of this Deal…

Conclusion

We believe the proposed Devolution Deal presents both opportunities and challenges. Our focus is on ensuring it strengthens local democracy and empowers effective decision-making at the most appropriate level. We look forward to engaging further in discussions to refine the details and maximise the benefits for Devon and Torbay.

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