Proposal for a devolved East Anglia

A proposal for a devolved East Anglia features in the HM Treasury's report* of the budget presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday by George Osborne:

"This government is fundamentally changing the way the country is run, rebalancing the economy for the next generation through a devolution revolution. Local leaders are taking on radical new powers and responsibility for driving local growth through historic devolution deals, retention of business rates and further targeted investment in response to local priorities."

and:

"The government has agreed a mayoral devolution deal with East Anglia, covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, giving the local area new powers over transport, planning, skills, a £900 million investment fund over 30 years to grow the local economy, and access to £175 million ringfenced funding to deliver new homes."

The Liberal Democrats are, generally speaking, in favour of the decentralisation of power away from Whitehall and into more local control, but we are not comfortable with the concentration of power in a single individual such as a regional mayor. The East Anglian devolution plan will undoubtedly include Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as well, which raises further questions about representation since LEPs are non-elected bodies -- but LEPs do nonetheless offer the opportunity for potentially fruitful collaboration. Indeed, the Liberal Democrat manifesto for the last general election stated our intention to "stimulate local economies, working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to improve their effectiveness and coordination"**.

LEPs already exist, but it seems reasonable to assume that some regional reorganisation will need to take place if the devolution proposal goes ahead. The New Anglia LEP currently covers Norfolk and Suffolk, while the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Partnership covers the other areas proposed for inclusion in the new devolution arrangement. These two LEPs, amongst their other responsibilities, have developed strategic plans for using the money that the region receives from the EU's European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund and Rural Development Fund.

The BBC suggests*** that although the proposal has yet to be ratified by the twenty-two councils involved (Cambridge City Council reportedly being opposed to the idea), the first mayoral election for a devolved East Anglia could take place as early as next year.

Sources:

*https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508193/HMT_Budget_2016_Web_Accessible.pdf [accessed 18 March 2016]

** https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/libdems/pages/8907/attachments/original/1429028133/Liberal_Democrat_General_Election_Manifesto_2015.pdf [p.26, accessed 18 March 2016]

***http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-suffolk-35635252 [accessed 18 March 2016]