New ‘County Deals’ to devolve power to local communities

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to empower strong local leaders by taking a more flexible approach to devolution, with new ‘County Deals’.

Ahead of the publication of the White Paper in the Autumn, which will include more details on the government’s approach, the Prime Minister used a speech in Coventry to announce a series of interventions to help deliver the aim of levelling up the UK.

The headline was the announcement of new ‘County Deals’ to take devolution beyond the largest cities, offering the rest of England the same powers metro mayors have gained over things like transport, skills and economic support.

County Deals will be bespoke to the needs of individual places, bringing decisions closer to people and places, potentially allowing more places to benefit from strong, high profile local champions. County Deals will give places the tools they need to pilot new ideas, create jobs, drive growth and improve public services.

The Prime Minister said that he wanted to create ‘new deals’ for county areas, as there was ‘no reason why our great counties cannot benefit from the same powers as we have devolved to city leaders’. He promised a flexible approach to deals, including the option for a directly elected mayor, but said there was no ‘one size fits all’ template.

Martin Hill, Devolution and Levelling-Up Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said: “Counties contain some of the most prosperous places in England, but they are also home to some of the least socially mobile and deprived communities in the country, whilst others play host to isolated and rural coastal communities or former manufacturing towns.
 
“That’s why the County Councils Network has led calls for levelling up and devolution to reach all four corners of England, and we strongly welcome the Prime Minister’s speech today. His commitment to devolution to counties recognises the importance of our places, and the need to empower local leaders to successfully deliver the levelling up agenda.   
 
“Local areas should be able to decide the most appropriate devolution arrangements for counties, and ministers must deliver a flexible approach through the forthcoming Levelling-Up White Paper. Levelling-up the left-behind areas in counties can only be achieved if county councils and unitary authorities, working with their partners, are given the same devolved powers as urban areas and are put in the driving seat of delivering change and we are pleased that this looks firmly on the table.”