We’re ambitious for our region and we believe devolution would bring power and investment that would benefit all parts of our region. It would allow us to make decisions on investing in the things that are important to our residents, communities and businesses, rather than decisions about our region and its almost 1 million residents being made in London.
We’re a successful region but we also face pressure in areas such as transport, skills and housing. We need affordable and convenient transport for residents in our rural areas and our towns, large and small; affordable homes in the right places, close to employment and services, and a workforce with the skills our businesses need.
A devolution agreement would help us meet some of these challenges. We know our region best and it would allow us to directly address issues that affect our residents and communities, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach from London.
People don’t live their lives according to council boundaries; they live, work, learn and spend time in different places, so a regional approach to improving things like skills shortages, housing and transport makes sense.
Devolution would give our region greater control over how we are governed and resourced. Working with the three council leaders, a regional Mayor will aim to promote more strategic and joined-up planning across the region.
