Queen's Speech December 2019 - English devolution

English devolution

“My government...will give communities more control over how investment is spent so that they can decide what is best for them.”

• ●  We are committed to levelling up powers and investment in the regions across England and allowing each part of the country to decide its own destiny.

• ●  This means proposals to transform this country with better infrastructure, better education, and better technology.

• ●  We will publish a White Paper setting out our strategy to unleash the potential of our regions, which will include plans for spending and local growth funding.

• ●  It will provide further information on our plans for full devolution across England, levelling up powers between Mayoral Combined Authorities, increasing the number of mayors and doing more devolution deals.

• ●  These increased powers and funding will mean more local democratic responsibility and accountability.

• ●  We remain committed to the Northern Powerhouse, Midlands Engine, and Western Gateway strategies.

  Key facts

• ●  All of the largest non-capital cities in the UK, with the exception of Bristol, are less productive than would be expected for their size and huge potential. They are also less productive compared to almost all similarly-sized European cities.

• ●  Evidence suggests areas with more integrated leadership, across a functional economic area, support higher rates of economic growth and higher rates of productivity when compared with areas with more fragmented governance.

• ●  37 per cent of residents in England, including almost 50 per cent in the North, are now served by city region mayors with powers and money to prioritise local issues.

• ●  We want to expand the benefits of devolution across England and put more trust in local people to choose what is best for their communities.

• ●  We have brought in a £3.6 billion Towns Fund for towns across England to level up our regions. In September we invited 100 places to develop proposals for a Town Deal. We will invest £500 million in new youth clubs and

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services, helping give young people a future. We have also announced the latest cultural capital programme in a century, which will see £250 million made available to support local libraries and regional museums.

• ●  We have established City Region Mayors across England and devolved key powers over transport, planning and skills. We want to do more devolution deals, level up powers, implement an effective funding model for Mayoral Combined Authorities and invest further in infrastructure.

• ●  By its completion in March 2021, the Local Growth Fund will have invested £12 billion in projects to boost jobs and growth across England.

• ●  EU structural funds contracting is expected to end in financial year 2020-21, with spend tailing off until 2023, but we want to build on this with a new replacement to ensure investment is targeted where it is needed most.

• ●  Growth Deals will be delivered with the Devolved Administrations.

• ●  The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will operate across the UK.

• ●  Some of the city and growth corridor policies will cross borders between England and Wales, and impact in Scotland.