Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Combined Authority's board has
approved making a formal application to
Government for the highest tier of devolution
powers.
Established Mayoral Strategic
Authority (EMSA) status
would give the Combined
Authority access to the broadest range
of devolved powers under the new English
Devolution and Community Empowerment Act. This status
would open up access to an integrated settlement,
which is a block funding deal with Government
giving certainty and flexibility over many
years on how existing funding is used to meet
local priorities.
Better funding and more powers would
enable the Combined Authority to further improve local transport,
infrastructure, skills, and housing delivery to support Mayor of
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow's ambition to triple
the size of the economy by 2050. The right to request' further
devolution powers for the region, which would come as
part of EMSA status, would also support the ambition of
local growth.
will
now write to the Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government to explain how the Combined
Authority meets the eligibility criteria for the
status and how it will help deliver
the economic targets set in the Local Growth
Plan. The Combined
Authority Board agreed making the application for EMSA status at
its meeting today (July 15).
The application will also set
out evidence of delivery required by
Government by referencing three
major programmes. The Combined
Authority's successful Government Gateway
Review this
summer, which unlocked £100m
of funding, is a strong endorsement from
Government that the Combined Authority is
meeting high standards of
delivery and further strengthens the
application.
ARU Peterborough is an
example of the Combined Authority's ability to
deliver. Opening in 2022 and breaking down barriers
to accessing higher education in Peterborough and
surrounding areas, the Combined Authority worked with ARU
and the city council to deliver an
employment-focused university which had been a
long-held ambition for the
city.
said: EMSA status
will be a huge step forward for the Combined Authority. It will
give us greater powers to deliver for the communities which we
serve, to make better decisions locally and give us the
power to drive local growth.
Growing the economy is at the heart of
my Local Growth Plan, which aims to make residents healthier,
wealthier and happier, and this will help us deliver on
that.
