The government have released their Levelling Up White Paper, which outlines plans for devolution. Nottinghamshire and Nottingham have been named as one of the first nine areas in England invited to seek a devolution deal.
Leaders of all the local councils in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire met in October 2021 and agreed on a joint vision for devolution in the area. The leaders are set to meet and discuss the options for the city and county and agree on the best way forward, before presenting their plans to the government.
Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Chairman of the City of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Economic Prosperity Committee (EPC) said: “We’re pleased that the Levelling Up White Paper has been published. It is an important document, and we need clear and decisive action to help level up our city and county.
“Before the publication, since setting out our joint vision for devolution, we have been working hard to pull plans together to tackle the challenges we all face through collaboration and strong leadership across all nine local councils in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We intend to publish these plans over the coming weeks and months.
“We believe we have a strong case, and we are happy to take up the government’s offer with further discussions about how we can negotiate a good devolution package, to bring much needed powers and resources to our local communities.
“Over the next few days, we will be carefully considering all the details as set out in the White Paper and then holding discussions with the government, who clearly recognise the potential of our joined-up approach.”