The Devolution Revolution: Why Devon should embrace its potential

By Jon Roberts, regional lead partner for Grant Thornton’s public sector team in the South West

It has now become clear that the Government is very serious about devolution and wants to see more powers handed to the regions over the course of the current Parliament.

And, according to research by Grant Thornton, business leaders across the country are very much in favour of George Osborne’s so-called “devolution revolution”, with 95 per cent believing that devolving powers from Whitehall would bring real economic gains to places such as the South West.

There is no doubt that Devon has been overlooked in the past in contrast to some of the other major regions across the UK. And if the Government is true to its word there will be some fantastic opportunities on offer in the very near future.

David Cameron and George Osborne have given their personal backing to devolution but they will want to see results. The point of the exercise is to give the regions the tools and the powers needed to create more jobs and attract inward investment.

That means that each and every region will have to come up with proposals which make financial and economic sense.

Other regions have discovered that an ambitious grab for extra powers without any real desire or plans to boost the local economy will simply not get the backing of the Government.

There has to be a strong sense of purpose and added to that Devon will also have to address the difficult issue of local identity.

Progress is already being made elsewhere in the South West. Cornwall has agreed a devolution deal with the Government and councils around Bristol are already working on their own bid. Recently other council leaders in the region have agreed to work together on an expression of interest for more devolved powers from Westminster.

However, at Grant Thornton we are encouraging local councils to come to a definitive position on devolution for their areas, ensuring they understand the agendas of the groups that it will impact and help it progress.

We are living in an increasingly competitive word where all the regions in the UK have to sell themselves to attract investors. The opportunities on offer as part of the devolution process are too good to be ignored. The South West has historically been one of the most underserved areas by the government so this is a chance for the region to achieve something towards building its own identity and creating a vibrant economy.