Conservatives drive East Devon contribution to devolution bid
The Conservative Group on East Devon District Council has given its full backing to a proposed bid to establish a Heart Of The South West ‘powerhouse’.
If successful, the HOTSW bid would create a powerful partnership between local authorities in Devon and Somerset, building on benefits from recent collaboration, and working with Government to exploit economic opportunities of truly global significance.
Pushing ahead with the process to submit a joint bid to the Government before Christmas was approved unanimously by EDDC’s Cabinet last night (Wednesday 2 December).
The Conservative Group are pleased that there was unanimous cross-party support from a joint meeting of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees earlier in the afternoon*. A great deal of groundwork has already been done, but discussions must now take place urgently in order to finalise the joint bid before the deadline of 18 December.
The Cabinet decision gives EDDC’s Chief Executive a mandate to pursue the pre-bid process with fellow council CEOs across both counties for an area currently served by the existing Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). It also delegates authority to Council Leader Paul Diviani to sign the agreed joint bid on behalf of EDDC.
There will be an opportunity for an all-party discussion of the proposed bid at a meeting of Full Council on 16 December.
A successful HOTSW bid would be one of a number of deals done by English regions working with Government to meet the many public sector challenges facing local authorities around the country.
As part of the Government’s devolution agenda, the South West deal could help to deliver a number of vital outcomes, including a massive increase in prosperity and economic growth, 163,000 new jobs, 179,000 new homes, as well as tackling challenges such as rising health and social care costs and an ageing population.
The bid would revolve around three economic power bases in the area: Greater Plymouth; Greater Exeter; and Bridgwater/Hinkley Point/Taunton.
Work in the run-up to submitting the bid will revolve around four main themes:
Productivity and economic growth
Health, social care and wellbeing
Improved connectivity and resilience
Governance
The last of these is possibly the most critical, as it involves reaching agreement locally on the creation of control mechanisms to effectively represent the interests of each local authority and, within that, each community, both urban and rural, inland and coastal.
Putting his personal backing behind the bid, EDDC Leader Paul Diviani said: “The Heart Of The South West is home to economic opportunities of global significance, including new nuclear, environmental science, marine industry and aerospace. Yet these once-in-a-generation opportunities may pass us by unless we deliver what our workforce and businesses need to expand and grow.
“We have already achieved much together and we can do even more through greater collaboration, greater efficiency, simplified communications and relationships, greater freedom and flexibility, with decision-making controlled and delivered locally.
“Devolution to the Heart Of The South West area must be built on principles that we can all sign up to. It’s essential that local authority partners, other public sector and commercial stakeholders and Government share a common approach and are clear how to proceed. That’s why we’ve drafted some key principles, central to our approach to devolution”.
These include:
A politically led process, working with the LEP
Equal voice for all the local authorities involved
A pragmatic, mutually supportive approach
Gaining new powers that will deliver benefits for all
Avoiding extra layers of bureaucracy
Cost-effective solutions, pursuing fiscal neutrality.
Paul Diviani continued: “Devolving the powers and resources to those best able to tackle our challenges and maximise our opportunities will release the productivity, competitiveness and growth that we and the nation need.
“We also want to focus on keeping people healthy, increase our contribution to the national economy, accelerate housing delivery and respond to environmental challenges, balancing protection of the environment with sensitive investment.
“We are signalling our offer to contribute more to the nation’s economic success and become the Heart Of The South West Powerhouse”.
