£900m Sheffield City Region devolution deal seeks views of residents and businesses

Businesses and residents are now being urged by the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority and LEP to debate on the £900m Sheffield City Region Devolution Deal with Government.

The six week consultation on the proposed devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region began on Wednesday 2 December.

The deal, which will mean £900m of additional funding and more power to make important economic decisions locally, has been welcomed by business and political leaders from across the Sheffield City Region.

Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, said: “We’re asking residents and businesses to have their say on our proposed deal with Government. We know that business growth and better job opportunities are issues that people really care about and that’s why we’re encouraging as many people as possible to take part.”

This deal is ultimately based on our belief that decisions that impact on local people will be better made by local leaders, who live and work locally, rather than by civil servants and Ministers in London.“

James Newman, Chairman of the Sheffield City Region LEP, added: “The LEP’s success means that local business leaders now have an increasingly important part to play in creating stronger local economic growth in Sheffield City Region. This deal enables our local political and business leaders to take decision-making to the next level, making bigger and better local decisions over skills, business growth and infrastructure. I encourage anyone with an interest in expanding their businesses and creating job opportunities for local people to show their support for the deal by visiting our consultation website.”

In October 2015,politicians and business leaders secured the in-principle deal with the Chancellor George Osborneto transfer national powers and control over funding from national Government departments to the Sheffield City Region – as well as securing a £900m additional cash boost over the next thirty years to deliver major regeneration, infrastructure and business growth schemes.

The deal needs to be formally approved by each of the local Councils within the Sheffield City Region, which is comprised of the nine local authority areas of Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, Doncaster, North East Derbyshire, Rotherham and Sheffield.

This significant deal will also allow Sheffield City Region to build on some of its world class assets, including the Sheffield and Rotherham based Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, aligning the new Doncaster-based National College for High Speed Rail with the new Institutes of Technology, major town centre improvement plans in Barnsley and the Enterprise Zones across the whole City Region.

The deal covers a range of themes including transport, skills, creating new jobs, inward investment and support to help local businesses export as well as committing to working with Government on new ways to incentivise local growth.