£4.2bn devolution deal: Northumberland County Council consults the public

Northumberland County Council is hosting a public event about the region’s devolution deal. It is one of a series of regional consultation events following the announcement of a £4.2bn devolution deal.

The public consultation will give people across the North East a chance to understand how the proposed devolution deal from government could be implemented and have their say.

Northumberland’s event takes place on Wednesday February 15 from 4pm to 6pm at St James’ Church, Pottergate, Alnwick NE66 1JW. It will be attended by senior councillors and officers from the Council. Residents and businesses are invited to hear a presentation, followed by a Question and Answers session.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, commented: “The North East devolution deal provides us with a unique opportunity to bring billions of pounds of investment to the region.

“We have successfully negotiated a proposed deal which is a significant step towards securing important decision-making powers and investment for our region. This would allow us to make decisions that reflect local needs and invest wisely into projects that will make a difference for all our residents, communities, and local economy.

“We want to hear from people across Northumberland to move the deal to the next stage and I’d encourage residents and businesses to get involved with the process as we want to listen carefully to your views.”

The cabinets of the seven North East local authorities have agreed the terms and process for the ‘minded to’ devolution deal. The consultation, which runs until March 23, gives residents and businesses an opportunity to consider and comment on the proposed scheme, centred on the plan that sets out how devolution would be implemented.

As well as multi-billion-pound investment into the region, the deal would see significant powers transferred to the North East from central government. Residents, businesses, and other stakeholders can give their feedback online or by attending a number of face-to-face and virtual events taking place across the North East.

At the end of the consultation period a report will be brought back to each Cabinet and a summary of the consultation responses and any proposed submissions on behalf of the Councils will be sent to the Secretary of State to consider before laying an order in parliament.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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