Devolution deals for Norfolk and Suffolk have been scrapped, followed by the inevitable anger from some and no doubt relief from others. As a former Mayor who is neither from Suffolk or Norfolk, it always seemed to me that the county-based devolution deals lacked ambition and were actually a poor deal for the residents and businesses of East Anglia. The new government has decided that a fresh approach is needed, a directly elected Mayor who can be more independent and slightly removed from party politics, and I think this is the right way forward.
Change in local government is always difficult. Councillors are often bewilderingly loyal to their particular authority, sometimes forgetting that they are elected to serve the people rather than the council. Make no mistake, devolution is local government reform by the back door. And there is always opposition to reform. I believe the scrapping of these deals offers a huge opportunity for the East of England, a chance to really put the region on the map. In 2016 there was a devolution deal on the table for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. I was part of those negotiations and the failure to sign off on that deal has negatively impacted our region ever since. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has been able to invest significantly into the Cambridgeshire economy, but it is difficult for the region, with just one Mayor, to make its voice heard against larger city-regions that have the ear of government.
Leaders in Norfolk and Suffolk should see the shelving of their deals as an opportunity to be bold and work together to forge a combined deal. No business in the east operates purely on county lines. In fact, Norfolk and Suffolk contains no less than seven different self-contained travel to work areas, that cross district and county. Local authorities should look at how much stronger these local economies could be together with a single Mayor. The east has always been overlooked by Westminster but by working together the councils of the region could and should put a deal to government that it would find difficult to turn down. East Anglia is home to 2.5m people and tens of thousands of businesses. These are the ones who are missing out as local and central government fail to settle on a deal. It is ten years since Greater Manchester agreed the first devolution deal. Every part of England, without a deal has fallen further behind. A single Mayor for East Anglia would be a significant force for business and the economy and would offer a strong voice to government, one that would be very, very difficult to ignore.
The new government has a gargantuan majority and a whole swathe of new Labour MPs in the East of England. I hope that they are bold when they return with new deals for Norfolk and Suffolk and other parts of the region. I also hope that the political leaders in the east can look beyond party politics and their loyalties to their individual councils and work together to present a devolution deal for the people and businesses of this great region. We deserve it.
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