THE DEVOLUTION DEAL EXPLAINED:
THE North of Tyne has agreed a devolution deal with the Government which will see the introduction of an elected mayor and a whole raft of new powers for the region. It’s a big deal – this is the biggest change to how the region is run in decades and it comes with new powers and money. The announcement raises a lot of questions: When will we get a mayor? What will the new North of Tyne authority do? Will this create jobs and boost housing? It’s a complex deal but, by the time you finish reading this explainer, you’ll understand everything you need to know about it.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: WHAT DOES THIS DEVOLUTION DEAL CHANGE?
The North of Tyne devolution agreement will create a new combined authority comprising Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council and Northumberland County Council.
That sounds a bit dull but it’s actually a massive shake-up to how we’re governed and brings the North of Tyne into line with places such as Manchester and Liverpool which have already pressed ahead with devolution.
It won’t take powers away from councils, instead adopting powers which the region has never had.
Working alongside the three council leaders will be a North of Tyne mayor – an elected figure who will represent the new combined authority.
WHAT WILL THIS NEW NORTH OF TYNE COMBINED AUTHORITY (NTCA) AND MAYOR DO?
The Government have devolved a number of new powers to the NTCA, which are all about boosting the economy, building houses, getting people into work and improving education.
The detail is broken down in sections below but, in broad terms, the NTCA is all about tackling longterm issues such as the housing shortage and unemployment in a more joined-up way than has been possible before.
It will have substantial powers and responsibilities which, until now, have been exercised by government officials in Whitehall on our behalf.
THAT ALL SOUNDS LIKE IT’S GOING TO COST A LOT OF MONEY – WILL WE BE GETTING ANY?
Yes - the Government have agreed to provide £600m over 30 years, but the final sum could be a lot more. According to the Treasury, the deal will boost the local economy by £1.1bn and attract £2.1bn in private investment.
WILL THIS ALL BE SORTED OUT SOON?
Not exactly. The deal will have to go through a long process of being formally adopted and implemented and the NTCA won’t actually be set up until summer 2018.
WHEN WILL WE ELECT THE NEW MAYOR?
Elections for the new mayor of the North of Tyne will take place in May 2019. An interim mayor will be appointed in summer 2018 until then.
We don’t know who’s going to run yet but it promises to be one of the most interesting political races in years.
HOLD ON, WHY ARE NONE OF THE COUNCILS SOUTH OF THE TYNE INVOLVED?
In short, they didn’t want to be. There had been months of negotiations about a deal for all seven councils but those talks collapsed in 2016 because the other councils didn’t want to press ahead with it.
They felt the funding being offered wasn’t good enough and objected to the role of an elected mayor.
What South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead and Durham do in the future is up in the air, but residents of those places won’t get to vote for the new mayor.
But the North of Tyne council leaders say the deal is good news for the whole North East and think up to 25% of the 10,000 jobs created will actually be south of the Tyne.
WAIT – DON’T WE ALREADY HAVE A COMBINED AUTHORITY?
Kind of – we already have the North East Combined Authority but that doesn’t have a mayor or nearly as much power or funding.
Once the whole deal has been formally adopted by all the councils, the three North of Tyne councils will leave NECA and then it will be up to the other four councils south of the Tyne to decide what role the remainder of NECA will have.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO TRANSPORT?
The transport functions currently carried out by NECA, which are probably its most important feature, will be taken over by a new joint committee which will include the NTCA and the rest of the councils.