North East devo deal secures public backing
A LANDMARK £4bn devolution deal for the North East has the backing of the public, the results of an eight-week consultation have revealed.
Almost two-thirds of the people who shared their views of the historic deal, which will see a regional mayor elected next May, are in favour of the huge proposal going ahead. The results will come as a relief to leaders who have spent years trying to agree a devolution package to unite the North East, especially having seen Cornwall recently abandon its mayoral deal following local opposition.
A proposed North East Mayoral Combined Authority will cover County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland, bringing with it billions of pounds worth of investment and new decision-making powers.
The results of the public consultation, which was not binding and had 3,235 responses, on the plans were published on Friday and showed majority backing for the broad principle of the mayor being created – 61.2% of people agreed, with 29.6% opposed, and 9.2% neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
However, it did not break down how people in each of the seven council areas were split on the devolution question. The Local Democracy Reporting Service has requested that data.
Supporters said that the plans “make sense” and welcomed the prospect of increased powers and a higher profile for the North East. There was also roughly two-thirds support for the mayor being handed major transport powers, with praise for the idea of creating a better integrated public transport network, as well as powers over housing, education and employment.
However, 230 responses identified a “lack of trust” – raising concerns over power being concentrated into the hands of a mayor and the new combined authority being “unaccountable”, while some people highlighted the North East’s ‘No’ vote in the 2004 regional assembly referendum.
Other criticisms included claims of creating an extra layer of bureaucracy and fears some areas would benefit more than others, particularly areas like Newcastle benefitting at the expense of rural communities and County Durham.
The aspect of the 30-year devolution deal that attracted the least support was the mayor’s financial powers, to which 52.9% of people agreed.
While some respondents said that financial decisions would be better made locally than in Whitehall, concerns were raised about potential council tax increases and unequal distribution of funds across the region.
The results were published on the day that the Labour Party opened its selection contest to choose a mayoral candidate – with that race set to be a battle between the current North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll and Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim Mcguinness.
Each of the seven local councils will now consider the findings, before they are sent to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove ahead of orders being laid in Parliament to establish the new combined authority.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the seven councils said the results “paint a clear picture of a united North East”.
They added: “This consultation has provided us with a significant amount of positive feedback, as well as lots of important considerations to take on board, to ensure the North East Mayoral Combined Authority delivers for the near two million people who call our region their home.
“We would like to thank everyone who took part for helping us to progress with this historic opportunity that has the potential to transform our region for the better.”
Demographic data showed that almost two-thirds of the consultation responses came from people aged 45 to 74, while 97.1% of respondents were white. More men responded than women and County Durham had the highest number of resident responses, with 834 compared to fewer than 400 in each of the other six areas.
The deal includes a £48m-peryear investment fund that has been hailed as the most generous in England. Should the agreement go ahead as planned, it will reunite authorities on either side of the Tyne, after a dramatic break-up.
Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside and County Durham pulled out of a previous devolution deal offered by the Government in 2016, prompting Newcastle, Northumberland, and North Tyneside to break away and form their own North of Tyne Combined Authority.