North Northamptonshire Council to pursue fast-track South Midlands devolution bid
Your council10 January 2025
Following an extraordinary meeting of Full Council last night – today North Northamptonshire Council will submit an expression of interest to pursue proposals to work with other South Midlands authorities on a devolution bid.
Councillors agreed that the Council should join the Government’s priority programme for devolution for a new strategic mayoral authority covering North Northamptonshire, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes and West Northamptonshire.
Any Council is able to submit an expression of interest and proposal for strategic mayoral authority area, although regions that demonstrate a strong and united approach to devolution are expected to be prioritised by the Government.
I strongly believe that it’s important that we support devolution. Being part of the South Midlands Authorities bid is essential in delivering the best for our residents and businesses and how we can create the conditions to bring increased prosperity to our region.Jason Smithers, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council
This is a very exciting time to be working collaboratively with neighbouring unitary councils and the move towards devolution fits perfectly with our BIG50 aspirations to create a proactive, proud and prosperous area for all of us.
The six South Midlands authorities already have a strong history of working together to drive economic growth.
Building on this will only bring more benefits to all of our communities through a devolution deal that council attract millions of pounds of additional investment.
Working collaboratively on this is essential if we aren’t to miss out on this landmark opportunity.
Devolution is used to describe the transfer of powers from national to local government and in places with a regionally-elected mayor, this also means the transfer of significant investment to drive new infrastructure, jobs and growth.
The proposal covering the six authority areas meets all the requirements, set out by the Government in the Devolution White Paper published last month, for the creation a strategic mayoral authority.
In September 2024, North Northamptonshire Council along with Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Luton and West Northamptonshire councils, submitted an expression of interest for creating a non-mayoral combined authority based on the South Midlands geography.
However the Devolution white paper published in December made clear it expected all areas to be covered by a mayor and to be part of the Devolution Priority Programme.
A strategic mayoral authority is led by a regionally-elected mayor, which is entirely different to civic and ceremonial mayors at town councils and has enhanced powers and funding devolved from national government to make collective decisions on issues such as economic growth, transport, housing, skills and employment.
North Northamptonshire Council is already a unitary authority created in 2021, replacing the two-tier system of county, district and borough.
A new strategic mayoral authority including the North Northamptonshire area would not replace the existing unitary council but could benefit significantly from the greater flexibilities and funding that devolved government can provide.
The Council will now aim to submit an expression of interest to create a Strategic Authority and progress negotiations with a further report to go back to Council later in 2025.
More information is available online: Agenda for Council on Thursday 9th January, 2025