The four councils going for devolution in the East Midlands have formally voted in favour of the plans.
Nottingham City Council, Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council have agreed to proceed with the plans which they say could bring in benefits worth more than £1.14 billion.
The councils have now agreed on a final version of the proposals – which will give them greater power over issues such as the environment, skills training, transport, housing, and the economy – which could come into force by spring of next year pending Parliamentary approval and Royal Assent.
If that all happens the election of a new regional mayor, covering Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Derby, and Nottingham, could take place in May 2024.
The mayor would lead the new combined authority supported by representatives from the local councils, which would see more decision-making powers and resources move from London to the East Midlands.
In a statement Nottingham City Council said: “Historically, the East Midlands has often been an area of low Government funding, compared to many other areas of the UK. If the proposals for devolution go ahead, a guaranteed funding stream of £38 million a year for 30 years could help to reverse this trend.
“The devolution deal would not mean scrapping or merging local councils, which would all continue to exist as they do now and would still be responsible for most public services in the area. The mayor and combined authority would instead focus on wider issues like transport, regeneration, and employment across both cities and counties.
“Millions in funding for local improvements in the East Midlands has already been approved by the Government. The funding which has been given the green light is part of an early investment offered to our area as part of devolution negotiations and is not dependent on devolution proposals going ahead.”
