Northumberland residents urged to have their say on £4.2bn devolution deal

Following extensive negotiations, the Government announced in December a devolution deal for the local authority areas of Northumberland, County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

A public consultation is now underway to give residents across the region a chance to respond to the proposed devolution deal for the seven local authorities.

This includes an event at the Northumberland Hall in Alnwick, on Wednesday, February 15 from 4pm to 6pm. It will be attended by senior councillors and officers from Northumberland County Council.

As well as multi-billion pound investment into the region, the deal would see significant powers transferred to the North East from central government.

A mayoral election is expected to take place in May 2024 and a new combined authority would be created, while the existing North of Tyne Combined Authority and North East Combined Authority would cease to operate.

The deal offers a potential £4.2 billion of investment into the region, made up of elements including:

• An investment fund of £1.4bn, or £48m a year, to support inclusive economic growth and support our regeneration priorities
• An indicative budget of around £1.8bn, or £60m a year, for adult education and skills – to meet local skills priorities and improve opportunities for residents
• A £900m package of investment to transform our transport system, with £563m from the City Regional Sustainable Transport Fund, on top of funding already announced for our buses and metro system
• £69m of investment in housing and regeneration, unlocking sites to bring forward new housing and commercial development

It is expected to create 24,000 extra jobs, deliver 70,000 courses per year to give people the skills to get good jobs, and leverage £5.0 billion of private sector investment.

Once established, the new authority, covering an area which is home to around two million people, will have the power to make decisions on areas such as transport, skills, housing, finance and economic development. The deal does not involve any changes to existing councils.

The consultation considers the proposed scheme – and will run until Thursday, March 23.