This week the Sheffield City Region formally signed a devolution deal which brings significant change to the region, with more say over funding in the region and a directly elected mayor.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) writes:
The Northern Powerhouse takes another major step forward today (Friday 2 October) as Sheffield City Region agrees a historic devolution deal with the government. Chancellor George Osborne today signs a deal with civic leaders from South Yorkshire that will see it vote for a new, directly-elected Mayor, in what he will hail as the most fundamental shake-up of local government for a generation.
Sheffield City Region is one of 38 towns, cities, counties and regions which submitted ambitious proposals to Westminster to take control of how public money is spent in their area. As part of the deal, the Sheffield City Region Mayor will be elected for the first time in 2017 by voters across South Yorkshire. The Mayor will oversee a range of powers devolved from government including responsibility over transport budgets; franchised bus services and strategic planning while the deal also includes additional devolved powers for the area’s Combined Authority. This includes a new gain share deal within an envelope of £30 million a year for 30 years – giving Sheffield the power to use new funding to boost local growth and invest in local manufacturing and innovation.
Of the 38 nationally submitted proposals this deal is the first to be done – reflecting the confidence of the Chancellor in the economic prospects for the Sheffield City Region which has transformed itself over the last ten years, the strength of our economic partnership, the support of our private sector and the quality of our bid into government.
The new Mayor will act as Chair to the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority and will exercise a range of powers devolved from central government including:
- Responsibility over the region’s transport budget, with a multi-year settlement to be agreed at the Spending Review
- Responsibility for franchised bus services, which will support the Combined Authority’s delivery of smart and integrated ticketing across its councils
- Responsibility for an identified Key Route Network of local authority roads that will be collaboratively managed and maintained at the city region level by the Combined Authority on behalf of the Mayor
- Powers over strategic planning
The Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, working with the Mayor, will also receive the following powers:
- Control of a new gain share deal, like that agreed with Greater Manchester and other areas, within an envelope of £30 million a year for 30 years – giving Sheffield the power to boost local growth and invest in local manufacturing and innovation
- Responsibility for chairing an area-based review of 16+ skills provision and devolved 19+ adult skills funding from 2018/19
- Joint responsibility with government to co-design employment support for the harder-to-help claimants, many of whom are currently referred to the Work Programme and Work Choice
- More effective joint working with UKTI to boost trade and investment, and responsibility to work with government to develop and implement a devolved approach to the delivery of national business support programmes from 2017
In addition:
- To support the development of the area’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, the government will offer the Sheffield City Region expert advice and support to ensure they are able to put forward a City Region led proposal to undertake a Science and Innovation audit
- The Sheffield City Region will work with HM Government to achieve their ambitions for a national Institute for Infrastructure within Doncaster
- The government will work with the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority to agree specific funding flexibilities to a Spending Review timetable. The joint ambition will be to give Sheffield City Region Combined Authority a single pot to invest in its economic growth
Further powers may be agreed over time and included in future legislation.
