Government pushes on with plan to devolve power away from Whitehall

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More mayors please! Government pushes on with plan to devolve power away from Whitehall

  • Suffolk will become the next region in England to gain a directly elected leader 
  • Furthermore, Cornwall, Norfolk and another part of the North-East are to follow
  • More than half of country will be covered by devolution deals, Jeremy Hunt said 
  • Praised ‘brilliant’ Tory mayors of West Midlands and Teesside in Budget speech 

More parts of England are to be governed by mayors as the Government presses ahead with devolving power away from Whitehall.

Suffolk will become the next region to gain a directly elected leader – with Cornwall, Norfolk and another part of the North-East to follow.

It means more than half of the country will be covered by devolution deals, Jeremy Hunt said, following in the wake of the ‘brilliant’ Tory mayors of the West Midlands and Teesside.

‘To unlock growth right across the country, we need to make it easier for local leaders to make things happen without banging on a Whitehall door,’ the Chancellor said.

‘Our brilliant Mayors such as Andy Street and Ben Houchen have shown the power of civic entrepreneurship.

More parts of England are to be governed by mayors as the Government presses ahead with devolving power away from Whitehall. In his Autumn Statement yesterday, Jeremy Hunt (pictured) praised the ‘brilliant’ Tory mayors of the West Midlands and Teesside

Suffolk will become the next region to gain a directly elected leader – with Cornwall, Norfolk and another part of the North-East to follow. It means more than half of the country will be covered by devolution deals, Mr Hunt said. Pictured: Houses of Parliament, London

‘We need more of this inspirational local leadership, so today I can announce a new devolution deal that will bring an elected Mayor to Suffolk, and deals to bring Mayors to Cornwall, Norfolk and an area in the north-east to follow shortly.’ 

He went on: ‘We are also making progress towards trailblazer devolution deals with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the West Midlands Combined Authority, and soon over half of England will be covered by devolution deals.’ 

England also has 24 Labour mayors, including those covering major cities such as London and Manchester. 

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