Down the Devolution Rabbit Hole
Date published:
The latest column for The Journal by Thomas Lonsdale, Knowledge and Research Executive at the North East England Chamber of Commerce.
Last week marked the end of the public consultation for the North East’s devolution deal, and with it the end of my self-inflicted journey down the devolution rabbit hole.
During this period of consultation, people have had the opportunity to have their say on the £4billion deal which will transform the region’s politics. At the Chamber we have spent the time working with businesses, charities and public sector organisations to understand exactly what the deal will mean for the North East business community. It’s easy to get lost in the detail with any new arrangement like this, but the submission of our letters of support to local councils and response to the overall consultation has given me a chance to reflect on just how significant this opportunity is.
If you’ll excuse my dreadful literary puns, much like Alice I have seen lots of potential for growth and plenty of reasons to smile like the Cheshire cat. Most importantly though, like the animals in their caucus race, we can decide where the finish line is. This deal as it stands really does mark the starting point of our journey to get more powers locally, and will ultimately mean that more decisions that impact our region can be made here, by the people who know the North East best.
I am very lucky in my job that I get the opportunity to talk to a wide rage of people across our region. I am consistently amazed that in every conversation I have, I get a fresh perspective on just how much the North East has to offer and what we can do to make the most of that potential.
Through this deal, we are being handed this power to control our own destiny.
It will mean that as a region we can speak with one collective voice, and work together to address the challenges we face collaboratively. In our consultation we stressed the importance of a deal that enables decisions to be made which benefit the North East in its entirety and reflect the unique characteristics of our towns, cities, coastal and rural areas. When we have the power to make decisions ourselves, this is something that is entirely possible.
As we have said as a Chamber in our consultation response, broader, deeper devolution in the North will benefit the whole of the region, through stronger institutions, greater collaboration, and more powers to drive strong, fairer growth. We look forward to seeing where this journey can take us.