Following the introduction of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill in Parliament, there has been ongoing positive coverage across national and regional media.
LBC ran a comment piece from the Deputy Prime Minister, where she outlined how the Bill will drive the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall to our regions in a generation and make devolution the default setting.
The Independent highlighted the Bill will enable protections for local businesses and includes measures to enable collaboration across areas such as transport. There is similar coverage in the Evening Standard.
The Financial Times and I News reported on a measure in the Bill that will allow companies renting premises to negotiate cheaper deals with landlords for the first time, helping ensure our high streets can flourish again. Craig Beaumont, Executive Director at the Federation of Small Businesses, told the FT this will bring “relief for small businesses”.
There is also coverage across regional outlets including the Yorkshire Post, Express and Star, Manchester Evening News and regional BBC outlining what changes mean for local areas.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:
“We were elected on a promise of change, not just for a few areas cherry-picked by a Whitehall spreadsheet, but for the entire country. It was never going to be easy to deliver the growth our country desperately needed with the inheritance we were dumped with.
“But that’s why we are opting to devolve not dictate and delivering a Bill that will rebalance decade old divides and empower communities. We’re ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives from our Plan for Change.”
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP said:
“For too long power and opportunity has been concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall while the local councils millions rely on have been frustrated and diminished. This failed approach has held back growth across our country for far too long. Local people see this in the job market, on the high street and in their own household security and prosperity.
“Devolution begins the work of fixing that, with this Bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas in partnership with local communities, unleashing more growth and more opportunities for people as part of our Plan for Change.”
More details of the announcement are available on Gov.uk.