Mayor defends Labour devolution plans and calls for North East to have more control over funding
Amid reports of tensions between metro mayors and the Labour Government, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was in Newcastle on Thursday to a chair a new Mayoral Council
by Daniel Holland · ChronicleLiveThe North East mayor has defended Labour’s commitment to devolution and called for the region to be given greater control over its own future, as Newcastle hosted the Deputy Prime Minister on Thursday.
Angela Rayner joined mayor Kim McGuinness at the Common Room in Newcastle city centre for the first meeting of a new Mayoral Council to talk about how to shift power away from Westminster. That summit came amid claims of tension between regional leaders and the Labour Government, with a report in the i newspaper quoting one anonymous mayor as accusing the Treasury of hoarding power and using mayors as a “mechanism for delivering their national plan”.
Ms McGuinness and other mayors will be heading to Edinburgh for Friday’s inaugural meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions, ahead of which Sir Keir Starmer has promised a shift away from the “talking shops of the past” and “genuine, meaningful, and focused partnership to change the way we do business, redefine our position on the world’s stage, and unlock the whole of the UK’s untapped potential”. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after the roundtable, Ms McGuinness insisted she had faith in her party’s devolution promises.
The Labour mayor, who was elected this May, said she wants the North East and every other part of the country to be handed greater powers over how to spend its Government funding – rather than the North East Combined Authority being handed cash ring-fenced for certain areas. Greater Manchester and the West Midlands are moving towards having such control and Ms McGuinness said she wanted that replicated “not just in some parts of the country, but everywhere”.
The former Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner told the LDRS: “Today was about how we get to the point where we are treated in the same way a Whitehall department, with a single [funding] settlement so we can make more of our own decisions, and how we bring more devolution to our regions to create opportunity and growth in all parts of the country.”
Defending the Government’s devolution plans following the talk of friction between local and national leaders, she added: “I feel that this Government recognises that devolution by default is the way forward and that is what today was all about. This is the best relationship mayors have been able to forge with Government for years and that is all about the fact that they see that what we have had before was not real devolution and what we are moving towards is… more control over our own destiny, giving people more say over their own future, and using that as a way to create jobs, fix our broken transport system, and create growth.
“I think the openness between Government now and mayors, and the willingness to talk about what needs to happen in the regions in order to achieve that mission, is game changing.”
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen and North Yorkshire’s David Skaith were among those in Newcastle for the meeting on Thursday, while others including Andy Burnham dialled in.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said that plans were underway to “devolve a range of powers across areas like planning, skills, transport, and employment support”. The Government has asked mayors to develop new Local Growth Plans and pledged to “work hand-in-hand with the mayors to take them forward”.
Ms Rayner added: “As a proud Northerner, I’m delighted that we’ve launched the first Mayoral Council in a magnificent city like Newcastle which sits at the heart of the North East. We’ve already seen how devolution is already making a difference in this fantastic region, with the North East Mayor helping to lead the way in ensuring local people have the opportunity and the skills they need to land the perfect job for them.
“The North East has enormous potential, and we’re keen to work with local leaders here to unleash it as we drive forward with our ambitions to shift more power out of Westminster and into our communities.”
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