On Tuesday, plans were announced for a ground-breaking devolution deal between Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, which would see the areas grouped together as a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA), led by a mayor, which would receive funding of £1.14bn; 30 years. The plans are part of a new devolution model that will be introduced once the leveling and regeneration bill is passed and it is hoped that the first mayoral elections in the area will be held in May 2024. But some said blocking Leicestershire and Leicester, the most populous urban area in the east Midlands, which is about 30 miles south of Nottingham and Derby, would damage the region in the long term. Phil King, Conservative leader of Harborough District Council in Leicestershire, said he was “disappointed” the area would lose the funding, which amounts to around £18 per head of population. “I compare it to being relegated and being allowed to play in the second division,” he said. “The focus will now very much be on this area of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire for investors and stakeholders, as well as any schemes the Government may consider. “What will we become? We will be here, but we will not benefit from anything.” Leicestershire County Council leader Nick Rushton has also previously said the county would “wait at the back of the pack” for a non-mayoral devolution deal, which is “only slightly better than nothing”. Following this week’s announcement, a council spokesman said “the people and businesses of Leicestershire must be punished” and it was “simply wrong” to present the deal as one for the east Midlands. “It’s certainly not a deal that suits the West Midlands,” the spokesman said, adding that the county council was open to working with the government but under current rules it could not do so without the council’s cooperation. King criticized the mayor of Leicester City Council, Peter Soulsby, who is one of the few directly elected city council mayors in the country, for opposing the deal. Soulsby previously told LeicesterLive: “Why on earth would we want another mayor in the whole county? To somehow have a county council leader, a mayor on Leicester council and then something else on top of that is going to cost money and there’s no good reason for it or any obvious benefits to it. “We can work together perfectly without having someone else hold the reins.” The Center for Cities, a non-partisan thinktank promoting economic development, also criticized the deal, saying the merger of two separate geographic areas under one mayor would hinder growth in the region. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “We think this is wrong. There is very little movement between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, they are two different counties with distinct local economic needs,” said senior analyst Anthony Breach. “Having one person responsible for both means they will always be balancing between the two rather than doing what’s best for their own local economy.” Separate devolution deals for the three sectors would work better, he said, adding that the proposed deal “violates previous principles the government has established on devolution and will make it harder to deliver other aspects of the upturn”. However, many business leaders in the East Midlands have welcomed the announcement, saying it will help boost the local economy and boost the region’s image. “It has been a long time. We’ve seen the impact that having a similar structure elsewhere in the country, such as the West Midlands and Greater Manchester, can have in attracting investment and decisions, and we believe this will help us get more of that,” said Chris Hobson, director politics and foreign affairs at East Midlands Chamber. “When it comes to the government talking to our region about what we want to see, there is no obvious person to talk to. Having a mayor for the East Midlands would change that.” Leicester City Council has been contacted for comment.
