Merseyside and West Midlands devolution deals are a 'starting point on which to build' - EY
Darra Singh, Head of Local and Public Services at EY, comments on the Merseyside and West Midlands devolution deals, signed today.
It's good news that Merseyside and the West Midlands are now in the devolution mix having secured their respective agreements. These have the potential to extend new powers to informed, local decision makers and support economic rebalancing.
The deal for the Midlands, worth £1.1bn, is the largest devolution finance package handed down to date and it’s particularly encouraging that additional funds of £97m have been earmarked to further extend the Midlands Metro tramline and to maximise the impact of the HS2 rail link.
Merseyside’s strategic importance for the flow of trade and logistics shouldn’t be understated too in the North’s ambition to become an economic powerhouse. It’s particularly encouraging that some funds have been earmarked to maximise the impact of the Mersey and the SuperPort development.
These deals should perhaps be viewed as a starting point on which to build on and it will be interesting to see whether, like Manchester, the region’s leaders go back to Government with even more proposals over the short to medium-term.
