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Metro Mayors’ summit calls for strengthened commitment to devolution
The directly-elected regional Mayors in England meet in Bristol today, at the invitation of Tim Bowles, Metro Mayor of the West of England. The Mayors are calling on the government to strengthen devolution and fully fund and devolve the Shared Prosperity Fund, which is being set up by the government to follow the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
It follows the government’s promise to introduce the new funding stream, which replaces the EU Structural Fund, Local Growth Fund and potentially other funding streams, and is worth at least £2.4 billion a year. The Mayors call on the government to ensure the fund isn’t held in Whitehall, but devolved to regional leaders to further boost devolution and empower Metro Mayors to ensure money is spent on priorities defined by local areas.
The call will be discussed at the meeting later today where the Metro Mayors will also push the government to remove unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, moving from decentralisation to full devolution to cut down on red tape. All the Mayors present will attend the Global Parliament of Mayors, currently taking place in Bristol and supported by the West of England Combined Authority.
Following the meeting, the Metro Mayors issued the following joint statement:
Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region
Tim Bowles, West of England
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester
Ben Houchen, Tees Valley
Andy Street, West Midlands
James Palmer, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire
Dan Jarvis, Sheffield City Region
*Sadiq Khan was able to attend the meeting but supports statement
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