Over the last year, this Government has made clear the scale of its ambition on English devolution. We introduced the transformational English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. We launched the Devolution Priority Programme – one of the largest ever packages of mayoral devolution in England, worth close to £200 million per year over 30 years, split across six areas. And today I am pleased to announce another significant step forward in our devolution agenda: an invitation to all areas in England that do not have devolution, to bring forward with their neighbours an expression of interest for a Foundation Strategic Authority. The Government welcomes such expressions of interest over the coming weeks, and we will begin reviewing responses from 20 March.

This new wave of Foundation Strategic Authorities will ensure that more areas than ever before are able to access the benefits of devolution. The Government remains firmly committed to mayoral devolution and is forging ahead with it, including through the Devolution Priority Programme, but we have been clear that this model works best when built on firm foundations. This includes the strong unitary structures we are creating through local government reorganisation, but we also see Foundation Strategic Authorities as a crucial way to build local capacity and partnerships as a stepping stone towards mayoral devolution in the future. In areas undergoing reorganisation and interested in establishing a Foundation Strategic Authority, we are keen to work with local partners to agree how best to manage the two processes.

As set out in the English Devolution White Paper and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, Foundation Strategic Authorities will have devolved powers over transport and infrastructure, skills and employment support, housing and strategic planning, economic development and regeneration, environment and net zero, health, wellbeing and public service reform, and public safety. They will also receive devolved funding in areas such as local transport and skills, and the Government is currently consulting on giving Foundation Strategic Authorities the power to raise an Overnight Visitor Levy.

Separately, Minister Pennycook has also made an associated statement announcing the launch of a non-statutory consultation on the geographies for Spatial Development Strategies. We strongly believe that strategic planning is most effective when done over devolution geographies. We will therefore work with local areas to ensure that geographies for Foundation Strategic Authorities and Spatial Development Strategies are aligned where possible. However, it will be for local areas to propose a devolution geography that can support strong partnership working across their local economy. The Government is committed to working with all areas to establish the right economic partnerships and to empower leaders across the country to deliver growth and prosperity for their communities.

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