Government ‘close to agreeing’ a Devolution deal for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
Government is ‘close to agreeing’ a Devolution deal for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The Budget Paper: Breathing Space for today, Fresh hope for the future, states that Government ‘is now in the final stages of agreeing 10 new devolution agreements’ including one for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Referring to devolution in chapter 4 of the document, titled Good Growth In Every Postcode, the paper states: “This new model of government will be structurally embedded for the long term, and local people will be given the power to hold local leaders to account.”
It goes on to list the 10 areas which also includes Devon, Plymouth and Torbay; Hertfordshire; Lancashire; Stoke and Staffordshire; Surrey; Thames Valley (Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon); and Wessex.
East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive, Scott Knowles, said: “It’s brilliant to see this in the red book, now we need to see pace of implementation and the future of investment parity to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.”
Sue Tilley, Chair of Leicestershire Business Voice, added: “For too long LLR has been missing out, so a Mayor is exactly what we wanted and have been asking for.
“Businesses in our region will now get the support that they deserve and this will give them the confidence and capacity to invest, recruit and expand.”
Andy Reed, Chair of Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Board, said: “I’m really pleased to see that a devolution deal for LLR is included in the red book, there will be massive benefits to the area given the direction of travel of government
“It’s vital we all work together locally to deliver this quickly.”
Who we are
Devolution Leicestershire is an industry-education-VCSE coalition.
Founded in 2026, its purpose is:
- To accelerate a Devolution deal for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland
- To press for fair Government funding for LLR while the Devo deal is done.
Amy Orton is Account Director for 1284 Communications. She is a board member at Menphys. Amy was previously the Local Democracy Reporter for Leicestershire. Her role was funded by the BBC to report on local government in LLR for shared use by a host of media titles.
