Devon, Plymouth and Torbay was one of nine areas invited by Government, as part of the February 2022 Levelling Up White Paper, to agree a devolution deal. Plymouth City Council decided on 17 November 2023 to withdraw from the negotiations towards a proposed devolution deal.
The devolution deal for Devon and Torbay was announced by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities on 25 January 2024. The deal covers:
- Governance.
- Finance and investment.
- Skills and education.
- Housing and land.
- Transport.
- Net zero and climate change.
- Culture and tourism.
- Digital.
- Innovation, trade, and investment.
- Sector development.
- Public service reform.
- Resilience and public safety.
The powers and the transfer of Government funding included in the devolution deal will bring greater control to Devon and Torbay to help tackle local priorities, including the need for: new training and retraining opportunities; improved coordination of public transport; more affordable housing and investment to support local business, green jobs to increase productivity and pay.
The Government will devolve the powers and funding to a new legal body established by Parliament that brings the members of the existing local authorities together: the Devon & Torbay Combined County Authority (DT CCA). The members of the DT CCA will include members of Devon County Council and Torbay Council together with district council member representatives and other stakeholders. The statutory requirements for implementing the proposed deal include public consultation on the draft proposal to establish the DT CCA and the Council’s consent to the secondary legislation