Leaders have reaffirmed their support for establishing a new elected mayor to represent Suffolk and Norfolk.
Suffolk County Council’s cabinet voted unanimously to maintain the authority’s commitment to setting up a Norfolk and Suffolk Combined County Authority (NSCAA) at a meeting this afternoon.
The new authority will be led by an elected mayor with at least £37.4 million yearly budget – totalling more than £1 billion over 30 years – and new devolved powers over transport, strategic planning and public safety.
Cllr Tristan Gale, the council’s lead for devolution, said the vote ensured Suffolk’s voice was at the heart of the new authority’s development.
“Devolution means more decisions being made closer to the people they affect, rather than central Government in Whitehall.”
It is hoped devolution will be the catalyst for key projects, such as improvements to the Ely and Haughley rail junctions, and a solution to traffic chaos when the Orwell Bridge is forced to close.
Today’s vote follows a deal struck yesterday between Suffolk and Norfolk’s leadership outlining how the new authority would be set up.
Cllr Michael Hadwen, Suffolk County Council’s leader, previously said the agreement would stop the idea of Suffolk being the “little brother” to Norfolk and be the foundation on which the new mayor was built.
It included a requirement that investment decisions benefit the whole region and are assessed for money, deliverability and their geographical distribution.
It sought to ensure equal representation by requiring both the deputy mayor and the scrutiny chairperson to be from a different county to the mayor.
The deal also includes a request that the mayor’s first piece of work is to put together a proposal to Government requesting bespoke powers over policies impacting fisheries and the agricultural sector.
Neither county has the power to set what the new mayor’s priorities will be, but both leaders rejected suggestions that including it in the deal would amount to promises they could not be sure to keep.
With consent now granted by both county councils, elections for the new mayor are set for May 2028.
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