Suffolk Council hopes joint bid will help in devolution pilot
Leaders in the county hope to be involved in the new Government pilot scheme.
Suffolk County Council is hoping that a joint bid to be part of a pilot scheme trialling a new form of devolution will give them edge over other applicants.
The county council has teamed up with its district and borough counterparts along with its police and crime commissioner to request a place in the program.
This is according to Councillor Michael Hicks, leader of the Suffolk County Council.
When asked to elaborate on this new form of devolution, he says: "It's about having local accountability and working with the districts and boroughs together, we believe we will have a good opportunity to deliver more locally."
Their efforts also have the backing of the seven MPs from the county.
West Suffolk MP and former Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has also drafted a letter which has been signed by the six other MPs.
It has been sent to Secretary of State for Local Government, Robert Jenrick and shows their support for the county's bid.
To help understand the kind of power Suffolk County Council could be given, Councillor Hicks offered an example: "We have a national apprenticeship levy, which is collected and goes into a national pot before it is distributed back to the counties.
"If granted devolution we could ask that any levy collected in Suffolk be used for the development of Suffolk."
He stresses, however, that this is just an example and not an actual condition in the pilot.
While the scheme is expecting bids from bodies across the country, Councillor Hicks is hoping that the Suffolk's combined bid will help give them an edge.
He says: "We have all the Suffolk public sector leaders (councils, Police, CCG, NHS) who have been working together for a long time and we have a really good track record. That is something we hold up highly."
"We're now hoping that the UK Government recognises that valuable track record and allows us to be a part of the scheme", he adds.