We have been working really hard to secure a devolution deal for County Durham and today we’ve made a huge step towards it.

A Government White Paper published today identifies County Durham as one of nine areas selected to take forward proposals for devolved powers.

We will now work with the Government, as well as businesses and residents, to establish how devolution would work for the area and to ensure our ambitions for levelling up are supported.

Devolution makes sense

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of the council, said: “We have worked extremely hard with government to set out why County Durham needs a devolution deal and how this will help us to invest in our local communities going forward. 

“It is fantastic news that County Durham has been selected as one of the nine areas to be taken forward for a deal. We have clearly set out a strong and compelling argument to get to this point and we look forward to further discussions with government on how a deal will work for us. 

“The last two years have been a challenge for everyone, but with more local control over economic regeneration, housing, infrastructure and resources, we can look to the future with confidence and optimism.

“Devolving powers and resources to a local level makes sense – as a large unitary council we are well-placed to maximise all of the resources available to us – and we look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders on how we can join up our services and resources as part of a devolution deal. 

“I can assure everyone that we will be working extremely hard to secure the best possible devolution deal for County Durham and we will set out next steps once we have had further discussions with government.”