Derbyshire County Council has voted to press ahead with plans for an East Midlands devolution deal.

The deal – which is being offered by the government – would see Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire benefit from a guaranteed income stream of £38m per year over a 30-year period.

The East Midlands devolution deal – if approved – would give the region control of a range of budgets and see the election of a regional mayor to represent Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire in May 2024.

The new regional mayor would lead a new combined authority, made up of representatives from local councils, which would all continue to exist as they do now.

The main difference would be that decision making powers for the region are moved away from London to the East Midlands.

Derbyshire County Council voted to press ahead with the plans at a meeting on Wednesday (March 22).

All four local councils need to vote to move forward with the proposal. If they do a final version of the proposal could be sent to the government once the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill receives Royal Assent.

Councillor Barry Lewis, leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: “At the heart of this devolution proposal is a desire to seize every opportunity to improve people’s lives across our region by making sure we get a fair share of government funding.”

You can read the full update from the council here: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news-events/news-updates/news/east-midlands-devolution-plans-get-the-go-ahead-from-derbyshire.aspx.