East Midlands devolution deal is crumbs off a rich man’s table

In response to the government’s announcement that Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and their cities will be united under an elected mayor, UNISON East Midlands are concerned that the region has been short changed.

The £1.14bn deal over 30 years, or £38m per year, amounts to £516 per head for the 2.207m residents living within in the combined authority area.

That figure is significantly less than York and North Yorkshire’s £660 each, Tees Valley’s £675, the £731 per person for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and the £815 each given to the West of England when it was founded in 2017.

The East Midlands consistently lags behind on per-head spending from Whitehall and this deal merely enforces the status quo rather than correct a historic imbalance.

UNISON East Midlands regional secretary Chris Jenkinson said: “This deal amounts to crumbs off a rich man’s table.

“When you compare it to other areas of the country our local leaders have accepted a lot less than others to get this deal across the line.

“After over a decade of austerity, working people in the East Midlands want to see money being spent on rebuilding crumbling infrastructure and improving inadequate transport links.

“The residents of Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire want action not political bureaucracy.”