Residents, businesses, students and other people are being urged to take this opportunity to put forward their views on the proposals.
Cambridge City Council agreed to support the government’s proposals for a deal on 28 June and other councils in the proposed deal area have now also given their support.
The consultation will run until 23 August after which the results will be reviewed and a final decision made by the councils.
The deal would see the transfer of a range of resources and powers for infrastructure, housing, economic development, employment and skills from the government to a combined authority comprising representatives of the seven councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The creation of an elected mayor is also a part of the devolution deal proposals. This mayor would chair the combined authority and all residents in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough would be able to vote to elect them.
The devolution deal would include two new funding streams that would hasten the delivery of affordable housing:
- £70million over five years, ring-fenced to the city council, for a ‘Cambridge Housing Plan’ which the council would spend on its plans for over 500 new council homes to help tackle the city’s housing affordability crisis. The city council would use some £10million of this fund to replace any of the 500 homes subsequently sold through the Right to Buy scheme.
- A further £100million affordable housing fund over five years for affordable homes across the proposed combined authority area, with a mix of tenures including affordable rented and low cost home ownership. In recognition of its high levels of growth and difficult housing market conditions, a substantial proportion of this funding would be directed at the Greater Cambridge area with delivery of the homes likely to be through housing associations.
There would also be a new £20million annual fund for the next 30 years (£600million) to support economic growth, development of local infrastructure and jobs.
Cllr Lewis Herbert, Leader of Cambridge City Council, said: “We support the devolution deal for many reasons, but the biggest by far is the extra funding for new affordable housing for rent.
“We negotiated hard and won agreement to millions of pounds to build at least 500 new council homes in Cambridge plus hundreds of extra additional housing association rental homes for Greater Cambridge, helping councils to take big strides forward in tackling the massive local housing affordability crisis.
“It’s really important that local people, organisations and businesses take a hard look at what is being put forward and use the consultation to tell us what they think - I would urge everyone to take this opportunity to put their point of view across by the August deadline.
“All of the comments we receive back will be considered by councils in the autumn, and by the new national government team, whose clear support will also be vital before the devolution deal can be confirmed.”
The consultation with lots of supporting information that explains the proposed deal in more depth is available at www.cambridge.gov.uk/devolution
The deal has been negotiated with government by Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and The Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
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