Historic alliance to rev up local prosperity

HISTORY was made today (December 16) on the winners’ podium at Silverstone as three county council leaders signed a tripartite agreement they hope will  jointly boost the economic prospects of nearly two million residents. 

Ian Hudspeth, Martin Tett and Jim Harker OBE

In the first tri-county council alliance of its type, the leaders of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, Ian Hudspeth, Martin Tett and Jim Harker OBE, jointly aim to make an offer to Government to support them in unlocking further economic growth and to significantly build on the £45 billion (GVA) the area already generates.

In the offer, called ‘A shared approach to driving prosperity’, the three councils call on the Government to work with them to develop a brand new ‘combined authority’ alliance focused on their common economies of innovation, science, technology and creative industries.

Building on the established relationships between the three county-based local economic partnerships, the alliance is asking Government to:

* allow joint new plans to be developed for transport, spatial planning and other key infrastructure
* devolve employment and skills funding so employers’ needs can be properly met locally.
* support a devolved approach to the local trunk road network
* incentivise the three councils so they properly benefit from encouraging new growth
* give them enhanced powers over bus services and the ability to maximise public transport between key towns and cities
* ensure the best economic benefits are unlocked from projects such as East-West rail and the connectivity of technology centres like Silverstone to the national road network.

The alliance is also asking for legislation to deliver, what the three leaders call: “… a new and more flexible governance structure tailored to suit such a bold arrangement.”

Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Ian Hudspeth, explained: “By joining up with Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire I believe we can maximise the benefits to the regional economy by improving transport links and strategic planning so we can connect people, jobs and homes.”

You can read more about the alliance here: LINK (external link)