Last week, the Government announced what will possibly be the most important policy programme for our area in a generation. The Levelling Up White Paper, released by Michael Gove, is our Government’s flagship policy that aims to spread opportunity across the UK, to areas that have for too long been left behind.
The Levelling Up White Paper, which has been in the works since the 2019 election, explains how through a raft of different policy announcements, we will see more investment in skills, education, transport, employment opportunities and better training in Mansfield and Nottinghamshire more widely whilst also giving more power to local authorities so funding can be better prioritised to deal with specific pressures locally. It announced some new things, but also aims to make the funds and work that’s already happening in to a more structured programme that we can measure.
One of the most important announcements for our area was the raft of funding for education that will come our way in Nottinghamshire. Through the White Paper, the Government have designated 55 Education Investment Areas in local authorities where educational outcomes are currently the poorest. Nottinghamshire is one of these which means our schools will be receiving specialist support to improve the standards for our children. This will also involve offering retention payments to schools to ensure we can recruit and then keep hold of the very best teachers. Mansfield is at the absolute heart of this education work, which is fantastic news.
We will also see a major shift of powers from Whitehall to our local areas. The Government are calling this a ‘devolution revolution’ and it will give local leaders more power to deliver our local priorities, rather than just national ones. I’ve been working on this for months and I’m delighted that Nottinghamshire is one of just nine areas that have been chosen to take this approach forward, meaning we’ll be among the first to access the benefits of additional powers and funds to improve local services.
As Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, I have seen first-hand the fantastic people we have in the council and other local authorities and the power we have to make a real difference in people’s lives. It means that we can do more to shape the kinds of jobs and investment that comes to our area, we can do more to support adult learning and ensure that the skills we teach match up to the jobs, and we can get more funding and clout to deliver infrastructure, including the new rail projects like the Robin Hood Line that were recently given the go ahead.
In the coming weeks I’ll be working with other local leaders to take this forward. Alongside the town centre work and other projects that is getting ever closer to getting spades in the ground, it all makes me massively hopeful for Mansfield’s future.
