Agenda item - Devolution White Paper Update

1)             Cabinet agrees to submit to Government their request to take part in the Devolution Priority Programme, by the 10 January 2025, alongside East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council, seeking a Mayoral Combined Authority on a Sussex footprint and local government reorganisation for Sussex in line with the criteria set out in the Government White Paper.

2)             Cabinet notes that further reports will come to Cabinet and Scrutiny through the period of the Priority Programme to ensure full engagement and consideration of options and impacts on the form of the Mayoral Combined Authority and Local Government Reform.

123.1   Cabinet considered a report that requested approval to confirm to Government an expression of interest to take part in the Devolution Priority Programme, alongside East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council, seeking a Mayoral Combined Authority on a Sussex footprint and local government reorganisation for Sussex in line with the criteria set out in the Government White Paper.

123.2   Councillors Taylor, Williams, Burden, Pumm, Muten, Robins, Rowkins, Sankey, Miller, Daniel and Alexander asked questions and contributed to the debate of the report.

123.3   Resolved-

1)           Cabinet agrees to submit to Government their request to take part in the Devolution Priority Programme, by the 10 January 2025, alongside East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council, seeking a Mayoral Combined Authority on a Sussex footprint and local government reorganisation for Sussex in line with the criteria set out in the Government White Paper.

2)           Cabinet notes that further reports will come to Cabinet and Scrutiny through the period of the Priority Programme to ensure full engagement and consideration of options and impacts on the form of the Mayoral Combined Authority and Local Government Reform.