Levelling Up White Paper 2022
An online seminar to discuss the implications of the levelling up white paper on our region was held on 17th March 2022. We were joined by Akash Paun and Alex Nice from the Institute for Government think tank and over 50 participants from across the region. ‘The white paper is ambitious on devolution’ explained Akash ‘and this is welcome but it remains to be seen how this will be turned into action.’ We were also joined by senior council leaders including Keith Mans, Hampshire, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Portsmouth, and Drew Mellor, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with business leaders including Brian Johnson (Solent Freeport) who shared their initial reactions to this long and complex paper.
Overall, there was a sense of optimism about what can be achieved. In summing up, SPC director John Denham noted a consensus that the potential for a deal in the central South is real but that some decisions, such as whether we should have an elected mayor, are yet to be made. Look out for the publication of our blog outlining the key discussion points from the seminar. Slides and data on the white paper mission targets are available together with John Denham’s presentation by clicking on the links below.