‘Levelling up’: Council leaders say ‘substantial investment’ is set to come to Derbyshire

‘Substantial investment’ is set to come to Derbyshire, according to council bosses.
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On Wednesday, the Government unveiled its ‘levelling up’ plan for the UK – and it was confirmed that Derbyshire councils had secured a ‘county deal’.

A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said this meant ‘substantial investment’ was coming to the area – though figures have not yet been announced.

Derbyshire County Council has welcomed long-promised 'levelling up' plans.Derbyshire County Council has welcomed long-promised 'levelling up' plans.
Derbyshire County Council has welcomed long-promised 'levelling up' plans.
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The spokesperson added: “The deal will bring extra investment to support economic growth in the area, alongside the transfer of specific powers from central Government to a local level in areas like transport, bus services, housing and skills, giving greater autonomy to local leaders over decision-making and funding.”

Councillor Barry Lewis, leader of the county council, said local people’s lives would be improved.

He added: “The county deal announcement for Derbyshire and Derby is the result of significant and long-term work between councils and wider partners like the NHS and police with a shared focus on improving opportunities, growth and quality of life in our county through our collaborative approach.

“I’m delighted that the Government has recognised our unique partnership offer, and we welcome this significant investment in delivering levelling up locally by those who know our communities best.

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“Derbyshire has been at the forefront of this process over the last couple of years and it’s fantastic to see the hard work come to fruition with this announcement which demonstrates our national reputation as a county that delivers and stand ready to level up for Derbyshire and Derby.”

Coun Chris Poulter, leader of Derby City Council, added: “This is excellent news for Derby and Derbyshire. We’ve worked closely together to get our county deal on the table – a credit to our partnership working – and now the real work begins as we await conversations with Government officials to understand expectations and agree terms and timescales.

“The councils included in the deal serve over 1.1 million people, and yet so many decisions that directly impact them are being made by central Government. A county deal for Derby and Derbyshire is our opportunity to reflect our people and businesses through local level decision-making.”

Coun Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This is welcome news which builds on Chesterfield’s recent success in securing £20million of levelling up fund funding to restore and remodel the Stephenson Memorial Hall and transform and connect our town centre public squares and market grounds.

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“We look forward to working with Derbyshire and Derby to make the case for a North Derbyshire Growth Zone as part of the county deal that builds on our ambitious regeneration plans for the Staveley Works Corridor, opens up opportunities for new rail sector businesses and complements the vision and aims of our ground-breaking £25.2m Staveley Town Deal.”

The Government’s ‘levelling up’ strategy will take until 2030 and aims to improve services such as education, broadband and transport, closing the gap between rich and poor areas.

But Labour said the plans contained no new money and little fresh thinking.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson put ‘levelling up’ at the heart of the Conservatives' election-winning manifesto in 2019.

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