Luke Campbell has said ‘we are already starting to unlock funding from central government’ as he prepares for his first Combined Authority Executive Board meeting as Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire.
The meeting, which will take place on Wednesday (May 28), will be the first of its kind to take place since Mr Campbell’s success at the Mayoral election held on May 1.
The Mayor will be joined by a number of key figures from the region, including the leaders of both Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council as well as the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Evison.
At the meeting, the board will formally confirm plans to take on an Adults Skills Fund budget of around £16 million a year, with the Combined Authority set become responsible for publicly-funded training and education of adults aged 19 and above in the region.
The board will also agree for the Combined Authority to take on capital funding for transport from central government. The Local Transport Grant and Integrated Capital Block are worth around £19.5 million in total for 2025/26. The money will then be allocated to the two councils for improvements and investments in local roads and other transport infrastructure.
Also to be discussed in the meeting is the Great British Energy’s Mayoral Renewables Fund. A report to the board recommends that the Combined Authority enters into a Grant Funding Agreement with Ed Miliband’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). This would see up to £1,622,457 of funding coming to the area.
Ahead of the meeting, the Mayor and the leaders of both councils have spoken of the importance of the Combined Authority moving forward. Mr Campbell said: “By coming together in partnership, we are already starting to unlock funding from central government which will benefit people and businesses locally. The Executive Board can together take key decisions, using local knowledge and insight.
“By aligning our strategic plans, we can make best of use of all future devolved funding to drive increased prosperity and economic growth across our area. Thanks to the great work already done by partners around the table, we will have more levers to deliver change. It’s essential we develop the right approaches for our area, listening to our businesses, and by working with local people, not for people.”
Councillor Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: ”We have a strong tradition of collaboration across East Yorkshire and Hull. The devolution deal we have secured will now become reality, and as more funding becomes available to tackle the big infrastructure issues, we can make a difference that politicians based hundreds of miles away in Westminster can’t do.”
Councillor Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “This marks an important milestone for everyone who lives and works in Hull and the East Riding. It demonstrates the hard work done by both councils to secure a devolution deal that has already brought significant investment to our region, with the potential for much more to follow. We are determined to ensure the opportunities it will bring in terms of economic growth, jobs and skills benefit all people and communities across the area.”
The meeting will be able to be streamed live on the Combined Authority’s website, where the full agenda can be viewed.
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