Combined Authority seeks greater powers to accelerate regional growth

Combined Authority seeks greater powers to accelerate regional growth

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has signalled its intention to be designated as an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority status to unlock the powers and funding needed to deliver the region’s ambitions for growth and prosperity. 

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, set out the case for Established status, including how the Combined Authority meets the eligibility criteria and its readiness to help deliver the Local Growth Plan ambition to triple the size of the local economy. 

Established status would give the Combined Authority more powers and potential access to further funding to improve transport, infrastructure, skills and planning, as well as opening the door to an Integrated Settlement at the next Spending Review, which will provide greater funding flexibility and certainty. 

The region’s ambitious Local Growth Plan, launched in December, is a blueprint to grow the economy to £97 billion by 2050, underpinned by strengthening key industrial sectors including life sciences, advanced manufacturing, defence, energy, digital technologies and agri-tech. It also identifies four opportunity zones for focused growth across the region.  

Delivering that growth will require major infrastructure investment, including more frequent, faster trains and new stations, upgraded roads and mass rapid transit for Cambridge. Regeneration, new homes and a skills system which supports to the region’s high-growth sectors will also be needed. 

The application has the unanimous backing of the Combined Authority Board made up of local council leaders. 

Paul Bristow said: “Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is ready to kick on. 

“Established status would give us the tools to deliver better transport, more jobs, improve skills, and speed up the regeneration and housing our communities need. It’s about backing regions that are ready to lead and making sure we get our fair share of Government funding.  

“We meet Government’s own criteria and we’ve proven we can deliver; ARU Peterborough fixed a decades-long gap in higher education; we’re the first predominantly rural Combined Authority progressing bus franchising, and we’re leading the UK’s largest Levelling Up project at Peterborough Station Quarter. 

“My ambition in our Local Growth Plan is clear: let’s triple the economy and make this region healthier, wealthier and happier. To do that, we need the deeper devolution, greater flexibility, and long-term funding certainty that Established status brings. 

“It’s time to back Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and I’m looking forward to working with the Secretary of State to take this next step.” 

The Combined Authority meets all eligibility criteria for Established status, including operating with a directly elected Mayor since 2017, maintaining strong governance and financial oversight, and demonstrating a proven delivery record on complex, large-scale programmes. 

The designation would also enable progression towards an Integrated Settlement, which consolidates funding streams and provides multi-year budgets.