Combined authorities planned for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire would operate under a ‘single appraisal framework’ for infrastructure, Transport Network can reveal.
Under plans currently out to consultation, local councils would create two combined authorities in the region covering the 10 local authorities in Derbyshire and the nine in Nottinghamshire.
If the plans go ahead the two super councils would share an appraisal framework as they seek to harmonise infrastructure investment as well as transport planning across the region as well as streamlining project delivery between the new bodies and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The two areas already share the D2N2 LEP, and a recent council report to Nottinghamshire CC’s economic development committee identified to need for partnership to be backed with stronger governance arrangements.
‘In the recent Growth Deal, governance across D2N2 was flagged as a weakness by the Government and the LEP was not given some of the freedoms and flexibilities offered to other areas,’ it said.
A Derbyshire CC spokesman told Transport Network the planned combined authority’s development of transport will be centred on a single Local Transport Plan for the area, supported by the pooling of the Integrated Transport block capital grant.
‘As well as directing capital funding it is expected that this will improve the integration of land-use and transport planning and allow best value from developer contributions, which can provide some of the revenue-based services which the local authorities will find it difficult to maintain,’ he added.
‘Larger-scale infrastructure will, of course, be delivered largely through Growth Deal resources. It has been agreed that both the D2 and N2 combined authorities will work within a ‘single appraisal framework’.
‘This is designed to deal with the full range of outcomes relevant to strengthening the economy of the area, not least ensuring access to employment and skills. The combined authority will also, of course, be keen to work closely with the Department for Transport over ways in which initiatives such as Better Bus can help to support the strongest possible public transport offer for the area.’
The Derby consultation is open until the 23 January with the Nottingham consultation closing on 6 February.
