Consultation on ending Pan-Regional Partnership core funding
Applies to England and Wales
Detail of outcome
Pan-Regional Partnerships: final decision on government funding
The government has decided to proceed with its decision to end funding for PRPs. An exemption is offered to the Great South West.
Consultation on ending Pan-Regional Partnership core funding
At the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the government announced its intention to consult on ending funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships (PRPs). This was the result of a difficult fiscal inheritance forcing this government to make tough choices to save taxpayers’ money. The Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, then wrote to PRP Chairs and Chief Executives confirming this position and stating the government’s intention to work with the PRP community to understand the impacts this proposal would have, if taken forward.
The consultation sought information on the financial impacts of the decision and on whether there are PRP functions that could be maintained or integrated elsewhere. We also sought information to understand the equalities and environmental impacts of potentially defunding PRPs.
The 4-week consultation closed on 16 December 2024 and MHCLG officials undertook a thorough review of the responses, taking into account the representations made.
The government also published the English Devolution White Paper on 16 December 2024, setting out the ambition to place the right powers in the right places working across regions where a larger geographic scale is needed to coordinate on strategic issues. The White Paper set out that going forward the government intends to support Mayors in collaborating at pan-regional level driven from the bottom up, and creating convening bodies whose purpose, priorities and membership are decided at a regional level and working with existing regional organisations such as Sub-National Transport Bodies. Further progress had been made in building out Mayoral devolution in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire. Alongside this the government announced the Devolution Priority Programme which intends to take forward Mayoral devolution in Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton.
These will receive development funding to build capacity ahead of inaugural Mayoral elections. This complements the pre-existing agreement to develop proposals for Lancashire.
Having carefully considered the evidence brought by the consultation responses as well as the equality and environmental implications and balanced this against our priorities for the future as set out in the English Devolution White Paper, and the progress made to date on widening Mayoral devolution, the government has decided to proceed with the decision provisionally announced at Budget, but has made an exemption to provide exceptional, time-limited funding of £281,250 for the Great South West during 2025/26 only, as it is the only area without any Mayors covering a strategic area in place now, or with one due to follow as part of the Devolution Priority Programme.
The government has notified PRPs and their Accountable Bodies of this outcome and with this statement, we now conclude the consultation process.
Original consultation
Consultation description
At Budget on 30 October 2024, government announced its intention to consult on ending funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships. The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon MP, then wrote to PRP Chairs and Chief Executives confirming this position and stating the government’s intention to work with the PRP community to understand the impacts this proposal would have, if taken forward.
We have written to PRP Chief Executives and their Section 151 Officers to begin a 4-week consultation on this proposal.
This consultation is seeking information on the financial impacts of the decision and on whether there are functions PRPs that could be maintained or integrated elsewhere. We would also like to understand the equalities and environmental impacts of potentially defunding PRPs.
Following the exercise, government will notify PRPs and their accountable bodies of the outcome and our final decision. We will also update this page with a statement.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact PRP_consultation@communities.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
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Added Pan-Regional Partnerships: final decision on government funding.
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First published.