Devolution for Lincolnshire could mean

More powers
More money
More say

Better Results

Greater Prosperity

A devolution deal for Lincolnshire could be important to the business community.

For example, it could mean that local leaders have more powers, more money and more national influence to ensure that Lincolnshire businesses have the right education, training, and apprenticeships to meet their needs – both now and for the jobs of the future.

It could also mean that decisions are made locally rather than nationally on the best infrastructure to better connect people to jobs, freight to ports, or energy to facilities, ensuring local priorities are met.

How have other areas benefitted?

Infrastructure
Cornwall received a devolved budget of £126m alongside £17m private investment. It has delivered a more integrated public transport system, including a new 41-strong bus fleet. Contactless and smart ticketing is being rolled out for buses and trains, alongside infrastructure improvements with rail depot, signalling and, sleeper services.

The West Midlands attracted significant investment enabling it to fund major transport infrastructure, including new tram and rail lines and key road improvements and enabling residents to benefit from HS2, whilst also unlocking long-undeveloped pockets of land.

Skills
The Liverpool City Region launched a new apprenticeship portal to promote opportunities to prospective apprentices which sits alongside a Youth Impact group to give young people a platform to talk about issues that are important to them.

The West Midlands Combined Authority allocated £5 million from the National Retraining Scheme to create a Construction Gateway scheme co-designed with employers, that aims to find local high-quality jobs for people entering the construction sector.

Tees Valley created the Teesworks Skills Academy to provide a single point of access for employers and their supply chains to access an available and skilled workforce. The Skills Academy links with training providers, Jobcentre Plus and local employment hubs to link people looking for work and requiring skills development to the appropriate employers.

Devolution and control of the Adult Education Budget has also enabled initiatives to be pursued including increased business support to apprenticeships, and developing employer led skills pilots.

Work by the local authorities suggests that a Devolution Deal for Lincolnshire should focus on two key areas:

Infrastructure & Assets
  1. Strategic Growth & Jobs in key sectors
  2. Green recovery and low carbon
  3. Transport connecting people to jobs & places
  4. Housing & sustainable growth
  5. Managing our unique natural environment
Local examples include:
  • The right physical, digital, and utility infrastructure for our offshore energy production, hydrogen innovation, and industrial decarbonisation.
  • Control over transport options, routes, schedules & fares for public transport services to better connect people to skills and jobs.
  • Better alignment of national and local flood resilience work with environmental management, local climate change adaptation, and environmental biodiversity.
  • Faster delivery of digital infrastructure including 5G roll out and broadband connectivity, full fibre to premise and the rural gigabit scheme.
  • Strong housing infrastructure at pace to support areas of strong economic growth.
  • Shaping employment and training schemes to fit economic needs and individual aspirations.
Skills & Opportunity
  1. Skills culture promising aspiration
  2. Growing skills for future jobs in key sectors
  3. Creating Pathways & apprenticeships into new jobs
  4. Increasing employment opportunities & productivity
  5. Accelerating innovation, research, & technology
Local examples include:
  • Developing flexible funding, employer-led collaborations with educators such as FE, sixth form colleges, and private training providers to run industry-relevant courses.
  • Accelerating innovation, research, and technology to grow advancements in renewables, robotics, digital logistics, sea/food processing and technologies, with more graduates working across our growing clusters.
  • Devolution of the Adult Education Budget to maximise its use and impact.
  • Faster delivery of digital infrastructure including 5G roll out and broadband connectivity, full fibre to premise and the rural gigabit scheme.
  • Provision of flexible funding Apprenticeships available to everyone, and enhanced support for T Level work placements through existing employer partnerships and provider networks.
  • Supporting more people into higher education for access to innovation programmes.