Following the decision by Councils in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region to accept plans for Devolution, the team tasked with pushing the deal forward will meet for the first time next week (Wednesday 14th December).
 
The ‘Shadow Combined Authority’, as it is known, will meet at The Allia Future Business Centre, Hawksbill Way, Peterborough from 11am.  On the agenda are items such as the selection of a chair and other representative posts, procedure rules, scrutiny and the process for the election of a Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to lead the official Combined Authority, which is due to launch in February 2017.
 
Cambridgeshire County Councillor Steve Count, Chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Devolution Partnership, said: “We have been given a clear mandate from both local people, the Local Enterprise Partnership (GCGP LEP) and the seven Local Authorities that they were supportive of the Devolution deal, so we need to get the wheels in motion and start delivering on what has been laid on the table. The Shadow Combined Authority will be making some key decisions in pushing forwards the creation of the official body – and that hard work starts on Wednesday.”

Councillor James Palmer, Leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “I’m pleased to get underway with proceedings and start making positive steps towards obtaining decision making powers in the region, for the region.  There are a number of developments for the East Cambridgeshire district as part of the devolution deal and I look forward to championing these forward.”

Starting at 11am, the meeting is open to the public and the agenda and papers are available for viewing on the Cambridgeshire County Council website: https://cmis.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ccc_live/Meetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/527/Committee/40/Default.aspx
 
The ‘Shadow Combined Authority’ has been set up to drive forward the creation of the official Combined Authority for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which will include the Leader from each of the constituent local councils and the Chairman from the GCGP LEP. The creation of this body was an important part of the deal between Local Authorities and Government, which serves to ensure local communities now have direct representation for making decisions previously decided in Whitehall about how and where their money is spent.