The Government has announced the 10 local authorities in England that will pilot a simplified approach to funding delivery, which it said would include devolved decision-making, more local flexibility and reduced bureaucracy.
Michael Gove, secretary of state for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), told the Local Government Association (LGA) conference in Bournemouth last month that 10 councils would be involved in the trial.
The DLUHC said the pilot would help it understand the impact of a simplified model on the delivery of locally selected capital projects, including how more flexibility could benefit local authorities.
The 10 councils that were selected were all in receipt of funding from three schemes: the Future High Streets Fund, Town Deals, and round one of the Levelling Up Fund.
Pilot councils will be able to move money between projects in these funding portfolios, the DLUHC said.
The trial will also involve more streamlined reporting and a reduced need for councils to seek approval from the DLUHC when making changes to their investment plans.
The DLUHC said the ‘pathfinder’ councils were all in England because of a lack of UK-wide funding programmes that would be appropriate for consolidation.
The 10 local authorities chosen for the ‘Simplification Pathfinder Pilot’ are:
• Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
• Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
• City of Wolverhampton Council
• Lewes District Council
• Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council
• Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
• Sheffield City Council
• Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
• Thanet District Council
• Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
