The key to a new future for Portsmouth

They present huge challenges and are widely felt across the country, from post-industrial towns to Glasgow, Cardiff and London. The solutions for each requires long-term, strategic action as well as greater collaboration between areas and agencies. There is a consensus about the biggest problems we face, and yet the means to respond feels woefully lacking.

But that could be about to change. Because Portsmouth is on the brink of something that can deliver better living standards, improved services and greater control over our own destiny. I could not be more excited about it.

We are on the cusp of devolution.

Right now, the Labour Government is driving the biggest shift in English politics for a century, taking power out of Westminster and putting it into the hands of the nation’s regions. This means giving regional leaders the tools to decide what’s best for their area, with those leaders in turn being more accountable to voters than Westminster politicians hundreds of miles away. England has long been one of the most centralised nations in Western Europe – and this Government has decided change is long overdue.

In Portsmouth, our local authority has just found out it’s been accepted onto the Devolution Priority Programme, which means we will be in the first wave of this transformation.

So what does devolution mean in practice? And what difference would it make for Portsmouth?

In short, devolution means taking back control for our region, giving us the chance to choose our own path when it comes to planning, housing, transport, employment and skills. We will have more power to create policies that work for us.

We’d be led by a directly elected mayor, just like Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham. This person - who’ll be elected for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - will have a seat at the negotiating table in Westminster. They’ll be fighting our corner, speaking out for the challenges our region faces and making sure we get greater investment. What is more, finally the people of Portsmouth and Hampshire will have a political megaphone on the national stage.

The South East has a population of almost ten million people but has, so far, lacked the representation that other regions enjoy. When Conservative politicians focused on ‘levelling up’ they didn’t mean us. As a result there’s not one elected mayor across our region, despite our size and the importance of the South East for the national economy. It’s a scandal we’ve missed out for so long.

Take transport. How many times have you sat in gridlocked traffic on the M27 or A27, wishing there was a more integrated, reliable and cheaper public transport system like London’s so that you could confidently leave your car at home? And even if you would still prefer to drive others wouldn’t, meaning less congestion on our roads.

Collaboration with our neighbouring authorities with a new devolution deal would help us achieve that. Our mayor could, as in Manchester, take bus services back into local control more quickly and efficiently. And they’d have a new statutory role in managing, planning, and developing the local rail network. If the region wanted ‘London-style’ public transport, with efficiencies of scale, we could.

With our neighbours as equal partners, we can move away from the zero-sum situation of scrambling for ever shrinking pots of money. We can tackle common problems, collaborate and find solutions that will bring huge benefits for us all.

What’s more, under devolution, Portsmouth residents would not only have the chance to co-design their transport with elected leaders, but also be more empowered to shape the future of their areas - including the possibility of rescuing under-threat community assets.

And if we think about the decline of the high street, and the impact this has on our local economy and the morale of the city, the devolution proposals aim to give back power to councils to transform commercial areas. This includes greater planning powers and improved ability to purchase empty shops and ensure they’re let out in the short term. This is how we can tackle one of the biggest concerns residents have. And if things don’t change? You have a Mayor to hold accountable, rather than an alphabet soup of agencies and council officers. With a new Mayor the buck stops with them - it couldn’t be more simple.

Look at the achievements that metro mayors have made in areas like the West Midlands, London or Manchester - all of which have benefited from their own devolution deals. Tackling homelessness, securing free school meals for all primary-school children and landing billions of pounds’ worth of investment are just three. Wish that we could do the same in Portsmouth? Devolution can make that possible. It can give us the keys to a brighter future and a national figurehead getting the best deal for all of us.

I’m excited about what all of this could mean, and enthusiastic about the ‘can do’ politics of devolution. Because the truth is, the people of Portsmouth are best placed to determine what works for us. With devolution, taking back control is coming closer to home.