Noah Law MP says Cornwall is leaving the ‘begging bowl’ behind

What would Cornwall do with money it didn’t have to ask permission to spend?

That’s the question the government’s new Good Growth funding puts to councils and Mayors across the country. Ministers say it will hand local leaders the cash and the authority to back their own priorities, without first getting the nod from Whitehall.

What has been announced

The government says it will give local leaders £285m to build stronger local economies in every part of the country.

According to the government, the plans are meant to cut how much councils and Mayors rely on Whitehall. It describes the move as giving local leaders “more money, more powers and more control”, and says it ends the days of communities going “cap in hand” to Westminster.

Chancellor John Healey is expected to make a wider pledge at the Budget, setting out plans to put communities in charge of their economic future. The government has described the new Good Growth funding as a “downpayment” on that promise.

What the money could be spent on

The idea is that local leaders decide where the money goes, based on what they see as the priorities for growth in their area.

The government gives some examples:

• new homes where they are badly needed
• bringing empty shops and struggling high streets back into use
• better transport links to help people reach jobs and other opportunities

What the local MP says

Noah Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, welcomed the announcement.

“We have been fighting tooth and nail to get Cornwall its share and to spell out where our greatest economic opportunity is, so I’m delighted to see our Prime Minister Andy Burnham come good on his promise of driving good growth in every postcode and the Chancellor put a downpayment on it,” he said.

He described the change as a shift in how Cornwall’s economy is supported.

“Cornwall is moving from a grant-based, begging bowl model of economic development to a much more mature, investment-based approach that’s fit to support our most promising industries and breathe life back into our tired high streets.”

The release doesn’t say how much of the £285m will come to Cornwall.