The BBC are reporting that the new Labour government has paused the City Deals. From the report:
The deals are bespoke packages of funding and decision-making powers negotiated between central government and local authorities.
The implications of the pause are not yet clear, but Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill described it as “unacceptable and deplorable”.
There are four deals in Northern Ireland: the Belfast City region, Derry City and Strabane, Mid South West region, and Causeway Coast and Glens.
O’Neill called the UK government’s approach “extremely short-sighted” and urged ministers to reconsider.
“These City and Growth Deals will be game-changers for the regeneration of our cities and towns and a catalyst for economic growth and creating good jobs,” she said.
“It’s crucial that they continue as planned.”
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said Stormont officials “were informed of this potential direction of travel on Wednesday”.
“We raised this during a meeting with the Chancellor in London on Thursday, spelling out the dire consequences such a decision would have and urged for a reconsideration,” she said.
The total value of the deals is valued at more than £1bn with most of the money coming from the UK government.
Pause does sound a bit ominous.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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