Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits of the Suffolk devolution deal for (a) Suffolk and (b) Ipswich.

The Suffolk devolution deal will put Suffolk County Council, in partnership with Suffolk's district and borough councils, including Ipswich, in control of setting economic strategy locally. The deal will grant Suffolk County Council control of a 30-year investment fund worth £480 million, over £5.8 million to support the building of new homes on Brownfield land, and powers to improve local skills. This will help drive growth and take forward local priorities over the longer term, giving the directly elected leader and local constituent councils more flexibility to decide how best to spend money on key local priorities. Ipswich will be able to take advantage of the overarching benefits of the deal to the whole region and the new relationship between Suffolk and central government.