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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving specific powers or funds to county councils outside of a formal devolution deal, where requested, as part of the Government's levelling up agenda.

Devolving specific powers or funds to an individual local authority is dependent on agreeing a devolution deal with government, informed by the devolution framework published in the Levelling Up White Paper. As well as those which establish new institutions, all devolution deals which establish new institutions or confer new powers will be subject to Parliamentary approval to the necessary secondary legislation in order to be implemented; and deal implementation will need to be prioritised and scheduled accordingly.