Devolution can be the skills and opportunity catalyst the East of England needs.

Carli Harper

Co-Founder and Director, Devo Agency

Labour Candidate for Norfolk & Suffolk Mayor

10/04/2026

As the dust settles on May's local elections, a new political battle is already taking shape across the East of England. The debate has moved on from who won and who lost to something altogether different: what should local government look like in the future, and should devolution happen at all?

Councillors, council leaders and political parties are becoming increasingly consumed by discussions about local government reorganisation, mayoral authorities and governance models. Those conversations matter. The decisions made over the coming months will shape how local services are delivered for decades to come.

But outside council chambers and political meetings, nobody lies awake at night wondering how many councils there should be in their area. They want to know how any of this will improve their lives. Will it create better jobs? Will it help young people gain the skills they need to succeed? Will it support local businesses to grow? Will it make it easier to find a decent home, access public services and build a secure future?

Those are the questions that should define the devolution debate. Because the real prize is not a new set of structures or institutions. It is the opportunity to unlock economic growth, create opportunity and improve outcomes for the people and communities of the East of England.

As we prepare for a new era of devolved leadership in Norfolk & Suffolk and in Essex, the challenge is not simply to build new institutions. It is to use those institutions to unlock the region's enormous potential.

And at the heart of that challenge sits one issue above almost all others: skills.

The skills challenge is the growth challenge

Across the East, employers consistently identify skills shortages as one of the biggest barriers to growth.

Businesses want to invest, expand and innovate. Yet too often they struggle to find the people they need. At the same time, many young people and adults are looking for opportunities that provide good jobs, career progression and long-term security.

The systems responsible for skills, economic development, housing and business support frequently operate in silos. The result is a disconnect between the needs of employers and the opportunities available to local people. This is where devolution can make a real difference.

By bringing together responsibility for skills, economic development, housing, infrastructure and investment, devolved institutions have the potential to create a much more joined-up approach to growth. Instead of reacting to challenges as they emerge, regions can begin planning for the future.

I was reminded of this recently at Devo East's SME Builders' Breakfast at UK REiiF, where developers, housing providers, local authorities and regeneration professionals came together to discuss how we accelerate housing delivery across the East of England.

The event was focused on housing, but the conversation quickly became about something much broader. Skills.

Again and again, participants returned to the same point. We can reform planning, unlock sites and create innovative delivery models. But none of it matters if we do not have the people needed to build the homes, infrastructure and places our communities need.

There was widespread recognition that we are approaching a critical moment when it comes to passing on skills and experience. Many experienced professionals are nearing retirement, while too few young people are entering the industries that will be essential to future growth.

Housing simply provides one of the clearest examples of a much wider challenge facing the economy.

Why SMEs matter

One of the strongest themes from the discussion was the unique role that small and medium-sized enterprises can play in developing future talent.

SME builders are often deeply rooted in the communities they serve. They recruit locally, train locally and spend locally. When they grow, local economies benefit directly.

Participants spoke about the importance of creating a steady pipeline of opportunities rather than relying on a handful of major projects. If multiple sites are progressing across an area, businesses have the confidence to recruit apprentices, invest in training and build long-term capability.

That creates opportunities at every level, from people entering the workforce for the first time through to experienced professionals developing specialist expertise.

The benefits stay local too. Wages, skills and economic activity circulate within communities, helping to build stronger and more resilient local economies.

This principle applies across countless sectors. Whether it is clean energy, manufacturing, life sciences, digital technology or construction, businesses are more likely to invest in skills when they have confidence in the future.

Local growth is fairer growth

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of devolution is the opportunity to connect these dots.

The East of England is not a single economy. It is a collection of distinctive places with different strengths, opportunities and challenges: growing cities, rural communities, coastal towns and globally significant innovation clusters.

A national approach can set direction, but local leaders are often best placed to understand how opportunities translate into jobs, investment and growth on the ground.

Devolution offers the chance to align economic development, skills, infrastructure and business support around a shared regional vision. It allows employers, education providers and public sector leaders to work together to ensure that local people have the skills needed to access emerging opportunities.

Grasping the opportunity

The East of England has all the ingredients needed to succeed. We have ambitious businesses, world-class sectors, strong universities and colleges, entrepreneurial communities and increasingly the tools to shape our own future.

The discussions at Devo East's SME Builders' Breakfast demonstrated that there is no shortage of ambition or innovation. What is needed now is the ability to bring these elements together.

Housing provides a useful lens through which to view the challenge. But ultimately this is about something much bigger. It is about ensuring that local people have the skills to access good jobs. That local businesses have the talent they need to grow. And that economic growth creates opportunities that are felt in every part of our region.

That is the real promise of devolution. Not simply more powers. But more opportunity, better jobs and a stronger future for the East of England.