Mayoral authority is improving says government

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority was established in March 2017 after a devolution deal

A formal notice issued by the government over "significant concerns" about how a mayoral authority was run has been lifted.

Ministers previously said they were concerned about the "culture" and "effective partnership working" at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority which is responsible for public transport, adult skills, and economic growth.

Dr Nik Johnson, the Labour Mayor of the authority, said he was "delighted" to have heard from the government that the Best Value Notice would not be extended.

In a letter to the authority, the government said it recognised the progress it had made, and was "reassured" about its capacity to “comply with its Best Value Duty".

The notice was first issued in January 2023 when the government highlighted "significant concerns" about the Combined Authority, which had been raised by an external auditor the year before.

The government issued a revised best value notice in January this year, again raising formal concerns but recognising that steps had been taken to "address the serious issues at the authority".

Mayor Nik Johnson described the lifting of the notice as a "real pivotal moment for the area"

Responding to news that the notice had been lifted, the mayor said: "Today I am absolutely delighted to announce that after a long journey, we have received correspondence from the Minister of Local Government, Jim McMahon, to say that we will not need to have an extension of the Best Value Notice.

"It has only happened by the ability for all the Combined Authority constituent members to work together, the members and the officers of all the organisations come together for the greater good of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and all our communities.

"I'm obviously delighted to have had this news and I'm looking forward, really looking forward, to going forward with all the constituent members and continuing to deliver the good work and all of the kind of ambitions that we have for our area."