1) Has Devon County Council ever decided to develop a bid (or ‘expression of interest’) for a devolution agreement? If so, when? Please provide a copy of the council’s decision whether or not to develop a bid, if available (for instance, minutes of a council meeting in which the decision was taken and/or related discussion papers). If the council has made multiple attempts to develop a bid, please provide details for each.
Devon County Council gave in-principle agreement in 2016 to move towards a Combined Authority model to deliver a Heart of the South West devolution deal. Here is the link to the relevant Council minutes: Agenda for Council on Thursday, 28th July, 2016, 2.15 pm – Democracy in Devon
2) Was a bid ever submitted to central government? If so, when? In coordination with which other local authorities, if any? Please provide a copy of any bid submitted, if available. If the council has submitted multiple bids, please provide details for each.
The Heart of the South West Expression of Interest and Devolution Prospectus which were submitted to Government are available here
https://www.devon.gov.uk/democracy/how-the-council-works/devolution/
3) Was the bid accepted or rejected by central government as the basis for negotiating a devolution agreement? If so, when? Please provide a copy of the correspondence from central government in which the acceptance or rejection of the bid was communicated, if available. If the council has submitted multiple bids, please provide details for each.
Government did not accept or reject the Expression of Interest and Devolution Prospectus but the proposal did not proceed.
4) Is the council currently in the process of developing and submitting a bid? Or is the council currently negotiating a devolution agreement with central government?
No
5) Please provide an estimate of the funds spent by the council on the development of any bids for a devolution agreement, or the negotiation of any devolution agreement, since 2010, as applicable (e.g. officer time, funding put aside the hire of consultants for the bid).
We do not hold this information