Hull and East Yorkshire Devolution Consultation 

Task  

In England, devolution is defined by the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government in order to ensure decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect.  

In 2023, the Government proposed a devolution deal for Hull and East Yorkshire (HEY), which was approved by both local authorities’ full council meetings. It is a statutory requirement that local authorities conduct a public consultation on the deal and, as such, Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council ran a consultation over an 8-week period. Participants could engage in the consultation in a variety of ways, including an online survey, paper consultation forms, emailing or phoning their local council, or by attending events.  

TONIC was commissioned by Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council to undertake collation and analysis of the responses to the consultation. In total, over 5,800 individuals shared their views in the consultation process.

TONIC’s Approach  

TONIC conducted quantitative statistical analysis for all responses to the closed (multiple choice) questions in the consultation. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis was then used to summarise the written responses to the open questions. 

Furthermore, TONIC underwent several processes of quality assurance of the analysis process that included, but was not limited to, testing for inter-rater reliability, sampling of coded responses by a Senior Analyst and peer reviewing draft code frameworks. These processes created a systematic approach that enhanced the reliability and validity of the findings and attempted to eradicate any bias.   

A data cleansing process was also carried out, prior to beginning analysis. This involved identifying and removing duplicate answers, blank submissions, blank answers and online responses that had not been formally submitted.  

Outcome 

TONIC produced a detailed, comprehensive report that summarised the findings of the consultation. It was found that 53% of all respondents agreed that the devolution deal would help to address HEY’s priorities, while 35% disagreed.  

The report divided the findings from the survey categorically, identifying key themes and detailing the responses given by the public and businesses/organisations. Generally, around 50% of survey participants felt the devolution deal would be beneficial in areas such as transport, economic productivity and inclusivity. TONIC noted that there was a high number of survey participants who expressed a neutral view towards the deal.  

Analysis of focus groups and events identified that participants felt that enhanced public transport, affordable housing and clear communication should be key priorities moving forward. TONIC also identified through analysis of these answers a limited public knowledge around what devolution is, and what the impact would be.