Devon’s economy should get more than £500 million in additional Government support if the county’s hardest hit areas are treated the same as Cornwall.

Analysis for Team Devon shows productivity in six Devon local authority areas is at least as low as Cornwall and says they therefore be given the same investment from the Government’s planned UK Shared Prosperity Fund which will replace EU funding from April 2022. In the recent Budget the Government promised that Shared Prosperity Fund contributions for Cornwall would ’at a minimum match the size of EU Funds’ but no guarantees have been given for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.

Team Devon research shows that low productivity in East Devon, Mid Devon, Teignbridge, Torbay, Torridge and West Devon is at least as bad as Cornwall, and the population of the six Devon areas is 612,000, more than the population of Cornwall.

Whilst relatively better than Cornwall, productivity in Plymouth, North Devon and South Hams is still significantly below the UK average, the analysis continued.