Mayors will get unprecedented powers to drive growth, turbocharge housebuilding and improve transport in a transformative ‘devolution revolution’.
Setting out its plan to give those with skin in the game the tools they need to make a difference, the government published its English Devolution White Paper today (16 December). It puts England’s regions centre stage in the government’s Plan for Change missions to grow the economy, deliver the 1.5 million homes and infrastructure we need, and boost opportunity across the country.
Under proposals set out in the White Paper, Mayors will take a more direct role in plans for their areas than ever before, equipped with a range of new powers across strategic planning, housing, transport and skills. And they will be handed the tools they need to deliver on the ambitious Plan for Change in their regions.
Mayors in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region and the North East will be the first to receive new integrated funding settlements, covering housing, regeneration, local growth, transport, skills, retrofit and employment support.
The White Paper lays out an ambitious new devolution framework, hardwiring Mayors into the fabric of government in a new deal for local people, giving our communities a proper say over their own futures. It also sets out a strong preference to see Mayors in place across the whole of England – making it the default status for regions across England.
Devolution is a tried and tested model for delivering accountability and economic growth. But devolution in England lags behind other developed nations. The English Devolution Bill, which is expected next year, will change this.
With two new mayoral and six non-mayoral devolution agreements confirmed since the summer, devolution will now be extended and deepened across England, giving all communities the opportunity to take back control. The government’s ambitions are shared by communities across the country and it will shortly set out its Devolution Priority Programme aiming to deliver inaugural mayoral elections in May 2026. The Government has had productive discussions with Cheshire and Warrington, Norfolk and Suffolk, and others and will confirm places on the Priority Programme in January.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said
“Devolution is about delivering fundamental change at every level. It’s about giving local leaders the tools – and the trust – they need to forge their areas’ futures.
“It’s about raising living standards, improving public services and building the homes we so desperately need – all key aspects of our Plan for Change. It cuts across every aspect of government.
“We have an economy that hoards potential and a politics that hoards power. So our devolution revolution will deliver the greatest transfer of power from Whitehall to our communities in a generation, empowering those communities to realise their potential. And nobody is more excited about it than I am.”
Key to this transformation will be the government’s ambition for all of England to have Strategic Authorities – larger than individual councils and covering the wider areas people recognise and work in. Many places already have the Combined Authorities that will serve this role. Elsewhere, the government will work at pace with areas that want to create new Authorities, and will also legislate to allow for the creation of Strategic Authorities where local leaders have, after due time has been allowed, not been able to make progress.
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution Jim McMahon said
“At its core, this White Paper sets out how the Government will strengthen and widen the mayoral model of devolution across England. It will shift power, decision making and money away from Westminster as part of a completely new way of governing, equipping more mayors working hand in glove with confident and stable local councils with a stronger set of levers to drive growth in their communities.
“It will empower them through integrated funding settlements, a direct role in the rail network, greater control over strategic planning and housing funding and skills training, so that they can deliver tangible change on a local and regional level.
“To do this we will rebuild and reform local government as the foundation for devolution, a reset in the relationship between central and local government, and give communities stronger tools to shape the future of their local areas.”
The White Paper will give Mayors power over
-
Planning and housing, putting our regions at the centre of the drive to build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament;
-
Transport, to drive a locally integrated transport network that truly works for their communities and supports local economic growth, with improved train services and better travel to and from rail stations, by bus, tram and active travel
-
Skills and employment support to so everyone has the opportunities they deserve and can access good jobs;
-
Local Growth Plans to accelerate regional growth and productivity, setting a long-term vision for the next decade, and a roadmap for how this will be achieved – driving the government’s central mission of economic growth and putting more money in people’s pockets
-
Too often, Mayors’ hands are tied by Whitehall – even when it comes to allocating their own budgets. The government will create a clear and transparent route for all Mayoral Combined Authorities to receive an Integrated Settlement, so they can move resources between projects in line with local need.
The White Paper also lays out the government’s plans to rebuild local government after 14 years of mismanagement and decline. This means providing multi-year financial settlements, shifting to a fairer system which matches funding with need, and a proper partnership between central and local government. It also announces an ambitious programme of local government reorganisation, working with councils to create simpler and more stable structures, tackling waste, improving accountability with fewer local politicians, and ensuring better outcomes for local people through sustainable, high-quality public services.
The landmark English Devolution Bill will deliver these changes to the law to make the devolution framework a reality and ensure local leaders across the country have the levers they need to make a difference.
For more information
Devolution has already been enacted or is underway in the following areas
Existing MCA/MCCAs
- North East
- Tees Valley
- York & North Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- Greater Manchester
- East Midlands
- Liverpool City Region
- West Midlands
- Cambridge & Peterborough
- Greater London
- West of England
MCA/MCCAs in the process of being established (confirmed since election)
- Greater Lincolnshire
- Hull & East Yorkshire
Non-mayoral institutions in the process of being established (confirmed since election)
- Lancashire
- Devon & Torbay
Single Local Authority non-mayoral agreements in the process of being established (confirmed since election)
- Cornwall
- Surrey
- Buckinghamshire
- Warwickshire
