The UK government has announced that England’s regional mayors will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss “a major programme of devolution”. The meeting at 10 Downing Street will explore moving power out of Westminster and towards the regions. Ms Rayner, also communities secretary, has said that Westminster has held back opportunities for towns, cities and villages across the UK for too long.
Labour has made growing the economy one of its five “missions” for government. In an effort to achieve this mission, local mayors will identify local specialisms that could contribute to a “national industrial strategy”. Local leaders will create Local Growth Plans, which identify growth sectors and the infrastructure they require to thrive, as part of this initiative.
Currently, 12 regions in England, including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Tees Valley, have devolution deals that provide powers over areas such as transport, housing, and employment. Devolution deals were expanded under the Conservatives, who formed new combined authorities composed of several council areas and chaired by metro mayors. Access to funding was previously fragmented, but local authorities can now use a single pot of money that trusts metro mayors to do the job they were elected to do.
Tees Valley’s Conservative mayor Ben Houchen is the only non-Labour politician among these mayors. South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard did not attend the meeting after testing positive for Covid but sent a letter outlining his priorities to the prime minister. Devolution deals will be extended to more areas in 2025, including Suffolk, Norfolk, and Greater Lincolnshire. Sir Keir believes that those “with skin in the game” know best what they need, and Ms Rayner has stated that the new government is focused on “a full reset of our relationship with local government
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