Devolution bill published giving mayors greater powers over transport, housing and jobs
The Government has published the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill which aims to de-centralise power to elected mayors and promote regional growth.
The Bill will deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment to unlock a shift in power from Westminster by giving directly elected leaders and mayors greater powers over transport, housing and jobs.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said, “We’re ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives. We are opting to devolve, not dictate, and delivering a bill that will rebalance decade old divides and empower communities.”
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP said, “For too long power and opportunity has been concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall while the local councils millions rely on have been frustrated and diminished. This failed approach has held back growth across our country for far too long.
“Devolution begins the work of fixing that, with this bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas in partnership with local communities, unleashing more growth and more opportunities.”
According to the government, England has fallen behind from the rest of the globe in modernising how decisions are made, but devolution prioritises “people and partnership over paperwork and politics”. Changes covered by the bill include:
Boosting economic growth with mayors working across the country to achieve the national missions by developing area specific Local Growth Plans to kickstart local economies.
Streamlined powers for Mayors across England to speed up the development of new homes and infrastructure in their areas. This will include a new power to institute Mayoral Development Orders, as well as a streamlined process to establish Mayoral Development Corporations, designed to replicate the success of projects such as the Olympic Park legacy and attract inward investment right across the country.
Enabling areas to work together over larger areas to deliver the big changes, like integrated transport networks. This will be done through the creation of new ‘Strategic Authorities’ that will boost connectivity and collaboration between Councils
A stronger voice for communities with a new requirement for local authorities to put in place effective neighbourhood governance to give residents more of a say in shaping their local areas.
Restoring taxpayers’ trust in councils’ spending through fixing the local audit system with the establishment of the Local Audit Office, which will increase transparency, simplify and streamline the system.
The Urban Transport Group has welcomed the bill. Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group, said, “English transport devolution is already delivering tangible change across major city regions. This new bill is an endorsement of devolution and how better outcomes can be achieved by further extending devolution across England.”
Angela Jones, President of ADEPT, said "ADEPT welcomes the introduction of the bill and the opportunity it presents for strengthening local leadership and place-based service delivery. It is essential that the technical expertise and operational knowledge of local government is fully recognised and utilised as devolution moves forward. We are currently analysing the bill in detail and will continue to engage with government and partners as it progresses through Parliament.”