5 February 2025Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, has today announced a major devolution package, with six new areas confirmed to join the government’s Devolution Priority Programme.
The government’s programme will ‘support the areas to move towards devolution at pace, becoming mayor-led strategic authorities by May next year if they proceed’, giving them ‘sweeping new powers, putting them on the fast track to deliver growth, opportunities, transport and housing for local communities.’
The six new areas joining the programme, and which will be working to an ‘ambitious devolution timetable’, are as follows:
- Cumbria
- Cheshire & Warrington
- Norfolk & Suffolk
- Greater Essex
- Sussex & Brighton
- Hampshire & Solent
Consultations for these areas are set to launch shortly.
In addition, as a result of devolution agreements confirmed by the Deputy Prime Minister last year, legislation comes into force today to establish four new devolution institutions, including two new mayoral authorities in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire, and the formation of combined county authorities in Devon and Torbay, and Lancashire.
Through the government’s focus on ‘fixing the foundations of local government, with simpler and more effective structures and a reduction in unnecessary layers of bureaucracy’, all councils in two-tier areas and small neighbouring unitary authorities are being formally invited to develop unitary proposals, bringing together lower and upper tier local government services in new unitary councils.
