Mayoral Council for England

Last updated

Mayoral Council for England
Type
Type
Forum for the regional mayors
of England
History
Founded10 October 2024;3 months ago (2024-10-10)
Leadership
Chair
Structure
Seats13
Political groups
  •   Labour Party (12)
  •   Conservative Party (1)
Meeting place
The Deputy Prime Minister chairs the Mayoral Council meeting for regional mayors 06.jpg
Meeting of the Mayoral Council in Rotherham, 23 January 2025

The Mayoral Council for England is a political body in England that brings together ministers from the UK Government, the Mayor of London, and combined authority mayors. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

Background

David Cameron's proposed English Cabinet of Mayors

UK prime minister David Cameron proposed in 2012 that England's directly elected mayors sit within an "English Cabinet of Mayors", giving them the opportunity to share ideas and represent their regions at English national level. This proposed cabinet of mayors would have been chaired by the prime minister and meet at least twice a year. [5] [6] However, no action was taken to form such a body.

Gordon Brown's proposed Council of England

Plans for a "Council of England" featured in a 2022 Labour Party report on constitutional reform by Gordon Brown titled A New Britain: Renewing our Democracy and Rebuilding our Economy. [7] The proposed council would be chaired by the prime minister and would include leaders of combined authorities, the mayor of London, representatives of local government and other stakeholders in England. Earlier, Labour's manifesto for the 2017 general election included a commitment to establish the post of a "Minister for England" within the Department of Communities and Local Government. [8] [9]

Dunlop Review's proposed English Regions Forum

The 2021 The Dunlop Review into UK Government Union Capability suggested that consideration could be given to establishing an "English Regions Forum" to "feed views in from sub-national governments in England to UK Government ministers". [10] [11] [12]

Electoral Reform Society's proposed English Leaders' Forum

A 2022 report by the Electoral Reform Society suggested the establishment of an "English Leaders' Forum" to bring together UK ministers with combined authority mayors, single local authority mayors and council leaders. It also suggested the creation of an "England Office" to act as a representative for English local government to the UK government and serve to coordinate between central and local government on English devolved matters. [13]

Onward's proposed National Mayors Association

Conservative leaning think tank Onward proposed the formation of a National Mayors Association and creation of various Joint Delivery Taskforces involving the UK central government, metro mayors and local authorities in a report titled Give Back Control published in 2022. [14] [15]

Devolving English Government report's proposed English Devolution Council

In a report titled Devolving English Government published in April 2023, to counter what they described as over-centralisation and a democratic deficit in England, the Institute for Government and the University of Cambridge's Bennett Institute for Public Policy proposed the formation of an "English Devolution Council", and the establishment of an "Office for England" led by a "Secretary of State for England". Under the proposals the English Devolution Council would include the mayor of London and existing combined authority mayors. An interim mechanism would be put in place for the participation of local leaders in areas of England without a mayoral combined authority. The role of the council would be to debate issues related to local and regional governance in England, to call ministers and experts to provide evidence and to advise the UK central Government on English affairs. The Existing Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government would be split into a Department for Housing and Communities and an Office for England, which would take on responsibility for oversight of devolved and local governance in England. The Secretary of State for England would chair a cabinet committee for England including other secretaries of state from departments whose remits mainly apply to England only. [16] [17] [18]

Establishment

Following Labour's victory in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the new prime minister Keir Starmer informally met England's combined authority mayors and the mayor of London on 9 July. [19] [20] The first formal meeting of the Mayoral Council, chaired by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, took place on 10 October 2024 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the council is expected to meet on a quarterly basis. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it set up the Mayoral Council to "strengthen the relationships between central government and the mayors" ahead of publishing a white paper on devolution. [1] [21] [22] The first meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions, which also included England's combined authority mayors and the mayor of London, took place the following day.

Unlike the proposed "Council of England", the Mayoral Council does not include local government representatives in areas without a mayoral combined authority, or other stakeholders. However, at the 2024 Labour Party Conference, Labour reiterated its commitment to English devolution, saying that all areas of England "should eventually be covered by mayoral devolution", which would mean that the Mayoral Council would eventually evolve into an all-England forum. [23]

Mayors Network (M10 Group)

Combined authority mayors and the Mayor of London also meet informally on a monthly basis as the Mayors Network (M10 Group) allowing them to consult each other, coordinate their actions, and gain access to UK government ministers. [24] [25] [26] This network has been chaired by Tracy Barbin since May 2022 and previously by Dan Jarvis. [27] [28]

Purpose

The English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024 stated that the functions and aims of the Mayoral Council are as follows:

"The Council will be the key forum for engagement between central government and Mayors on Local Growth Plans, pushing the frontier on devolution, feeding back on how best to deliver on the ground, and identifying opportunities to better coordinate national and local policy." [29]

Membership

As of October 2024, 48% of the population and 26% of the land area of England is represented on the council. [30]

Areas of England represented on the Mayoral Council are shown in red Mayoral Council geographic representation.png
Areas of England represented on the Mayoral Council are shown in red

The membership of the Mayoral Council is currently as follows:

NameAuthorityPosition within authority
Angela Rayner Government of the United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Sadiq Khan Greater London Authority Mayor of London
Nik Johnson Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Claire Ward East Midlands Combined County Authority Mayor of the East Midlands
Andy Burnham Greater Manchester Combined Authority Mayor of Greater Manchester
Steve Rotheram Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
Kim McGuinness North East Combined Authority Mayor of the North East
Oliver Coppard South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Mayor of South Yorkshire
Ben Houchen Tees Valley Combined Authority Mayor of the Tees Valley
Richard Parker West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor of the West Midlands
Dan Norris West of England Combined Authority Mayor of the West of England
Tracy Brabin West Yorkshire Combined Authority Mayor of West Yorkshire
David Skaith York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Mayor of York and North Yorkshire

The membership of the council will increase as new mayoral combined authorities are established in England. In September 2024, mayoral combined authorities were approved for Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire with mayors for these authorities expected to be elected in May 2025. [31]

Meetings and activities

Meetings

Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner meeting with Metro Mayors in July 2024 Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts Metro Mayors (53844204082).jpg
Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner meeting with Metro Mayors in July 2024
First official meeting of the Mayoral Council in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 10 October 2024 Mayoral Council meeting, 10 October 2024.jpg
First official meeting of the Mayoral Council in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 10 October 2024

An unofficial meeting of mayors was held in July 2024 and the first formal meeting of the council took place in October 2024.

The council is expected to meet four times a year. [21]

Meetings of the Mayoral Council for England
DateLocation
9 July 2024 (unofficial) [32] 10 Downing Street,
Westminster
10 October 2024 [33] [34] The Common Room,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
23 January 2025 [35] Advanced Manufacturing Park,
Rotherham

Activities

Members of the council participated in the Global Investment Summit at the London Guildhall on 14 October 2024. [36] [37] Mayors met Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves in Darlington on 12 December 2024. [38] [39]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "Deputy Prime Minister launches first-ever Mayoral Council". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  2. ↑ Jones, Polly (11 October 2024). "Mayoral Council meets to discuss devolution". Government Business.
  3. ↑ "The Deputy Prime Minister chairs the Council of Mayors meeting". Flickr.
  4. ↑ Peters, Dan (10 October 2024). "Relationship reset". Municipal Journal.
  5. ↑ "Mayoral referendums: The mayors of the twinned cities". BBC News. 19 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Rival campaigns fight over directly-elected mayors in England". BBC News. 12 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Mason, Rowena; Brooks, Libby (4 December 2022). "Labour unveils plan to overhaul constitution and replace the Lords". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "For the Many not the Few: The Labour Party Manifesto 2017" (PDF). Lancaster University. 2017.
  9. ↑ Jones, Richard Wyn; Henderson, Ailsa (23 April 2021). "Like it or not, Keir Starmer will not win without England". Prospect.
  10. ↑ "The Dunlop Review into UK Government Union capability". GOV.UK. 24 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Anderson, Paul (1 May 2024). "Metro mayors and Whitehall need a better way to work together". LSE.
  12. ↑ Dunlop, Andrew (10 February 2021). "Andrew Dunlop on the Future of the Union". Policy Exchange.
  13. ↑ Palese, Michela (9 March 2022). "Democracy Made in England: Where Next for English Local Government?". Electoral reform Society.
  14. ↑ Hawksbee, Adam (18 June 2022). "Give Back Control: Realising the Potential of Mayors". Onward.
  15. ↑ McGauran, Ann (20 June 2022). "Unleash wave of mayoral devo, says think tank". LocalGov.
  16. ↑ Lewsey, Fred (6 April 2023). "England needs a 'council of mayors' and Secretary of State to embed English devolution at the heart of Whitehall". University of Cambridge.
  17. ↑ "England needs a 'council of mayors' and Secretary of State to embed English devolution at the heart of Whitehall - report". The Bennett Institute for Public Policy. 6 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "Devolving English government". The Bennett Institute for Public Policy. 6 April 2023.
  19. ↑ "Devolution delivery for first mayoral meeting". GOV.UK (Press release). 9 July 2024.
  20. ↑ "UK politics live: Keir Starmer departs for Nato summit after making first speech to Parliament as PM". BBC News. 9 July 2024.
  21. 1 2 "Rayner launches Mayoral Council | Local Government Chronicle (LGC)". lgcplus.com. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  22. ↑ Holland, Daniel (10 October 2024). "Mayor defends Labour devolution plans and calls for more powers for North East". Chronicle Live.
  23. ↑ White, Hannah; Thomas, Alex; Tetlow, Gemma; Pope, Thomas; Davies, Nick; Davison, Nehal; Metcalfe, Sophie; Paun, Akash (26 September 2024). "Seven things we learned from the Labour Party Conference 2024". Institute for Government. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  24. ↑ https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/1706a4b2-9908-4524-94af-a248f85132f8
  25. ↑ Anderson, Paul (1 May 2024). "Metro mayors and Whitehall need a better way to work together". London School of Economics and Political Science.
  26. ↑ "D57f3741-c76e-4094-b058-91f5057ab58b".
  27. ↑ "Mayor of West Yorkshire, to Chair the 'M10' Group of Metro Mayors". West Yorkshire Combined Authority. 6 May 2022.
  28. ↑ "Working with other Mayors". Jamie Driscoll.
  29. ↑ "English Devolution White Paper: 2. How we will deliver devolution in England". GOV.UK. 16 December 2024.
  30. ↑ Henderson, Duncan; et al. (21 June 2024). "English devolution". Institute for Government.
  31. ↑ "Four devolution agreements signed off and others progressing". GOV.UK (Press release). 21 September 2024.
  32. ↑ "Driving local growth through a "new era" of devolution: No 10 mayoral roundtable". Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  33. ↑ "The governance of the Union". Monitor (88). University College London Constitution Unit. November 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  34. ↑ "Deputy Prime Minister launches first-ever Mayoral Council". SLCC. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  35. ↑ Sebestyen, Roland (23 January 2025). "Angela Rayner visits South Yorkshire for second 'Mayoral Council meeting'". The Star. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  36. ↑ "England's mayors in diplomacy dance to shift balance of power" . Financial Times. 17 October 2024.
  37. ↑ "The Deputy Prime Minister attends the International Investment Summit". Flickr.
  38. ↑ @RachelReevesMP (12 December 2024). "Brilliant to join mayors from across the country in Darlington to talk about our plans to make every part of Britain better off" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ↑ Fraser, Kayleigh (12 December 2024). "Chancellor Rachel Reeves to visit Sunderland today". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
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