Devolution deals: The summer state of play

Last week the government confirmed that Cumbria, Cheshire & Warrington, Norfolk & Suffolk, Greater Essex, Sussex & Brighton, and Hampshire & the Solent have passed the final legal tests to create Mayoral Strategic Authorities. Subject to local ratification, most will hold inaugural elections in May 2026 (Cumbria and Cheshire have been allowed to delay the election to 2027 to align with the local election cycle).

Directly elected mayors will be handed control of long‑term investment funds, integrated transport planning, housing delivery and adult‑skills budgets. Ministers hail the model as a proven catalyst for regional growth, promising to shift power “out of Whitehall and into communities” while standardising funding and accountability across England. The government has published the devolution consultation feedback, underscoring strong public appetite for place‑based leadership capable of cutting through bureaucracy and accelerating local infrastructure projects. Crucially, the accompanying Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill sets a statutory goal of nationwide mayoral coverage by 2028.

Some notable highlights so far:

• Several local figures have put themselves forward for Sussex’s inaugural contest. For Labour, there could be a battle between the former leader Brighton & Hove City Council (Dan Yates) and the current leader (Bella Sankey). The Conservatives could have a very competitive candidate contest, with Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, ex-Conservative MP Tim Loughton, and West Sussex County Council leader Paul Marshall all declared. Labour’s city base versus a Conservative‑leaning rural Sussex hints at a Lab–Con showdown, with Green transfers and the scale of rural/suburban Reform support potentially decisive.
• In Hampshire & the Solent, Southampton’s Lorna Fielker has stepped down to run for Labour. Tory PCC Donna Jones is already campaigning on “safe streets, stronger growth” and seen as the frontrunner. Lib Dem veteran Gerald Vernon Jackson may also join, setting up a possible three-way split. Tory dominance in rural areas gives Jones the edge for now but a split opposition and high‑turnout urban cores could yet produce an upset.
• In Cheshire and Warrington, Cheshire West and Chester Council leader Louise Gittens is seen as the early front runner for the mayoralty. But the election has been pushed to 2027, prompting criticism from Lib Dem councillor Graham Gowland, who called the delay “misleading and undemocratic”.

Strategic mayors promise two simultaneous shifts. First, decision‑making is compressed: instead of eight or nine separate councils sparring over transport routes or housing numbers, a single mayoral office will adopt a statutory spatial strategy and can designate projects of “regional importance” that bypass lower‑tier planning committees. That should end the familiar cycle of parochial vetoes delaying rail upgrades or science‑park expansions. Second, accountability becomes starker: voters gain a clear target for praise or blame every four years, but councillors and campaigners lose local influence. 

The 2026 contests will test whether the push for faster devolution outweighs the tradition of slow, locally negotiated deals. Westminster will still sign-off the borrowing caps, but ministers insist the public appetite for visible leadership outweighs the risks of regional overreach.