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Louise Thomas
Editor
Angela Rayner is set to give more power to local authorities as she pledges to transfer more powers out of Westminster in her first weeks as deputy prime minister.
Dubbed the “devolution revolution”, the cabinet minister said the government’s doors are open to areas which want to get in touch and take on devolution for the first time.
Ms Rayner has written to leaders of councils not currently subject to a devolution deal, to urge them to “partner with the government”.
She has announced the push in a bid to “drive growth in every part of the country” as the new Labour government begins to make headway on key pledges.
“For too long, Westminster government has tightly gripped control and held back opportunities and potential for towns, cities, and villages across the country,” Ms Rayner wrote in the letter to local leaders.
“Last week, with the prime minister, I had the pleasure of meeting the metro mayors in England. We discussed how to have a proper, grown-up conversations around economic growth, and how to deliver that through better housing, skills, and jobs for local people.”
“I want to work with more places to help them use these enhanced powers and roles, because I want to drive growth in every part of the country.
“For any area considering it, now is the time to take the plunge and speak to us about how we can work with you to transform your regions.”
The pledge comes ahead of the King’s Speech on Wednesday, in which mayors and councils are expected to be handed more control over skills, energy, planning and transport, including bus routes and fares.
Voters in some large cities in England elect mayors with regional responsibilities for transport, housing, and in some cases policing.
Earlier this month, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Rayner held a meeting with 11 regional leaders, including Labour’s London mayor Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, and the only Conservative mayor, Tees Valley’s Lord Houchen.
Sir Keir told them at the meeting on 9 July that he wants to build “a real partnership” with them.
The government has pointed to Greater Manchester, which has had devolved powers since 2014, as an example of a region succeeding as a result of devolution.
In England, devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. 12 areas, including London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Tees Valley, have devolution deals giving powers over areas such as transport, housing and employment.
Devolution referendums were held in 1997 in Scotland and Wales. On both sides of the Northern Irish/Irish border in 1998, referendums were held on the Good Friday Agreement.
These resulted in the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales (now called the Senedd) and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Voters in some large cities in England elect mayors with regional responsibilities. Among them are Andy Burnham (Greater Manchester), Richard Parker (West Midlands), Dan Norris (west of England including Bristol and Bath) and Ben Houchen (Tees Valley).
The UK government in Westminster remains responsible for policies which affect just England, as well as overall policy in several areas such as foreign relations.
