Local authorities in “devolution deserts” are being invited to work with ministers to take on greater powers over services such as transport, housing and adult education.
Deputy prime minister and local government secretary Angela Rayner has written to local authority leaders in regions without devolved power inviting them to “partner with the government to deliver the most ambitious programme of devolution this country has ever seen”.
In the letter, Rayner said she wanted to help more local authorities take on devolved powers in areas such as transport, adult education and skills, housing and planning, and employment support.
“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,” she wrote.
The letter comes just under a week after Rayner and prime minister Keir Starmer hosted a meeting of metro mayors at Downing Street last week.
At the roundtable – which is promised to be the first of regular meetings – leaders of the 12 regions that have devolution deals discussed potential changes to how local and national government work together and “agree early actions needed to scale up devolution”.
Referring to last week’s meeting in the letter, Rayner said: “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 role – because I want to drive growth in every part of the country,” she added.
She repeated comments she made at the No.10 gathering that “for too long”, the Westminster government had “tightly gripped control and held back opportunities and potential for towns, cities, and villages across the country”.
Twelve areas of England, including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire, have mayoral devolution deals. A number of other regions have signed similar deals or provisional agreements, including Greater Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire.
Suffolk and Norfolk county councils will gain new powers later this year through new-style "county deals", while several other local authorities have signed non-mayoral deals.
The Labour Party’s general election manifesto included a number of commitments to new powers to local areas in England over employment support, transport, education and housing and to reset UK-devolved government relationships.
In 2023, Sir Keir Starmer said that a “take back control bill” laying the groundwork for more power to move out of Westminster would be a centrepiece of a Labour government’s first King’s Speech. It is expected to appear among more than 30 bills announced by King Charles tomorrow to mark the beginning of the new parliament.
In a press release yesterday, No.10 said the bill will “hand the power back to local leaders who know what is best for their areas” to “empower regions to deliver change for their communities”.