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29-609: In 2016 the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act was enacted to give a firmer statutory footing for City Deals in England. The preparation of the bill was led by the Communities and Local Government Committee which also examined the lessons that could be learned from City Deals arranged in 2012-14. The Act provided for a more open and transparent process for deals, including public consultation before implementation, and formed

58-764: A combined funding of £1.2 billion from the Northern Ireland Executive and UK government. In March 2017, the Australian Government announced it would begin modeling City Deals after UK models. Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 (c. 1) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that allows for the introduction of directly elected mayors to combined authorities in England and Wales and

87-502: A directly elected mayor separate from the police and crime commissioner. The mayoralty covers four of the constituent members of the city region: the boroughs of Barnsley , Doncaster , Rotherham and Sheffield . Some of the devolution details are different from those in the case of Greater Manchester, and Health and Social Care are not to be transferred. Devolution and elections were scheduled to take place in 2018 and in May 2018 Dan Jarvis

116-615: A financial and constitutional nature: Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government The secretary of state for housing, communities and local government is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom , and Cabinet minister , responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). They are responsible for local government in England . The office holder works alongside

145-589: A model for other areas, and how local accountability could be improved. The committee's report was published in February 2016. It proposed: The committee also believed "fiscal devolution to be essential to genuine devolution" and proposed an increase in the devolution of taxation and borrowing. In July 2016 the Public Accounts Committee criticised the lack of clarity in the objectives and financial implications of devolution deals, as well as

174-415: Is part of a much larger, international trend on similar lines, with European countries such as Italy, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia already making use of elected mayors. There has reportedly been widespread scepticism among existing local government leaders in England about the creation of the proposed directly elected mayors. However, most areas in England are not expected to have such mayors, meaning

203-830: The 2016 United Kingdom budget : the East Anglia Combined Authority, the Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority and the West of England Combined Authority ( Bristol and surrounding area). The proposed North Midlands Combined Authority also agreed a devolution deal. However, failure to agree on the creation of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority and the East Anglia Combined Authority led to

232-478: The Government of the United Kingdom and legislated for by the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Proposals for the introduction of devolution to English regional governments were made at various points during the twentieth century. However, after a proposal for devolution to an elected North East Assembly was rejected in a referendum in North East England in 2004 , the regional government approach

261-572: The Greater Manchester area, together with the creation of a directly elected mayor or "metro-mayor", a role similar that of the Mayor of London . The mayor is to have powers over transport, housing, strategic planning and policing. At the same time the GMCA is to acquire new powers including some control over business growth as well as health and social care budgets. In May 2015, Tony Lloyd

290-716: The London boroughs (putting forward plans for sub-regional devolution within London), Leicestershire , Gloucestershire , North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire , Surrey and Sussex , Cheshire and Warrington , Devon and Somerset , Dorset , and Lancashire . In July 2016 the mayor of London , Sadiq Khan , announced a new Finance Commission tasked with drawing up a "wide-ranging suite of devolution requests" for further devolution to Greater London . The adoption of directly elected mayors in English local government

319-403: The other ministers in the department. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government . Michael Gove held the position starting from 25 October 2022, previously held the position from September 2021 to July 2022 under Boris Johnson and then under Rishi Sunak from October 2022 to 5 July 2024. Angela Rayner was appointed to

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348-591: The House of Lords despite opposition from the UK Government, but were partly overturned by the House of Commons. These included: In July 2015 the Communities and Local Government Committee announced that it would undertake an inquiry into the Bill during the autumn of 2015. The committee examined the lessons that could be learned from City Deals arranged in 2012-14, whether the GMCA devolution proposals provided

377-576: The North to be put on an statutory footing and allowed for further sub-national transport bodies to be created. A clause added to the bill in the House of Commons in December 2015 confers general powers on National Park authorities for National Parks in England , along similar lines to those conferred on other local authorities by the Localism Act 2011 . A number of amendments were passed in

406-685: The Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board. In 2024, City Region Deals were announced for every part of Scotland. The UK government investment for the Deals was approximately £1.5 billion, while the Scottish Government investments totalled more than £1.9 billion. In Northern Ireland, a programme of City and Growth Deals was launched in 2021 with the Belfast City Region Deal. The four deals have

435-585: The basis for devolution deals between the government and any local authority or group of contiguous local authorities. City Deals agreed in the first two waves of the process after the approval of the Act are listed below. In Scotland, the UK Government and Scottish Government launched a programme of City Region Deals in 2014. Instead of being devolution deals, Scottish Deals are capital investment programmes agreed with regional local authorities, focusing on economic development and inclusive growth. They are overseen by

464-731: The devolution of housing, transport, planning and policing powers to them. The bill was introduced to the House of Lords by Baroness Williams of Trafford , the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government , on 28 May 2015. The United Kingdom (UK) is a unitary state consisting of four countries . Devolution has been enacted for three of these countries ( Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland ) providing each with its own legislative assembly or parliament . However, this has not happened for England which continues to be administered by

493-504: The devolution of powers could be agreed to "a single county" or other local government area where a combined authority is not in place, provided all the councils in that area are in agreement. Additionally local government reorganisation may be facilitated by the bill if local authorities in an area are willing and the proposal is agreed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government . The legislation allowed Transport for

522-593: The formation of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority with its own devolution deal. Buckinghamshire , Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire have proposed the formation of a combined authority but do not have agreement of the district councils. A "Solent devolution bid" for a combined authority covering Southampton , Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight was abandoned because consensus could not be reached. A "Heart of Hampshire" devolution bid covering

551-560: The government (including four bids from Scotland and Wales). However, many rural areas did not submit devolution proposals and in some places devolution was rejected by local councillors. By 2017 the process of making new deals appeared to have stalled. Three agreements made between November 2014 and July 2015 led to proposals for the transfer of a number of powers and funding streams to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and other bodies in

580-538: The majority of PCCs will remain. This has prompted senior figures in county and district councils to raise concerns about a "two-speed" approach to devolution and the Local Government Association to call for devolution to all corners of England. Sir Peter Soulsby , the city of Leicester 's elected mayor, has said that it is important for rural areas not to be overlooked. The proposals to devolve Health and Social Care have raised questions of

609-558: The responsibilities of the minister of state for communities and local government . This post, within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was created in 2005, on the transfer of several functions from the deputy prime minister himself. Prime Minister Boris Johnson renamed the position Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and gave the secretary and the department responsibility for carrying out

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638-548: The rest of Hampshire county was similarly abandoned. Proposals for devolution to Cumbria and Greater Essex were rejected by council leaders. Plans for devolution to a North Midlands combined authority incorporating Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire were dropped following changes to legislation in March 2016 that allowed borough councils the option of taking part in devolution deals in neighbouring counties. Other areas which have proposed devolution under this legislation include

667-484: The role under Sir Keir Starmer on 5 July 2024. The Department of Communities and Local Government was created in 2006 by then British prime minister Tony Blair to replace John Prescott 's Office of the Deputy Prime Minister , which had taken on the local government and regions portfolios from the defunct Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in 2002. The secretary of state took over

696-516: The shortage of local scrutiny arrangements. The Act takes the form of enabling legislation and requires negotiations between the UK government and local authorities (or groups of local authorities), known as devolution deals , to bring any transfer of budgets and/or powers into effect. The negotiation of such deals initially took place during 2014–15, and by September 2015 a total of 38 towns, cities, counties and regions had submitted devolution proposals to

725-512: Was abandoned. Instead, the idea of devolution to smaller English "city regions" gained predominance, giving rise to calls for enabling legislation. The main provisions of the Act are: The provisions in the Act are generic (applied by government order to specified combined authorities and their areas). It is expected to apply primarily to England's largest city-regions (the Core Cities Group ). However, there could be instances where

754-509: Was elected as the first mayor of the authority. The devolution of powers and funding have been delayed while Jarvis and the leaders of Barnsley and Doncaster councils seek a devolution deal for the whole of Yorkshire. An agreement announced in March 2015 proposed devolving to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority some powers over education and training, economic development, housing and transport. The agreement

783-567: Was finalised in March 2020. In July 2015, devolution arrangements for Cornwall were announced. Cornwall was the first county in England to acquire powers devolved from London under the legislation. Cornwall Council (and the Council of the Isles of Scilly to a lesser degree) gained some new powers concerning transport, employment and skills, EU funding, business support, energy, health and social care, public estate, heritage and culture. Cornwall

812-454: Was not required to elect a mayor or form a combined authority. Further devolution to Cornwall Council was agreed in 2023. Four other existing combined authorities applied for and were awarded devolution deals: Liverpool City Region Combined Authority , North East Combined Authority , Tees Valley Combined Authority and West Midlands Combined Authority . In addition three proposed new authorities and devolution agreements were announced in

841-454: Was selected to be interim mayor by the GMCA. Devolution took place in 2017 following a Greater Manchester mayoral election , making Greater Manchester the first city region to do so. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority came into being as a result of two agreements made between December 2014 and October 2015 proposing the transfer of powers and budgets over transport, planning, economic development, adult skills and business rates, with

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