Mayoral Council for England
Mayoral Council for England | |
|---|---|
 First meeting of the Mayoral Council in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 10 October 2024 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Forum for the regional mayors of England |
| History | |
| Founded | 10 October 2024 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 13 |
Political groups |
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| This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
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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]
History
[edit]Background
[edit]David Cameron's proposed English Cabinet of Mayors
[edit]UK prime minister David Cameron proposed in 2012 that England's combined authority mayors and the mayor of London 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
[edit]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. The proposed council bears similarity to the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire (1949-1966) which also included representatives of local government and other stakeholders. Brown further proposed that the Mayor of London and combined authority mayors should sit within a wider "Council of the Nations and Regions", along with the leaders of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Other proposals
[edit]The 2021 The Dunlop Review into UK Government Union Capability recommended the creation of an "English Regions Forum" to allow sub-national governments in England to offer feedback to relevant UK government ministers.[8]
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.[9]
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 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 an Cabinet Committee on England including other secretaries of state from departments whose remits mainly apply to England only.[10][11][12]
Establishment
[edit]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.[13][14] 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][15][16] The first meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions, which also included leaders of England's combined authorities, 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.[17]
Prior to the establishment of the Mayoral Council, the Mayor of London and combined authority mayors met informally in a grouping known as the UK Mayors Network, earlier known as the M10 Group, to allow them to consult each other, coordinate their actions, and to meet with UK government ministers.[18][19] This group has been chaired by Dan Jarvis and Tracy Barbin.[20]
Membership
[edit]As of October 2024, 48% of the population and 26% of the land area of England is represented on the council.[21]
The membership of the Mayoral Council is currently as follows:
The membership of the council will increase as new combined authorities are established in England. In Spetember 2025, 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. Non-mayoral combined authorities were also agreed for Devon and Torbay and Lancashire.[22]
Meetings and activities
[edit]Meetings
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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.[15]
| Meetings of the Mayoral Council for England | |
|---|---|
| Date | Location |
| 9 July 2024 (unofficial) | 10 Downing Street, Westminster |
| 10 October 2024 | The Common Room, Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
Activities
[edit]Members of the council participated in the Global Investment Summit at the London Guildhall on 14 October 2024.[23][24]
See also
[edit]- Council of the Nations and Regions
- Council of Leaders of Local Government
- Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution
- Governance of England
- Politics of England
- Devolved English parliament
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Deputy Prime Minister launches first-ever Mayoral Council". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Jones, Polly (11 October 2024). "Mayoral Council meets to discuss devolution". Government Business.
- ^ "The Deputy Prime Minister chairs the Council of Mayors meeting". Flickr.
- ^ Peters, Dan (10 October 2024). "Relationship reset". Municipal Journal.
- ^ "Mayoral referendums: The mayors of the twinned cities". BBC News. 19 April 2012.
- ^ "Rival campaigns fight over directly-elected mayors in England". BBC News. 12 April 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-dunlop-review-into-uk-government-union-capability
- ^ "Democracy Made in England: Where Next for English Local Government?".
- ^ "England needs a 'council of mayors' and Secretary of State to embed English devolution at the heart of Whitehall". 6 April 2023..
- ^ "England needs a 'council of mayors' and Secretary of State to embed English devolution at the heart of Whitehall – report". 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Devolving English government".
- ^ "Devolution delivery for first mayoral meeting". GOV.UK (Press release). 9 July 2024.
- ^ "UK politics live: Keir Starmer departs for Nato summit after making first speech to Parliament as PM". BBC News. 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Rayner launches Mayoral Council | Local Government Chronicle (LGC)". lgcplus.com. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Holland, Daniel (10 October 2024). "Mayor defends Labour devolution plans and calls for more powers for North East". Chronicle Live.
- ^ 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.
- ^ https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/metro-mayors-and-whitehall-need-a-better-way-to-work-together/
- ^ "D57f3741-c76e-4094-b058-91f5057ab58b".
- ^ "Mayor of West Yorkshire, to Chair the 'M10' Group of Metro Mayors".
- ^ "English devolution". 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Four devolution agreements signed off and others progressing".
- ^ "England's mayors in diplomacy dance to shift balance of power". Financial Times. 17 October 2024.
- ^ "The Deputy Prime Minister attends the International Investment Summit". Flickr.
External links
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