The number of city region mayors in England is growing, and so too is their strength. A new tier of devolution known as trailblazer deals is giving Greater Manchester and the West Midlands greater influence over key areas of policy: local transport is being expanded by the two regions’ combined authorities through partnerships such as the Great British Railways; the city regions now have the ability to co-design employer support programmes with the government; there’s a closer relationship with Homes England to support housebuilding; and they have a new, more flexible funding settlement (though how flexible that’ll be is subject to negotiation).
These trailblazer deals are expected to be spread to other areas of the country, and a new tranche is now being negotiated, with South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Liverpool, Tees Valley and the North East seen as the frontrunners. A process is also expected to be established that provides a formal route for combined authorities who do not secure trailblazer deals in the coming months to do so in the future. This’ll give them much-needed clarity, but it’ll also enable the government to avoid striking deals with combined authorities impaired by poor governance or complex structures. Those in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and the West of England, are often said to need more time to establish themselves as governing organisations.
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