Devolution priority programme areas to have mayoral elections delayed by two years

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHLCG) said it was considering pushing mayoral elections in Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton back to May 2028.

In an update the Ministry said: "In order to make sure strong foundations are in place ahead of devolution, Ministers have today confirmed they are considering holding inaugural mayoral elections in these areas in May 2028, with areas completing the reorganisation process before Mayors take office.

"This would ensure that new mayors come into office with effective and empowered local government already in place, helping them hit the ground running from day one."

The Government had initially planned for mayoral elections for Norfolk and Suffolk, Greater Essex, Sussex and Brighton, and Hampshire and the Solent to take place in May 2026.

Elections in Cumbria, and Cheshire and Warrington were scheduled to take place in May 2027.

Elections for Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority and Cumbria Combined Authority - which already have unitary councils in place - are to proceed as planned.

The news came alongside confirmation that the areas will get 30-year investment funds, which total almost £6 billion for the six combined authorities over the next three decades.

Responding to the announcement, Cllr Richard Wright, Chair of the District Councils’ Network, claimed that the decision to delay mayoral elections by two years was “a backwards step that perpetuates England’s enduring power imbalance. It’s completely unacceptable that 28 million people living in non-metropolitan areas continue to be deprived of the mayoral devolution now given to all urban areas.

“If mayoral devolution isn’t taking place even in areas on the so-called ‘Devolution Priority Programme’, it’s clearly not much of priority.”

Cllr Matthew Hicks, County Councils Network Chairman, meanwhile said: "County councils have pulled out all the stops to ensure new county combined authorities were up and running before next May, investing significant time and resources to do so.

"Therefore, today’s announcement is bitterly disappointing, preventing these areas accessing all the funding and powers they were promised from May 2026 and is a missed opportunity for a government who has put national growth as its central mission."

He added: "While the County Councils Network (CCN) welcome commitments to investment funds and capacity funding to progress strategic authorities’ arrangements in these areas, this unexpected development will pose questions over how these devolution arrangements will be taken forward, while injecting uncertainty for other county areas who rightly saw reorganisation as route map to greater devolution. CCN will seeking immediate assurances from government, ensuring upper-tier councils in these areas are given as many of the promised mayoral powers as possible before 2028."

Adam Carey