Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (“the Bill”)

Recently, the much-anticipated English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (“the Bill”) had its second reading in the House of Commons. The Bill builds on the Government’s commitment to widen and deepen devolution across England which was outlined in December 2024’s English Devolution White Paper.

The Bill aims to address the over-centralisation of power in England by establishing a new model of devolution which, the Government considers, will “give local leaders the tools to deliver growth, fixing the foundations of local government, empowering communities”.

The Bill had its second reading on the 2 September. Following this and through the Autumn we will be considering the Bill, and commenting on its passage through Parliament, in a series of articles and webinars.

We will also be looking at key practical aspects of Local Government Review at our Friday Morning Coffee Club for Local Authorities on 19 and 26 September.

If you have any queries in relation to the Bill, please do contact our local government leads, who are listed at the end of our document, linked below.

Download our latest overview of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill here.