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Devolution

What is devolution?  

Devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from central government to local authority level.   

It is important because decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect.  

Devolution would provide greater freedoms and flexibilities for councils to work more effectively to improve public services and outcomes for residents and businesses.  

What are the Government’s current plans regarding devolution?  

​Devolution is not new. There are already a number of combined authorities across the country. There are also other areas who have previously agreed devolution deals.

The new Government is seeking to strengthen many of the devolution arrangements currently in place and wants the whole of England to have a consistent approach with regional representation.

Therefore, on 16 December 2024, the Government published a White Paper (Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth) setting out their vision for the future. In a nutshell, the Government is inviting English regions to set up Strategic Combined Authorities. These organisations are made up of a group of unitary councils who will collaborate and take collective decisions across council boundaries.   

Strategic authorities are separate, additional, legal entities to unitary authorities (such as Plymouth City Council). They have their own board and governance arrangements. It is the Government’s preference that strategic authorities also have a democratically elected mayor.   

These arrangements will be agreed prior to the first mayoral election, which would take place in May 2026 or 2027.  

The key functions of the strategic authority would include strategic transport functions, such as support for buses, trains and concessionary fares, skills and driving economic growth. In time, the Government also expect that these directly elected mayors will ultimately take on the current role of other public services e.g. Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.  

Plymouth City Council discussed the White Paper at a Council meeting on the 9 January 2025. (See the papers)

The Leader of the Council issued this statement after the meeting.   

Does this mean a regional strategic combined authority would be responsible for day-to-day delivery of local services in Plymouth?  

No. Plymouth City Council would still have responsibility for setting the priorities for and delivering all the services it currently provides and its elected members would remain accountable to the Plymouth electorate. 

A new strategic combined authority would help secure additional funding for Plymouth and the rest of the South West Peninsula region and would work together on strategic priorities such as housing, transport, skills and education. 

Would Plymouth City Council have a directly elected mayor? 

It is the Government’s preferred position that to unlock the widest range of powers and funding from devolution, the new strategic combined authorities should have a directly elected mayor. A directly elected mayor would represent ALL areas included in the strategic combined authority, including Plymouth. 

This would be similar to existing arrangements across the country such as Manchester where Andy Burnham is the Mayor of the Manchester Combined Authority and all the unitary councils e.g. Salford City Council, have council leaders. 

What are benefits of devolution?  

Devolution could mean:  

  • Better co-ordination of transport across the whole region  
  • Better support for skills development for residents because money is spent locally rather than by national government  
  • More strategic control over planning and housing  
  • A stronger voice for the region with central government  

Is this about creating a “super council” and merging with others?   

No. A council for Plymouth will still exist, as will the other upper tier councils that are members of the strategic authority. This is about working together with neighbouring councils to have a strong voice nationally and access to additional funding and powers. The sovereignty, culture and identity of each of the unitary authorities that form part of this new entity will not be impacted.   

Who would Plymouth City Council prefer to work with to form a Strategic Authority?   

At the Council meeting on the 9 January 2025, Plymouth City Council agreed to advocate for the establishment of a South West Peninsula Mayoral Strategic Authority. This authority would encompass the combined geography of Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay.  However, later that month, Cornwall Council opposed the suggestion.

Following this, the Leaders of Plymouth City Council, Devon County Council, and Torbay Council agreed to work together to explore the creation of a Mayoral Strategic Authority, so that we are ready to seize this unique opportunity when the government calls for further submissions of interest.

We already have a proven track record of cooperation with our neighbouring councils and a devolution deal presents a compelling opportunity to secure substantial additional investment, potentially reaching hundreds of millions of pounds, for the benefit of local communities.

We believe that the formation of a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Plymouth, Devon and Torbay is the optimal solution for our region, taking into account our distinct geographic characteristics, appropriate operational scale, established economic connections, alignment with existing public service boundaries, and our shared local identity.  

How is devolution working in other parts of the country?   

You can read more about devolution in other areas  

  

  

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