Mayoral Council for England | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | Forum for regional mayors ofEngland |
| History | |
| Founded | 10 October 2024; 13 months ago (2024-10-10) |
| Leadership | |
Chair | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 15 |
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Political groups |
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| Meeting place | |
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| Meeting of the Mayoral Council inLondon, 23 May 2025 | |
| This article is part ofa series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
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UK General Elections in England |
TheMayoral Council for England is a political body inEngland that brings together ministers from theUK Government, theMayor of London, andcombined authoritymayors.[1][2][3][4]
UK prime ministerDavid Cameron proposed in 2012 that England's directly elected mayors 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.
Plans for a "Council of England" featured in a 2022Labour Party report onconstitutional reform byGordon Brown titledA New Britain: Renewing our Democracy and Rebuilding our Economy.[7] The proposed council would be chaired by the prime minister and would include leaders ofcombined authorities, the mayor of London, representatives oflocal government and other stakeholders in England. Earlier, Labour's manifesto for the2017 general election included a commitment to establish the post of a "Minister for England" within the Department of Communities and Local Government.[8][9]
The 2021The Dunlop Review into UK Government Union Capability suggested that consideration could be given to establishing an "English Regions Forum" to "feed views in from sub-national governments in England to UK Government ministers".[10][11][12]
A 2022 report by theElectoral 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.[13]
Conservative leaning think tank Onward proposed the formation of a National Mayors Association and creation of various Joint Delivery Taskforces involving the UK central government, metro mayors and local authorities in a report titledGive Back Control published in 2022.[14][15]
In a report titledDevolving English Government published in April 2023, to counter what they described as over-centralisation and a democratic deficit in England, theInstitute for Government and theUniversity of Cambridge'sBennett 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 mayoral 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 ExistingMinistry 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 acabinet committee for England including other secretaries of state from departments whose remits mainly apply to England only.[16][17][18]
Following Labour's victory in the2024 United Kingdom general election, the new prime ministerKeir Starmer informally met England's combined authority mayors and the mayor of London on 9 July.[19][20] The first formal meeting of the Mayoral Council, chaired by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,Angela Rayner, took place on 10 October 2024 inNewcastle-upon-Tyne and the council is expected to meet on a quarterly basis. TheMinistry 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][21][22] The first meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions, which also included England's combined authority mayors and the mayor of London, 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 2024Labour 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.[23]
The post ofMinister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, held byJim McMahon, was established within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in July 2024.
Combined authority mayors and the Mayor of London also meet informally on a monthly basis as the Mayors Network (M10 Group) allowing them to consult each other, coordinate their actions, and gain access to UK government ministers.[24][25][26] This network has been chaired by Tracy Barbin since May 2022 and previously by Dan Jarvis.[27][28]
TheEnglish Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024 stated that the functions and aims of the Mayoral Council are as follows:
"The Council will be the key forum for engagement between central government and Mayors on Local Growth Plans, pushing the frontier on devolution, feeding back on how best to deliver on the ground, and identifying opportunities to better coordinate national and local policy."[29]
At establishment in October 2024, 48% of the population and 26% of the land area of England was represented on the council.[30] This increased to more than half of the population of England following mayoral elections in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire in May 2025.
The membership of the Mayoral Council is currently as follows:
The membership of the council will increase as new mayoralcombined authorities are established in England.
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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 meets four times a year.[21]
| Meetings of the Mayoral Council for England | |
|---|---|
| Date | Location |
| 9 July 2024 (unofficial)[31] | 10 Downing Street, London |
| 10 October 2024[32][33] | The Common Room, Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| 23 January 2025[34] | Advanced Manufacturing Park, Rotherham |
| 23 May 2025[35] | Lancaster House, London |
| 4 September 2025[36] | Chatsworth House, Bakewell[37] |
Members of the council participated in the Global Investment Summit at theLondon Guildhall on 14 October 2024.[38][39] Mayors metChancellor of the ExchequerRachel Reeves inDarlington on 12 December 2024.[40][41]
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