Combined authorities

A combined authority (CA) is a type of local government institution introduced in England outside Greater London by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. CAs are created voluntarily and allow a group of local authorities to pool appropriate responsibility and receive certain devolved functions from central government in order to deliver transport and economic policy more effectively over a wider area. In areas where local government is two-tier, both must participate in the combined authority.

A combined county authority (CCA) is a similar type of local government institution introduced in England outside Greater London by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, but may only be formed by upper-tier authorities: county councils and unitary authorities. The members of the CCA are appointed by its constituent councils. In addition, the CCA may appoint additional members and allow another body to nominate members; these members are non-voting unless decided otherwise.

CAs and CCAs are predominantly created in areas where they are considered likely to improve transport, economic development, and regeneration, but their creation is encouraged by Government and there has been a substantial increase in creation in recent years. There are currently fifteen such authorities, created between 2011 and 2025. A CA or CCA may not cross over to another combined area.

History

Following the abolition of metropolitan county councils and the Greater London Council in 1986, England had no local government bodies with strategic authority over the major urban areas of the country. In 1999, following a successful referendum, the Labour government created a strategic authority for London (the Greater London Authority), but no bodies were established to replace the metropolitan county councils outside London. The Blair government instead pursued the idea of elected regional assemblies, although following an unsuccessful referendum in 2004 in the most positive region – the North East – this idea had few proponents.

In October 2010 the Coalition Government introduced measures to replace regional development agencies, which were described as inefficient and costly. They were superseded by local enterprise partnerships, voluntary groups whose membership was drawn from the private sector with local authority input.

Earlier in 2010, the Government accepted a proposal from the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities to establish a Greater Manchester Combined Authority as an indirectly elected top-tier strategic authority for Greater Manchester.

Following the unsuccessful English mayoral referendums in 2012, combined authorities have been used as an alternative means to grant additional powers and funding as part of 'city deals'. In 2014, two indirectly elected combined authorities were established covering the ceremonial county areas of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, and a further two which each covered a metropolitan county and adjacent non-metropolitan districts: the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for Merseyside and the Borough of Halton unitary authority; and the North East Combined Authority for Tyne and Wear and the unitary authorities of County Durham and Northumberland.

In 2016, a combined authority was formed for the metropolitan county of the West Midlands; as a consequence, all former metropolitan counties are now covered by combined authorities. In 2016, the first combined authority to not cover a metropolitan county was formed. This was Tees Valley, which covers the area of the former county of Cleveland (now four unitary authorities in the ceremonial counties of Durham and North Yorkshire), together with the unitary authority of Darlington. Two further combined authorities which do not cover ceremonial counties or former metropolitan counties were formed in 2017: West of England, comprising Bristol and two of the three adjacent unitary authorities in Gloucestershire and Somerset, all of which had been within the former county of Avon; and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

In 2019 there a single Yorkshire Combined Authority, dubbed "One Yorkshire" was proposed. The proposal had support from 18 of the 20 Yorkshire councils. Sheffield and Rotherham both preferred the South Yorkshire alternative while the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Dan Jarvis, also supported a One Yorkshire proposal.

In 2020, it was reported that other combined authorities for non-metropolitan parts of the country – such as Cumbria, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, and Somerset – were under consideration, but the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on governance meant decisions were delayed until late 2021.

2022

A government white paper was published, on the 2 February 2022, which included nine invited areas to go into devolution deal negotiations:

2023–24

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, announced in his 2023 budget speech that "trailblazer deals" had been struck with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and West Midlands Combined Authority which included reforms to their funding models. As part of these deals, the combined authorities will be treated in a similar manner to government departments at the next spending review and each will be allocated a multi-year single settlement, replacing a large number of individual grant funding streams for which they must submit individual competitive bids. In his 2024 budget, Hunt said that the North East Mayoral Combined Authority would have the same trailblazer deal. In return, the CAs would face greater oversight, including quarterly scrutiny sessions by new committees of local MPs.

Since the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 was passed, there was an influx of new CAs and CCAs either being created or planned to be created, and further powers to be devolved to existing authorities.

English Devolution Bill (2025)

In December 2024 the Starmer ministry published a white paper which is expected to lead to the creation of further combined authorities. However it was envisaged that the combined authorities, combined county authorities, and the Greater London Authority, would all be redesignated as "strategic authorities", which would have competence over transport and local infrastructure, skills and employment support, housing and strategic planning, economic development and regeneration, environment and climate change, health, wellbeing and public service reform, and public safety. It is expected that eventually strategic authorities would cover the whole of England. As a first step to this goal four further combined authority deals were approved in February 2025. These are listed below.

Devon and Torbay

In early 2022, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay was selected as one of nine pilot areas in England by the UK government in the Levelling Up White Paper for "County Deal" negotiations. However, Plymouth City Council decided to withdraw from the deal in November 2023. Devon and Torbay proceeded without Plymouth with a joint proposal for a Level 2 Devolution Deal, a Combined Authority without a directly elected mayor. The deal was approved by both Devon County Council and Torbay Council and submitted to the Secretary of State for approval in early May 2024. The Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority was formally approved in September 2024 following parliamentary approval. There are provisions to expand the membership should Plymouth City Council join the DTCCA in the future, and in February 2025 Plymouth, Devon and Torbay Councils agreed to explore the creation of a Mayoral Authority, which would supersede the non-mayoral Combined County Authority.

Hull and East Yorkshire

*East Riding of Yorkshire; Kingston upon Hull
After the government rejected the One Yorkshire proposal in 2019 and a cross-Humber deal with North Lincolnshire failed, a Hull and East Riding alternative was proposed. Negotiations began with government on a deal, with leaders of both unitary authorities indicating a preference for a rotating chair instead of a mayor. This deal and Greater Lincolnshire includes the last councils of Yorkshire and the Humber to not have a combined authority, with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority having been created in 2022. A mayoral deal was approved in September 2024.

Lancashire

*Blackburn with Darwen; Blackpool; Lancashire
A proposal for Lancashire failed in 2017. Council leaders agreed to the concept in June 2020, with suggestions of reducing the number of districts into three unitary authorities, or implementing a single unitary authority instead of a combined authority. The three proposed successor authorities would have covered the northern and coastal, central and southern, and eastern and Pennine areas. A non-mayoral county deal was approved in September 2024.

Greater Lincolnshire

*Lincolnshire; North Lincolnshire; North East Lincolnshire
A plan for Lincolnshire devolution, which would have included all constituent boroughs as well as the county council, failed in 2016 after constituent councils voted against it. There were subsequently discussions of an East Midlands devolution deal. A new Greater Lincolnshire devolution deal was announced on 13 November 2023 with the agreement of Lincolnshire County Council, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire with a directly elected Mayor without the involvement of any the constituent boroughs. The deal proposed to devolve certain powers, i.e. housing, transport, education and skills as well as environmental matters to GLCCA. The consultation by the constituent councils received significant support in favour of the GLCCA. The three local authorities following public consultations formally agreed to the deal in March 2024. Following the outcome of the 2024 general election, the new Labour government agreed to proceed with the devolution deal on 21 September 2024. Draft statutory instruments to establish the combined authority were laid before parliament on 26 November 2024.

The Great North

In May 2025 the mayors of combined authorities across the North of England (Greater Manchester, Hull and East Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region, North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire) launched a partnership known as The Great North. The partnership, whose brand is based on the Great North Run, will lead trade missions and focus on pan-North investment propositions including hosting a Northern investment summit.

Legislation

The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 allowed for certain functions over transport to be delegated from central government. The Localism Act 2011 allowed additional transfers of powers from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and gave combined authorities a general power of competence. The powers and functions to be shared are agreed by the metropolitan district, non-metropolitan district, non-metropolitan county or unitary authority councils.

In 2014, the government consulted on changes to the legislation governing combined authorities. Proposed changes included extending the legislation to Greater London, Wales, and Scotland. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 received royal assent on 28 January 2016. The act allowed for the introduction of directly elected mayors to combined authorities in England and Wales with powers over housing, transport, planning, and policing.

In 2020, the government planned to produce a white paper on 'Devolution and Local Recovery', which was expected to create new combined authorities with mayors – or "county mayors" – for non-metropolitan areas of the country. These have been tentatively suggested to be a 'Great South West' grouping of Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset (possibly with Somerset), and another in Lancashire. The white paper was delayed and was eventually published on 2 February 2022.

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 enhanced devolution and created a new form of authority called a combined county authority. The act allowed for more broader functions to be devolved to new and existing CAs and CCAs, and created the power for CAs and CCAs to be allowed to change the title of mayor.

Powers and functions

CAs and CCAs are bodies corporate and are able to assume the role of an integrated transport authority and economic prosperity board. This gives the authority the power to exercise any function of its constituent councils that relates to economic development and regeneration, and any of the functions that are available to integrated transport authorities. For transport purposes, CAs and CCAs are able to borrow money and can levy their constituent authorities.

CAs and CCAs were (until the United Kingdom left the European Union) encouraged to borrow from European institutions for social and environmental schemes which met EU objectives. Loans were made with conditions attached which furthered EU policies. By 2015, Greater Manchester Combined Authority had agreed loans from the European Investment Bank in excess of £1 billion, with similar liabilities to the Treasury and private business.

Combined authority mayors are members of the England-only Mayoral Council, and of the UK-wide Council of the Nations and Regions, both of which were established by the incoming Labour government in 2024.

Creation and amendment

CAs and CCAs consist of two or more contiguous English local government areas. The creation of a CA or CCA is voluntary and all local authorities within the area must give their consent before it can be created. The local authority of any district of England outside Greater London can join a CA, and a county council can become part of a CA even if only some of the non-metropolitan districts that make up the county are within the combined area. A local authority may only belong to one CA.

CCAs can only be formed by upper-tier authorities: county councils and unitary authorities. The members of a CCA are appointed by its constituent councils. In addition, a CCA may appoint additional members and allow another body to nominate members; these members are non-voting unless decided otherwise.

There are three stages to the creation or amendment of a CA. Firstly a review must be undertaken to establish the likelihood that a CA would improve:

On completion of the review, the local authorities produce and publish a proposed scheme of the combined authority to be created, including the area that will be covered, the constitution, and the functions. This will include details of membership of the CA or CCA, remuneration, and how meetings will be chaired and recorded. Following a period of consultation and subject to the approval of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the CA or CCA is formally created, dissolved, or altered by a statutory instrument.

Existing

Agreed deals in development

Six mayoral deals that were approved by the UK government in February 2025 and once established, mayors are scheduled to be elected in May 2026:

Cheshire and Warrington

* Cheshire West & Chester; Cheshire East; Warrington.
Proposals by Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington underwent a public consultation in Summer 2017 but government permission was still being sought in spring 2020. All three councils are in favour of a non-mayoral deal, although local Conservative MPs were not supportive. Warrington's Chief Executive has “received a letter from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities” with hopes for a ministerial meeting.

Cumbria

*Cumberland; Westmorland and Furness
The Original proposal for Cumbria failed in 2017. A subsequent attempt for a single unitary authority failed in 2019, leading to a new proposal for a combined authority in late 2019, alongside replacing the two-tier system with two unitary authorities. As the initial plan for the unitarization was based on the assumption of a county-level combined authority to manage adult and children's services, the deal has been prioritized. There are disagreements between Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness on whether the deal should include a mayor. On 30 September 2024, Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council jointly submitted an expression of interest in forming a combined authority to the UK government. The two councils have already formed a Joint Executive Committee and Economic Growth Body.

Greater Essex

*Essex; Thurrock; Southend-on-Sea
A proposed devolution deal was narrowly voted against in 2016, but re-emerged in 2020. A separate deal was also proposed for a "South Essex" Combined Authority, covering Southend, Thurrock, Basildon, Castlepoint, Brentwood, and Rochford. The whole Essex plan also suggested forming four new unitary authorities, whilst the South Essex plan favoured retaining the current status. The Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government stated in a letter that he did not favour the plan for a South Essex Combined Authority, but would be willing to discuss it.

Hampshire and the Solent

*Hampshire; Isle of Wight; Southampton; Portsmouth
Proposals in 2016 included a Solent Combined Authority in South Hampshire (potentially alongside the Isle of Wight) and a "Heart of Hampshire" deal for the remainder of the county. These plans were rejected in the south due to objections from Isle of Wight Council, and in the north of the county due to disagreements and the likelihood of the constituent authorities being reorganised. A Dorset combined authority was proposed by the county's former nine constituent councils, and was considered by the two unitary councils (Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) which replaced them in April 2019. In 2021 a new plan including Hampshire, Isle of Wight, and Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole was being pursued, though lacking appetite for a mayor. In 2024 a plan was put forward for an elected mayor and a combined authority including Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council opting not to participate, instead favouring joining Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire in the Heart of Wessex proposal.

Norfolk and Suffolk

*Norfolk; Suffolk
The original proposal was for a Norfolk and Suffolk Combined Authority, before it was replaced with an East Anglia proposal including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The East Anglia plan failed, reverting to the original two plans. Whilst the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough plan succeeded, the Norfolk and Suffolk plan failed, with King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council voting to reject the deal, and Norfolk County Council cancelling a subsequent planned meeting on the topic. Attention then moved to separate single-county deals for Norfolk and Suffolk individually.

Norfolk's District and County Councils previously disagreed over the election of a mayor. The government and the county council signed a devolution agreement on 8 December 2022, which included the creation of an elected mayor with the title Elected Leader. Subject to consultation, and council and parliamentary approval, it was hoped that the first Elected Leader would have been elected in 2024 to coincide with the police and crime commissioner elections.

Suffolk County Council's plans for a county-wide deal were supported by the constituent district councils with backing from its local MPs, although opposing a mayoral deal. Suffolk County Council signed a devolution agreement with the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities in December 2022, which included an Elected Leader who would have led the County Council. However, in September 2024, following the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the new Labour government decided against pursuing single authority devolution deals, instead preferring the formation of multi-authority combined authorities. Thus plans for Elected Leaders in Norfolk and Suffolk were dropped.

In September 2024, following the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the new Labour government decided against pursuing single authority devolution deals, instead preferring the formation of multi-authority combined authorities. Thus plans for Elected Leaders in Norfolk and Suffolk were dropped. A joint Norfolk and Suffolk mayoral combined authority was instead proposed in November 2024 alongside a reorganisation of the existing two-tier local government structures in to a smaller number of unitary authorities.

Sussex and Brighton

*East Sussex; West Sussex; Brighton and Hove
Seven councils in Sussex including Brighton and Hove have an economic board which coordinated development, skills and collaboration between councils. It is part of a long-term ambition to create a combined authority.

Deals in negotiation

Cornwall

*Cornwall
Cornwall remains in negotiations for a separate deal.

Plymouth, having withdrawn from the Devon and Torbay deal in November 2023, has three options: join negotiations with Cornwall; negotiate a deal with Cornwall, Devon and Torbay or rejoin Devon and Torbay.

Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

*Leicestershire; Leicester; Rutland
Leicestershire County Council proposed a combined authority in 2015, with discussions after including an East Midlands deal. A Leicestershire deal has also been proposed by government but without Leicester; as the whitepaper stipulates a minimum population of 500,000, Leicester or Rutland would not be able to form individual devolution deals; both Leicester and Rutland have been proposed as joining part of a deal. Rutland is open to joining a Leicestershire deal, once being a district of Leicestershire between 1974 and 1997 before becoming a unitary authority.

Mayoral deals

Bedfordshire councils, Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire councils are in negotiations with a second possibility excluding Northamptonshire councils. The deal is known as South Midlands.

The Three Counties (of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire) share an agricultural heritage and Hereford and Worcester was a county from 1974 until 1996.

Heart of Wessex

*Dorset; Somerset; Wiltshire
Dorset Council, Somerset Council and Wiltshire Council submitted an expression of interest in September 2024 to form a Heart of Wessex combined authority. In November 2024, all three authorities committed to the establishment of a mayoral combined authority, and stated that an offer to include Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (later accepting the offer) and Swindon Borough Council remained open.

Thames Valley

*Bracknell Forest; Buckinghamshire; Oxfordshire; Reading; Slough; Swindon; West Berkshire; Windsor and Maidenhead; Wokingham

The proposed area covers almost the same area as the Thames Valley Police does; the force was created in 1968. Oxfordshire acquired large areas of Berkshire in the 1970s, creating a further shared connection between two of counties. Milton Keynes is in negotiations for the South Midlands deal and (after voting between Wessex and the Thames Valley) Swindon replaced Milton Keynes in the deal.

Berkshire County Council was abolished in 1998, leaving the districts as unitary authorities. In 2021 the constituent districts agreed to submit an expression of interest in a county deal. The six unitary councils formed a joint Berkshire Prosperity Board in February 2024 and submitted an expression of interest in forming a non-mayoral combined authority in September 2024.

If the Thames Valley deal fails, Buckinghamshire Council plan to be part of a county deal, without a mayor.

County deals

Hertfordshire districts have given support for a deal, but was not included in the 2022 white paper.

A leadership board has been formed by Staffordshire; and its constituent districts, with an invitation to unitary Stoke-on-Trent. There is some interest in devolution talks, but requiring Stoke-on-Trent's participation.

For Surrey and Warwickshire, discussions are ongoing between local authorities and the government on respective eventual deals.

Defunct

See also

* Devolution in the United Kingdom
* Greater London Authority (which operates under different legislation)
* History of local government in England
* Local government in England
* Regions of England
* Local enterprise partnership
* Corporate Joint Committee, similar non-mayoral strategic authorities in Wales
* Mayoral Council for England

References

External links

English institutions with devolved powers

House of Commons Library Briefing Paper
November 2023

Institute for Government pages

{{Devolution in the United Kingdom

Local government in England
Combined authorities and combined county authorities