As the Government publishes its English Devolution White Paper, with the stated aspiration of giving local leaders and communities the tools they need, I find myself asking “how local, is local?”
Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner MP, explains in her foreword to the White Paper, that it offers a shift of power away from Whitehall and “into the hands of those who know their communities best”. This she adds, “means an efficient and accountable local and regional government, with local champions who understand their local places, their identity and strengths, and how to harness them.”
Tidying the local government patchwork
Laudable aspirations that have been at least in part the ambitions of successive governments going back at least a couple of decades and have resulted in an odd patchwork across England of Combined Authorities, Unitary Authorities, County and District/Borough Councils. The intent in the new White Paper is to tidy this patchwork by creating new Unitaries of upwards of 500,000 residents that can cluster with maybe two neighbouring councils to be part of Strategic Authorities. It seems District Councils will be the victims of this tidying-up.
It seems at a national level from Westminster, increasing local control might involve delegating powers to administrative areas of a half to one-and-a-half million people. Meanwhile at a town level, communities will see the removal of District Councils as the most proximate tier of local government. It seems that answering the question of ‘how local, is local’ depends on where you are looking from.
Defining Strategic Authorities
The Government’s new collective noun for Combined Authorities and other combinations suitable for devolving responsibilities to, is “Strategic Authority”. Within this there are some mind-boggling sub-classifications:
Mayoral Strategic Authorities: the Greater London Authority, all Mayoral Combined Authorities and all Mayoral Combined County Authorities will automatically begin as Mayoral Strategic Authorities. Those upgraded to Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities will be eligible for Integrated Settlement.
Foundation Strategic Authorities: these include non-mayoral Combined Authorities and Combined County Authorities automatically, and any Local Authority designated as a Strategic Authority without a Mayor.
The following list is proposed as issues where Strategic Authorities should have a mandate to act strategically and add value:
- 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
- Public safety
Getting to know your Strategic Authority
It is important to look at the state of readiness of the new Strategic Authorities that will determine -sorry serve- local needs for your community. These are already in existence for Combined Auithorities or so-called ‘Metro Mayors’ for London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, North East, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, West of England and York and North Yorkshire.
In addition, Strategic Area status has recently been agreed in some format for:
- Greater Lincolnshire Regional Mayor
- Hull & East Yorkshire Regional Mayor
- Devon & Torbay Combined County Authority (CCA)
- Lancashire CCA
Progress is apparently also being made in signing Single Local Authority devolution agreements with Cornwall Council, Buckinghamshire Council, Warwickshire County Council, and Surrey County Council.
Places without devolution agreements were invited to submit proposals by September, with a number set to be invited to join the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme that aims to have Mayors elected by May 2026.
Empowering Communities
The White Paper sets out that the Government’s approach to community empowerment will focus creating new opportunities for communities to have a say in the future of their area and play a part in improving it. To achieve this, they will introduce new targeted actions and policies in covering two approaches:
Partnership working with the most deprived communities: Reforming the Long Term Plan for Towns into a new regeneration programme with the existing 75 towns across the UK, based on learning from programmes like the New Deal for Communities (part of the Pride in Place Programme as of Sptember, 2025). It will refocus on building capacity by developing and strengthening the skills, resources, structures and capabilities of individuals and organisations to drive sustainable improvements for local residents.
Protecting cherished community assets and high streets: The Government aims to help empower communities with new rights and levers to influence their neighbourhoods, that include:
- Delivering on its manifesto commitment to replace the community ‘Right to Bid’ with a strengthened ‘Right to Buy’ Assets of Community Value, creating a more robust pathway to community asset ownership.
- Seeking to support high streets by strengthening Business Improvement Districts, while ensuring they operate to high standards and are accountable to their communities.
- Working with local government in convening local partners around neighbourhoods to ensure that community voices are represented and people have influence over their place, including improving engagement with town councils.
Updates on these and other proposals can be found in our evolving blog on the ‘place policy puzzle‘.
Enhancing Local Authorities’ powers in their areas: The White Paper states that transferring power away from Westminster means strengthening the ability of Local Authorities to set proper strategic direction to address the challenges facing their areas and respond to the hopes and aspirations of the communities they represent. This includes a commitment to giving councils greater control over the location of betting shops, fast food and discounted alcohol establishments to support healthier lifestyles, improved socioeconomic outcomes, and high street vitality. The government’s view is that councillors, working with local people, need to be able to tackle and address these priorities.
Developing proposals for local engagement
In the White Paper, the Government states that it wants to see stronger community arrangements when reorganisation happens in the way councils engage at a neighbourhood or area level. It also states that it wants to “rewire the relationship between town and parish councils and principal Local Authorities, strengthening expectations on engagement and community voice.”
New unitary structures should enable stronger community engagement and provide genuine opportunities for neighbourhood empowerment, as explained in the Government’s subsequrent criteria for developing proposals for local government reorganisation. Proposals should demonstrate how councils in the area have collaborated to meet local needs and incorporate local views by engaging locally in a meaningful and constructive way. The Local Government Association have advised that the views of other public sector providers, including Town and Parish councils, and voluntary and community sector organisations, will be crucial.
The options for improving place-based goverance is something subsequently People & Places have explored in more detail in a new viewpoint article for the Journal of Place Management.
More information
Read our places for people, manifesto for towns, that outlines actions local communities can already be developing for revialising their town and city centres.
You can also take a look at this recent blog about how to turn-around town centres and accomapnying video presentation that provides more information about collaborative placemaking based on the People & Places Partnerships review for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
This work in Causeway Coast and Glens draws-on the approach for creating community-led action plans developed by People & Places for the Local Government Association’s revitalising town centres toolkit. This toolkit includes practical guidance for local leaders including a case study on People & Places’ support for reopening & revitalising Selby town centre and reopening East Suffolk’s towns.
Photo shows community stakeholders considering town centre improvements in Whitefield’s; within the Borough of Bury, and part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Area. It also shows a map from the White Paper of existing Strategic Authorities across England.
