Tiffany Cloynes, Capsticks Partner and Head of Local Government, will be chairing a panel in the Capsticks Pavilion at UKREiiF 2026 on Tuesday 19 May alongside Nikki Manpreet Kaur Deol, Assistant Director of Legal, Governance & Compliance at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Sanjit Sull, Director of Legal, Governance and Compliance and Monitoring Officer at East Midlands Combined County Authority, Gillian Duckworth, Group Solicitor and Monitoring Officer at Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Jonathan Turner, International Partner at Cushman & Wakefield. Entitled ‘Devolution and Local Empowerment’, the panel will focus on the changing role of Mayors, Combined and Combined County Authorities and their Constituent Councils in delivering devolution and bringing decision making, power and funding closer to their communities.

An integral part of the Government’s plans under the devolution agenda has been to give local leaders and communities the tools they need to deliver growth for their areas and raise living standards by utilising directly elected Mayors to help build trust in politics.

Tiffany Cloynes, Partner and Head of Local Government at Capsticks, said: 

“Strategic Authorities and their Mayors are set to play a central role in England’s devolution agenda with new powers, governance arrangements and mayoral responsibilities under the new Bill.”

In this article, we provide an update and look at some of the key themes that will be covered in the panel – including hearing from each of our speakers. For more information about the panel and other events taking place in the Capsticks Pavilion at UKREiiF 2026, visit our website.

Devolution Update

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (the Bill) is currently making its way through Parliament. It has recently completed its passage through the House of Lords and is now going back and forth between the Houses for consideration of the final amendments, which means it is expected to be enacted imminently.

The new Bill will confer new powers and functions on Mayors, and these are intended to help drive growth, collaboration and improvement across geographies.

Nikki Manpreet Kaur Deol, Assistant Director of Legal, Governance & Compliance and Monitoring Officer at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said:

“WYCA together with its five local authorities has shown that devolution really works, we have driven real change across West Yorkshire – making improvements across the economy in areas including transport, housing, regeneration, investment and skills. WYCA has recently approved a major investment pipeline with over £200 million being set aside for transformative projects which are intended to transform every corner of West Yorkshire and deliver its long-term ambitions to boost growth through better transport connections, more high-quality homes, a skilled workforce, and by making it a better place to live, work or grow a business.”

Spatial Development Strategies and Local Plans

Clause 58 of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduces a duty on Combined Authorities (CAs) and Combined County Authorities (CCAs), as strategic planning authorities, to produce Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs). SDSs are high-level spatial plans which are expected to cover a minimum 20-year period. It is intended that the strategies will set the framework for local plans, which will have to be in general conformity with the relevant spatial development strategy.

On 12 February, Government launched its consultation on the new SDS areas (which closed on 26 March 2026). This sought views on a series of proposed geographies over which SDSs would be prepared. This consultation is said to form part of wider reforms which are intended to re-introduce strategic planning in planning matters at a sub-regional level across England.

The function to prepare a SDS is to be exercised by the Mayor on behalf of the CA/CCA. Approval of the SDS requires a simple majority vote, which must include the Mayor. If the vote is tied, Mayors will have an additional casting vote.

Following the introduction of the Bill, there will be duty on Mayoral Strategic Authorities to produce and publish a local growth plan.

Section 69 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, which currently requires that upper tier local authorities prepare an assessment of economic conditions for their area, will be extended to all CA/CCAs. This function will be exercised concurrently by the CA/CCAs and their constituent council.

Whilst the local growth plan and assessment of economic conditions are separate duties, it is noted that both could be satisfied simultaneously.

Gillian Duckworth, Group Solicitor and Monitoring Officer at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, said:

“GMCA have recently published their Local Growth Plan which has been developed in partnership with the Constituent Councils and Government and sets out the strategic framework for delivering sustainable, inclusive economic growth across the city region over the next decade. It signposts the key commitments, programmes and sector priorities that will drive productivity, innovation and good jobs, while ensuring growth benefits all residents and places. Our approach is underpinned by our pioneering nearly-£2 billion Good Growth Fund which is pump priming our pipeline of growth-driving projects across the city-region, making them viable and building investor confidence.”

Mayoral Development Corporations and Orders

Clause 37 and Schedule 18 of the Bill will amend the Localism Act 2011 to provide that all Mayors of Mayoral Strategic Authorities (as well as the Mayor of London) will have powers enabling them to designate a Mayoral Development Area and subsequently establish a Mayoral Development Corporation for that area. Mayoral Development Corporations are statutory corporate bodies designed to take on broad planning and land assembly powers.

The designation of a Mayoral Development Area is a function exercisable only by the Mayor, but the approval of a designation of such area will be subject to a simple majority by the Strategic Authority, and the majority must include the Mayor.

Mayors will be expected to be responsible for establishing and overseeing the Mayoral Development Corporations.

The power to make Mayoral Development Orders will also be extended to all Mayors of CAs and CCAs, as well as the Mayor of London, where Mayors would exercise these powers on behalf of their CA or CCA.

Jonathan Turner, International Partner at Cushman & Wakefield, said: 

“The establishment of Mayoral Development Corporations can help to bridge viability gaps and give confidence to the market thereby enabling complex, large-scale projects to be delivered.”

Housing and Strategic Planning

Clause 32 and Schedule 12 of the Bill provides that the powers currently afforded to the Mayor of London in relation to applications of potential strategic importance may also be exercised by Mayors of CA/CCAs, where the Mayors exercise the power on behalf of their CA or CCA. This will include the ability to direct refusal of certain planning applications – for example, large or prominent schemes – and the ability to call in these applications.

Mayors and CA/CCAs will also be given powers, concurrently with Homes England and local authorities, for compulsory purchase including under the Housing Act 1985 and Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Before exercising their compulsory purchase powers, Mayors and the CA/CCA must consult the local planning authority where the power is to be exercised.

Mayoral Powers of Competencies

There will be a number of new general mayoral powers of competencies, and these are made up of:

1. The General Power of Competence – Clause 20 and Schedule 4 of the Bill extend the general power for authorities to do anything an individual can do to apply to Strategic Authorities and Mayors.
2. The Power to Convene and a Duty to Respond – Clause 21 of the Bill provides powers for Mayors to convene local partners to address local challenges. There will be a corresponding duty on local partners to respond to a Mayor’s request should Mayors decide to make use of this power to convene.
3. The Duty to Collaborate – Clause 22 of the Bill contains a duty to ensure that Mayors of neighbouring Strategic Authorities will have a formal process by which they can collaborate with each other to deliver projects and strategies together.

Sanjit Sull, Director of Legal, Governance and Compliance and Monitoring Officer at East Midlands Combined County Authority, said: 

“Our recently approved Corporate Plan represents the Mayor’s vision for the East Midlands and outlines how we will work with partners to deliver investment across major growth areas and support long-term development across the region. These new powers will continue to support our vision.”

Conclusion: Collaborative Working

To make effective use of these new powers and functions, collaborative working between the Mayor, the CA/CCAs and their Constituent Councils is going to be absolutely vital. Decisions of the CA/CCA will require simple majority voting on the whole from the Constituent Councils and in some cases, those Constituent Councils directly affected will need to consent. It will therefore be important for the CA/CCA and the Mayor to keep its Constituent Councils updated as to future proposals from an early stage and engage throughout the process so that they can all understand the benefits to the wider area. The establishment of long-term plans which are agreed by all Constituent Councils can help with this.

How Capsticks Can Help

To discuss anything relating to the contents of this insight or the impact on your organisation, contact our Head of Local Government Tiffany Cloynes, Principal Associate Rebecca Gilbert or Senior Associate Megan Tam to find out more about how Capsticks can help.
To hear more about this topic from our speakers, visit us at UKREiiF 2026. Find out more details here.