Written question asked by Michael Fabricant (Conservative) on Monday, 4 July 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 6 July 2022. It was answered by Lia Nici (Conservative) on Tuesday, 12 July 2022 on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Local Government: Devolution

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether shire counties, including Staffordshire, can receive devolved additional powers without an elected mayor; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing other governance models to enable shire counties to exercise those powers.

Answer: For all places across England, including shire counties, who are interested in pursuing a new devolution deal, a mayor will not be a pre-requisite. However, we do believe that high-profile, directly elected leaders (such as a mayor) will be most effective for levelling up: providing a single point of accountability to local citizens, acting as a champion for their areas and attracting investment and opportunity to their places. As such, the most comprehensive devolution package will only be available to areas with a directly elected mayor. The devolution framework - published in the Levelling Up White Paper - sets a clear and consistent set of devolution pathways for places, enabling them to widen and deepen their devolved powers subject to meeting certain pre-conditions.

Secondary information