Are Metro Mayors a workable model for a devolved Britain?
Tom Southern
| Dods Monitoring
Local councillors have raised concerns over the Government's proposed 'Metro Mayor' model, writes Dods Monitoring's Tom Southern.
Over the past few weeks the Government has put forward the secondary legislation that will allow for the election of brand new ‘Metro Mayors’ in 2017.
The new mayors will have oversight of large Combined Authorities (CA) which have taken, or will take, up new devolved powers in the coming years on transport, skills and bus franchising. Some, such as the Greater Manchester CA will have even more responsibility - with health devolution on the way.
Underpinning all this are the devolution deals, which are supposed to be bespoke, meeting the needs and the ambitions of the area. Although broadly welcomed by local authority leaders and parliamentarians, these deals have not escaped criticism, not least with regard to the Metro Mayor model.
Whilst the West Midlands may have a broad historical and cultural heritage that may be appropriate for a mayor, other areas do not. One such area is the County Durham where various parts will be voting for different Combined Authority Mayors in the Tees Valley and North East elections. Even more problematic, is the fact that 2012 saw Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield vote against a similar model in local referenda.
The proposed model also causes difficulties for service delivery in the form of exclaves, which were nominally prohibited by the 2009 Act. York City Council, for example, is an exclave of the West Yorkshire CA and has had to join it as an associate member to avoid these problems.
Political criticism has come from local councillors – some of whom think the new funding cannot possibly plug the gap provided by the past six years of cuts, least of all with the new responsibilities.
On the other side, the Government points out that significant devolved powers require democratic oversight, and that the mayoral model is commonly used around the world. DCLG Ministers emphasise that they remain open to alternative governance models, though the devolution deals to date would suggest that the mayoral model is the preferred option.
With around forty deals either agreed or in negotiation, and new Secretaries of State in place, it does not appear the Government intends to deviate from its current model. Any local authorities looking at this kind of deal will need to do their research before they commit, and be sure they know exactly what they want from it.
Dods Monitoring has produced a briefing on the Government's new devolution deals, setting out the details of the policy, responses to the deals and the next steps of their implementation.
Register to get the briefing for free here.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
Get the inside track on what MPs and Peers are talking about. Sign up to The House's morning email for the latest insight and reaction from Parliamentarians, policy-makers and organisations.
