Key Facts

• Clause 24 provides power for combined county authorities to elect a Mayor.
• Paragraph 2(2) of schedule 2 sets the timing for the first mayoral elections after regulations are laid.
• Some areas have different local authority election cycles (all-out vs. thirds), affecting the scheduling of mayoral elections.
• The government's White Paper offers an option for devolution deals without a Mayor.
• The decision-making in many city-regional areas was previously done through unelected quangos.
• The first election of the Mayor will take place on the first Thursday in May, which is designated as the day of ordinary elections.
• Amendment 60 is proposed in clause 25, page 20, line 32.
• Level 1 areas have access to three core powers: hosting government functions at strategic levels, pooling services, and innovative local proposals on climate change.
• Level 2 areas gain control of transport functions, bus franchising, input into Local Skills Improvement Plans, and Homes England compulsory purchase powers.
• Discusses tiers 1, 2, and 3 levels of devolved power.
• Highlights the need for clarity on the timeline and endpoint for full devolution regardless of having a Mayor or not.
• Mentions that the long-term investment fund is a significant prize in this context.
• The Government is pushing forward the idea that individual actions compel collective progress.
• Local communities should be allowed to decide on their governance structures without undue influence from central government.
• The amendment aims to correct overreach and allow access to powers for local areas whether or not they adopt a specific structure.
• The Government prefers the mayoral model for devolution deals.
• Labour created a directly elected Mayor for Greater London in 1998.
• By 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal with powers at approaching the highest level of devolution.
• The Minister introduced 60 clauses for county combined authorities.
• The Bill includes spatial development strategies in schedule 7.
• Some communities resisted mayoral models initially but have come to see their benefits.
• Clause 26 provides for deputy Mayors etc.
• Amendment 33 seeks to insert “statutory” after “mayor’s” to clarify the nature of the deputy role.
• Amendment 34 allows mayors of CCAs to appoint more than one qualified deputy Mayor.
• Amendment 34 addresses the role and appointment of deputy Mayors in combined county authorities.
• The amendment aims to ensure that deputy Mayors have a democratic mandate and could potentially allow for job sharing or part-time appointments.
• There are concerns about clarity regarding who the deputy Mayor is, particularly in case of emergency situations.
• Amendment 35 proposes an annual report on diversity of deputies appointed under clause 26.
• The report must include age, gender, and ethnicity data of all deputy mayors.
• Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 requires political parties to publish diversity data on candidates but has yet to commence.
• Amendment 51 would require a report on the impact of changing mayoral powers.
• Levelling-up is described as an agenda to tackle inequality through various solutions.
• The UK is second most inequitable country after the US according to academics like Pickett and Wilkinson.
• The amendment is about a reporting requirement related to conferring functions on the Mayor.
• Clauses 42 and 43 outline the process for establishing a new mayoral CCA, while clauses 44 and 45 cover the conferral of functions on an existing Mayor's CCA.
• Clause 2 mandates annual reporting on the progress towards achieving levelling-up missions.
• Amendment 36 would insert language requiring notification of all CCAs when regulations are made.
• The amendment aims to ensure transparency and inform other authorities about newly conferred powers.
• Rural communities are seeking local control over issues like housing and workforce challenges.
• Clause 30 enables Mayors of combined county authorities to have police and crime commissioner (PCC) functions conferred on them.
• Mayors of Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire already exercise PCC functions.
• The process is consistent with existing provisions for combined authorities.
• Amendment 37 aims to prevent partial Police and Crime Commissioner functions from being conferred on Mayors.
• Paragraphs (b) and (c) of schedule 3 allow for the devolution of partial PCC powers by regulation.
• The Minister suggests that the use of these provisions would be rare and only in specific circumstances, possibly related to edge cases or future evolutions of policing roles.
• The amendment would allow the appointment of a deputy mayor under section 26 for policing and crime roles.
• Clause 30 enables the Mayor to have police and crime commissioner functions, subject to their consent.
• The role of the deputy mayor for policing and crime is to ensure constant focus on these vital areas.