More than 20million people are due to vote for Metro Mayors in eight areas on May 6. Here is a run down of what a Metro Mayor does and what impact it has for the local economy, business and services.
Who has a Metro Mayor?
These are the areas with a Metro Mayor and who is currently in post.
- Greater London: Sadiq Khan
- Greater Manchester: Andy Burnham
- West Midlands: Andy Street
- Liverpool City Region: Steve Rotheram
- Tees Valley: Ben Houchen
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough: James Palmer
- West of England: Tim Bowles
- West Yorkshire will be electing for the first time
North of Tyne: Jamie Driscoll (will not be contested until 2024)
Sheffield City Region: Dan Jarvis (will not be contested until 2022)
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What do they do?
Metro mayors were first elected in England in 2017 as part of the Government's devolution agenda - allowing more decisions to be made at a local level.
The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act (2016) states that in order for a combined authority to be given these powers, a metro mayor must be elected for the area.
The devolution agenda aims to address the underperformance of the 海角视频’s major cities, such as Manchester and Birmingham. It sets out to devolve decisions over housing, transport, skills and business support that are more tailored to local need in order to increase jobs, wages and quality of life, according to.
What powers do they have?
Metro mayors are the elected leaders of a combined authority - statutory bodies made up neighbouring local authorities that broadly cover a city-region.
They hold powers over spatial planning, regional transport, the provision of skills training, business support services, and economic development.
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According to the , each devolution deal includes a capital investment fund of between £450 million and £1.1 billion, paid in yearly instalments over three decades. These funds can be used to finance transport, housing and other infrastructure projects.
The precise detail of the powers and budgets devolved varies between the different areas.
Other than the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough metro mayor, each mayor is able to establish mayoral development corporations (MDCs), organisations that invest in land and infrastructure with the aim of boosting regional economic growth. To exercise this power, the metro mayor must seek the approval of the council leader in whose area the corporation is to be located. To date, MDCs have been created in Tees Valley and Stockport and Greater Manchester (as well as in Greater London).
Metro mayors also represent their areas in public debate and in negotiations over policy decisions. For instance, during the pandemic Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham made a high profile stance against the Government over its financial support settlement during the Covid-19 tier restrictions.