Combined authority
A combined authority is a type of local government body introduced in England outside Greater London by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. CAs are created voluntarily and allow a group of local authorities to pool appropriate responsibility and receive certain devolved functions from central government, creating a form of regional government able to deliver transport and economic policy more effectively over a wider area. In areas where local government is two-tier, both tiers must participate in the combined authority.
A combined county authority is a similar local government body introduced by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. They differ from combined authorities primarily in that they may only be formed by county councils and unitary authorities. The members of the CCA are appointed by its constituent councils. In addition, the CCA may appoint additional members and allow another body to nominate members; these members are non-voting unless decided otherwise.
There are currently 15 such authorities, predominantly in areas where they are considered likely to improve transport, economic development, and regeneration. The first CA was established for Greater Manchester in 2011, and since 2022 the UK government has increased its support for their creation.
History
Following the abolition of metropolitan county councils and the Greater London Council in 1986, England had no local government bodies with strategic authority over the major urban areas of the country. In 1999, following a successful referendum, the Labour government created a strategic authority for London, but no bodies were established to replace the metropolitan county councils outside London. The Blair government instead pursued the idea of elected regional assemblies, although following an unsuccessful referendum in 2004 in the most positive region – the North East – this idea had few proponents.In October 2010 the Coalition Government introduced measures to replace regional development agencies, which were described as inefficient and costly. They were superseded by local enterprise partnerships, voluntary groups whose membership was drawn from the private sector with local authority input.
Earlier in 2010, the Government accepted a proposal from the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities to establish a Greater Manchester Combined Authority as an indirectly elected top-tier strategic authority for Greater Manchester.
Following the unsuccessful English mayoral referendums in 2012, combined authorities have been used as an alternative means to grant additional powers and funding as part of 'city deals'. In 2014, two indirectly elected combined authorities were established covering the ceremonial county areas of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, and a further two which each covered a metropolitan county and adjacent non-metropolitan districts: the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for Merseyside and the Borough of Halton unitary authority; and the North East Combined Authority for Tyne and Wear and the unitary authorities of County Durham and Northumberland.
In 2016, a combined authority was formed for the metropolitan county of the West Midlands; as a consequence, all former metropolitan counties are now covered by combined authorities. In 2016, the first combined authority to not cover a metropolitan county was formed. This was Tees Valley, which covers the area of the former county of Cleveland, together with the unitary authority of Darlington. Two further combined authorities which do not cover ceremonial counties or former metropolitan counties were formed in 2017: West of England, comprising Bristol and two of the three adjacent unitary authorities in Gloucestershire and Somerset, all of which had been within the former county of Avon; and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
In 2019 a single Yorkshire Combined Authority, dubbed "One Yorkshire" was proposed. The proposal had support from 18 of the 20 Yorkshire councils. Sheffield and Rotherham both preferred the South Yorkshire alternative while the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Dan Jarvis, also supported a One Yorkshire proposal.
In 2020, it was reported that other combined authorities for non-metropolitan parts of the country – such as Cumbria, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, and Somerset – were under consideration, but the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on governance meant decisions were delayed until late 2021.
2022
A government white paper published in February 2022 contained invitations for nine areas to go into devolution deal negotiations:| Invited council groups | Developments |
| Cornwall | Deal yet to be agreed |
| Derbyshire and Derby | Formed East Midlands Combined County Authority |
| Nottinghamshire and Nottingham | Formed East Midlands Combined County Authority |
| Devon, Plymouth and Torbay | Devon and Torbay deal agreed in September 2024, Plymouth deal yet to be agreed |
| Durham | Formed North East Combined Authority with Northumberland and Tyne-and-Wear councils |
| Hull and East Yorkshire | Deal agreed in September 2024 |
| Leicestershire | Deal yet to be agreed |
| Norfolk | Norfolk and Suffolk deal agreed in February 2025 |
| Suffolk | Norfolk and Suffolk deal agreed in February 2025 |
2023–24
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, announced in his 2023 budget speech that "trailblazer deals" had been struck with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and West Midlands Combined Authority which included reforms to their funding models. As part of these deals, the combined authorities will be treated in a similar manner to government departments at the next spending review and each will be allocated a multi-year single settlement, replacing a large number of individual grant funding streams for which they must submit individual competitive bids. In his 2024 budget, Hunt said that the North East Combined Authority would have the same trailblazer deal. In return, the CAs would face greater oversight, including quarterly scrutiny sessions by new committees of local MPs.Since the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 was passed, there was an influx of new CAs and CCAs either being created or planned to be created, and further powers to be devolved to existing authorities.
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (2025)
In December 2024 the Starmer ministry published a white paper which is expected to lead to the creation of further combined authorities. However it was envisaged that the combined authorities, combined county authorities, and the Greater London Authority, would all be redesignated as "strategic authorities", which would have competence over transport and local infrastructure, skills and employment support, housing and strategic planning, economic development and regeneration, environment and climate change, health, wellbeing and public service reform, and public safety. It is expected that eventually strategic authorities would cover the whole of England. As a first step to this goal four further combined authority deals were approved in February 2025. These are listed below.Devon and Torbay
In early 2022, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay was selected as one of nine pilot areas in England by the UK government in the Levelling Up White Paper for "County Deal" negotiations. However, Plymouth City Council decided to withdraw from the deal in November 2023. Devon and Torbay proceeded without Plymouth with a joint proposal for a Level 2 Devolution Deal, a Combined Authority without a directly elected mayor. The deal was approved by both Devon County Council and Torbay Council and submitted to the Secretary of State for approval in early May 2024. The Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority was formally approved in September 2024 following parliamentary approval. There are provisions to expand the membership should Plymouth City Council join the DTCCA in the future, and in February 2025 Plymouth, Devon and Torbay Councils agreed to explore the creation of a Mayoral Authority, which would supersede the non-mayoral Combined County Authority.Hull and East Yorkshire
- East Riding of Yorkshire; Kingston upon Hull
Lancashire
- Blackburn with Darwen; Blackpool; Lancashire
Greater Lincolnshire
- Lincolnshire; North Lincolnshire; North East Lincolnshire