Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Devolution Priority Programme

The Devolution Priority Programme was announced by the UK government in 2025 in line with the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. The areas included within the programme will have certain devolved functions transferred to them from central government via the establishment of new combined authorities (CAs) or combined county authorities (CCAs).

01History

In February 2025 six areas were announced for the programme. In December 2025, mayoral elections were delayed from 2026 to 2028 in four of the priority programme areas.

02Summary

As of 6 June 2026, the status of the programme is as follows:

Authority Status Constituent councils LGR S.I. Created First election Ref.
Cheshire and Warrington CA Formally established, awaiting mayoral powers None Made 24 February 2026 2027
Cumbria CA Formally established, awaiting mayoral powers None Made 24 February 2026 2027
Greater Essex CCA Not yet formally established Yes Expected 2026 Expected 2028
Hampshire and the Solent CCA Formally established, awaiting mayoral powers Yes Made 4 June 2026 2028
Norfolk and Suffolk CCA Not yet formally established Yes Expected 2026 Expected 2028
Sussex and Brighton CCA Formally established, awaiting mayoral powers Yes Made 26 March 2026 2028
Watch videos about Devolution Priority ProgrammeExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Devolution Priority Programme, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.