Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to allow elected Mayors outside London to appoint Deputies in the same way as the Mayor of London.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Devolution White Paper sets out that the government will legislate so that Mayors are able to appoint and remunerate ‘Commissioners’ who would be able to support the delivery of key functions with portfolios to be determined by Mayors.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what differentiating powers she plans to provide to (a) unitary authorities and (b) mayors in (i) considering individual planning applications and (ii) developing local and spatial plans.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Devolution Bill will create in law the concept of a strategic authority, which will include all combined authorities and combined county authorities, both mayoral and non-mayoral, as well as the Greater London Authority.

The Bill will place a duty on all strategic authorities to produce a spatial development strategy. Strategic authorities with mayors will also receive development management powers like those enjoyed by the Mayor of London. This will include powers to ‘call in’ and determine applications of potential strategic importance and make Mayoral Development Orders.

Local authorities, including unitary authorities, will remain the local planning authorities for their areas and will continue to have a duty to produce a local plan and to determine planning applications.

The establishment of strategic authorities across England will be a gradual process. Our aim is to have a universal system of strategic planning in place by 2030, so the Planning & Infrastructure Bill will place a duty on all combined authorities and combined county authorities, both mayoral and non-mayoral, to produce a spatial development strategy.

Outside of these areas county councils and unitary authorities will also be required to produce a spatial development strategy, either individually or in defined groupings. In some instances, they may also be grouped with a non-mayoral combined authority or combined county authority. The Mayor of London will continue to produce a spatial development strategy for the capital.

The precise geographical extent of these groupings is yet to be determined, but the government believes that they should be based on the sensible geography criteria set out for agreeing devolution deals in the English Devolution White Paper, in anticipation of these groupings forming the basis for future strategic authorities.

Certificate of Common Sponsorship

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Mr Luke Charters

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Nesil Caliskan

Found: the meeting Public Accounts Committee members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts

Found: Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.2 Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee • Clive Betts

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Clive Betts (in the Chair); Nesil Caliskan; Peter Fortune; Lloyd

Found: the course of debate on amendments to the clause/schedule (Standing Order No. 68) Chairs: Mr Clive Betts

On 14 October 2024 the House of Commons agreed a motion to establish a committee, to be known as the Speaker’s Conference. That motion ordered that the Conference consider: