Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which regions have agreed or are developing plans for devolved government without the need for an elected mayor.

My Department engages continually with different areas, councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships right across the country, on their ambitions and ideas for driving economic growth and productivity and improving local governance. We have been clear that to secure devolution, areas need to make a significant offer to Government on how they will ensure strong, strategic and accountable leadership across a clear economic geography. To date, in line with this, the most ambitious deals have involved the establishment of directly-elected combined authority mayors. However, as shown by the devolution deal agreed in Cornwall in July 2015 a directly elected Mayor is not always a condition.

The Government’s manifesto committed to "providing clarity across England on what devolution means for different administrations so all authorities operate in a common framework". We aim to provide local areas with this clarity on how best to take forward their local growth and local industrial strategy ambitions over the coming months, and recognise that mayoral governance will not be suitable in all areas.