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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 26 January (HL Deb col 715), when the mayoral elections for the 14 remaining areas will take place.

It is important to distinguish between elections scheduled in existing mayoral authorities and these inaugural mayoral elections, which we have not had before and are only taking place in the six Devolution Priority Programme areas.

The Government is committed to ensuring our mayoral institutions are best placed to deliver and, as a result, is now minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections for the four Devolution Priority Programme places that are also undertaking local government reorganisation in May 2028 rather than May 2026, so that areas can complete the reorganisation process before Mayors take office. This will ensure that these institutions are built on firm foundations and that their Mayors are able to deliver for their regions and local communities from day one.

The inaugural mayoral elections for Cheshire and Warrington and Cumbria will be held in May 2027, as these areas have already undergone local government reorganisation, and mayoral elections in existing mayoral authorities will proceed as scheduled, as these institutions are already established. These mayoral elections are also distinct from local council elections.