# Mayoral Council for England

The Mayoral Council for England is a political body in England that brings together ministers from the UK Government, the Mayor of London, and combined authority mayors.

## History
### Background
#### David Cameron's proposed English Cabinet of Mayors

UK prime minister David Cameron proposed in 2012 that England's directly elected mayors sit within an "English Cabinet of Mayors", giving them the opportunity to share ideas and represent their regions at English national level. This proposed cabinet of mayors would have been chaired by the prime minister and meet at least twice a year. However, no action was taken to form such a body.

#### Gordon Brown's proposed Council of England

Plans for a "Council of England" featured in a 2022 Labour Party report on constitutional reform by Gordon Brown titled A New Britain: Renewing our Democracy and Rebuilding our Economy. The proposed council would be chaired by the prime minister and would include leaders of combined authorities, the mayor of London, representatives of local government and other stakeholders in England. Earlier, Labour's manifesto for the 2017 general election included a commitment to establish the post of a "Minister for England" within the Department of Communities and Local Government.

#### Dunlop Review's proposed English Regions Forum

The 2021 The Dunlop Review into UK Government Union Capability suggested that consideration could be given to establishing an "English Regions Forum" to "feed views in from sub-national governments in England to UK Government ministers".

#### Electoral Reform Society's proposed English Leaders' Forum

A 2022 report by the Electoral Reform Society suggested the establishment of an "English Leaders' Forum" to bring together UK ministers with combined authority mayors, single local authority mayors and council leaders. It also suggested the creation of an "England Office" to act as a representative for English local government to the UK government and serve to coordinate between central and local government on English devolved matters.

#### Onward's proposed National Mayors Association

Conservative leaning think tank Onward proposed the formation of a National Mayors Association and creation of various Joint Delivery Taskforces involving the UK central government, metro mayors and local authorities in a report titled Give Back Control published in 2022.

#### Devolving English Government report's proposed English Devolution Council

In a report titled Devolving English Government published in April 2023, to counter what they described as over-centralisation and a democratic deficit in England, the Institute for Government and the University of Cambridge's Bennett Institute for Public Policy proposed the formation of an "English Devolution Council", and the establishment of an "Office for England" led by a "Secretary of State for England". Under the proposals the English Devolution Council would include the mayor of London and existing combined authority mayors. An interim mechanism would be put in place for the participation of local leaders in areas of England without a mayoral combined authority. The role of the council would be to debate issues related to local and regional governance in England, to call ministers and experts to provide evidence and to advise the UK central Government on English affairs. The Existing Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government would be split into a Department for Housing and Communities and an Office for England, which would take on responsibility for oversight of devolved and local governance in England. The Secretary of State for England would chair a cabinet committee for England including other secretaries of state from departments whose remits mainly apply to England only.

### Establishment

Following Labour's victory in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the new prime minister Keir Starmer informally met England's combined authority mayors and the mayor of London on 9 July. The first formal meeting of the Mayoral Council, chaired by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, took place on 10 October 2024 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the council is expected to meet on a quarterly basis. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it set up the Mayoral Council to "strengthen the relationships between central government and the mayors" ahead of publishing a white paper on devolution. The first meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions, which also included England's combined authority mayors and the mayor of London, took place the following day.
Unlike the proposed "Council of England", the Mayoral Council does not include local government representatives in areas without a mayoral combined authority, or other stakeholders. However, at the 2024 Labour Party Conference, Labour reiterated its commitment to English devolution, saying that all areas of England "should eventually be covered by mayoral devolution", which would mean that the Mayoral Council would eventually evolve into an all-England forum.

#### Mayors Network (M10 Group)

Combined authority mayors and the Mayor of London also meet informally on a monthly basis as the Mayors Network (M10 Group) allowing them to consult each other, coordinate their actions, and gain access to UK government ministers. This network has been chaired by Tracy Barbin since May 2022 and previously by Dan Jarvis.

## Purpose

The English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024 stated that the functions and aims of the Mayoral Council are as follows:
"The Council will be the key forum for engagement between central government and Mayors on Local Growth Plans, pushing the frontier on devolution, feeding back on how best to deliver on the ground, and identifying opportunities to better coordinate national and local policy."

## Membership

As of October 2024, 48% of the population and 26% of the land area of England is represented on the council.
The membership of the Mayoral Council is currently as follows:
| Name | Authority | Position within authority |
| Angela Rayner | Government of the United Kingdom | Deputy Prime Minister Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government |
| Sadiq Khan | Greater London Authority | Mayor of London |
| Nik Johnson | Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority | Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough |
| Claire Ward | East Midlands Combined County Authority | Mayor of the East Midlands |
| TBD | Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority | Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire |
| Andy Burnham | Greater Manchester Combined Authority | Mayor of Greater Manchester |
| TBD | Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority | Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire |
| Steve Rotheram | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority | Mayor of the Liverpool City Region |
| Kim McGuinness | North East Combined Authority | Mayor of the North East |
| Oliver Coppard | South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority | Mayor of South Yorkshire |
| Ben Houchen | Tees Valley Combined Authority | Mayor of the Tees Valley |
| Richard Parker | West Midlands Combined Authority | Mayor of the West Midlands |
| Dan Norris | West of England Combined Authority | Mayor of the West of England |
| Tracy Brabin | West Yorkshire Combined Authority | Mayor of West Yorkshire |
| David Skaith | York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority | Mayor of York and North Yorkshire |
The membership of the council will increase as new mayoral combined authorities are established in England.

## Meetings and activities
### Meetings

An unofficial meeting of mayors was held in July 2024 and the first formal meeting of the council took place in October 2024.
The council is expected to meet four times a year.
Meetings of the Mayoral Council for England :
| Date | Location |
| 9 July 2024 (unofficial) | 10 Downing Street, Westminster |
| 10 October 2024 | The Common Room, Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| 23 January 2025 | Advanced Manufacturing Park, Rotherham |

### Activities

Members of the council participated in the Global Investment Summit at the London Guildhall on 14 October 2024. Mayors met Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves in Darlington on 12 December 2024.