13 councils are considering postponing local polls in May, officials say
New mayoral planning abilities could drive growth but cause political pain — while funding remains another blocker
Proposals for larger, single authorities target economic growth but risk losing the community connection
Devolution white paper aims to create larger authorities and more elected mayors
Westminster sees local figureheads as a new response to old challenges, but they will need resources and real power in key areas
The UK government should further empower England’s metro mayors in order to unlock their full potential
Richard Parker narrowly beat Andy Street in the mayoral contest, but is setting himself apart from his predecessor
Officials hope summits involving regions and centre can lead to devolution of decision-making and growth initiatives
Regional government key to improvements in health, policing and education, even when funds are short, study finds
Deputy PM urges regions to ‘take the plunge’ in push to jump-start ‘revolution’ in powers over decision-making
Starmer says regional leaders ‘central’ to Labour’s core ambition of securing fastest growth in G7
Labour unseats Andy Street in Conservatives’ flagship West Midlands mayoralty
The UK is too centralised, but experiments with devolution are in their infancy and still have mixed results
Candidates and voters prioritise local issues over national party politics ahead of Thursday vote
Political pragmatists are finding that delivery is what matters to city electorates
Wider powers for local leaders can help spur regional growth
Sir Keir Starmer wants more areas to increase their influence by forming ‘combined authorities’
The next government must close the gap between rhetoric and reality
Report noted a ‘culture of excessive confidentiality’ and ‘lack of transparency’
Despite limited powers, the sheer number of directly elected mayors has the potential to be disruptive
Councils and business pin hopes on new deals to rebalance UK’s London-centric economy and raise productivity
Chancellor’s proposals expected to fall short of some regional leaders’ ambitious demands
John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown call for end to ‘chopping and changing’ over devolution, according to Ed Balls review
Andy Burnham hails shift from Thatcher’s deregulated model back to local public control
Research highlights urban-country divide as local authorities seek powers to address inequalities
