Devolution and urban regeneration: How can metro mayors transform England’s towns and cities?
Think tank: Institute for Government
Author(s): Millie Mitchell
December 12, 2024
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government outlines what powers are available to metro mayors to drive regeneration.
The regeneration of disused, deprived and deindustrialised urban areas across England will be crucial to the government’s ability to achieve its economic growth targets. It will also bring other benefits, like reducing regional inequality and improving social outcomes, and helping the UK meet its climate objectives. Urban regeneration can take many forms – from the renewal of declining town centres such as Stockport, Bradford and Hartlepool, to the transformation of disused industrial land in the West Midlands, South Tees and the North East regions, to the creation of hubs for advanced manufacturing and research in Rotherham and Greater Manchester’s Atom Valley.
The government is clear both in its determination to ‘get Britain building’ and that it expects metro mayors to play a central role in driving urban regeneration. England’s 12 mayors already hold a suite of relevant powers ranging from allocating funds to unlock projects led by local partners to setting the strategic direction for their regions as a whole. They can also be directly involved in delivery, including by creating vehicles such as mayoral development corporations (MDCs) and establishing joint ventures with the private sector. Further devolution to mayors is now promised, as is the establishment of new mayoralties across other parts of the country. So the role of mayors in leading regeneration initiatives is here to stay and set to expand further.
This paper – produced by the Institute for Government with the support of Balfour Beatty – outlines what powers are available to metro mayors to drive regeneration and what lessons mayors can learn from the application of these powers in different parts of the country. We also set out lessons for how central government could better support mayors to lead in this area.
This paper is based on research and interviews, focusing on six case studies (shown in Figure 1) and a roundtable hosted by the Institute for Government in October 2024, involving representatives from central government, combined authorities, the private sector and other experts.
