Devolution in focus: Introducing the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was introduced to Parliament on 10 July 2025. Following on from the white paper, the Government's early Christmas present to Local Authorities, dated 16 December 2024 it marks a significant step in the Government’s ambition to create a more coherent, strategic, and empowered system of local governance across England.

Key resources published alongside the Bill include:

• Guidance on the Bill (published 10 July)
• Area factsheets and Devolution Framework Explainers (also 10 July)
• The Bill itself, including the draft explanatory notes and Impact Assessments; all recommended reading for a fuller understanding of the proposals

The Bill is substantial, running to 338 pages, with 79 clauses and 31 schedules. Much of the detailed implementation will be set out in secondary legislation, so while the framework is now clearer, the fine print will still be subject to further scrutiny. As ever, the devil is in the detail.

Centrally, the Bill introduces a structured devolution framework. This means that consistent powers, functions and duties will apply to Strategic Authorities (SAs) as standard, and over time, there will be clearer, more formal routes for those authorities to take on greater responsibilities.

Significantly, it gives the Secretary of State significant powers to compel local government reorganisation and the creation new Mayoral Strategic Authorities, even in the face of local objections.

Proposed reforms to local government are far-reaching. These include:

• A long-overdue overhaul of the local audit system
• The abolition of the committee system
• A bar on the creation of new local authority mayors
• The introduction of a new duty on local authorities to ensure effective neighbourhood governance

Interestingly, some long-debated changes are not currently mentioned - including remote meetings and a revised local standards regime.

However, Clause 59 does propose a return to the Supplementary Vote system for Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections. This system, introduced in 2011 and then replaced by the Elections Act 2022 with the First Past the Post model, is now set to be re-instated.

This introductory blog sets the stage for a deeper look at the Bill’s structure, the role of Metro Mayors, and the broader implications for governance and reform - explored in our upcoming blog series.