What does cities devolution look like?
Cities devolution began in 2000 with the creation of the London Mayor and London Assembly. Since that time 10 regions now have a mayor and five more may soon get one. This means that 41% of England’s population now has a mayor.
The mayors don’t have as much power as many people might imagine, they can’t make laws for example, and a lot of what they do is reliant on their soft power to persuade others to step up and support initiatives. The London Mayor does have a significant budget of £17bn however.
Some of the powers of the London Mayor include:
- Setting Tube and Bus Fares
- Holding the Met Police to account
- The power to approve home building
- Supporting night life and culture in the city
- Acting as a figurehead of the international stage
As an example, let’s delve a little further into the London mayor’s power of the Met Police. The mayor appoints the Metropolitan Police commissioner, who is in charge of the day-to-day running of the police, and holds them to account. In 2022, the Met Police commissioner, Cressinda Dick was forced to resign after Mayor Khan said he no longer supported her. This indicates how the mayor can have an influence on the way the Met Police operates, effectively replacing its commissioner who he blamed for a damaging culture within the force.
Moreover, though the mayor only funds 30% of the Met Police’s budget, they can use additional funding to better support policing in the capital. In 2021, the mayor used £30million from his budget to fund 1,000 new police officers for example.
The reason for the introduction of cities devolution was to introduce more local level democracy into the UK. It was hoped that somebody who was accountable to the people in a local area would be more incentivised to fix the problems that existed. Prior to the introduction of the London Mayor in 2000, a big concern for Londoners would have been the transport network. As it was there was nobody who could be held directly accountable for the poor running of the transport network which meant that there was less incentive for anybody to solve the issues that existed. Since taking on responsibility for the running of Transport for London, the London mayor has had a considerable impact on the quality and efficient running of the network. For example, the mayor spearheaded the decision to introduce the oyster card in 2003. More recently, the Mayor Sadiq Khan introduced the “Hopper” fare which allows unlimited journeys on London’s bus and tram network for £1.50 within one hour of touching in.
In 2023, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has expanded the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) across London. This is being done to improve air quality, a problem particular to London and other major cities. This has proved a contentious issue. Nevertheless, the fact that Londoners who feel aggrieved by the introduction of ULEZ can vote Khan out of office is a demonstration of how the introduction of the London Mayor has strengthened local democracy.
