City and county 'falling behind' without regional mayor

Calls are growing to establish a regional mayor for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland amid mounting concerns the area is falling behind places that have one.

Leaders from business, industry and education have formed a campaign group, Devolution Leicestershire, to accelerate the process, while local politicians are increasingly united on the issue.

The Labour mayor of the city of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby - who had previously argued against a regional figurehead - said it was now his "expectation" it would happen.

On a visit to the East Midlands this week the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, said he wanted to devolve powers to the area "as soon as possible".

However, Devolution Leicestershire said it wanted a definitive timetable from the government for the creation of a strategic mayoral authority (SMA), arguing that the area is not getting its fair share of support.

It added the time was right to press on now ministers had finalised long-awaited plans to streamline councils across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Scott Knowles, chief executive of the East Midlands Chamber and a senior member of Devolution Leicestershire, said: "Devolution is channelling billions of pounds into English mayoral authorities.

"The government is now regularly routing skills budgets, transport capital, business support grants and housing investment through strategic mayoral authorities.

"Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland does not have an SMA. We believe that needs to change quickly."

Research carried out by the campaign group showed for every £1 of government transport funding spent in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, other areas receive £19.

It said Tees Valley, which has a Conservative regional mayor in Ben Houchen, currently received nine times more skills funding from Whitehall than Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The organisation said the data was stark and showed the need "to level the playing field with regional rivals".

Councils in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire agreed to establish an East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCAA), led by a directly elected mayor in 2022, but Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland did not join.

Labour's Claire Ward was elected to the role in 2024 and was handed extra powers over transport, housing and adult education, with an annual budget exceeding £500m.

At the time, Labour's Leicester city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby argued it would be "daft" to have two mayors in the same area.

However, Soulsby's mayoral role will cease to exist from April 2028, when a new enlarged city council reverts back to a leader and cabinet model.

"What the government has made very clear - and what Andy Burnham particularly is committed to - is mayors across the economic geography of a combined authority," Soulsby said.

"The expectation is that we'll have one such authority for Leicester and the new Leicestershire and Rutland authority and that they will elect a mayor with the same sort of powers they have in the Nottingham and Derby areas."

Soulsby argued Leicester had been successful in competing for government funding despite not being part of a combined authority.

"If you just look at the way in which our bus fleet is being transformed, for example, it's something that many other authorities are very envious of," he said.

"That's because we have been able to attract investment into Leicester. We can speak up for ourselves."

Leicestershire's three Labour MPs, Liz Kendall, Amanda Hack and Jeevun Sandher, wrote to the city and county councils last month urging them to push for a mayor.

"The sooner we can get a deal in place, the sooner we can reach those opportunities", North West Leicestershire MP Hack said.

Leicestershire County Council's Reform UK leader Dan Harrison agrees with the devolution push, telling the BBC: "I've been saying this for a long time - no mayor, no money.

"We are dramatically missing out on getting true value for people in Leicestershire, on things like big transport schemes upgrades to the A42, or maybe getting the Ivanhoe Line open again."

Harrison told the BBC he had asked Claire Ward about Leicestershire becoming part of EMCCA.

"I did try to join," he said. "I've asked the mayor recently and she said it wouldn't really work at the minute.

"I said 'that's sad' but I put a really good case [to her] and I want to be productive."

Ward said: "It might make sense for some people, but I think that ship has sailed.

"[EMCCA] is now two years in, we're doing a huge amount of work and I think if we were to shift the focus to include Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, that would move it away from some of the other parts of our region, particularly those small communities and towns in the north of Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire and become very focused on the three cities.

"That is not what I think is the right thing to do."

Burnham told the BBC: "I would like to see all parts of the country, Leicestershire included, with devolved power as quickly as we could possibly do it.

"That was the purpose of setting up Number 10 north. It's not a gimmick. is actually got a specific job which is taking power out of Westminster and driving it down into the communities."

There are some concerns though that a "Greater Leicestershire" mayor would lack clout relative to other mayors representing larger areas.

With joining Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in EMCCA seemingly a non-starter, some politicians have suggested opening talks with Northamptonshire.

Councils in Northamptonshire failed in their attempts to be part of a wider "South Midlands" combined authority.

But no serious conversations have taken place, and a mayor covering an area bigger than just Leicestershire and Rutland appears unlikely.

Labour MP Hack pointed out Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were already working together on lots of issues.

"It feels like a really natural geography for a mayor," she said.

"It's not about the size of population, it's what you do with devolution that really matters."

Additional reporting by Hugh Casswell

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