As part of the Campaign for Social Science’s series on devolution, we hosted a webinar on 24 September 2026 exploring what England’s more established devolved regions can teach areas at an earlier stage of their devolution journey. With the UK Government committed to extending strategic authorities across England, the discussion brought together experts and practitioners to reflect on the lessons learned from nearly a decade of English devolution and what they mean for regions preparing to take on new powers.
The session was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government, and featured contributions from Professor Georgina Blakeley (University of Huddersfield), Professor Andy Westwood (University of Birmingham), Professor John Boswell FAcSS (University of Southampton) and Rebecca Gipp (Essex County Council).
We began with Georgina, who drew on her research into Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region. One of her central messages was that successful devolution depends fundamentally on relationships. Reflecting on advice given to Greater Manchester’s first mayoral administration, she noted that the first priority for any newly elected mayor should be to “go out the door and start building relationships”. This applies not only to relationships with council leaders, who form part of the governance structures of strategic authorities, but also to businesses, voluntary organisations, communities and citizens. Georgina also highlighted the growing importance of relationships between mayors themselves as regional leaders increasingly work together to secure greater powers and resources from Westminster.
Another important lesson concerned the need to identify policy areas which demonstrate the practical value of devolution to residents. In Greater Manchester, bus franchising and the creation of the Bee Network provided a visible example of devolution making a direct difference to people’s daily lives. In the Liverpool City Region, she suggested that there was no comparable policy as transport was less of an acute issue there, not the least because trains were already publicly owned. Culture, however, has played a key role within the Liverpool City Region, with projects such as Shakespeare North helping to support regeneration and foster a stronger sense of regional identity. Both policies underline the importance of tailoring policy priorities to the needs of place.
At the same time, Georgina cautioned against viewing devolution as a quick fix. Significant challenges remain around issues such as planning, skills and economic development, many of which involve complex relationships between strategic authorities, local government, employers and central government. Progress, she argued, often requires sustained effort over a long period of time.
Andy built on these themes by focusing on two key ingredients for successful devolution: clarity of purpose and capacity. Drawing on his experience of studying and working with devolved institutions in Greater Manchester and elsewhere, including work on English devolution and industrial policy, he argued that the most successful regions have developed a clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve and maintained that focus over many years.
Greater Manchester, he suggested, benefited from a longstanding vision predating the establishment of the mayoralty itself. Local leaders had developed a shared understanding of the region’s challenges and opportunities, and that clarity helped shape both institutions and policy priorities. As devolution expands into areas such as employment support, public services and education, Andy argued that emerging strategic authorities will need to think carefully about their own objectives and how they can sustain them over the long term.
Like several other panellists, Andy stressed the importance of capacity. However, he encouraged participants to think beyond simple questions of staffing numbers and organisational size. Successful devolved regions often draw on expertise from universities, businesses, public service organisations and wider pre-existing civic infrastructure. Greater Manchester, for example, has made extensive use of reviews, commissions and advisory groups to bring together specialists from different sectors.
John then offered a perspective from Hampshire, one of the areas sometimes described as a ‘devolution desert’. His contribution focused on research conducted with local stakeholders as Hampshire has sought to progress towards devolution.
John explained that many stakeholders had historically argued that Hampshire was fundamentally different from the regions which have been at the forefront of the devolution agenda. Factors often cited included its political geography, varied economy, weaker sense of regional identity and longstanding tensions between local actors and institutions. Yet when he examined the wider evidence on devolution, John found that many of these challenges were not unique. In reality, several regions now regarded as devolution success stories had faced similar difficulties in the past. The difference was that they had gradually built trust, institutional capacity and a shared sense of purpose through practical collaboration. Rather than trying to create perfect governance arrangements from the outset, John suggested progress often comes through incremental steps and pragmatic compromise. He argued local leaders should focus on shared challenges and practical projects, which in turn help build the relationships and confidence needed for more ambitious forms of cooperation.
Our final speaker, Rebecca, brought a practitioner perspective from Greater Essex, which is preparing for the establishment of a combined county authority. Having led much of the practical operating model work required to develop the new arrangements, Rebecca reflected on the lessons Essex has learned so far.
She emphasised that devolution is ultimately more about place than structure. While much attention is understandably focused on governance arrangements and institutional design, the more important challenge is developing a shared vision for the region and understanding what local leaders hope to achieve through devolution.
For Greater Essex, it has involved bringing together leaders and CEO’s from across the region to develop a common narrative around economic growth, productivity and skills. Rebecca argued that regions embarking on devolution will need to spend as much time building consensus and developing a shared purpose as they do focusing on practical arrangements.
Like the other speakers, she also highlighted the importance of relationships. In her experience, the technical aspects of creating a combined authority are often easier than the cultural and organisational changes required to make it work effectively. Building trust between organisations, reinforcing the value of devolution and encouraging institutions to work differently are all essential elements of the process.
Rebecca also stressed that strategic authorities should avoid becoming either “mini councils” or “mini Whitehalls”. Instead, they should focus on those issues which genuinely require action at a larger geographical scale and develop the models and capabilities needed to tackle them effectively.
Key themes running through the discussion included:
- Capacity: All four speakers emphasised that devolution is not simply about transferring powers from Westminster to local areas. It also requires investment in people, expertise, leadership and institutional capability. Several panellists argued that central government has a role to play in supporting this process, particularly as new strategic authorities take on increasingly complex responsibilities.
- Local relationships: While governance structures matter, there was a consensus that institutions alone cannot deliver change. Progress requires local leaders, organisations and communities to work together around a common vision.
- Long-termism: The experiences of Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and other established mayoral authorities suggest that success comes through years of institution-building, collaboration and experimentation. For areas now entering the next phase of England’s devolution journey, these lessons provide both encouragement and a realistic understanding of the work that lies ahead.