Power to the North East: What Devolution Means for the Region

For decades, many of the decisions that shape the North East were made far away in Whitehall. That began to change with the creation of a directly elected regional mayor and a combined authority with real powers and money, in one of the most significant shifts in how the region is governed in a generation.

A New Era of Devolution.

The North East entered a new chapter when voters elected the region's first mayor, who took office in 2024 to lead a new combined authority bringing together seven local councils across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham. The new arrangement represents around two million people and was described as the best devolution deal in the country.

It replaced and built upon earlier, more limited arrangements, unifying devolved powers across the wider area under a single elected leader accountable to the region's voters. The aim is to bring decision-making closer to the communities it affects.

Powers and Money.

The combined authority controls significant resources and powers. It oversees a long-term investment commitment worth billions of pounds over three decades, along with an annual investment fund and dedicated budgets for areas such as transport, skills, housing and culture.

Among the functions devolved to the region are housing and regeneration, education, skills and training, and the adult education budget. These are real levers that allow decisions about the region's future to be shaped locally rather than dictated from the capital.

Transport First.

One of the first priorities set out was improving public transport, with steps taken towards bringing the region's buses under greater public control. For a region where reliable, affordable transport is central to people's ability to work, learn and connect, this was a clear statement of intent.

Fixing what many see as a fragmented and unreliable transport system has been a central theme, alongside ambitions to deliver more jobs and build more homes. The emphasis reflects the everyday concerns of people across the region.

Jobs, Homes and Skills.

Beyond transport, the regional leadership has set out a vision focused on creating opportunity, with priorities including more and better jobs, more homes and a skills system better tailored to the needs of local people and employers. There is a particular focus on supporting young people into work and education and tackling the loss of young people from the system at a critical age.

The region has also positioned itself at the forefront of new industries, championing major investment in areas such as technology and green energy. The ambition is for a fairer, greener economy in which every child, whatever their background, has the chance to thrive.

Pushing for More.

The region's leadership has argued that devolution should go further, calling for additional powers to be transferred from central government so that local decision-making can have a more direct impact on people's lives. The argument is that regions are often better placed than Whitehall to design policies that meet local needs, particularly in areas such as skills.

There have been calls for greater freedom to innovate and for an end to what some see as top-down economic plans imposed from the centre. The case being made is that the region knows best what it needs, and should be trusted to deliver it.

The Bigger Picture.

The North East's devolution forms part of a wider shift towards regional mayors and combined authorities, now often referred to as strategic authorities, across the country, particularly in the north. The region's mayor has been involved in pan-northern collaboration aimed at giving the north a stronger collective voice.

This broader movement reflects a growing recognition that decisions affecting different parts of the country are often best made closer to the people they affect. The North East's experience is being watched as part of this national story.

A Region Finding Its Voice.

The arrival of a directly elected mayor and an empowered combined authority marks a significant moment for the North East, giving the region greater control over its own future than it has had in a generation. With real powers and substantial funding over the years ahead, the opportunity to shape transport, housing, skills and the economy now rests more firmly in local hands.

Turning that opportunity into tangible improvements in people's lives is the test that lies ahead. For a region long accustomed to having its future decided elsewhere, the chance to write its own story is one of genuine significance.

Holding Power to Account.

With greater power devolved to the region comes a greater responsibility to use it well, and an important question for the future is how the exercise of this new power is held to account by the people it is meant to serve. Devolution shifts significant decisions and substantial sums of money to regional level, which brings real opportunities to tailor policy to local needs, but it also concentrates power and resources in new hands, making robust accountability essential.

Residents have a stake in understanding how decisions are made, how money is spent and what difference it makes to their lives, and in being able to make their voices heard and to hold their regional leadership to account through the ballot box and through ongoing scrutiny. The promise of devolution is that decisions made closer to home will be more responsive to local needs and more accountable to local people than those made in distant Whitehall, but realising that promise depends on genuine engagement between the regional leadership and the communities it represents.

This means not only the formal mechanisms of elections and scrutiny but also meaningful involvement of residents, communities and local organisations in shaping the region's priorities. The voluntary and community sector, businesses, and ordinary residents all have a part to play in ensuring that devolved power is used in the interests of the whole region and not just a favoured few.

As the new arrangements settle in and the region's leadership seeks further powers, maintaining strong accountability and genuine engagement will be vital to ensuring that devolution delivers on its promise. The test of devolution will ultimately be whether it makes a real and positive difference to people's lives across the whole region, in its towns and villages, on the coast and in the countryside, as well as in its cities, and whether the people of the region feel that they have a genuine say in their own future.

Meeting that test is the responsibility that comes with the new powers the region has gained.

Get involved.

Do you feel devolution is making a difference to life in the North East?