Alongside the local elections on 2 May are the elections for nine Combined Authority Mayors and for the Mayor of London. This is the largest round of mayoral elections in England’s history; after these elections 50% of the country will be have a metro mayor.
This means that metro mayors are an increasingly important feature of England’s governance landscape. With powers and funding over housing, they are also of growing significance to the housing sector.
So, where are mayors being elected, why do they matter, and what are The Housing Forum’s asks for them?
Where are mayoral elections taking place?
Elections are taking place in London and in nine combined authorities:
- East Midlands
- Greater Manchester
- Liverpool City Region
- North East
- South Yorkshire
- Tees Valley
- West Midlands
- West Yorkshire
- York and North Yorkshire
Seven of these are existing positions, and three (East Midlands, North East, and York and North Yorkshire) are new positions. You can see the areas on this helpful map from the Institute for Government.
Why do mayoral elections matter for the housing sector?
Metro mayors lead their respective combined authorities, and can lead the way on co-operation between their constituent member local authorities.
All metro mayors have the ability to acquire and regenerate land, and to form mayoral development corporations.
They also administer various funding streams which can help to build new homes and transport, upgrade existing homes, and unlock new development.
The Mayor of London also has unique responsibility for strategic planning, drafting the London Plan. The Mayor of London can also have a say over planning permission for sites of ‘strategic importance’ (those over 150 homes, on greenbelt land, or over 30 metres tall).
Metro mayors have already had a significant impact on housing across their local areas. For instance, the West Midlands Combined Authority is running several brownfield regeneration projects and have unlocked 6,285 homes with investment since 2018. Similarly, Greater Manchester Combined Authority has decreased rough sleeping by 44% since 2017 when their mayor was first inaugurated.
What are our asks for this year’s elections?
Alongside our Manifesto for Housing 2024, which looks ahead to the general election, we have five central asks for the metro mayors ahead of their elections on 2 May.
– Ensure housing is at the heart of decision-making within their combined authority and work across departments to make housing a top 5 priority.
-Better resource local planning departments by improving recruitment and retention and elevating the status of planners.
– Incentivise building on brownfield sites, with flexible and long-term funding where required to make this viable, and support for public and private sector partnerships to bring these sites forward. Mayors are well-placed to bring different agencies together across local authority boundaries to take forward larger scale projects.
-Support local authorities to work together on strategic reviews of greenbelt land. This may involve building on brownfield sites within greenbelts and/or moving greenbelts further out to allow cities to grow.
– Skill up the workforce to deliver and maintain the homes of the future, while creating well-paying jobs for local residents. Mayors can be particularly well-placed to understand the needs of local businesses and the potential of local education and training providers.
These elections will be an opportunity to highlight the importance of housing for local areas, and how an effective mayor can meaningfully improve lives for their residents. We look forward to working with mayors old and new and will continue to make the case for a quality home for all.
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