Morning, Monday, 17th November 2025
Online
This conference will consider the future direction of devolution policy, strategic planning, and regional economic growth in the North of England, as combined authorities prepare to take on new powers and responsibilities under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, currently progressing through Parliament.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess implications for spatial planning, infrastructure, housing, and skills, as well as for the evolving role of combined authorities in strategic decision-making, commissioning, and budget control. Sessions in the agenda will consider proposed mayoral powers to accelerate delivery, looking also at governance reform such as the creation of a Local Audit Office, and assessing their impact on local accountability, capacity, and alignment - with priorities set out in the Government’s Industrial Strategy and 2025 Spending Review.
In assessing the way forward, we expect discussion to draw on the Government’s fast-tracking of six additional areas, including Cumbria and Cheshire, under the Devolution Priority Programme.
Delegates will consider the effects of devolved powers, Local Growth Plans, and integrated funding settlements on institutional capacity and long-term coordination. The role of combined authorities in leading place-based growth and aligning planning across housing, transport, and employment will be a focus, alongside issues where infrastructure constraints or limited land supply heighten barriers to development. There will also be discussion on the impact of new governance arrangements, including transitions to unitary local government and the formation of the Great North partnership, on strategic delivery and regional collaboration.
Further planned sessions look at the impact of the Transport for City Regions settlement and the Liverpool-Manchester rail line for labour markets, regeneration, and freight efficiency. Attendees will also assess what these developments mean for delivery capacity, workforce planning, and infrastructure integration - particularly in relation to coordination with Great British Railways and national delivery frameworks. Further discussion will consider the role of pan-regional and local partnerships in contributing to long-term system leadership and strategic planning, in line with wider ambitions for more integrated and accountable local delivery.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- devolution and the Bill: statutory powers and centre-local relationships - local governance and accountability - implications for long-term institutional reform and leadership
- funding and fiscal alignment: integrated settlements and local discretion - delivery capacity and commissioning - links to national frameworks and Fair Funding Review priorities
- strategic planning and capacity: support for decision-making across systems - data, staffing, and technical needs - coordination with national priorities without duplication
- local growth planning: legal and practical basis for aligning housing, skills, and infrastructure - adapting to local economic conditions - coordination with anchor institutions and investors - harnessing investment zone and Freeport benefits
- institutional structures and collaboration: impacts of unitary local government reform - role of the Great North partnership - shared delivery across combined authorities
- transport and infrastructure: regional impacts of local transport plans - regeneration and labour market access - integration with national systems, including Great British Railways
- sectoral development and investment: strategies for clean energy, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing - alignment with national missions - attracting and structuring private investment - Infrastructure Strategy implementation
- skills and workforce: devolved responsibilities for employment and training - coordination with providers and industry - access barriers and local variation in opportunity
