English devolution

English devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from central government to regional mayors and strategic authorities. It was first proposed by the coalition government in 2010 and was gradually expanded on a ‘deal-by-deal’ basis. The current government is committed to extending devolution to cover all of England.

As of August 2025, devolution in England includes:

13 mayoral combined authorities.
The Greater London Authority.
Four new mayoral combined authorities that are expected to hold initial elections: Sussex, Hampshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Two planned mayoral combined authorities expected to hold their initial elections in 2027: Cumbria, Cheshire and Warrington.
Two non-mayoral combined county authorities: Lancashire, Devon and Torbay.
Four individual authorities with devolution agreements: Cornwall, Warwickshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire.

Most mayoral devolution deals contain powers and funding across several policy areas that are relevant to the social housing sector, including:

Housing and land, including affordable housing and homelessness.
Decarbonisation and net zero.
Employment and skills.

NHF support

We can provide advice and support to our members who have devolution in their local area, particularly in areas with new devolution deals. This includes helping members engage collaboratively with their mayor and strategic authority, providing key statistics and data to help our members set out their asks and offer, and offering policy and public affairs support.

The NHF is also launching a new National Devolution Network in early spring 2026 which will be held three times per year to update members on the national picture and provide valuable opportunities to share best practice and learnings from regions elsewhere in the country.

Please contact your local External Affairs Manager to find out more.

English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

In July, the government introduced the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to Parliament. The bill builds on the English Devolution White Paper and sets out how the government plans to achieve its ambitions for devolution across the country. We have put together a full briefing on the bill and devolution more broadly which members can download below.

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Sharing expertise and best practice

Mayors and combined authorities around the country are at different stages of their development. Some are very well-established, while others are only just being set up. To help members in areas with new devolution, we hosted a webinar where housing associations working with the established combined authorities shared their experiences and offered advice to those who are new to devolution.

Watch the webinar

Who to speak to

Victoria Shannon, External Affairs Manager

Victoria.Shannon@housing.org.uk