02Why are so many places getting directly-elected metro mayors?

These new metro mayors are being introduced in England as part of the Government’s devolution agenda, which allows for combined authorities to take on more functions, over and above those they were allowed to take on under previous legislation. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act, which became law in early 2016, states that, in order for a combined authority to be given these powers, a metro mayor must be elected for the area.

The exact functions the combined authority and metro mayor will manage will vary across combined authorities, depending on the content of the devolution deal reached with central government.