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Planning Permission: Local Government

Asked by Lewis CockingConservativeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 1 September 2025UIN 69866

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether mayors in (a) mayoral and (b) county combined authorities will have rights of veto.

Answered by Jim McMahon

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, introduced to the House of Commons on 10 July 2025, makes provision to standardise voting arrangements for mayoral combined authorities and mayoral county combined authorities when making decisions. Unless prescribed otherwise, the standard voting arrangement will be a simple majority of the authority’s members voting and present, including the mayor. This means the mayor must be in the majority for a decision to pass.

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