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What is
Devolution?

Making the big decisions for the Liverpool City Region

We understand what our local communities and businesses need much better than the politicians and officials in Westminster and Whitehall. That means that we can make much better decisions about the things that really matter locally, and that will make a positive difference to everyone in the Liverpool City Region.

  • Big issues like creating good jobs and improving our public transport system affect us all, whether we live, work, study or have a business in any part of the Liverpool City Region.

  • And investing to grow our economy to provide secure, well-paid jobs and investing in the skills we need for our economy now and in the future benefits us all.

  • We know what we need to do locally, and with the powers and funding we get by having devolution – and our Liverpool City Region Mayor and Combined Authority – we are getting on and doing it.

  • But what actually is devolution?

    Devolution means that decision-making powers and funding are transferred from the national government to us here in the Liverpool City Region. This is important because it ensures that decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect.

  • Ultimately, it provides more funding, greater freedoms and flexibility at a local level, meaning our six local councils and other partners can work together – through the Combined Authority – on the things that will really make a difference to all the people who live and work in our area.

  • The Liverpool City Region’s first Devolution Agreement in November 2015 saw us secure an extra £900 million of funding over 30 years. It identified a number of priority areas where resources and decision making would be controlled locally, including employment and skills, housing and planning, transport, innovation, business growth and support, energy, culture and finance.

  • And because of devolution, we have secured hundreds of millions of pounds in extra investment, that would otherwise not have come to the city region. Devolution is bringing real benefits to the people of the city region, and we are working to secure greater powers and funding so that we can do even more to benefit local residents.

  • What devolution means for the Liverpool City Region

    There are 1.6 million residents in the Liverpool City Region. But in reality, three million people live, work and study in and around the city region. The decisions and investments we make are important to every one of us.

  • Since the first agreement, we have seen some huge changes made – by the Liverpool City Region, for the Liverpool City Region. Take transport for example. We are delivering the Mayor’s vision for a London-style transport network, with a £500 million investment in a fleet of new, state-of-the-art, publicly-owned trains on the Merseyrail network. We have built new stations at Headbolt Lane, Kirkby, and Maghull in Sefton. And we’re planning another for the thriving Baltic Triangle area in Liverpool, and building a 600km cycling and walking network across the region.

  • In October 2023, devolution enabled the Mayor and Combined Authority to take the landmark decision to take our bus network back in to public control after nearly 40 years of a deregulated bus system.

  • Read the Devolution Agreement

    We’re also supporting families to get back into work through our Households into Work initiative and supporting hundreds of people who are homelessness in to a secure, supportive, home through Housing First.

  • We’ve invested to create 10,000 jobs and 8,000 new apprenticeships for local people.

  • And we’ve invested £30m to create the ultra-fast ‘LCR Connect’ broadband network across the Liverpool City Region, while helping people get online with free devices and digital skills training.

  • The Liverpool City Region is on the way up, and this is just the beginning.

  • Since our devolution deal, we have already secured over £1 billion in extra funding to spend here locally to do even more.

  • We want to build on our successes and secure further powers and funding for our region, so that we can do much more to achieve our vision for a fairer, stronger, cleaner city region – where no-one is left behind.

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  • Read the Further Devolution Agreement

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