Will devolution bring power to the people?

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says devolution is about handing power to local areas

People will go to the polls in May to choose new mayors for East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. But will it lead to a revolution in the way we are governed, or just more of the same? Political editor Tim Iredale analyses what 2025 could bring.

The new year will be one that brings more power to the people of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Not my words, but the view of the deputy prime minister.

When I sat down with Angela Rayner before Christmas, she spoke enthusiastically about the potential impact of our two new directly elected mayors.

"This is about taking power out of Westminster and Whitehall and handing it to Hull and other areas," said Rayner.

For many years, most of the decisions that affect our lives have been made by politicians in London.

So how will that change?

According to Rayner, the way taxpayers' money is spent on housing, transport, employment and skills will be made by those with "skin in the game".

On Thursday 1 May, voters will choose elected mayors to head the combined authorities of Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire.

Greater Lincolnshire's mayor will have access to an annual budget worth £24m.

Hull and East Yorkshire's mayor will oversee funding worth more than £13m per year.

District councils in Lincolnshire could be replaced by one county-wide authority

I put it to Rayner that the government was not releasing a huge amount of cash, given the highways budget alone for Lincolnshire County Council was £49m in 2024/25.

She insisted it was a "substantial amount of money" and would "drive the skills agenda" in cities like Hull.

There's no shortage of candidates vying for the roles both north and south of the Humber.

Many political commentators are eyeing up a tasty contest in Greater Lincolnshire where Rob Waltham, the Conservative leader of North Lincolnshire Council, will take on Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the former Tory MP and now Reform UK candidate, and Labour's Jason Stockwood, the vice-chairman of Grimsby Town football club.

Candidates confirmed in the Hull and East Yorkshire race include Mike Ross, the Liberal Democrat leader of Hull City Council; Anne Handley, the Conservative leader of the East Riding; Labour's Margaret Pinder, a former mayor of Beverley and parliamentary candidate, and the Greens' Kerry Harrison, a businesswoman and charity volunteer.

Other "wannabe" mayors will be added to that list over the coming weeks.

Hull and East Yorkshire will get a directly elected mayor when the elections take place in May

Some are not convinced that more politicians are the solution to boosting the local economy.

Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough, has voiced his opposition despite his support for the Tory candidate in Greater Lincolnshire.

He told BBC Politics North: "We've got a county council, a district council, a parish council, town councils, a police and crime commissioner, so I'm not sure it will achieve a great deal."

At least one of those layers of democracy could soon face the axe.

Ministers have announced plans to scrap district councils, in attempt to streamline local authorities and save £2bn, according to the government.

But there's also concern powers and funding handed to elected mayors could be spread too thinly.

BBC East Midlands Today canvassed opinion in Grantham, the birthplace of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

While some voters welcomed the idea of a figurehead for Lincolnshire, others feared larger towns such as Grimsby, 65 miles (104 km) away, would attract more attention.

Whether devolution leads to a revolution in the way we are governed will begin to emerge in 2025.

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