In recent years, Combined Authorities with directly elected Mayors have been established in a number of regions of England, including the West of England. These typically exercise power over functions devolved from Whitehall, principal amongst them spatial planning, housing, transport, and adult skills.

While the largest of these Combined Authorities are in metropolitan conurbations such as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, a number combine mid-size cities and rural areas, and the recent ‘Levelling Up’ White Paper proposes an extension of devolution and elected mayors to county areas.

This research proposed to:

• Undertake a comparative study of regional research, policy development and policymaking capabilities in England; and
• develop recommendations for regional policymaking capabilities in the West of England (WECA), and the role that the University of Bath might play in that endeavour.

The research examined the role of public officials in Combined Authorities, their relationships to universities and UKRI-funded research and data infrastructures, and regional think-tanks.

Project team

• Professor Nick Pearce, Institute for Policy Research (IPR)
• Dr Geoff Bates, IPR
• Dr Charles Larkin, IPR
• Laura Smyth, IPR

Outputs

• Policy 'R&D', capacity and advocacy in English Combined Authorities, October 2023