Regeneration projects have become a hallmark of England's current wave of devolution that kicked off just over a decade ago. Two of the highest profile metro mayors, Andy Burnham and Ben Houchen, have both set up mayoral development corporations (MDCs) in their Greater Manchester and Teesside patches respectively.

Jonathan Werran, chief executive of think-tank Localis, believes it is no accident how some of the combined authority mayors have seized on regeneration.