Prime Minister Andy Burnham's sped up devolution drive means strategic authorities are expected to play an increasingly important role. With a fresh wave of strategic authorities to be created, there is a lot of learning to be had from the experiences so far.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and West of England combined authorities have both had chequered histories but are now looking to put that behind them after they were granted established mayoral strategic authority status.
East Midlands and York & North Yorkshire combined authorities only elected mayors for the first time in 2024 but have already earned established status.
Economic consultant Nathan Shoesmith, who works for GC Insight, which provides evidence, analysis and tools to help combined authorities across the UK drive growth, warned ‘accelerated devolution could encounter a number of potential challenges', including capacity pressures.
Shoesmith wrote: ‘Strategic authorities all require resources capability, systems and capacity if they are to deliver effectively. Many strategic authorities are still at an early stage in their journey and it can take years to develop the authoritative confidence needed to capitalise on the devolution potential. This could lead to uneven outcomes between places.
‘Authorities will need to build capacity, evidence, partnerships and leadership if they are to make the best of new responsibilities and deliver stronger local growth outcomes.'
One of those strategic authorities at an early stage is Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority.
In May 2025, with the strategic authority still building permanent capacity while taking on responsibilities, residents elected former professional and Olympic boxer Luke Campbell as Reform UK mayor with 36% of the vote.
Mayor Campbell has always accepted there would be a learning curve while navigating an unfamiliar system after being elected on a popular ticket with no local government experience at all. He admitted that some things have taken longer than he would have liked, but many of the former boxer's political opponents pull no punches.
Lib Dem member of the combined authority's overview and scrutiny committee Cllr Denis Healy said: ‘He was like a rabbit blinded in the headlights. Fifteen months on he's got very little to show for it. I think, overall, very little has been delivered.'
There have also been accusations of bullying, claims the combined authority is a ‘toxic workplace' and some have described working there as ‘awful'.
On claims around workplace culture, the mayor would not comment on individual employment matters. His expectation is straightforward – if concerns are raised by staff they should be taken seriously and dealt with through the proper processes.
Frustrated overview and scrutiny committee members complain about millions of pounds of funding that has ‘not been spent' and is ‘just sitting in reserves'.
In response, Mayor Campbell insisted he was ‘not prepared to spend public money simply to make an expenditure figure look better'.
Conservative overview and scrutiny committee chairman Cllr Richard Meredith said it appeared to have taken Mayor Campbell ‘a while to get his feet under the table' and he was frustrated by the pace of progress.
Lib Dem overview and scrutiny committee member Cllr Andrew Cousins added: ‘I think it's fairly obvious that they [Reform] didn't know what a mayor did. I think it's a particularly difficult job in that you are starting from scratch. You really do have to start from zero.
‘Ultimately, I do think he [Campbell] was the wrong person for the job and that's not sour grapes. The start has been slow. I'm not surprised it's taken longer than the public would have liked. I think there's an awful lot of [public] disquiet. There are no more excuses. It's time for delivery.'
Julie Towers, a director at recruiter Penna, said she did not think ‘talent pipelines are overflowing' but she ‘wouldn't worry' about filling a strategic authority chief executive role.
Labour overview and scrutiny member Cllr Steve Gallant suggested Mayor Campbell's political leadership inexperience was ‘probably costing us' but Conservative colleague Cllr Jonathan Bibb believed he was ‘growing into the role'.
Bibb continued: ‘I think it was a bit of a culture shock to him, and I do understand they've had issues with staffing.
‘It's probably not progressing as quickly as we would like but it's like setting up a huge business from scratch really. It's going to be difficult. I think we need to give it another year.'
The combined authority's interim chief executive Alan Menzies, who informed the board and Mayor Campbell last year of his wish to retire, is continuing in the role for now as the organisation prepares a third attempt to find a permanent replacement.
It is understood the number of applicants for the role was in the double figures when it was advertised for the second time and all had senior level management experience in both the private and public sectors, but the board unanimously decided that none were deemed right for the post at this time.
Julie Towers, a director at recruiter Penna, said she did not think ‘talent pipelines are overflowing' but she ‘wouldn't worry' about filling a strategic authority chief executive role.
Towers said: ‘For many, particularly those with a place leadership background, it's appealing. It's a natural opportunity for some chief executives. Candidates often say to me they're attractive roles because they're focused.
‘They're not big organisations when they start but they have big impact. It's not surprising people are making the move from councils. I think those corridors are very much open between local and strategic authorities.
‘They're great big jobs. The key skills are partnerships, political nous, government relations and development, regeneration and investment.'
Insiders describe Menzies as ‘very competent' but the strategic authority is still catching up after being formally established only a matter of months before its first mayoral election.
Mayor Campbell said: ‘I came into office with a clear mandate from the public while significant parts of the organisation around me were still being built – staffing, systems, governance, policies, statutory functions, relationships with government and the councils and the culture of the organisation itself.
‘This is a difficult way for any new authority to start. Mayors want to move quickly, but establishing a public body properly takes time. A lack of prior knowledge of the system should not be confused with an inability to lead it.
‘My view is that the first term should, as far as possible, be about setting the vision, building partnerships and delivering the programme rather than spending a significant part of it establishing the machinery needed to do the job. More of that groundwork should be done before the election. My reflection is that a stronger support structure in those first months would have allowed more of my time to be spent on vision and delivery rather than learning the machinery while trying to lead it.'
One senior officer who has worked for a number of strategic authorities said: ‘In the set-up phase, as far ahead of the inaugural mayoral election as possible, invest time in the constituent authorities and wider partnership arrangements to drive the very serious work of creating a culture that is inclusive, collaborative and consensus-driven. While this would not completely mitigate against a maverick mayor, it would ensure some underpinnings that would help the future mayor have a greater appreciation of the ways of working most likely to enable success.
‘The shadow board and set-up team [have] to provide as many opportunities as possible for mayoral candidates to find out what they need to know about strategic authorities and the groundwork that is being undertaken.
‘MHCLG [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] and No10 North [have] to show a much greater interest in the setting up of new strategic authorities – ie going beyond the narrow interest in establishing the legal entity and taking care to get alongside the early development of the strategic authority under a mayor.'
Mayor Campbell added: ‘MHCLG could play a stronger critical-friend role during that first year, alongside access to experienced people from more established mayoral authorities.
‘Devolution should mean local democratic leadership, not Whitehall running the organisation, but a more proactive MHCLG relationship during those first vital months could help. A structured transition offer, a named senior government contact, access to people who have actually established mature mayoral authorities and regular checks on organisational readiness would mean new areas do not have to learn every lesson for themselves.'
Senior officers' group Solace said its leadership programmes supported development across mayoral strategic authorities, as well as councils.
Solace president Robin Tuddenham said: ‘As Government takes forward its vision to devolve power by default, it must invest in the leadership capacity and capability needed to make that transformation a success. An effective leadership pipeline across both local authorities and mayoral strategic authorities will be a defining factor for government in its ambitions for better public services and good growth right across the country.'
Strategic authorities for Cheshire and Warrington and Cumbria, which were established in shadow form earlier this year well before mayoral elections, hope to avoid the pitfalls experienced by some of their predecessors.
Mayor Campbell said: ‘I naturally look at some of the newer devolution areas now being given a much longer period to establish themselves before the first mayor takes office with some frustration. I would like to see that longer mobilisation period become the norm.'
The next wave of strategic authorities has a lot to learn.
