The Devo Next Initiative
English devolution is entering a new phase. The Chancellor has announced that plans for devolving a share of national taxation will be drawn up ahead of the Autumn 2026 Budget, and the first new local tax power in decades – the Overnight Visitor Levy – is already underway. Strategic Authorities will soon cover most of England's population, Integrated Settlements are pointing the way to greater spending flexibility, and the forthcoming English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act will enshrine the right to request further powers in statute.
The progress is real. But progress can be the enemy of revolution. With a sensible package of reforms in train, there is a risk that this moment becomes the high-water mark of ambition rather than the beginning of a longer journey. Complacency now could scupper the devolution revolution before it truly begins.
The challenge is clear: there is no shared vision for what comes next. There is a diverse and evolving patchwork of Strategic Authorities – each at different stages, with different capacities and priorities. Yet this has not yet added up to a convincing account of what an effectively devolved England should look like, or why it would transform the country's governance. But if devolved institutions don't define that vision, the centre will fill the vacuum.
That is why we are launching the Devo Next Initiative – a partnership with the West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, East Midlands, West Midlands and North East Combined Authorities. Its purpose is to shape the future of devolution policy by defining the end state, identifying the next steps, and building the momentum to make them happen.
The English Devolution Act can open a new chapter. But it cannot write it. That work starts now.
Read the launch long read from Director of Policy and Research, Simon Kaye, and Senior Researcher, Alex Walker, to find out more about the Initiative and its areas of focus.
Mayor of the North East, Kim McGuinness, said:
We have moved fast since becoming the country’s newest Mayoral Strategic Authority to channel billions in new investment into green jobs, better transport, our creative industries and new places to live and work that are even now transforming our cities. This is work which will change the lives of local people too long overlooked by a distant Government which rarely understands their hopes and aspirations. Now is the right time for a new Initiative like this, so we can talk about what happens next, because as mayors we can take advantage of fiscal devolution to change the way decisions are taken in this country forever, and for the better.
Group Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Caroline Simpson, said:
This is an important moment for English devolution. The question is no longer whether devolution works, but how we take it further and make it work everywhere. The Devo Next Initiative is a valuable opportunity for places to come together, share evidence and experience, and shape a clear, practical vision for what the next phase of devolution should look like. This kind of collective, system‑wide thinking will be essential if devolution is to deliver lasting benefits for communities across England.
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said:
Devolution has already shown what places can achieve when decisions are made closer to the people they affect. For the East Midlands Combined County Authority, the next step is about delivering real, everyday improvements for residents and businesses. That’s why I’m proud that EMCCA is joining the Devo Next Initiative, to help shape a long-term vision for deeper devolution across England. For our region, this is about securing the powers and flexibility we need to go further and faster on the things that matter most - better transport, stronger skills and employment support, smarter planning and public service reform. As the conversation on fiscal devolution moves forward, we want to ensure the East Midlands is helping to shape what comes next, with the tools and investment we need to deliver real change for our communities.
Dr Simon Kaye, Director of Policy and Research at Re:State, said:
Devolution may yet be this Government’s most radical legacy. But progress up to now could still easily be reversed. There is no single shared vision about where the devolution agenda should go next. Without that, the sector risks fragmentation, incrementalism, and missed opportunities. This initiative will fill that gap, shaping the debate with the aim of changing England for good.
