Cheshire and Warrington part of Government’s Devolution Priority Programme

The Cheshire and Warrington region has been confirmed as part of the Government’s devolution priority programme.

This means that the region’s plans to hold mayoral elections in May 2026 have been accepted by government.  

The news has been welcomed by the leaders of the region’s three councils: Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council; Cllr Hans Mundry, Leader of Warrington Borough Council; and the Leader and Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Nick Mannion and Cllr Michael Gorman, who said:

“Today’s announcement is good news for our residents, communities and businesses.

“Cheshire and Warrington being part of the priority programme shows that government is confident in Cheshire and Warrington’s ability to seize the opportunities that a devolution agreement could bring. It puts us at the front of the queue for significant power and funding and we want to seize this opportunity.

“Devolution would allow us to make more decisions here in Cheshire and Warrington, rather than decisions about our region and its almost 1 million residents being made in London.”

Confirming Cheshire and Warrington’s inclusion among the devolution priority areas, Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government told Parliament on Wednesday:

“I can confirm to members across the House that the places on the devolution priority programme are Cumbria, Cheshire and Warrington, Greater Essex, Hampshire and Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton.

She added that Lancashire was “already deciding its mayoral devolution options” and the government would “look at their proposals in the autumn, in parallel with the priority programme”.