MANCHESTER, July 20 — The Greater Manchester Combined Authority, created in 2011, stands as a notable instance of the United Kingdom’s ongoing experiment with devolution within England. Unlike the statutory parliaments and assemblies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—whose permanence has been affirmed by legislation such as the Scotland Act 2016 and Wales Act 2017 and can be abolished only by referendum—English strategic authorities operate without such legislative entrenchment.
The record shows that the Greater Manchester mayoral role was introduced following a public referendum in 2016, and Andy Burnham, a former Labour MP who served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2008–2009) and Secretary of State for Health (2009–2010), was elected as the first Mayor of Greater Manchester in May 2017. Burnham’s transition from Westminster to the metro mayor post is an illustration of how English devolution has reshaped political careers.
The Combined Authority exercises devolved powers over transport, housing, health, and policing. Burnham has since become a leading advocate for further regional devolution, specifically seeking control over National Health Service budgets in Greater Manchester. The source indicates that devolved powers in England technically remain the property of central government, making the United Kingdom, de jure, a unitary state—a distinction from federal systems.
Devolution’s limits in the English context
The broader devolution framework in the UK is asymmetrical. While the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly have received statutory powers with a layer of referendum protection, the situation in England is different. Legislation passed after the 2016 EU referendum, notably the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, has been used to restrict the authority of devolved legislatures in both Scotland and Wales.
No equivalent restrictions are cited for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, but the legal principle remains: any statute granting devolved powers to English strategic authorities can be repealed or amended by Parliament in the same manner as any other law. The source also notes that there have been various proposals for devolution in England—national, regional (for instance to northern England or Cornwall), and failed proposals for regional assemblies.
The Greater Manchester model, however, remains operational. Burnham, as of his election, has become a key political figure in the drive to expand the powers of metro mayors, arguing for a more pronounced shift away from Westminster’s control.
Political calculus and the path ahead
Observers of British politics view the Burnham mayoralty as a test case for whether English devolution can deliver tangible administrative gains without moving toward full federalism. The source makes clear that the central government retains ultimate authority, and no referendum would be required to dissolve the Greater Manchester authority itself—unlike the situation in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and London. The coming period will show whether Burnham’s advocacy for control of NHS budgets gains traction with the government, and whether the broader devolution agenda in England moves beyond its current piecemeal form.
Sources
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