Combined Authorities and Metro Mayors in 2026, what powers they really have, and what it means for your town’s transport, housing, and policing

If you’ve ever watched a new mayor get elected and thought, “Right, now they’ll sort the buses, build the homes, and get tough on crime”, you’re not alone. The truth is more complicated. In 2026, metro mayor powers can be big, but they’re not unlimited, and they don’t work the same way in every area.

Combined authorities and metro mayors were meant to pull decision-making closer to where people live. That can be a good thing, as long as voters understand what these roles can actually change, and what still sits with councils or Whitehall.

This guide breaks down what’s real, what’s assumed, and what it could mean for your town’s transport, housing, and policing.

Combined authorities and metro mayors: what they are (and what they aren’t)

A combined authority is a legal body made up of several local councils that agree to work together on “bigger than one borough” issues. A metro mayor is a directly elected person who chairs that combined authority and can set strategy, priorities, and budgets in devolved areas.

The best simple way to think about it is this: your local council still runs many day-to-day services (like bins, most housing allocation rules, local planning decisions, and pothole repairs), while the combined authority tries to co-ordinate at regional scale (like transport networks, adult skills funding, and regeneration money).

The exact powers depend on the local devolution deal. Some areas have stronger powers and longer-term funding settlements. Others have a slimmer set of responsibilities. This “postcode patchwork” is why two mayors can both sound powerful, yet deliver very different results. For a plain-English summary of how the model works, see the Institute for Government explainer on regional mayors and devolution. For the policy direction behind recent expansion, the government set out its approach in the English Devolution White Paper page on GOV.UK.

Here’s a practical snapshot of who tends to control what:

Issue	Usually your local council	Usually the combined authority and mayor	Usually central government
Bus services	Bus stops, local highways input	Bus franchising powers (in some areas), network planning, fares policy direction	National rail policy, wider transport funding rules
Housing	Most planning decisions, council housing management	Strategic housing plans, regeneration funding, brownfield programmes	Housing benefit rules, immigration rules affecting demand, national planning framework
Policing	Community safety partnerships	Sometimes PCC-style oversight, often influence not command	Police funding system, laws, core police powers

So when someone claims a mayor can “fix everything”, treat it like a sales pitch. The better question is: which levers do they have, and do they use them well?

Transport in 2026: the metro mayor powers that can change daily life

Transport is where metro mayors can make the most visible difference, especially if your town relies on buses. In many areas, mayors can move the debate from “why did the operator cut our route?” to “what network do we need, and how do we pay for it?”

A key tool is bus franchising, where the public authority sets routes, timetables, and fares, then pays operators to run them. It’s closer to how London’s buses work. But it isn’t automatic, it requires capacity, legal work, and money. Even where franchising isn’t used, a mayor can still push for better integrated ticketing, joined-up timetables, and investment that stops services being treated like an afterthought.

Mayors can also shape major local transport upgrades: station access, interchange improvements, park-and-ride, safer walking routes, and targeted road schemes. This is where residents feel the difference quickly, not in press releases, but in whether it takes 20 minutes or 60 minutes to get to work.

There’s also a link people forget: transport promises fall apart when basic maintenance is ignored. If your streets are cratered with potholes, the “big strategy” doesn’t matter much to the driver whose tyre’s just blown. Potholes are normally council territory, but combined authorities influence the funding flows and priorities, and they can apply pressure for faster, cost-effective repair programmes.

If you want a clear, non-party overview of what transport powers mayors tend to hold, the Centre for Cities guide to metro mayors is a useful reference.

For towns like ours, the test is simple: will the mayor fight for restored local bus services, more route miles, and a system that serves residents, not just the profitable corridors?

Housing and policing: what mayors can do, what they can’t, and what you should demand

Housing: strategy and land, not a magic housebuilding button

On housing, mayors can influence supply, place, and pace, but they don’t control everything people blame them for. In many areas they can shape a strategic plan, back regeneration, and use devolved funding to unlock brownfield sites. They can bring councils together when local plans clash, and they can negotiate with government for more flexibility.

But several things remain outside their direct control. Most planning decisions are still made by local councils. Social housing allocation sits within legal frameworks, and while councils can set local priorities within the law, they can’t simply rewrite national eligibility rules on their own. That matters if you believe, as many residents do, that social housing should prioritise local people and that the system should feel fair and transparent.

There’s also a value-for-money point. Devolved money can be wasted just as easily as central money if it’s swallowed by consultancy fees, inflated senior pay, or poor contracting. If you want better housing outcomes, you should also demand tough scrutiny of spending, fewer rip-off contracts, and basic competence in delivery.

Policing: influence is common, direct control is mixed

Policing is where expectations most often crash into reality. Most metro mayors don’t command police forces. Some areas have arrangements where the mayor also takes on Police and Crime Commissioner-style functions, and some have stronger influence over community safety and parts of the justice system, but it varies a lot by area and deal.

What almost all mayors can do is set a tone, co-ordinate partners, and fund prevention work: neighbourhood patrol schemes, CCTV investment, youth programmes, and work that reduces reoffending. They can also use their platform to demand performance and transparency, especially where residents feel let down by slow response times or low-level anti-social behaviour being waved away.

For context on how devolved approaches to community safety are developing, see regional mayors and devolved policing powers.

If you want streets where law-abiding people can live without fear, the ask is clear: stop excuses, focus on prevention and enforcement, and hold decision-makers to account, whether they sit in a police HQ, a combined authority, or a council office.

What it means for your town, and how to vote with your eyes open

In 2026, combined authorities can bring decisions closer to home, but only if residents stay sharp. Don’t judge a mayor by slogans. Judge them by the basics: do they improve transport that works for real lives, do they back housing that local wages can support, and do they take crime and anti-social behaviour seriously?

This is also where local politics matters. Wasteful spending, “nice-to-have” projects, and cushy working practices don’t vanish just because a region has a mayor. If you want public services that work like the private sector does, with people paid to deliver results, not to sit in meetings, you have to vote for it.

If you’re ready for a politics where promises are measured and leaders are pushed to deliver, Join Reform UK, Vote Reform UK, and stand behind a simple goal: Make Britain Great Again. The question for every town is the same, will we accept drift, or demand change?