Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016

Reports about local devolution

1 Devolution: annual report

(1) The Secretary of State must lay before each House of Parliament an annual report about devolution for all areas within England pursuant to the provisions of this Act.

(2) The annual report must include information on—

(a) the areas of the country where agreements have been reached,

(b) the areas of the country where proposals have been received by the Secretary of State and negotiations have taken place but agreement has not yet been reached,

(c) functions exercisable by a Minister of the Crown that have been devolved as a result of agreements so as to become exercisable by a mayor for the area of a combined authority (including information as to any such functions that remain exercisable by a Minister of the Crown as a result of an agreement providing for functions to be exercisable jointly or concurrently),

(d) additional financial resources and public functions (so far as not falling within paragraph (c)) which have been devolved as a result of agreements, and

(e) the extent to which consideration has been given by a Minister of the Crown to the principle that powers should be devolved to combined authorities or the most appropriate local level except where those powers can more effectively be exercised by central government.

(3) The annual report must be laid before each House of Parliament as soon as practicable after 31 March each year.

(4) In this section—

• “combined authority” means a combined authority established under section 103 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009;

• “Minister of the Crown” has the same meaning as in the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975.