My conversation with Mayor Steve Rotheram
Director of Policy and Research
The 'Meetings with Mayors' series continues to be a source of real insight into the growing, evolving world of Combined Authorities and the directly-elected mayors who lead them. My discussion with Steve Rotheram this week meant a deep dive into his experience of both national and local politics, alongside a lot of reflection on what it means to put “place first”.
You can catch up with the Steve Rotheram conversation here. Below – three of my main takeaways from the conversation.
- “We’re probably the most accountable politicians in this country.”
Rotheram argued that mayors face unusually high levels of scrutiny. He pointed to extensive audit, oversight and assurance requirements from central government departments, along with local scrutiny panels, media interest, FOI requests, and the direct visibility of being an elected figurehead.
But while the volume of scrutiny is high, much of it still revolves around satisfying the expectations of central departments. As devolution deepens, the question becomes whether these layers of accountability are well matched to the kinds of powers and responsibilities mayors now wield, or whether they remain shaped by the permission-seeking that is needed to navigate a still overly-centralised system. Different new forms of accountability may eventually be needed to complement the arrival of deeper autonomy.
- Devolution’s traction can come not only from powers on paper, but from strategic use of what’s not explicitly forbidden.
One of the most telling comments in the conversation came when Rotheram described the original devolution agreement for the Liverpool City Region as “Mickey Mouse… back-of-the-fag-packet stuff.” What followed, though, wasn’t a complaint about limitations, but an account of how powers were extended in practice by working between the lines. As he put it, “The agreement tells me the things I have to do. It doesn’t tell me the things I can’t.”
This interpretation of devolved authority suggests that some of the most significant activity may happen not by waiting for permission, but by demonstrating delivery and building informal legitimacy. That raises a longer-term question: how far can mayors go in redefining their role through pragmatic action, and at what point does central government need to formally catch up?
- City regions are becoming important players in public service reform and innovation.
While Combined Authorities were initially framed around a quite narrow set of responsibilities such as economic development and transport, this conversation made clear that their role is evolving, at least in some places, into something broader and more ambitious. Rotheram cited examples such as Housing First, Cradle to Career, and his region’s Office for Public Service Innovation as evidence of the city region’s role in reshaping how public services are delivered and how social investment is mobilised
The Liverpool City Region has backed this with infrastructure, including a civic data cooperative and an investment in fibre and computing capacity, but also with a collaborative posture, working with partners across sectors. That positioning may offer a glimpse of what mature devolution could look like: civic, catalytic, and fundamentally about enabling change.
Be sure to sign up to join us for the next event in the series, with Ben Houchen, Mayor of the Tees Valley.