Residents and businesses across the area will benefit from greater regional opportunities, after the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been conferred Established Mayoral Strategic Authority Status.
Confirmation was received today (Friday 31 July 2026), making York and North Yorkshire the first rural mayoral area to gain this designation.
The status gives the Combined Authority, led by Mayor David Skaith, greater access to more devolved powers and the ability to drive economic growth and improve living standards.
It is the next step on our devolution journey towards increased flexibility over funding and grants the Mayor and Combined Authority the ability to request further powers from government, ensuring the authority can deliver its long-term vision for the region.
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority formed in February 2024.
The designation reflects growing confidence from government in the Combined Authority’s ability to deliver and lead transformational change for the region.
Eleven areas now have Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities status including Greater Manchester, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, Northeast, West Yorkshire, East Midlands, and West of England enabling them to play with greater certainty and accelerate delivery of mayoral programmes.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire:
This is a major milestone and clear evidence of the progress we’ve made as a county and a Combined Authority in a short space of time.
We’ve already achieved a great deal in just over two years, supporting hundreds of projects and bringing investment into our communities.
Now, with Established Status, we will have access to greater powers and funding, allowing us to go even further and faster to address some of the structural challenges holding our county back.
This will help us fully realise the benefits of devolution and ensure decisions about our county are made by our county, for our county, and in our county by those who know it best.
Councillor Carl Les, Leader of North Yorkshire Council said:
Our work within the Combined Authority has brought real benefits to our communities and businesses in North Yorkshire.
We are working together to tackle regional inequalities and bring more equal opportunities through better job opportunities and improved skills and training as well as creating more affordable housing and dealing with the threat of climate change.
Established Status is a recognition of all the hard work that has been done and will be vital in driving economic growth to improve lives and opportunities for our residents and businesses across the county.
Political Scrutiny & Regional Responses
Tom Gordon MP said:
I welcome new powers and flexible funding for the region.
But if devolution is about power to every postcode, then it doesn’t make sense to hand it to one centralised man in York. London’s Mayor has the entire Greater London Authority to scrutinise it.
We need a Yorkshire Parliament.
Jonathan Swales, Reform UK Branch Chairman Harrogate and Knaresborough Constituency:
More money going to the Combined Authority, less democracy, and more control from Westminster over where that money goes is not what many people understand by devolution.
Real devolution means power flowing to local communities, not simply creating another layer of regional government. If Westminster still controls the purse strings, this isn’t full devolution—it’s delegated administration.
More bureaucracy isn’t the same as more local democracy. Reform supports decisions being made closer to local people, with genuine local accountability rather than more power concentrated in regional authorities.
