Valerie Chairs Public Committee on English Devolution and Community Empowerment

I chaired an evidence session of the Public Bill Committee of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on 16 September 2025 from 2pm-5.30pm. 

This Bill reforms local government in England and gives communities the right to shape their local areas. It will also restore the supplementary vote system for mayoral elections in England, and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales. Given the large populations represented by mayors and police and crime commissioners far exceed the size of constituencies represented by MPs, this makes Mayors more accountable to their electorate including a Public Accounts Committee to scrutinise their spending. 

We heard from: Mayor Tracey Brabin, Mayor Ben Houchen and Donna Jones Hampshire PCC; Andrew Goodacre British Industrial Retailers Assn and Allen Simpson Deputy CEO UK Hospitality; Gareth Davies, Comptoller and Auditor General NAO and Billl Butler, Chair Public Sector Audit Appointments; Mark Stocks Head of Public Sector, Grant Thornton; Zoe Billingham, Director IPPR North and Professor John Denham Dept of Politics and International Relations, University of Southampton and Director English Identity and Politics; Richard Hebditch and Naomi Luhde-Thompson Better Planning Coalition, Sacha Bedding MBE, CEO Wharton Trust and Member of Locality; and finally the Minister, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP Dept of Housing Communities and Local Government. 

There will be further sessions where the Bill will undergo a line by line scrutiny in Committee.   

The Committee is expected to conclude and report to the House by Wednesday 12 November 2025.