On 29 April 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed that the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill had received Royal Assent. That moves a wide package of devolution, local government, transport, community asset and high street reforms from parliamentary proposal into statute. (gov.uk) The measure sits directly behind the government's English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, and the Bill itself was introduced to Parliament on 10 July 2025. For councils, combined authorities and policy teams, the Act is best read as a framework law: it creates the legal model through which powers can be standardised and transferred away from Whitehall more quickly. (gov.uk)
The central institutional change is the creation in law of 'Strategic Authorities'. Government guidance says these bodies are intended to provide a more consistent tier of English devolution, with elected mayors receiving a wider set of powers than non-mayoral arrangements, including functions linked to transport, planning, housing and economic regeneration. The Bill also gives legal effect to a Devolution Framework so that powers can attach more automatically to each level of authority. (gov.uk) The Act links that new structure to specific duties. Mayoral Strategic Authorities will be required to prepare local growth plans, and Strategic Authorities will need to have regard to local health improvement and health inequalities when exercising functions. Taken together, those provisions point to a model in which economic development, spatial policy and public service outcomes are expected to be considered in the same decision-making process. (gov.uk)
Planning powers are also widened. According to the government press release and departmental guidance, mayors will be able to intervene in planning applications of potential strategic importance, prepare Mayoral Development Orders and, where the statutory conditions are met, charge a mayoral community infrastructure levy. The policy intention is to give mayoral authorities a more direct role in shaping large schemes and supporting regional growth strategies. (gov.uk) Transport provisions extend beyond devolution branding. The Act supports national licensing standards for taxis and private hire vehicles, including enforcement against some out-of-area licensing issues, and it also brings new local powers on dangerous pavement parking and shared micromobility licensing. Government guidance says the licensing regime will set minimum national conditions while allowing authorities to add local rules on matters such as parking, safety and accessibility. (gov.uk)
Several clauses are aimed at neighbourhood assets and high street conditions rather than governance structures. The new Community Right to Buy gives community groups the first opportunity to purchase an asset of community value when it is put up for sale, and government guidance says the sale moratorium will be extended to 12 months to give groups more time to raise funding. The same section broadens the definition of protected assets and creates a category for sporting assets of community value. (gov.uk) The Act also bans upwards-only rent review clauses in new commercial leases and certain renewal leases. Departmental guidance says these clauses have allowed rents to stay flat or rise even where market conditions weaken, contributing to pressure on tenants and inefficient rent-setting. For landlords and occupiers, the immediate effect is on future lease drafting rather than a retrospective rewrite of existing agreements. (gov.uk)
Another notable provision is the introduction of Gambling Impact Assessments. The government says these assessments are intended to help councils respond to the concentration of gambling premises on the high street and, where justified, prevent further shops from opening. In policy terms, that places a sharper local control on one category of premises that can alter the character of a town centre quickly. (gov.uk) Taken together with the Community Right to Buy and leasehold reforms, those clauses show that the Act is not limited to constitutional devolution. It also gives local authorities and communities new tools over property, licensing and neighbourhood change. The practical value of those powers will depend heavily on commencement dates, regulations and local implementation choices. (gov.uk)
On accountability, the legislation establishes Local Scrutiny Committees for mayoral authorities and creates a new Local Audit Office. Government guidance argues that the current audit system is fragmented and cites a backlog of 918 outstanding audits by September 2023, with only 1 per cent of audited 2022-23 accounts published by the original deadline. The new body is intended to coordinate the system, set standards, appoint auditors and oversee quality. (gov.uk) That matters because the Act pairs broader local discretion with tighter expectations on scrutiny and financial assurance. Mayors and Strategic Authorities are being given a stronger strategic role, but the statute also builds in more formal oversight of spending and decision-making. For local public bodies, the administrative burden may therefore rise before the benefits of a more settled audit regime are felt. (gov.uk)
The next phase will be shaped less by the Royal Assent announcement itself and more by the detail that follows. Government guidance already indicates that some named bodies, operating duties and procedural requirements will be set out in secondary legislation or statutory guidance after the Act is in force. Local authorities, landlords, transport operators and community groups will therefore need to track commencement and follow-on regulations closely. (gov.uk) The immediate headline is straightforward: Royal Assent was granted on 29 April 2026. The more consequential question is how quickly departments convert broad statutory powers into working rules for places, and whether councils and mayoral authorities have the capacity to use those new powers well. (gov.uk)