The 2021 Metro Mayors Elections: LocalismRebooted?
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Abstract
Metro mayors are the latest addition to the complex jigsaw of subnational governance inEngland, and were introduced from 2014 to lead, allegedly, a‘devolution revolution’. This articlefocusses on the 2021 election to reflect on the roots andfirst mandate of these new mayors, tounderstand how they fared at the ballot box, and to assess whether and in what ways they aremaking an impact. The analysis shows that metro mayors are maturing as institutions, and theyare becoming more rooted in the public imagination. Harnessing‘the power of place’was a keydriver of success: some metro mayors have shown a potential to‘reboot localism’and, with it,devolution. However, resistance from central government to let go of power persists and couldhinder both the metro mayors’and the devolution agendas going forward.