The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017 (Amendment) Regulations 2024

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (c. 55) (“the 2023 Act”) provides for the establishment of combined county authorities for areas consisting of the whole area of a two-tier county council, plus a minimum of one or more whole areas of another two-tier county council, unitary county council or unitary district council in England. Combined county authorities are bodies corporate which may be given power to exercise specified functions.

These Regulations amend the Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/67) (“the 2017 Order”) so it applies to combined county authority mayoral elections as it does to combined authority mayoral elections.

Regulation 6 makes provision for a combined county authority returning officer, and regulation 7 makes provision for combined county authority mayoral elections to be questioned in the same way as combined authority mayoral elections.

Regulations 9 and 10 insert new articles 9 and 10 making provision for the appointment of a combined authority returning officer or combined county authority returning officer where a proposed combined authority or combined county authority is yet to be established.

The amendments made to Schedule 1 of the 2017 Order provide for the Combined County Authority Mayoral Elections Rules for the purposes of a combined county authority mayoral election, when it is not combined with any other poll, and replicate the Combined Authority Mayoral Election Rules.

The amendments made to Schedule 2 of the 2017 Order apply other electoral legislation, with modifications, to facilitate the conduct of combined county authority mayoral elections.

The amendments made to Schedule 3 of the 2017 Order make provision for the rules governing the conduct of a combined county authority mayoral election when combined with another poll.

Part 3 of these Regulations amends the Voter Identification Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/1382) to apply to combined county authority mayoral elections as they do to combined authority mayoral elections.

Part 4 of these Regulations amends other elections legislation to enable polls to be taken together and does for combined county authorities what Schedule 4 of the 2017 Order does for combined authorities.

Part 5 makes provision for countermanded, abandoned and re-run elections which are re-run on or after 7th May 2024.

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been prepared as this instrument will have no impact on the costs of business and the voluntary sector.