The Combined Authorities (Finance) (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 (“CCAs”) 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. CCAs are bodies corporate which may be given power to exercise specified functions of a local authority under section 18 of the 2023 Act, and of a public authority under section 19 of that Act.

The Secretary of State may provide for there to be a mayor for the area of a CCA where the constituent councils of the CCA (each county or unitary council whose area is within the area of the CCA) and any existing CCA consent under section 28 of the 2023 Act. Such authorities are referred to as “mayoral CCAs”.

Mayoral CCAs are major precepting authorities for the purposes of setting council tax under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (c. 14).

The Combined Authorities (Finance) Order 2017 (“the Order”), S.I. 2017/611, makes provision for various matters connected with precepting for combined authority mayoral functions.

These Regulations amend the Order so that a mayor of a combined county authority will have the same powers to issue precepts as for combined authority mayors.

Regulation 4 disapplies the power to precept in respect of the financial year commencing in 2024 and in subsequent years in certain cases.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.