Mayors can do many things but they can’t stop small boats!
Devo Agency co-founder Gill Morris shares her thoughts on the rise of Reform UK, what the 2025 local elections really tell us and why now is the moment to double down on devolution not retreat from it.
What on earth did people think they were voting for? The 2025 local and Mayoral elections sent a shockwave through to the top of English politics. Reform UK hit a far too popular note with the voters who still feel powerless and left behind. Those voters are not feeling the change Labour promised or money in their pockets. Too many fear small boats in land locked areas with low immigration. The results were a mixed bag but we can conclude that Reform UK is no longer on the margins of British politics. With two Reform metro mayoralties: Luke Campbell in Hull and East Yorkshire, and Andrea Jenkyns in Greater Lincolnshire, 10 councils newly under Reform control and a parliamentary seat narrowly won in Runcorn & Helsby by just 6 votes, Nigel Farage’s party can rightly claim it is reaching the parts other parties don’t reach.
Campbell, a bantamweight Olympic gold medallist, and Jenkyns, a former Conservative MP known for her combative style, campaigned on a national platform of discontent: immigration and national sovereignty. Powerful themes, but none within the remit of a Metro Mayor. You can’t stop small boats as a mayor. Nor can you rewrite trade deals or dictate Home Office policy. And therein lies the problem.
This disconnect between campaign promises and actual powers is more than a quirk of the system. It’s a potential political trap. Reform’s appeal is built on frustration with the status quo. There is low voter recognition of the considerable power mayors have to deliver greater economic opportunity and regenerate the communities in the areas which they serve, In power, they are doing great things; sorting out the buses, building homes, boosting skills, and attracting inward investment and much more. They are the agents of change who are tackling some of the BIG challenges in their areas. But who knew? What our Mayors are for - and can and can’t do - needs to be better understood and applauded. Devolution as a concept and/or a solution may not yield to populist narrative - just yet - but the Government would do well to promote and leverage the potential for democratic renewal and change that full fat devolution could bring.
If Campbell and Jenkyns spend four years jabbing Westminster rather than working to boost economic growth and social mobility the allure of Reform could fade fast. Social media might love a punchy speech, but people want to see better, cheaper, faster and reliable buses. Voters may cheer nationalism on the campaign trail, but they care more about whether the streetlights work and their kids have apprenticeships. Metro Mayors are no longer a novelty; they are doing a serious job and have great expectations to deliver growth and plans for change.
Devolution Delivers
Our Mayors have raised the bar. Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester has introduced integrated transport, capped fares, and turned Stockport into a regeneration case study. Steve Rotheram in Liverpool City Region has pushed forward on clean energy and digital skills. Tracy Brabin is transforming public transport in West Yorkshire. And Conservative mayors like Ben Houchen and Andy Street have shown that devolution can work from the centre right too, focussing on drawing in investment, restoring high streets, and anchoring local economies in places often forgotten by Whitehall.
Our Mayors haven't just been holding office, they've been shaping their places. They show that devolved power, used well, can deliver investment, jobs, growth, and dignity. That should be the benchmark, not the exception.
Full-Fat Devolution here we come
Reform’s rhetoric around cutting back wasteful local spending, especially their promises to implement local "DOGEs", taps into a familiar frustration. There is, undoubtedly, a need to get better value from local bureaucracy. But there's a risk, too: slash-and-burn cuts aimed at officials with obscure job titles may make headlines, but they can also hollow out the very capacity needed to deliver long-term change. Growth doesn’t come from slogans. It needs strategy, expertise and delivery teams who know how to make investment land. It takes the hard yards of working seriously and engaging constructively, with councillors, local businesses, higher education institutions. If Reform’s mayors want to be more than figureheads, yes they'll need to find efficiencies, but they’ll need to tread carefully and work collaboratively. As both the main parties have found, governing is not easy without popular support.
That’s why this moment demands clarity, not confusion. National politicians and local leaders alike must level with voters about what mayors can and can’t do. Devolution is the vehicle for local renewal. But the electorate needs to understand what’s under the bonnet. A mayor isn’t a prime minister in waiting; they’re a dealmaker, convener, and steward of place. And that’s no small thing.
Which is why government must press on. Full-fat devolution isn’t a threat. It’s the answer to the very frustrations that have fuelled Reform’s rise. If Westminster clings to power while blaming others for failure, it only deepens the cycle of disillusion. But give places the real power and tools to deliver transport, skills, housing, finance and investment and they can turn anger into action. The most powerful rebuttal to populism isn’t panic. It’s delivery.
The people are restless and clearly grumpy. They sent a message to Keir Starmer which needs to be dealt with. They want change, and they want it locally. Some of that energy has found a home in Reform. Now the question is whether Reform can match that energy with competence. And whether Westminster can match it with trust. Because democracy doesn’t have to collapse into grievance. It can still be rebuilt through power shared, not hoarded.
Join the debate and conversation at the launch of the Devo North Network on Thursday 12th June. Online and in-person tickets are available now.
