Heseltine Institute Policy Briefing 3(29)
Local priorities, national missions: how Mayoral Strategic Authorities are navigating central–local relations in industrial policy
Since 2025, all Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) in England have been asked by the Government to produce a Local Growth Plan that provides an overview of the local economy, the agreed priorities between MSAs and government, as well as the established investment pipeline for the area. In this briefing, however, Dr Tom Arnold argues that the production of Local Growth Plans illustrates a key tension associated with English regional devolution. While presented as locally shaped strategies, Local Growth Plans largely function as instruments for delivering nationally defined industrial priorities, limiting their ability to fully reflect local strengths. Despite recent progress to provide MSAs with more powers and responsibilities, the central state continues to exert tight level of control over devolved institutions.
Dr Tom Arnold is Policy Manager for Regional Engagement and Devolution at the Chartered Institute of Housing. He is a former Research Associate and now Honorary Fellow at the Heseltine Institute.
DOI: 10.17638/03194540