UK Devolution Bill Plans Preferential Mayoral Voting, Blocks Plymouth Elected Mayor

The UK Government's English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill aims to overhaul local government structures by abolishing local authority mayors and implementing unitary 'strategic' authorities elected through a preferential voting system, replacing first-past-the-post. This move is expected to prevent cities like Plymouth from adopting directly elected mayors despite upcoming referendums, as confirmed by local leaders. The bill also proposes reverting London mayoral elections to the supplementary vote system, favoring broader voter appeal and potentially benefiting Labour's Sadiq Khan while making it harder for Reform Party candidates to win. Similarly, preferential voting is set to be introduced in other mayoral elections, responding to concerns that first-past-the-post favored right-leaning parties and lacked representativeness in multiparty contexts. Additionally, the bill supports merging county and district councils in places like Hampshire into unitary councils to simplify governance and local service delivery. These changes reflect a Labour government's effort to devolve power from Westminster to regional authorities while promoting more inclusive and representative local elections.