The Government will not pursue a six-council South Midlands authority and backs Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes instead. What West Northants could miss.
The Government will not pursue a South Midlands strategic authority that included West and North Northamptonshire. It will back a smaller one covering Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes instead, known as BLMK.
The decision was set out on 21 October by Jim McMahon, the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth. West Northamptonshire Council says he acknowledged the county’s preference for the larger area but was “not minded to further explore this option”. (West Northamptonshire Council, 22 October 2026)
Both Northamptonshire councils had chosen the six-council South Midlands model as their preferred option for devolution. The six are West Northamptonshire, North Northamptonshire, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.
Why the Government said no
According to the council’s account, the minister’s letter says a South Midlands authority does not command the support of all the councils in that area. That matters because of how the law now works.
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 became law on 29 April 2026. During its passage, the Government’s power to direct areas into a strategic authority was removed. A new mayoral authority now needs the consent of the upper-tier councils in it. That is set out in the South Midlands Business Board’s October 2026 paper, which argues for the six-council model.
After the decision, Milton Keynes City Council held an extraordinary meeting on devolution. A motion in favour of exploring the South Midlands model further was defeated by 35 votes to 18, with one abstention, the West Northamptonshire release says. The council’s leader, Cllr Mark Arnull, addressed that meeting.
What the county could miss
The case for the bigger area rests on size and money. The figures below are the business board’s own estimates, made to support the six-council model, not Government figures.
- Population: 1,869,509 across the six councils, on ONS mid-2024 estimates. The Government’s devolution white paper expects strategic authorities to cover 1.5 million people or more. The board says the six-council area is the only grouping in the region that clears that bar.
- Economy: £60.51 billion of economic output (GVA) in 2023. The two Northamptonshire councils account for £24.60 billion of it, or 41%.
- Investment fund: on the Government’s 2025 mayoral funding formula, the board puts a six-council authority’s fund at £40.37 million a year, against £22.80 million for the four BLMK councils.
- West Northamptonshire’s share: the same formula, applied to this council’s population alone, gives £9.50 million a year, or £285 million over a 30-year term. The board says that is the basis for the council’s figure of around £300 million forgone.
The board’s paper makes a further point. The investment fund goes with mayoral status. It quotes the House of Commons Library saying areas without a mayor have not been offered an annual investment fund. So an area outside any mayoral authority does not get a smaller fund under this heading. It gets none.
What the council says
Cllr Arnull said the Government’s decision “raises important questions about how local support is being assessed”. He said the South Midlands proposal had the backing of both Northamptonshire councils and business leaders across the region.
“If devolution is about economic reality and not administrative convenience, why are West Northants and North Northants Councils not part of the conversation?” he told the Milton Keynes meeting. “People commute between Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes, and the wider region of Bedford and Central Beds.”
The council says it will “continue to engage constructively with Government and neighbouring authorities to secure the best possible devolution settlement” for residents.
What it means for you
- No mayor for Northamptonshire, for now. The Government’s preferred authority in the area does not include West or North Northamptonshire, and the minister has said he will not explore the larger option further.
- West Northamptonshire Council itself is unchanged. This decision is about a new strategic layer above the council, not about who runs your bins, schools or roads.
- The money question is open. If the county stays outside a mayoral authority, the business board’s paper says it misses out on a long-term investment fund, which mayoral areas use for transport, skills and regeneration.
- What happens next is not set out. Neither the council nor the business board has published an alternative route for Northamptonshire. We will report it when one is.
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