The Combined Authorities and Combined County Authorities (Remuneration Panels for Member Allowances and Consequential Amendments) Order 2026

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

Section 10 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (c. 23) inserts section 52A into the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (c. 55) (“ the 2023 Act ”) and section 113E into the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (c. 20) (“ the 2009 Act ”). These sections confer powers on combined authorities (“CAs”) and combined county authorities (“CCAs”) to make a scheme to pay allowances to members with special responsibilities, subject to the CA or CCA having considered a report published by a relevant remuneration panel. A relevant remuneration panel makes recommendations for the allowances provided for in the scheme and the allowances payable must not exceed those recommendations. A relevant remuneration panel is a panel specified, or of a description specified, by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation.

Part 2 of this Order amends the Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information and Audit Committees) Order 2017 to specify independent remuneration panels established by CAs and CCAs under article 16(1)(b) of that Order as relevant remuneration panels for the purposes of section 52A of the 2023 Act and section 113E of the 2009 Act.

Part 3 of this Order makes consequential amendments to secondary legislation to enable the payment of allowances to CA and CCA members with special responsibilities, by making these allowances a further exception to prohibitions on the payment of allowances to members.

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