What does devolution mean for transport evidence? 

In his first month in office, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made it clear he wants local government to have more say in how their places grow, connect and thrive. Pushing for devolution sits at the heart of that agenda, in an effort to bring decisions closer to the places and communities they affect. 

Naturally, transport is a major part of that conversation. It affects everyone and is experienced on a local level across the UK, through the journeys people make and the places they need to reach every day. 

In fact, big steps have already been taken to deepen English devolution, giving local and regional leaders greater influence over how transport is planned, funded and delivered. 

The new government has already committed to: 

• Fiscal devolution through retention of a share of local tax revenues. 

• Greater powers for local leaders over rail and bus services.¹

• Raising the threshold for Department for Transport approval of locally-led transport schemes to £500 million.²

• Strategic authorities (groups of local councils that receive additional powers and spending privileges from central government) being established across England by 2028.³  

While significant announcements, in a wider context they’re part of a longer-term shift that has already been underway. — a shift that impacts the direction of transport policy and research. 

Moving towards more local control

Since 2023 we’ve seen a series of legislative steps to increase local powers by the UK government via the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act and the Devolution and Community Empowerment Act. These have paved the way for transferring power from central government to local areas, giving Combined Authorities greater flexibility over how transport funding is used and how services are planned.  

The idea behind these reforms is that local leaders are often better placed than Whitehall to understand local challenges and opportunities. Greater local control can mean transport connects more easily with housing, skills, economic development, health and regeneration. And that can mean more joined-up solutions which reflect local needs.  

But not all areas have the same powers or freedom. More established mayoral authorities such as Greater Manchester have benefited from greater autonomy through integrated funding settlements, while other areas remain at an earlier stage of the devolution journey. Burnham’s government have said this process is likely to continue, with further transport powers being devolved over time through the expansion of strategic authorities.  

Even so, devolution is already changing how transport services are designed and run. Bus franchising has let some authorities to take greater control of local bus networks, while emerging powers over areas such as micromobility and integrated transport planning are creating new opportunities for local innovation. The Greater Manchester’s Bee Network is a clear example of how devolved powers can support more integrated approaches to ticketing, timetabling and network management.  

How local transport performance is measured is evolving too, focusing on impact instead of activity and output. Authorities used to have to monitor how specific funding allocations had been spent and delivery milestones. Government is now increasingly placing greater emphasis on local outcome measurement, like the recently published Local Outcomes Framework ⁴, which asks authorities to show the difference that transport interventions are making for passengers, communities and local economies.  

This all raises an important question: what does a more devolved transport system mean for transport evidence? 

Growing the local evidence base

Transport decisions have traditionally been weighted towards building an economic case. But evaluation and research evidence have become a much bigger part of decision making. The Institute for Government’s 2021 report on transport evidence recommended more emphasis to be given to social research, evaluation and evidence on public preferences and behaviour.  

As decision making becomes more localised, the availability of consistent local metrics comparable across areas becomes increasingly important. Where local transport authorities may take different approaches to common challenges, and where the effectiveness of interventions is likely to vary between places, robust local evidence is particularly valuable too. 

Local leaders increasingly need evidence that helps answer questions such as: 

• Are transport investments improving access to employment, education and services? 

• Which communities and groups are benefiting most from interventions? 

• What interventions deliver the greatest value for money? 

• How do transport investments contribute to wider objectives such as economic growth, inclusion and decarbonisation? 

Answering these questions needs a combination of data, passenger insight, stakeholder engagement and quality evaluation. 

Implications for the transport research sector

Ultimately, more local power will require better local insight. If devolution continues to expand, authorities will need to increase their capacity to commission, interpret and use localised evidence effectively. 

The transport evidence challenge is increasingly shifting from understanding whether a policy works nationally to understanding what works, for whom, and under what local conditions.  And that means the ability to generate and use high-quality evidence or research may become an increasingly important determinant of success. 

¹ PM hands mayors share of income tax to make lives better in every postcode – GOV.UK

² Politico London Playbook, Smokes and Mirrors, 30th July 2026

³ Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement (HTML) – GOV.UK

⁴ Local Outcomes Framework – GOV.UK