Further powers over local services, including public trasnport employment schemes for young people, also feature in the 'devolution revolution' plans announced today.

The government has said this will include:

• New frameworks to bring rail and bus services under greater local control, allowing regional mayors to introduce integrated ticketing and more reliable services.
• Stronger planning and regeneration powers to build new homes and unlock stalled development sites
• Control over 16-19 funding and employment support to get young people into work
• New schemes to support for local industries and innovative businesses
• More funding from Whitehall when policy areas are devolved

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has lauded today's new plans for regional mayors to hold on to income tax as "the first step in our plan to rewire this country" - and vowed it would stop power being "hoarded in Westminster".

She said: "Our devolution revolution is about bringing an end to the begging-bowl culture of the past, and instead making sure our local leaders have the tools they need to drive the change that communities have been crying out for.

"We need every region to be firing on all cylinders if we want good growth in every postcode, and we will do everything in our power to make that a reality."

Angela Rayner said the plans would end the 'begging-bowl culture' around local government(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Shutterstock)

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Britain will take a "pragmatic" approach on future North Sea oil drilling as he confirmed he told Donald Trump "we can’t ignore" the resources there.

He said: "I said to the President that we will take a pragmatic approach to the North Sea because we have to recognise the reality of where we are as a country."

Andy Burnham refused to be drawn on North Sea oil after pressure from Donald Trump(Image: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters Pool vi)

First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said areas without mayors would not lose out as details emerged this morning of new plans to allow regions to keep income tax revenues.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We won't be imposing mayors to areas that don't want it but we will be creating strategic authorities in every area of England and they will be able to hold these powers and resources as well.

"They don't need to have mayors in order to control them or in order to retain a share of their income tax and business rates."

Counting is now underway at the Co Op Arena in Manchester for the largest by-election in British electoral history.

Over two million people were eligible to vote in the poll to choose Andy Burnham's successor as Greater Manchester Mayor.

Turnout was 32% at the previous election in May 2024, with opinion polling suggesting it will be roughly the same this time around.

Greater Manchester is one of the UK's recent economic success stories(Image: ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA/Shutterstock)

The Greater Manchester mayoral by-election is being counted under the supplementary vote (SV) system used in the mayoral elections in 2017 and 2021.

If any candidate wins more than 50% of the first-choice votes, they are declared the winner.

If no candidate has more than 50% of first-choice votes, all but the top two candidates are eliminated and the count moves to a second round.

The ballot papers of the eliminated candidates are counted again and if there are any second-choice votes for the two remaining candidates, these are added to their first-choice totals.

The candidate with the highest overall total of first and second-choice votes is declared the winner.

Louise Haigh has welcomed Diane Abbott's return to the Labour party after her year-long absence- and said the veteran MP was right to apologise for the comments that saw her suspended from the party

The First Secretary of State told BBC Breakfast on Friday: "She’s Labour to her bones, and I welcome the decision by the independent process to re-admit her, and I really really welcome her apology."

Andy Burnham will today be touting his policy to give local mayors a slice of income tax receipts from their areas for the first time - to invest back into their area.

But some mayors have suggested they could use the funding to give their residents a tax rebate.

Conservative Tees Valley mayor Lord Ben Houchen said he would “let families keep more of the money they earn”.

But Louise Haigh - a top Burnham ally and First Secretary of State - told Times Radio this morning: “I’m not convinced that it would be possible for him to set up a rebate scheme. We’d have to see the details of that, but it certainly isn’t possible at the moment…

“Those kind of schemes necessitate HMRC to set up full schemes, that’s just not possible at the moment.

“The way that the mayors are set up and work is to reinvest the money into their public services, into their local economies. It’s not possible at the moment.

“We’d have to see, obviously, plans and a scheme put forward by Ben Houchen, but that’s not how these powers and resources are intended to be used.”

First Secretary of State Louise Haigh said the money was to 'reinvest into local services'(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Regional mayors will be able to hold on to more income tax collected in their area under new plans to be announced today by the Prime Minister.

Currently, all income tax collected goes directly to the central Treasury, with elected mayors relying on government grants to fund their budgets.

First Secretary of State Louise Haigh told Times Radio this morning that the proposals would see regions given "more powers devolved, 16-19 funding, employment support budgets and the ability to tailor their own vocational routes".

"This will be an important part of developing their own local regional growth strategy as well", she added.

Andy Burnham voted at his local polling station in Golborne, near Wigan, late last night, casting his ballot less than an hour before polls closed.

Polling ahead of yesterday's vote suggested Labour candidate Bev Craig, currently the leader of Manchester City Council, was on course to win by a comfortable margin.

Andy Burnham spotted at a polling station late yesterday evening(Image: Getty Images)

Lucy Powell, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, has said voters are 'giving the party another look' as she hailed a 'positive' campaign in Greater Manchester.

Speaking as polls closed last night, she said: “Our fantastic candidate Bev Craig and our brilliant Labour team have run a really positive campaign focused on taking our city-region forwards and making sure every town, every borough, and every person shares in Greater Manchester’s success.“In this Greater Manchester by-election Labour has been on the front foot, setting out our stall, showing what Labour in power can do - free buses for young people, more social housing and creating jobs and opportunity.“Through our candidate Bev Craig and our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, we have heard from many people who are giving Labour another look. Labour is offering hope.“If the voters of Greater Manchester put their trust in Labour, we will all work tirelessly to put Bev’s promises into action.”

Lucy Powell said Labour is 'offering hope' to Greater Manchester and the country(Image: Getty Images)

Labour's Bev Craig is currently favourite to emerge from the vote as the next Greater Manchester mayor - but Reform and the Green Party have been keen to talk up their chances.

The candidates are:

• Sian Astley - Reform UK
• Geraldine Coggins - Green Party
• Bev Craig - Labour and Co-operative Party
• Phil Eckersley - Conservative and Unionist Party
• Marcus Farmer - Independent
• Richard Kilpatrick - Liberal Democrats
• Marlon West - Restore Britain

Labour's Bev Craig is favourite to top the poll(Image: garyrobertsphotography)

Today, we'll find out who will become Greater Manchester's next mayor in Labour's first electoral test since Andy Burnham vacated the role for Number 10.

Over two million people from the area - which includes Manchester and surrounding towns such as Rochdale, Bury, Stockport, Wigan and Bolton - were eligible to vote in the poll.

The count is expected to begin at the Co Op Arena at 9am, with results officially expected later in the day, likely in the early afternoon.

However, the first indications of how the region has voted will start to emerge much earlier than that - so stay with this blog for all the latest updates.

A café owner who served up free meals to hungry children after food vouchers were removed has been told he will be reported to police by a Reform council leader.

Barry Ashley, who runs the Grumpy Cook in Hastings, stepped up after East Sussex County Council decided not to issue school holiday meal vouchers to struggling families over the summer. He has criticised the move, which he branded “shameless”, accusing the council of turning its back of children in poverty.

He has since been told by Andy Woolley, who heads the authority, that he will be reported to police along with Labour MP Helena Dollimore. Mr Woolley claims to have been personally attacked online and accused the pair of inciting hate and potential violence by naming him in their criticism.

The dispute follows the council's decision not to continue offering the vouchers, which are a lifeline to families. An appalled Mr Ashley responded by announcing he would offer free meals to children who need feeding at his not-for-profit cafe.

A number of local businesses have donated to help, and Mr Ashley told The Mirror he has been providing more than 70 free meals a day. Ms Dollimore has launched a petition calling for the vouchers to be reinstated, branding the council's actions "totally unacceptable" and accusing it of putting children at risk.

Mr Ashley said: "Hastings is one of the poorest towns in the country. And it is by every measure it's a deprived town. One in three of the children are living in poverty.

"And the vouchers, just to take those away without considering what they should be putting in place, without doing any risk assessment, without doing any impact assessment, it's beyond bizarre."

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Barry Ashley has been providing free meals for kids after school holiday meal vouchers were withdrawn(Image: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY)