In a speech to regional leaders, the Deputy Prime Minister will vow to push power out of Whitehall and into the hands of people with ‘skin in the game’ across a range of policy areas including housing.

Lord Houchen, the Tory elected mayor in Tees Valley, said the changes were a ‘real step in the right direction.’

‘This new announcement will do nothing to solve that – and instead open up another front on Labour’s assault on the countryside.’

However, Lord Houchen, the Tory elected mayor in Tees Valley, said the changes were a ‘real step in the right direction.’

He told Politico’s London Playbook: ‘Some will be frustrated it hasn’t gone further, but devolution is a journey — and whilst it might take time, it’s a one-way street.’

Essex, Kent, Surrey and Hertfordshire will be among the counties set for changes to the way they are run, with the promise of more powers and money from Whitehall.

Norfolk and Suffolk will also be restructured, with their district councils being abolished and merged into new unitary authorities.

Around ten areas of the country are open to the reforms and will be part of the first wave of overhauls.

The proposed changes, in the English Devolution White Paper, will also transfer more powers to regional mayors around planning and transport.

In a speech in Leeds later, Ms Rayner, the deputy prime minister, is expected to say: ‘Our English Devolution White Paper will be a turning point when we finally see communities, people and places across England begin to take back control over the things that matter to them.

‘When our proud towns and cities are once again given the powers they need to drive growth and raise living standards as part of our ‘Plan for Change’.

‘Devolution will no longer be agreed at the whim of a minister in Whitehall, but embedded in the fabric of the country, becoming the default position of government.’

Meanwhile a minister this morning suggested some local elections next year may not go ahead as planned as local authorities could be closed or merged,

Jim McMahon, the local government minister, said he would set out the detail of that this afternoon in Parliament when asked if all local county council and unitary authority elections due to take place in May would go ahead.

He told LBC: ‘At the moment, the assumption is that elections are going ahead. However, it’s usual in a process of reorganisation, that when a council makes a request for reorganisation, that if there are elections taking place, to a council that essentially won’t exist within the term of those elections, then you hold off the elections and you elect to a shadow body and the shadow body basically is a form of the new councils that will follow.’

Some local authorities have already requested reorganisation, he said.

Asked if some local authorities would be closed or merged, he said: ‘That’s the nature of reorganisation.’

There will be a statutory consultation before any authorities are changed, he said.

‘This is about local areas coming to government to say: ‘We want to be part of this devolution agenda. We want reorganisation as part of that,” he said.