# English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, Section 3: Single foundation strategic authorities

Extent: E+W

(1) The Secretary of State may, by regulations, designate a unitary district council or a county council as a single foundation strategic authority.
(2) The Secretary of State may not designate a council if the council’s area is within, or is, the area of another strategic authority.
(3) The Secretary of State may not designate a council unless the council consents to the designation.
(4) Regulations under this section are subject to affirmative resolution procedure.
(5) In this Act, see Schedule 27 for powers for the Secretary of State to confer functions on single foundation strategic authorities.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/23/section/3 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/english-devolution-and-community-empowerment-act-2026/section-3
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.