The Burnham idea that we must all come under Regional Mayors is not a way of taking local opinion and community feeling more seriously. It will often do the opposite. Regional Mayors will be able to override local Councils. They will grab powers from below more than wrestling powers from above.
The EU Re set is designed for the EU to requisition powers of self government to make us obey EU laws, extinguishing important UK freedoms. A tapestry of Regional Mayors looks much like the loathed Europe of the Regions attempt to balkanise England into unloved regional conglomerates, ignoring geography, history, place and local feelings.
In my part of England the majority want an end to letting in and housing illegal migrants and want the closure of the local migrant hotel. The majority does not want to pay extra taxes for the state failure to control the borders. We do not want excessive new housing development over our remaining greenfields, preferring a period of no net migration to cut the need for extra homes. We want a lower Council tax paying just for good core services.
If we get lumbered with a Regional Mayor the costs of government go up with a needless new layer, and the tax goes up to pay for it. Mayors are dear, coming with new ways to waste our money and new ways to make us pay for their excesses. If the government is serious about wanting more say locally they need to listen to areas like mine which say No to more government.
We would not want a Mayor to insist on us taking more illegal migrants, nor that we need to build more homes on greenfields. The people of Wokingham supported getting rid of two tier local government, opting for a unitary Council. The nation opted to get rid of the needless EU level of government. The UK government and a unitary Council is quite enough bureaucratic structure. Trying to set up more wastes money, delays sorting out the real issues and threatens to override local opinion.