North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll is calling on Whitehall to hand over real "firepower" to local leaders following the Queen's Speech.
The Government has set out its plans for the year ahead in the Queen's Speech, and they include proposals for a "levelling up" White Paper.
But there was very little detail about what the White Paper will contain.
Instead, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his levelling up adviser, Leicestershire MP Neil O’Brien, are to work on the plans and publish them later this year.
The Government had previously promised to devolve more power to regional mayors and more details were to be published in a White Paper announced back in 2019, but this has now been cancelled.
Mr Driscoll urged the Government to involve mayors in drawing up the new devolution plans.
He said: "We've yet to see the detail on the 'Levelling up' White Paper, or even an outline of what it may contain, but it would seem sensible for the Government, to consult with us on it, as City Region Mayors. In fact, let's write it together.
"What we don't want is more of the same from the Prime Minister - that is, all the rhetoric of 'levelling up', while Westminster-controlled money is splashed around for short term gain rather than long term, public benefit.
"In North of Tyne, we're creating 4,130 new jobs, just two years into my time as Mayor.
"All those thousands of jobs generate tax revenues for the Treasury, national insurance, and economic uplift.
"But we get to keep none of it for our region. I’m currently negotiating for a Regional Wealth Fund, because I want us to have the power to generate more wealth here.
"But we're still not there: regional Mayors lack firepower. For English Devolution to become a reality, there needs the power for City Region Mayors to both generate wealth and spend it in their regions.
"If this Government really wants to deliver 'levelling up', they will take that need seriously - because the changes we need won't happen without it."
The North of Tyne Mayor serves Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.
The Queen's Speech highlighted the Chancellor's announcement earlier this year of a £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund, which will invest in infrastructure such as local transport schemes, urban regeneration projects and cultural assets.
Areas have been invited to bid for a share of the funding.
The Government also says it will start to distribute money from a Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022. This replaces £2.1bn that was previously distributed through the European Union.
Local and regional authorities will be given more control over bus services.
One concrete measure that could benefit the North East economy is the plan to allow anybody to claim funding for higher education or training at any point in their life, as part of a new Skills and Post-16 Education Bill.
It will change the loans regime currently in place for university students so that loans are available for anybody to study for up to four years across their lifetime, at college as well as university.
Think tank IPPR North also called for more real devolution measures.
Erica Roscoe, senior research fellow at IPPR North, said: "For years now, regions like the North have been waiting for the Government to bring forward their promised white paper on devolution in England.
"We were told to expect it at the last State Opening of Parliament, but it was never delivered, and now it seems to have been abandoned altogether.
"Promises to ‘level up’ the country are welcome, but after years of rhetoric and piecemeal announcements of unambitious, centralised, competitive pots of funding, people in regions like the North are more than ready to see real action.
"At the heart of any attempt to level up must be a meaningful commitment to delivering a good life for all, through devolution of power and resources so that places can take control of their futures, for themselves.
"As we saw from last week’s elections, people value the difference that their local leaders can make, and devolution can have a positive impact on communities. Every moment that the government stalls on devolution, it is actively levelling down.
