1 / 20

Devolution in England

Devolution in England. Tony Travers LSE. Devolution in England. Kilbrandon Report Labour’s post-1997 proposals killed off by the 2004 North East referendum City regions Metropolitan counties (1974 to 1986) GLC (1965 to 1986) then GLA (Mayor and Assembly) Post-abolition AGMA

johnsingh
Télécharger la présentation

Devolution in England

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Devolution in England Tony Travers LSE

  2. Devolution in England • Kilbrandon Report • Labour’s post-1997 proposals • killed off by the 2004 North East referendum • City regions • Metropolitan counties (1974 to 1986) • GLC (1965 to 1986) then GLA (Mayor and Assembly) • Post-abolition AGMA • Combined authorities at end of Labour government • Greater Manchester Agreement (2014) • Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill [HL]

  3. Source: Institute For Government

  4. Scotland and Wales • Since 1999 there has been significant devolution to Scotland and Wales • The Edinburgh Parliament and Cardiff Assembly are, effectively, permanent • Despite the lack of constitutional protection • Evidence of a loss of sovereignty by Westminster • At least until Brexit… • Radical fiscal devolution now in preparation • Weakens Treasury’s position re other parts of UK • England left as a single, centralised unit • Unique compared to other major countries • Suggests that national politicians believe sub-national political capacity is incapable of government

  5. England • Relatively fewer MPs than Scotland or Wales Total Per head • England 533 101,000 • Wales 40 77,050 • Scotland 59 90,300 • Northern Ireland 18 101,600 • Despite the existence of legislative powers in Scotland, Wales and NI • Challenge of ‘English votes’ issue….

  6. England and the Union • Is under-representation in Parliament, no devolved government and lower public expenditure simply the price the English must pay to keep the Union together? • This has long been the case, though devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has affected perceptions • Certainly, ‘England’ cannot assert itself much within the Union • Any radical England positioning by English MPs would undermine the UK government and the position of the other three nations • But could it be allowed some measure of devolution? • Beyond London

  7. City regional mayors- a short history London’s mayor (elected in 2000) was partly a replacement for the GLC, partly co-incident with devolution to Scotland, Wales Non ‘city regional’ mayors introduced elsewhere in England Regional policy for the rest of England doomed after 2004 North East referendum No 78% Yes 22% ‘City regions’ as a policy started towards the end of the Blair-Brown government

  8. City regional mayors- a short history Cameron/Osborne built on the previous government’s policy Separately, Greater Manchester had been developing its own ‘city regional’ economic and policy mechanism Osborne adopted this and evolved the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ City-regional mayors made a condition of greater devolution to combined authorities Legislation to allow ad hoc, ‘bespoke’ (random?) change

  9. Where does this take us? • Could lead to radical devolution to GM and other ‘city regions’? • Legislation allows wide differences from city to city • skills, planning, housing, transport, NHS • Also counties, but not London except by its own new deals • Or, to very little change? • There is still huge resistance to fiscal devolution in England • London Finance Commission 1 • Little movement so far • Areas seen by HMT as ‘too rich’ or ‘too poor’ to sustain fiscal devolution

  10. Sub-national tax-raising

  11. City regional spending and taxation Source: London Finance Commission

  12. The potential impact of devolved taxes

  13. International comparisons

  14. Implied government concern re devolution and related policies

  15. Devolution, city-regions and mayors • This policy has almost certainly been ‘paused’ • No evidence of much ministerial concern with moving further towards a more comprehensive form of ‘English devolution’ • ‘Northern Powerhouse’ and ‘Midlands Engine’ policies cover areas significantly wider than city-regions • Policy has settled, for the time being on: • Delivering the May 2017 elected mayors/combined authorities • 2018 mayoral elections in Sheffield • Possible ‘North of Tyne’ combined authority with mayor • Greater Lincolnshire not progressing

  16. Implications from London Turnouts can vary, but are generally above those of local government With no district elections in metropolitan areas this year, the mayoral contest will be the only one – except in Cambridgeshire

  17. Being mayor can make you very popular

  18. The geo-politics of the EU referendum vote: does this make a difference?- UK, nations and regions Source: Science 2.0

  19. London: city state…- might this happen in other city regions? The ‘single constituency’ for the mayor appears to have generated a more powerful civic identity for London Reinforced by the 2016 referendum vote But not quite enough (yet) to give London sufficient power to deliver Scotland or Wales-style devolution Might the new collective of city mayors become a lobby for ‘English devolution’? Issue probably now tied up in the future of the Union, the challenge of financing the State and other ‘external’ factors…

  20. Devolution in England Tony Travers LSE

More Related