Local England

Devolution White Paper - Press Statement

Press release - Immediate
Tom Brake - 07958536377
Sarah Castell - 07968547712

Commenting on the publication of the Devolution White Paper, Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy and convenor of Local England: the Democratic Devolution Network said:

The White Paper on Devolution could be a positive step forwards. We welcome proposals to provide Mayors with extra powers over transport, energy and housing.

However, devolution should be more than a means to deliver growth. It must also be about allowing communities to determine how their area develops and to set their own priorities. The White Paper’s plans to centralise power in a smaller number of larger authorities, with a population of 500,000, will make this much harder. It will concentrate power further - in what is already one of the most centralised countries in Europe - the exact opposite of devolution.

Tom added:

Devolution must have the regeneration of deprived areas and real levelling up as one of its primary goals. It is not clear how for localities that do not adopt the government’s preferred model of governance this will become a reality.

Sarah Castell, CEO of Involve said:

Our immediate analysis suggests that public participation in decision making and accountability are missing from the White Paper. The Government needs to ensure the following:

• A key role for regional citizens’ assemblies and panels in communities across England to develop and deliver devolution.
• Measures to protect the independence of devolved institutions from central government interference.
• The financial resources that will enable the devolved institutions to deliver their new mandates.

Sarah added:

Devolution will be devolution in name only without their inclusion.

We will work with the government to ensure these policies are embedded in their plans and that accountability mechanisms are in place. Then communities at all levels, from the neighbourhood to the region, will know, not only that their voices will be heard, but their priorities will be acted on’.

Additionally the ‘Local England: Democratic Devolution Network’ regrets that the White Paper is silent on:

• New powers to enable a range of local levies to be raised to promote greater financial independence from central government
• A comprehensive review of the funding arrangements to provide the coherence and stability that will underpin the reforms
• The creation of a formal body, or bodies, to give representation to all levels of government at the centre.
• The commitment to embedding participatory approaches in the devolved administrations’ processes
• Expansion of community rights including the right to shape public services

Statement signed by:

Tom Brake, Director, Unlock Democracy
Sarah Castell, CEO, Involve
Jonathan Davies, Director - Centre for Local and Urban Studies (CLAUS) - De Montfort University
Willie Sullivan, Senior Director, Electoral Reform Society
Gavin Barker, Citizen Network
Paul Inskip, Independent Constitutionalists UK
Simon Duffy, Citizen Network

The Local England: Democratic Devolution Network (Local England DDN) is a made up of

• Unlock Democracy
• Involve
• The Centre for Local and Urban Studies (DMU) - currently hosted here
• The Electoral Reform Society (ERS)
• Independent Constitutionalists UK (IC-UK)
• Citizen Network

The objectives of the Local England: Democratic Devolution Network are to:

1. Build support for democratic devolution
2. Work with the government to develop devolution proposals that involve participatory democracy and to identify the right means and tools for delivering participatory democracy
3. Promote the devolution agenda supported by Local England DDN
4. Produce accessible material that promotes devolution

Tom Brake is Convenor of Local England and you can contact Tom here.

Reading:

The UK Government has recently published a White Paper on devolution in England.

The following report sets out concrete proposals the government could adopt if it wanted to deliver real devolution.

https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/resources-research/2024/4/10/power-to-the-people-the-route-to-english-devolution

The following report documents the decline of local government over the last 40 years.

https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/resources-research/2021/6/17/local-government-in-england-40-years-of-decline

The following report sets out more detailed proposals for public participation and accountability in the design and delivery of devolution.

https://www.involve.org.uk/our-work/our-projects/could-involving-citizens-help-unlock-true-english-devolution